The Way I See It

The way I see it, we should always seek to adhere to the admonition given in the bible, ‘to be angry and SIN NOT.’
However, I must admit that on Thursday the 8th of March, I initially found it hard to do.
For those of you who know me well, it takes a whole lot, to get me angry—I mean really angry—I mean like MADDD!
But, on Thursday of this week, somebody told me something and something stirred within me and it was not RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION-I think it was a lot more on the UNRIGHTEOUS side…
I was recording a ceremony at the home of a dear friend of many years, who was celebrating his 80 birthday-Mr. Arthur Hanley.
We had made the connection many years prior, when he gave me some well needed advice as a young Public Health Inspector. He, having retired from the profession by that time.
We have been friends ever since.
He and his bosom buddy from childhood, Harold Bussue, related stories from their days at school and some of them were virtual horror stories.
To his horror, he told the Hon. Eric Evelyn, of a beating that his dad received, at the hands of a former headmaster (now deceased), who I previously revered and who I passed off as ‘not been able to mash ants.’
Reference is here made to Mr. Richards-father of Stanhope and Lawrence Richards (my good old classmate).
He was referred to back then by the nickname, ‘STEPLIGHT.’
So they related that Mr. Richards put a whipping on Edrick Evelyn that day, until blood ran from his back and he just kept beating him because the youngster then, refused to cry.
Well I newa!
Well, I know that Hon. Evelyn was astonished but my turn was coming.
Now my mother of blessed memory, was Mildred Morton-one of the finest teachers the world has ever known (if I may say so myself).
Well she was very BRIGHT during her years in school and impressed the authorities so much that she started teaching at age 14. Some will now refer to that as CHILD LABOUR.
She taught persons such as my friend, Arthur Hanley and Harold Bussue, among others.
The good gentlemen related to me that one day, for some unknown reason, Headmaster Richards beat my mother—the teacher mind you-right in front of the class of students.
Well I newa!
In his latter years, I used to see the man walking, not so nimbly and I used to be sorry for the man.
On hearing that, inside of me was boiling over and I am glad he did not appear in front of me then!
Thankfully, that moment passed and I was able to ask God for forgiveness for harbouring some unholy thoughts.
To make matters worse, they say that he even beat another teacher, a lady who I have tremendous respect for and who is now our Deputy Governor General-her honour, Mrs. Hyleta Liburd.
When I see her, I have to ask her about it.
But I find that Mr. Richards then, was totally out of order!
There was one other time that I recall getting that mad, like I was boiling over and tempted to do something really evil.
That was the day that I saw my father, of blessed memory, Luther Morton, cry like a child.
You see, he was a Taxi driver and in order to get jobs at the airport, he would leave home like 3 am, in order to be early in the line.
He would clean his bus, then go to sleep until day break and be ready for the first job up.
On that particular day, some Taxi guys at the airport, came up with a diabolic plot.
He was in number one and they got the dispatcher to tell him that Nisbett’s Hotel had called him for a job.
He left his number one sport and went to Nisbett’s Hotel and was then told that they had not called him.
He knew that if he returned to the airport, he would have s to start from the back of the line and the guys would only enjoy their so called joke the more, once he was present.
So, he went straight home and when he got into the living room, he cried like a child.
I left my mother consoling him and I headed to the airport. The only thing in my mind was to line up those Taxi drivers and wheel a ton of stones on them and their vehicles.
Thankfully, when I got to the airport, it’s like a voice asked me: “Curtis, what are you going to get yourself into?’ I turned back home.
I have since leant that the bible advises that VENGEANCE belongs to God and so if I ever get that mad again, I will try my utmost to seek God to help me to get pass that moment, without committing some foolish sinful act.
I just hope that people would be more considerate of other people’s feelings though.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?