We don’t even talk to each other

Sep 28, 2014 Features / Columnists, My Column

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The Man above gave human beings an intense gift—the gift of communication. The result is that people in any corner of the world enjoy a universal language that is often precipitated by a smile. I have travelled a lot to countries where English, my native language, was not at a premium but I survived because I used the gift that God gave me.
And even in those countries where people spoke English, one needed to listen carefully because of the accent. A few decades I happened to visit London. I was on my way back from Libya where I had gone to observe the anniversary of the coup that brought Muammar Gadaffi to power.
Two things happened that would stay with me forever. On the flight from Libya to Guyana I happened to sit next to a young man who must have been filthy rich, because in London he was going to stay at one of those top flight hotels. He said that his father was a pilot on the international routes.
In those days Guyanese did not require a visa to enter England, us being a former British colony. When we reached Immigration, the officer asked the young man where he was staying then proceeded to grill him. I could not see the relevance of some of the questions, but the officer had to do his job. He eventually let the young man in, but not before the young man in his halting English said that he had a beautiful country and that he could simply go back home.
I was next and the officer simply said to me, “You can’t be too careful with these types.”  The year was 1980 and being a Black man I was not amused. That young man could have been me. Today, there are Islamic radicals from that corner of the world from which the young man came. I suppose in hindsight, the immigration officer knew what he was talking about.
On that same trip, I had to seek directions to my friend Arnon Adams’s residence. I had never gone to London before, but I had a general idea where he lived. I had his address. An elderly woman told me where to go, but I was hesitant. Then she said to me, “Young man, you have a good tongue in your head.”
Later, this tongue helped me, because I formed some interesting conversations with people I had never seen.  I remember when I was in the Falklands, I met a high ranking army officer in one of the stores at Port Stanley. We talked about so many things, including the war with Argentina. I never realized that this was the man responsible for the military establishment on the island.
We met formally a few days later when I was leaving the island. The aide de camp announced the presence of this general and then this man walked in. He said ‘Hi Adam” and I was stunned. Then he said something that made sense to a number of people, but not to me.
“We met, I was wearing uniform.” The implication was that I was familiar with the insignias.
The second thing that made me realize the importance of communication involved my suitcase. Somehow, I arrived in Libya without my suitcase and I had to communicate this with someone there. He spoke no English and I spoke a little French. Believe it or not, we managed to understand each other and when the suitcase did arrive it was taken to my hotel.
I remember these things because as I look at the political situation and even at normal incidents, I realize that we simply do not talk to each other, with the result that things that could be settled peacefully end up with the parties becoming acrimonious.
A friend called me in the wake of the most recent lawsuit filed against Kaieteur News and me, and asked why is it that people can’t talk? He said that the Guyana Revenue Authority could have talked with the people about the Lexus and proceeded to do the same thing, but that there would have been no rancour.
I had to discuss this same absence of communication on a previous occasion. At the time Bharrat Jagdeo was the president. There were street protests, because the then Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte, claimed that he could not reach an accord with Jagdeo, that Jagdeo appeared not to listen and when he did listen, he made promises that he could not keep.
Similarly, President Donald Ramotar has been unable to communicate with the leaders of the opposition parties to the extent that each year when the budget is presented there is a problem. In one case the issue ended up in court.
In offices I see people who write notes to their juniors because they simply cannot call the junior and talk about the issue that is the source of concern. We are now witnessing a preponderance of hostile acts between couples. People kill each other over some stupid incident when mere talk could have resolved the issue.
I felt elated when the legal system introduced mediation. I recently noticed that mediation has been extended to the Berbice courts. But has there been more communication? As a student I learnt that the spoken word makes up one-tenth of all interpersonal communication. This means that we say more without even opening our mouths.
But even that we do not take time to do properly.

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