I believe that if Jesus was killed by his own people then any of us, as good as we might be, as Puritan as our moral stance or as transparent a character as we are, our individuality is forever at the mercy of the tribal values.
There are many Ghetto Jesus that we crucify along with thieves because people within our own communities set them up. We have Pharisees and scribes who sit on their self righteous throne and pretend to want good for our collective well being. When In truth they are only seeking their own individual opportunism and salvation... It's a facade, it's not really about us. It is about them.
The self righteous must be poked with the truth to shatter their fake veneer and allow their real personalities to explode like a dynamite.
We are the architects of our society which means it is not set in stone. We can break it and rebuild it anyway. Why do we pretend that our notion of a society is not intangible and pliable to our aspirations?
There was a time when slavery was considered acceptable by very Christian, highly religious societies. What does that say about how we as a people see injustices. Well it is ok to be cruel to people if they are from certain economical circumstances or if "upper echeleon" of society deems it so. We tolerate injustices as long as it does not affect us or it benefits us in some way.
I gave a tribute at Gussy Funeral about how I thought someone like him who has done more good than bad for his community was killed by the protectors of our community was a chilling paradox. Gussy who several pastors attest to assisting with community charities. Grandpus a man who we all knew from childhood was dying in an infirmary and Pastor Evans had approached Gussy with his wish to be buried not by the infirmary but the generosity of his community. Gussy told pastor Evans no problem, just get everything together and I will pay for the package. That was Gussy...
A boy crashed in a bike collision and his mom could not afford his surgery and she approached Gussy. It cost 100,000 dollars and in a few hours Gussy rounded up contributions from every one and the mother was on her way to saving her son.
A young man of poor circumstances died, a destitute old man and Gussy along with his friends assist with the burial. Gussy gave to the poor and assist the needy. He has done more for this community than any elected politician, he was only twenty four years old.
If you wanted to do a business, Gussy was approachable. Everybody could come to him and ask for assistance. Gussy made dreams come true. Gussy send pickney go a school. Why do you suppose the officers allowed us to properly mourn his death instead of treating him like the common criminal some people assumed he must be to be gunned down by the police.
Man has an idea for a play involving key actors in the Jamaican play community. He approaches Gussy as an investor. Gussy started advertising his play the Wednesday and he was killed the next morning. That's my last memory of his coming from his afternoon football session with his friends driving his brothers jeep advertising an event no one has ever considered doing here.
Restocking Hardwares, building a pool bar, a craft market in Negril for his older brother. Investing in parties, committing to charities. Is he a criminal or a martyr?
Well yes he might have been a criminal in the eyes of some people. If so be the case then we have police and politicians that are criminals too but we don't hear anybody demanding that they be gunned down and flung into van back like a dog.
Oh Right, I forgot, Gussy mother sell pon roadside and him daddy push hand cart fe mind them and when him couldn't manage the economical strain of taking care of the children , he abandoned Miss Madge. Gussy Father admits at the grave digging that if Gussy walked past him, he would not even recognized his own son. He cried when he admitted that Gussy called him several times, saying "daddy cone check me no". He cried that Gussy called and told him about what he was doing and everything he bought. Gussy was a forgiving young man and reached out to his father.
None a you have any right to judge these youths cause unoo don't know weh them a come from. I carried water from stand pipe up until I was seventeen years old, I had to get up every morning go clean out my fathers business place and the house before u go school. Sometimes me late. I have back problems now from carrying those heavy jugs and I can't sleep till morning light because my body is trained to wake before dawn and do domestic chores. I thought my life was hard then but I now realise that some people have it worst than me. My father never abandoned us. He might not have been the greatest father but I was never hungry and I went to school everyday. Do you think it is fair to Miss Madge for someone to take away her child that she has made sacrifices for and invest in before he came to actual fruition?
Stop reasoning with your prejudices and classism because that is what this is a about. A girl wrote that we should never assume that my cousin went to heaven because him was never living a life to warrant entrance in the kingdom of God. I kept thinking " what the fuck does she know about Gussy? He has done more good than her and as far as I am concern in a greater position for heaven than she, the pastor himself said that gussy better than nuff so all Christians because he had a good heart .
I know because Gussy black like a tar and he looks Ghetto cuz poverty no wash offa him yet. Hard life still a show pon him. He does not look refined and he's not related to anyone important. He's a king where he is from and that is most important. Gussy will always be remembered, he's done more for this community than people born inna money yah. I know one particular one, you couldn't even get a thousand dollar fe borrow from him cuz him always bruck and him a drive convertible. And Gussy gave away thousands of dollars. But mr convertible might contend that Gussy was kind and him end up dead cause its his generosity that lures the good and the evil towards him. That maybe do but it never deterred him from giving back to the poor. I have to learn to live with his death. It's gonna take the woman in me to get over his death.
When i see people from near and far bawling and wailing at sight of the escalade drawn chariot with his lifeless body in a glass casket. I know from every indication that he was loved by everyone.
Death had an epiphany on me. It has a way of putting life into perspective. When Checky was murdered, I no longer I obsessed about the fifty something pound I gained after my daughter because Checky lived in a gym everyday, everyone knew how he worshiped his body and to see all that hard work go to waste. I would have taken Checky back even if he was fat like that Gabriel girl that played "precious" because I liked interacting with him. Gussy death exposes how much I should never take anyone for granted, cherish every moment I spend with the people I love because you do not know when someone is gonna your life.
I do not know how anyone can think it is ok or justifiable for Miss Madge to bury her son after all that she has invested in him. After struggling to sell on the road side and pushing hand cart to buy the chicken back and the bag a rice to feed her four sons and three daughters, someone or any one deserves to deny her the right to get grandchildren from Gussy... Smh... Donkey say the world no level.
No comments:
Post a Comment