Dear Editor
A view posited by late Roman Catholic Saint, Mother Teresa is that we think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. But she goes on to say that the greatest poverty is being unwanted, unloved and uncared for.
“We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty,” she had said, and indeed this has some resonance in Guyana and was in fact duly recognised in a recent article in Guyana Times headlined, “Vagrants wish for a better life this Christmas”.
The article highlighted that one particular vagrant, for more than 25 years, has been immersed in a life filled with pain, sorrows, disappointments and loneliness; a life on the streets of Georgetown.
His story represents a global phenomenon, but points somewhat in the direction of irresponsibility and lack of positive action to exit his dreadful state.
Barring some exceptional circumstances, vagrancy can be avoided if people are willing to take personal responsibility for their actions.
And this means, being ever mindful of our actions and decisions in life as sometimes our past decisions come back to haunt in the most distressing of ways.
Though one can rationalise and say that things have happened and that the circumstances were beyond control, it is important to bear in mind that the reaction to the situation in one’s own response, and this can be controlled.
As such, one cannot entirely divorce his/herself from a situation. Many tend to view the notion of “responsibility” in a negative light, almost to comparing it to a necessary evil.
It is worthy for all Guyanese to accept this approach, because it entails a built-in mechanism to cater for setbacks by providing options to recover and not ended up being on the fringes of society.
All of this entails one being disciplined and living within his/her means and when mistakes are made, there is a concerted effort to have them corrected and not casting blame on others.
Blaming others for our downfall is never a helpful approach as it does not allow one to trace his/her fault and know where the error occurred.
After all, in taking responsibility for our lives, we are rising above animals which are governed by instincts. Humans, with language, intellect and will power should pride themselves in making decisions based on intelligence and in the spirit to advance his situation for the betterment of his well-being, his family, his community and country at large.
Sincerely,
Annalisa Ally