Countryman – Stories about life, in and out of Guyana, from a Guyanese perspectiveBy Dennis NicholsIn 1953, like other Guyanese born that year, I was delivered into a world of political chaos. ParanoiaDennis Nicholsstirred the colonial government of British Guiana. Then, like now, it was an election year. The Brits were suspicious of what was perceived as communist leanings after Cheddi Jagan became prime minister. Governor Savage suspended our months-old constitution. I suspect some commonsense was also suspended, triggered by fear of change and overturn of the status quo.Now, according to my Christian teaching, I was also born into iniquity, having been conceived in sin (In the headmaster’s house at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara!) Christianity teaches that my/our sinful nature is at odds with God’s perfect righteousness, and life on Earth is, among other things, a kind of preparation to be spiritually reunited with Him after a physical death.? Throughout this birth-to-death journey, stuff happens, including general elections.As far as I am aware other major religions embrace similar teachings,Cheap NFL Jerseys, whereby our ultimate goal is to reach that level of spirituality which releases us from the material world. The more philosophically inclined ponder the deeper mysteries of existence, but some have little time for such profound thought. They have to survive. They have to figure out relationships. They have to fight sickness and forestall death. And they have to vote.Ballot BoxSome survive through deceit, manipulating the weaknesses and na?vet? of those who are thought to be ‘good’ but who live in their own world of impracticality, yearning for a release that comes only with death.? When these groups clash,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, the schemers almost always triumph, or appear to. This human interplay surfaces and dips and resurfaces; in Guyana it can flare red hot during elections season.Between 1953 and now, a dozen general elections have been held in this country. Some things changed, but the more they did, the more they remained the same. (Alphonse Karr’s paradox) Confusion continued to fester, and change continued to generate apprehension.? We winked at communism, flirted with socialism, and embraced capitalism, sort of.At election time, the so-called racial divide widened, and violence threatened. Then the winners tried to govern, and the opposition tried to keep them in check. Obviously this happens not only in Guyana. Around the world, electioneering, fear, and change, walk hand-in-hand.For ‘ordinary’ people, apolitical citizens, or those concerned more with survival than stateship, election time in Guyana can be an anxiety-riddled juncture, sandwiched within a broader spectrum of generalized disinterest and disharmony.Some, although dissatisfied with how the country is managed, just do not have enough energy, or insight into politics, to truly care about who wins or loses an election, or the inter-party wrangling, or the ramifications of a particular outcome. ‘Life’ overwhelms, and they simply hope good sense prevails.Let’s assume now that the majority of us, Guyanese, including politicians, see ourselves as good people,Wholesale China Jerseys, and have some religious belief that upholds good over evil. Assume further that we want peace, progress and harmony, and we take our national motto seriously. In fact, let’s assume that people everywhere, in the majority, think and feel this way. Most say they do. Then why do we live in societies where we suffer so much political, social, economic, and spiritual disintegration?Obviously these are questions that one cannot begin to answer in any comprehensive manner in an article like this; in fact there may be no true answer, only thoughts and theories; a heap of ifs, buts and maybes. And in such a scenario, a layman’s response may be as valid as any expert’s. Why not? If all of the professional men and women,Nike NFL Jerseys China, all the good people, all the thinkers, researchers and planners, the executors, and the governments cannot effectively manage or assuage our social ills, then who?The Christian Bible has some intriguing and radical notions about human origins, existence, behaviour, laws, and government, some of which sail over my head. But of that which I comprehend, I am amazed at what it says about these ideas, and how little of it even the most ‘religious’ of us seem to take seriously. Here is a bit of what I mean.According to what I have read and understood, and what most Christian pastors and teachers I have spoken with tell me, the ‘Good Book’ says we should believe in God, believe in His word, receive Jesus as our saviour, and his atoning blood as our salvation,NFL Je