More than a goal
By Pastor Clive Dottin (Trinidad Express)
Trinis were certainly in a dancing mood. There was a glorious, earthshaking celebration triggered by the goal scored by Mr Tallness—“golden-headed” Lawrence.
Thousands went to the airport. They wanted to communicate the message contained in Boris Gardner’s song, It’s Nice To Be With You. Of course, some had no reason to sing another hit, I Wanna Wake Up With You. Why? They never slept!
The Prime Minister described the scene as madness! Madness indeed! Flags waving, people screaming, crowds gathering, steelbands blasting, vehicles crawling but shaking, holiday announced, confusion compounded!
Even the daughter of Pastor Cuffie, Winsie Ann Cuffie, got into the act. She had a stunning song dedicated to the Soca Warriors. We do not have space to comment on the “Cricket Worriors,” because with them is endless heartache and worries. But they will come good before Jesus arrives.
Let us return to Winsie Ann’s epic composition:
It’s war time, it’s war time
Warriors on the field!
They making T&T proud
We applaud them out aloud.
Going after every goal
Conquering the whole wide world.
They put a right foot in
They put a right foot out.
They put a left foot in
And they beat them all about.
Then they boogie round the goalie
And they move to Germany
That’s what it’s all about.
Her parents must have blushed during her sterling and fantabulous rendition performed in Soca Warrior garments. Listen, an electric current surged through this fun-island state. People have begun to learn the tough language called German. People even started to save money to make the trip.
Opposition Leader Panday got confused. He thought that Bahrain was wearing white and we were wearing red, not knowing that there was a great colour change. Poor fella, like he thought that they scored and we were crying. Then he realised that we scored and they were crying.
The defeat for them was huge, almost like Moses on the brink of the promised land. But unlike Moses they are not sure of entering the World Cup stage. However, Moses died with the hope burning in his heart, that one day he would walk on streets of gold.
I was dreaming about Jack Warner and then I got up and started to rhyme:
Jack Warner, Concacaf godfather
Sat in a corner
Preparing for German slaughter.
The night of the victory, I end up on Synergy. And this victory is producing just that: synergy. Whenever we come together, there is a result that intimidates the enemies of T&T. But beyond the halo of Bahrain’s denial, we must strategise for larger victories. What am I talking about?
If we unite under the power of God and directed by the Holy Spirit, the fear that prevents us from flushing out the real enemies in this society will fly away and land in the hearts of the dons, godfathers, kidnappers, terrorists and gun dealers.
We would get the courage to arrest the owners of the billion-dollar Monos Island drug shipment.
We would arrest Mr Big, Mr Bigger, Mr Biggest and the bankers of Mr Biggest who break all the banking laws and then cry crocodile tears that could flood the banks of the Mississippi.
Red represents sacrifice and if we are willing to sacrifice, to shed our blood to ensure that we grab the trainees who are learning the tricks of the mafiatic trade, then the trip to Germany would have been the catalyst, the foundation for a transformed society.
Listen, when I heard Mr Manning’s speech at the airport, especially the part about being on the same platform as Mr Warner, I got mad enough to think that he would make him the deputy Prime Minister while he was on the trip to Israel.
The Soca Warriors are challenging us to think differently. Their victory appeals to us, pleading with us to dismiss talk show hosts who are irrelevant and destructive. They are screaming, begging us to stop applauding stupidity. Revenge and hatred must be condemned and love and forgiveness promoted and embraced.
But it takes more than a goal in Bahrain or Germany to produce the required transformation. It takes surrender to a power that is supernatural. It requires a spirit of repentance, an attitude of humility, a commitment to salvation and a vision that includes heaven.
Four young men were gunned down while thousands jumped the streets, celebrating the victories. Their families and friends were plunged into mourning. But to compound the misery, one of the homes of a victim was destroyed. The murderers designed a classic case of overkill, kill, slash and burn.
The power that resurrected Lazarus is the power we need to empower people to become addicted to change. Let us embark on the journey with an enthusiasm that is stronger than the Soca Warriors fever that has captured this republic.
This flood of blood must be arrested. Thank you, Dennis Lawrence, for expressing concern. When you spoke, you scored thousands of goals in your short speech. We have more mountains to climb, more rivers to cross, more champions to support, more institutions to build, more courage to interrupt the tide of evil, more people to comfort those who mourn, more youth to rescue and more youth to train to be part of the greatest rescue mission in our history.
There is another tide that must be arrested, that some portray as being real Trini to the bone. No! No! No! Drinking together, wining together, pulling pants and skirts, hurling the posterior section of the anatomy on embracing cameras would never produce cultural fusion or unity in a plural society.
But politicians had to milk the Germany, Soca Warriors crowd. Holiday declared suddenly, some businessmen almost got a heart attack. Lazy workers who couldn’t care less wanted a week and dared their bosses to fire them. When will we ever learn?
Unless we can celebrate in a responsible manner, develop courtesy, trust and respect and operate with a dynamic patriotism, the nation will gyrate its way to Lapeyrouse.
We have to think about the future. As the sea of red gives way to a rainbow assortment, some have noted that the courtesy, the oneness has started to disappear.
The road hogs have returned to their original sinful way of driving. Well, the killing never stopped. Police officers are being killed. Kidnap victims still missing. Parents and spouses still grieving. Time for real change!
