Hanging Our Hats Too High

MY father always told his sons we should never hang our hats where our hands can’t reach. Of course, it had nothing to do with hats or hands, but all about how we set our goals and ambitions. I have most times tried to be so guided. Steeped in the knowledge industry as I am, I always want to know more about everything I can — especially when I’m told I can’t or shouldn’t even try to. But generally, I don’t easily support goals I consider impossible or hardly unachievable.

This past week two major universal goals were repeated here by agitators for good causes, which I find a bit hard to swallow in full: one is Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children; the other is Elimination of AIDS/HIV.

Not that I think they will remain forever impossible. But I don’t think I will live to see either. Not in my lifetime.

Lest I be misunderstood, let’s face just a few facts.

First, violence (especially against women and children) has been with humankind for as long as we’ve inherited this earth. It is uncivil, inhuman, cruel, bad, horrible, terrible, unconscionable, despicable – and all the other suitable adjectives we can conjure. But, truth be told, no society has ever found a way to stop it, though not for lack of trying. Sadly, too many among us everywhere still behave as if violence is part of mankind’s natural genetic makeup.

The reasons men (and women) do violence against each other (and against children and other vulnerable groups such as elders) vary and differ. None (of the reasons offered) justify the violent actions, but perpetrators don’t do it just because they were told or encouraged to. They do it because they feel they have a right to, because they feel they won’t ever get caught and will therefore never have to pay and because they don’t consider it wrong at all. Each will offer a reason they expect us to believe, whether they (themselves) believe it or not.

This culture of violence against women (and children) is deeply engrained culturally. Just a few decades ago, The Mighty Sparrow sang a true song about Caribbean men feeling that beating-up a woman badly was simply a good way showing her just how much you love her. The song advised, “Black-up dey eye, bruise-up dey knee, den they love you eternally.” The wily Sparrow saved the bombshell for the very last line of the last verse of the song, ending it with: “Den dey LEAVE you, E-t-e-r-n-a-l-l-y!!!” But most Caribbean men who love the song – to this day – still hardly ever hear that last line.

Secondly, AIDS/HIV is an infectious disease that has been in the Caribbean way since 1980, when the first (single) case in Montserrat (with a population of 12,000) gave it a higher statistical percentage of AIDS victims than all of the entire United States. But never mind all the medical science and technology deployed so far to discover and develop a cure, there’s still no cure for AIDS. Breakthroughs have been scored with temporary relief and delaying medical products, but not enough to give the world any confidence that we’re about to get rid of AIDS or HIV any time soon.

So then, how and when do we achieve the lofty goals set by the United Nations for elimination of violence against women and children — and elimination of HIV/AIDS?

Again I say, it’s not impossible… Just that I’d feel more comfortable knowing that we’re setting more immediate goals we can achieve, within the context of the UN’s earlier Millennium Development Goals and the later Sustainable Development Goals.

I’d rather know, for example, that we’re placing more emphasis here on successfully encouraging all sexually active Saint Lucians to get tested regularly as a matter of routine; urging all suffering in silence from AIDS/HIV to join those who have taken advantage of medical help available; and urging more victims to be more open and willing to share their experiences or otherwise join the fight to stop the spread.

I am not sure we have advanced enough along those lines to set a goal of total elimination of AIDS/HIV by 2030 — or even by 2050. The world hasn’t got rid of most of the other communicable diseases that have plagued humankind for as far back as our memory can stretch. Polio is still there and so are tubercolosis and diabetes – and Ebola!

Diseases of all kinds are becoming more and more immune to even the most modern medicine — and AIDS/HIV is no different. Ancient carriers (like the AedesEgypti mosquito) are also metamorphosing into new multi-carrier modern-day phenomena, with the ability to carry more than one disease (in this case Dengue, Chikungunya and now the new feared Zica).

Besides, we’re still told that AIDS/HIV kills. If so, can we safely assume that most (if not all) of the over 275,000 persons estimated to have AIDS/HIV across the Caribbean will eventually die? More, is the goal to eliminate AIDS/HIV by a certain time based on expectation and projection by the global analysts and researchers that they will all die before 2030 or 2050? And if all don’t die and HIV victims last and last and continue to procreate, will the disease continue to be communicated, or will it eventually just die out? And how long will that take?

See what I mean?

So yes, I would like to see violence (and not only against women and children) eliminated totally in my lifetime. But I don’t think I’ll see it. I also would like to see AIDS and HIV eliminated in my lifetime, but here too I’m equally pessimistic. I would like for my daughter, my sons and my grand-daughter to be able to live in a Saint Lucia that is violence-free and AIDS-free — and I know a lot of that depends on just how much you and I do today to make that future possible for them.

It’s because I know the future depends on us that I am so concerned about us following global fashion and hanging our hats where our hands can’t reach without building at least a little bench or stool to make that height when the time comes.
I just can’t forget my father’s advice – and I really hope you understand…