I purchased this wooden sculpture on my 2010 expedition to the island of Jamaica - Negril, of course. Negril is the only spot my dad and I ever venture to. We know this place. Whenever we go, we have friends to meet up with, places to go back to, and memories to share and expound upon. Our relationship with this place extends far beyond what I can even portray with words. We know Negril like a second home, and Negril always, and I mean always welcomes us with open arms.
As I stated yesterday in my post unveiling a deeper meaning of the common misconceptions often associated with Jamaica, people tend to hold onto these thoughts as if they known them to be true. Crime, drugs, violence, poverty - it’s anywhere you go. There is no perfect utopian society anywhere you venture in the world. So why do people hold onto these thoughts and stick them unto the culture, the people, the everyday lives as if they are meant as a proper representation of though. It couldn’t be any more untruthful than if I told you Donald Trump was always speaking the truth when he goes on his uncanny rants and raves. Sigh.
The Jamaican culture has all of these things - crime, drugs, violence, and poverty- but so does everywhere else. It’s a complex relationship to weigh for the average person that has never ventured from their own comfort zone. You won’t know what the real Jamaica, or anywhere for that matter, has to offer unless you experience firsthand for yourself.
Only when you have taken a leap of faith, exited your comfort zone, and ventured on a new pathway to see for yourself, will you know what I am referring to. It may be difficult to do so at first, but just remember - we are not guaranteed anything in this phenomenon we call life. The complex relationship I speak of is one that is within, and you must internally conquer this relationship in order to muscle up and see exactly what I am speaking of.
I believe we were put on planet Earth for a number of reasons. One reason was to co-exist with other human beings who are unlike ourselves. Another reason was to experience their cultures and traditions and take something home with you that maybe you otherwise would have never known if you constantly lived in fear. I am a completely different person than say a Jamaican man or woman, but this does not mean I should shield myself from learning and interacting with them. This is the kind of interaction that I live for- one that will enable me to see through the entire spectrum and learn something completely new about myself.
Find and conquer your own complex relationship and see for yourself
Respect,
CS