Dorian’s strike; and good stories in not-so-good times

Sep 08, 2019 Countryman, Features / Columnists

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By Dennis Nichols

This week, I’m tempted to go off on Hurricane Dorian, but I’ll limit my slightly-subjective response to just two or three paragraphs.
The Bahamas was my home and work station for 10 years. Its tropical-paradise allure of casuarina-fringed beaches and azure seas is legendary. Now, two of its major islands are being defined by contrasting, surreal images, described with adjectives like devastating, dire, and decimated. But that’s exactly how the hurricane from hell, (so described by an American weather expert) has left sections of the northwest archipelago after its three-day sojourn across Grand Bahama and Abaco – the second and third most populated districts of the island chain.
By now, the world would have learnt of the storm’s staggering blow to the country and its tourism-based economy. Much has already been said about the impact, and much more will be said in the coming weeks and months by those more competent than I to dissect and analyze it.

In the past few days I have seen dozens of videos and read several reports on the storm’s apocalyptic dimensions and appalling footprint. But I’ve also seen and read reports with respect to the strength and resilience of mostly ordinary Bahamians, many of whom I got to know and respect during my years there.
Nevertheless, there are some whose nationalistic fervour borders on hate-filled jingoism, particularly with respect to the illegal Haitian populations in Nassau and Abaco.
Based on so far unsubstantiated reports of Haitians looting and shooting on Abaco, Dorian seems to have brought out the worst in a few of them. One woman’s uncharitable outburst will suffice. “… so now dey gon’ go vandalize the Bahamian people (on Abaco) now dey gon kill dem … an’ bury dem, an’ take their home like is dere own, take it over like is dere house, cause dey own done mash up so dey try’na run for cover … y’all down in Abaco, y’all need to get together an’ fight. Y’all let the Haitian dem f*&#ing run y’all. Get together an’ fight dey ass back. What the hell wrong wit y’all down there?”
Now, let’s change the vibe.
Dorian’s fury and the consequential spotlight on human nature have led me to reflect on two rather inconsequential stories, at least where great morals are concerned.
The first occurred right here in Guyana. Someone posted a video of an accident in a rural area sometime last year, that resulted in an overturned, partially-submerged minibus. Public-spirited villagers ran to help. Injured people were pulled out in various stages of physical and emotional distress. However, one child, a young girl, was unconscious and unresponsive. She appeared lifeless. But two men decided to work on her amidst a babel of cautionary and encouraging voices.
It didn’t look as if they knew what they were doing as they pressed her tiny frame and rolled her from side to side. This seemed to go on for several minutes, and even though I anticipated the outcome, I was overwhelmed when the girl suddenly moved her head, opened glassy, unfocused eyes, and began to throw up.
It looked like a miracle. (I often wonder if I had given up too easily when my own teenaged son drowned 24 years ago) I do not know how the child fared later on, but I’m almost certain she is alive. What I do know, however, is that she was a black child, and one or both of her resuscitators were East Indian. Should I have had to mention the fact? In current pre-election Guyana? Yes!
That, and this next story, made me recall a quote attributed to the late South African President Nelson Mandela, who said, “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
That quote resonated strongly with viewers who saw a photograph, and watched a related video on YouTube, of two young boys on their first day of school in Kansas, USA, a few weeks ago. It has gone viral.
Conner Crites is an autistic eight-year-old, and he was obviously overwhelmed on the first day of school, as a second-grader, in Wichita, Kansas. He crouched in a corner and started to cry. Christian Moore, another eight-year-old, also on his first day of school, saw the distressed Conner, and acted. He went up to him, took his hand, walked with him to the school’s front door, and when the school bell rang, walked him inside.
Christian’s mother, Courtney, watched from a distance. She later told a local news station how proud she was of her son, and that after the compassionate gesture, ‘the rest is history’ as the boys became inseparable friends. Conner is white; Christian black. Was that distinction deliberately underscored? Yes; in America today, it is necessary.
Conner expressed his gratitude in a deceptively simple, but heartfelt, statement to his mother, April, as only a child can. “He (Christian) found me and held my hand, and I got happy tears. He was kind to me. I was in the first day of school and I started crying, then he helped me, and I was happy.” It was later disclosed that Christian had no idea his new friend was autistic and has trouble expressing himself. According to Christian’s mother, her son also struggles with speech.
This spontaneous act of compassion has already garnered 640,000-plus views and counting on YouTube. It has shone a spotlight on the natural tendency of children to empathize with each other in the absence of learned hate. As a teacher for several years, it is something I observed time and again, especially with very young children. It is as if there is a built-in sensor that cues them to be drawn to the physical and emotional pain of each other, sometimes even when the anguish is soundless.
The world often appears consumed by hate, but it may be a flawed perception, as there are still many, many stories like the two I just related. And it is necessary; even vital, to remind ourselves that good people and unselfish acts are in the majority globally.
It is our fondness for sensationalism and tragedy that obscure the countless small acts of kindness and compassion every day, everywhere. No one country, city, or community has a monopoly on either so-called good or so-called evil human beings. And it is a truism that Guyanese, Bahamians, (including survivors of Dorian) and every other nationality, should never forget.

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