Garth Rattray
The words 'one world, one dream' is emblazoned on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games website. The stellar performances of our athletes rekindled the kinship that we somehow lost along the way. Innumerable, effusive, mellifluous monologues extolling the virtues of our champions and beseeching our troubled youths to cease the mindless and destructive violence and seek after peace reminded me that, in spite of our turbulent times, we have remained one country with one dream.
Like everyone else, I was prouder than ever to be Jamaican. Our track and field stars performed unbelievably well in these Olympic Games. We had the best medal haul ever. The infectious euphoria of our Olympic success swept across the island like a tsunami. It so engulfed Jamaicans of every hue, creed and economic background that it resulted in a murder-free day (August 20, 2008). The ecstatic spirit spread to the North American and European Jamaican diasporas. The mood altering effect that Usain Bolt's super-human performances produced was more than welcomed - it was badly needed as a positive contrast to our depressing and perennial problems with serious crimes.
We owe all our athletes a great debt of gratitude and our deepest respect. I must highlight however, the scintillating performances of our female sprinters. Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart demolished their competitors and Melaine Walker's gold medal, record-breaking run was nothing short of stupendous. Veronica Campbell-Brown's successful 200 metres title defence was awe-inspiring. And, the record-breaking finish and Herculean efforts of our relay team members were epic. They solidified Jamaica's reputation as the sprint capital of the world.
There are several valuable lessons in all of this. The necessity of a good home environment and proper upbringing can not be overstated. As a rule, our champion athletes came from humble backgrounds yet they were incredibly successful and brought our country the unprecedented kudos in which we all basked. Although some were surrounded by drugs, guns and violence, they were able to prevail because they all were the beneficiaries of disciplined, caring and supportive homes.
Their successes once again prove that we are not a doomed nation. We should embrace our dream of peace and unity because we are innately a resilient and mighty people.
Anthem playing over and over
It was fulfilling to hear all the accolades being heaped upon us and to hear our national anthem being played over and over again. However, there is one reaction of which I was particularly pleased - it came from the leader of the Opposition, the Right Honourable Portia Simpson- Miller when she shared her sentiments about the fantastic and historic (gold, silver and silver) placing of our female athletes in the 100-metre sprint.
Essentially, Mrs Simpson-Miller congratulated our athletes and then passionately pleaded with the gunmen to stop the killing. She rightfully said that they are killing Jamaicans of all ages and that some of those being killed were potentially great Jamaicans, and perhaps even great athletes that could have done fantastic things for our country. She reiterated that our athletes are also from humble beginnings and that their successes proved that starting off with such a (financial) handicap didn't necessarily lead to a life of crime.
Her beseeching words had a distinct ring of genuineness to them - which is unusual for a politician. I only hope and pray that this unique forum provided the opportunity for everyone, especially the people raining terror and death on our society, to hear her, understand and heed her deep and solemn pleas for reform and peace.
Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com
