THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS IS a reply to Lawyer Douglas' letter to the Editor published in The Gleaner earlier this year:
The pursuit of sporting mastery carries with it a high level of discipline. It requires persistent training, abstinence from harmful habits such as drug abuse, goal-setting, a strong will and stamina that few other vocations require of the individual. It strengthens body, mind and spirit.
Even the Apostle Paul likens the Christian experience to the discipline of athletic training.
The world would be a better place if every person were to see him/herself as an athlete preparing for a final contest that he/she cannot afford to lose. There would be greater respect for life, less violation of God's moral laws and more incidents of longevity.
Even though a game of soccer, for example, may bring enemies together as friends it must be remembered that real peace is an inside work. It takes more than 90 minutes to uproot seeds of evil, hate and jealousy that have been planted in the heart of man from generation to generation. This can only begin to happen when each of us sees ourselves as a part of the team, and that we are in this race of life together, like a relay, competing against a common enemy and not against each other.
Yes, the discipline of sports is going to bring a new kind of civilisation into being and may well be the vehicle by which the black race recovers its prominence and the respect of the rest of the world. It has put many poor black youths into prominent universities that they may not normally afford no matter how bright they were. Here they have the opportunity to pursue research and develop technology and inventions as did their forefathers and, as everybody else whatever the chosen vocation, be it sports or any other.
It must be noted that sports is an ancient vocation, not only for "black people" but also, for civilisations as they evolve. It must be noted also, that one does not become an inventor by virtue of skin colour but by the vision or aspiration that he gets. Neither is electronic invention the only useful invention.
Since Mr. Douglas has chosen to make reference to skin colour and invention, may I inform him that we have scores of useful and very practical tools and gadgets today, which make life's chores so much less demanding, that were invented by 'black people', the lawn mower, elevator device, automatic refrigeration system, fire extinguisher, air-purification device, just to name a few. You may go to any web site dealing with black/events people/009.aa.inventions, for a more comprehensive listing.
I am, etc.,
MARGARET LEE
PO Box 109
Falmouth, Trelawny
