Real Paradise Under Siege
Give James Cameron his due, #Avatar is an amazing film displaying genuine creativity and a wild and vivid imagination. The science fiction film produced by Lightstorm Entertainment is one of those mega-shift films that become a lifetime classic and represent another huge milestone in cinematography. Avatar, with its colourful landscapes and representation of the beauty of nature so creatively done in the movie, has caused me to reflect on my own land, the land of my birth. I reflect on my homeland, called the land of "wood and water". This is #Jamaica, land we love! Jamaica, is quite the jewel in the Caribbean, and a place of natural wonders many are not aware of. She's amazing, with majestic mountains, long winding rivers, beautiful coastlines, and unique plant and animal life. She is a real-life paradise, and yet she is quite under siege.
It is apparent that external powers of governments and gangsters have bamboozled and influenced locals to abandon the esteem and protection of the land of wood and water. Powers have convinced us to trade the natural wonders of our land in pursuit of expensive cars and cash-flushed lifestyles. It may be that our governors have forgotten the power we wield with such amazing flora and fauna and have bent their knees due to pressure. Our leaders have chosen to get their own plush lifestyles, ignoring the preservation of their heritage in paradise. These external pressures have manifested in Jamaica and on her people as horrendous crimes, systemic corruption, and the prevalence and normalization of violence. Our amazing people known for their warmth and ever-welcoming spirit, now seem to go about with glazed-over eyes, distressed, depressed, and discouraged. And the land herself is impacted by the plight of her people. Yet, our strength is not all gone. Her light, though diminished, is not extinguished.
Like Avatar, should #Jamaicans rally around the protection of our homeland, truly demonstrating "Jamaica, land we love", as sung so heartily and continuously in our beloved anthem, she can truly rise. Jamaica yet possesses the wherewithal to show the world what an island paradise truly is and can become. If our people rally to the singular cause of protecting her, as those in Avatar protected their life-giving tree, we can have our power and beauty back. Should Jamaicans determine to put #principle above #politics and #personalities, the rule of law above indiscipline, the advancement of the whole, above individual greed, then we can, she can #arise. However, this transformation requires boldness and strength which may not yet be present in our leaders. It requires #skilled prudent #leadership that can unite Jamaicans around a singular cause while pushing forcefully against the whims and fancy of external powers. We can hope and pray that the old Abengs will be sounded and a new #spirit of unity and determination will arise within our #leaders and our people, and may our Eternal #Father again bless our land.