"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." - Pope John Paul II
As we look around us today, we see a lot of anger being played out in the public arena. People are angry about so many developments in our daily lives. People are angry about crime and the fear of crime. People are angry about the perceived lack of decisive action by our political leaders. People are angry about the idea of our privacy being abridged.
Things that anger people range from the lack of jobs, to the unfulfilled campaign promises, to politicians who demonstrate disdain for their constituents by not returning phone calls at best and completely ignoring and avoiding them at worst. In other words, in so many areas of social intercourse, Bahamians have become an angry people.
Therefore, this week, we would like to Consider this... What happens when that anger turns into despair?
Anger
Anger is defined as "a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility". It is a normal emotion, which, if properly channelled, could even be healthy because it allows us to vent these negative feelings instead of leaving them bottled up to damage our health, our psyche and possibly other persons.
In today's Bahamas, we are assailed on every side by things that provoke strong feelings of anger. Whether we are driving in traffic or confronted by value-added taxes when checking out at the food store or any other aggravation that goes with just being alive in the 21st century Bahamas, we are easily provoked and often angry. These kinds of anger are natural and part of the balance of life, with good humor being quickly restored when the anger passes.
However, when anger swirls around us everywhere, it is difficult to avoid its sting, no matter how cheerful you try to be. The violent language of our daily life that expresses a deep anger and rage over things like which group is coming out on top in Junkanoo, or what team is winning, permeates all conversations. The spirited - and hostile - political debates, both inside Parliament and outside, would make casual listeners think the speakers are going to soon come to blows. Hence, we are even angry about the deplorable degenerative behavior of some of our political leaders in Parliament.
Beyond the trivial, everyday reasons for anger that we all encounter, today's Bahamians seem to have much about which to be angry. Depending on where you live, just by breathing in the smoke-filled air from the garbage dump literally fills you with a reason to be furious. The fear of crime hits everyone at their most vulnerable place, engendering a very primal anger. Watching our leaders seemingly slow to solve the struggles many are experiencing every day also frustrates and infuriates us. The uncertainty of whether or not our emails are private, whether jobs will be available and promises that were made in exchange for our votes will ever be kept also contribute to the prevalence of anger.
Top all that off with the feeling that there is no one to talk to about these things - validated by the phone calls to politicians and others in positions of trust or authority that are never returned - and anger abounds.
But when considered on balance, anger can become a very productive emotion, creating a powerful force that impels an individual to find solutions to assuage that anger and even mitigate its causes. But when you are angry and cannot find solutions, that anger can morph to the much more destructive emotion: despair.
Despair
Despair, as a noun, means "the complete loss or absence of hope". As a verb, the definition is "to lose or be without hope". Despair as an emotion inflicts a haze of hopelessness and the darkness of despondency, which often leads to desperate and reckless behavior.
Are we, as a nation, coming to that place where our anger is dissolving into despair? Are we tired of being angry, tired of pushing for solutions to our problems, too tired to continue to push those in power as is the responsibility of a citizenry?
Are we already seeing symptoms of this? When anger evaporates and despair takes over, the fight goes out of a person. You start hearing comments like "it is what it is" and the ubiquitous "whatever..."
We rescind our responsibilities as citizens to take note of the things that are wrong with our country and disappear into our despair, acknowledging to all who will listen that there is no hope, that one leader is as ineffective as another, that all is lost and we are finished as a nation. How sad is that? How destructive is that to those who are still pushing to build and secure the future of this nation?
How discouraging is that to those who still believe that there is a way forward and a solution, however elusive, to all our problems if we would just believe.
Despair is a cop-out, a way to escape from being held accountable as a member of our society. But despair is, unfortunately, contagious, and that contagion can infect and destroy not only human lives but also the lives of nations.
So what will happen if our collective national anger turns to despair? Indifference will increase, leading to a disastrous disassociation with the decisions of the government and to many of the things and persons who are normally important and dear to us.
In the face of such developments, apathy with the institutions of state will abound, making general elections exercises in futility. Disinterest will develop and acceptance of the unacceptable will become the norm. In short, when despair sets in, we will disconnect from the deep feelings that give rise to the cleansing anger that could make positive changes. We will disengage from our involvement in the things that disturb our minds and detach from people who perturb our spirits.
Conclusion
We should remember the observation of Elie Wiesel, the American, Romanian-born Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, who reminded us: "Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair."
The overwhelming outlook that is darkened by despair can give rise to such a negative and hopeless view of the future that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the anger we feel now turns to despair, and our hopelessness allows us to expect only the worst for our nation, then the future prospects of The Bahamas will align themselves with that negative expectation and the future will be bleak and barren.
If, however, we can channel our anger into positive, progressive actions, we can become real change agents who will participate in creating the prosperous and improved future that we all want to see.
o Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis and Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.
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