Gord (sic), Government, or us? - The Peter O'Connor Column

While the nation was celebrating the New Year last weekend, and political commentators were variously praising or condemning the government, a group of people gathered in Woodford Square to pray for the nation. 

Speaking on one of the television stations, the leader of the group claimed that they had been offering these prayers for the past fifteen years. He, and they, believed that the power of their prayers would reduce murders and other crimes and create a better Trinidad and Tobago for us all.

I must say that I admire their faith. For fifteen years they have been coming into Woodford Square—the epicentre of T&T politics - to pray for us and for our country. So far, their prayers have not been answered. And they are not alone in their prayers. 

I see on FaceBook where people, commenting on specific issues which need correction, often write that we should all pray for the problems to be resolved. Good for them! And please don’t think that I am against people praying. But I will return to that.

So, for fifteen years we have been “Praying to Gord” to solve our country’s problems. And for fifteen years things have been getting progressively “worst” as some of us say. But nobody is blaming “Gord” for this. No one is angry or disappointed that “Gord” has not yet delivered us from this Babylon we now occupy. 

But we have had a new government in power now for less than eight months. Mere mortals these new leaders of ours. However, we are all demanding that the new government immediately solve all the inherited problems which “Gord” has so far ignored… I really should not say “cannot solve”?

I find this disparity intriguing. We are such a self-professed religious people in our statements, if not in our deeds. We all declare that for any success or achievement we “must first thank Gord”, as if our own skills or commitment had no input on the achievement. 

But we never hold “Gord” responsible for our failings, individually or as a nation. This is because we live in a state of total self-contempt, long indoctrinated with the belief that we can do nothing for ourselves. 

And what “Gord” will not provide, we demand that “de government” gives us. We all just take what we can from anywhere we can. Whether it is land upon which to squat, and “space” in town to sell our wares. 

We have the “right” to play loud music to disturb our neighbours—some of it in “Gord’s” name, because “is ah church we buil’ and singing de Lord’s praises”. (Ask yourself what Jesus might have thought of that behaviour).

Someone posted on Facebook recently that a friend was ill and in need of blood. He asked everyone for prayers, and many responded, claiming that their prayers were healing the friend. I wrote and suggested they go and give blood. Many were quite horrified that I suggested they act instead of only pray.

I hesitate to quote the Bible, for I am not deeply versed in that piece of literature. However, I recall that when an allegedly sick man reached out to Jesus to be “healed’, Jesus told him to “Take up thy bed and walk”, and the man did. 

It may have been a miracle, or it may have been that Jesus recognized that the man was a malingerer. But the man walked away; action, not prayers giving him his “wholeness”. 

Another time, when His followers could not catch any fish, they asked Jesus to help by providing for them. Jesus did not give them fish, He instructed them to try again, and they caught the fish.

I truly believe that we Trinis would have just kept on praying for fish, in the ongoing, vain hope that Gord, or government would provide.

Now, the problems of this country will not be solved by our praying to “Gord” alone. And they will not be solved by our demands on our mortal leaders to “do something” to solve them.

Our problems will begin to be solved when we get off our knees and our soapboxes and actually work towards the solutions. 

White-collar crime will stop when we extradite Ish and Steve, and bring Panday, Manning, Calder and Karen to court. 

Violent crime will be reduced when we insist that our children are raised with basic values again, this being OUR duty, not the government, or “Gord’s”. 

Flooding will stop when we stop denuding our hills, stop dumping garbage in drains and clear the rivers. It is not Gord who causes our flooding. It is us.

And our society will begin its uphill climb to betterment when we begin to do the things which we keep begging God and Government to do for us.

Also read: Column: Are we there yet?