Dear Editor,
There is that famous saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, I have found something that has changed in Guyana, and most definitely it is not the same as it was before. It is tied to the increasing values associated with money, and the decreasing values of a people.
There was a time, long ago, when money had its place. That is, a certain kind of money. The hard-earned kind, though scarce, was treasured and taken home and assisted in replenishing bread and basics, and the like. It belonged there in that special sanctuary of struggle and dignity. Whatever little was left, if any, was hoarded and handed over to the bank to add to the skimpy figure in the account. That money belonged there, too. It was the way that the older folks, especially the womenfolk ‒ grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and other kinswomen ‒ wanted things, and so demanded and insisted. It had to be clean and coming from a known legitimate source. They may not have been mathematically gifted, but they knew ‘runnins’ even before they saw it.
On the other hand, money that came from other sources, such as horseracing or gambling (dice, cards, and so forth) could never see the light of inside the house. That kind of easy frivolous money was condemned to street dissipation, as in entertainment and a good time: easy come, easy go. Further, dirty money was not welcomed; corrupt or ‘teefin’ money received an even worse reception. Woe to the adventurous who tried to slip that in with the honest cash. The principals in the house could smell illegitimate cash in a nuclear explosion. They wanted no part of it; that brings “aall kine ah crass.” It was unheard of and simply not done by breadwinners, be they fathers or sons. Call it superstition, old fashioned beliefs, old wives tales or whatever. It was just the way for a great many of the population, many of them poor people. They were that proud; they had values; they had a reputation to uphold; they had families to raise the right way.
Well, the times and mindsets have changed in terms of the type of cash that was thrown out of the house along with the carrier. It is certainly for the worse, and in a durable way, now almost irreversible. Today, ugly, bloody, dirty money has changed the heart and soul of those who are holders of it, and those near to it. There are no longer individual, moral, and ethical inhibitions (all self-imposed) that relegate and restrict easy suspect money to outside the sanctity of the hearth. In fact, the opposite is true. Blood money, corrupt money, death-dealing money, and drugs money all find lots of acceptance and value in many a once sacrosanct place. It is valued for building homes, feeding the family, educating the children, all of which would cause ancestors to turn in their graves.
Moreover, unclean men are proud to donate contaminated cash to charitable causes, and to be generous to their houses of worship (sometimes they build them from the ground up). Monies that came from a lot of misery now come into the collection box. What was once thought unacceptable, even sinful, and was just not done, has become mainstream and part of the settled norm. As is to be expected, this increase in the presence, use, and reach of radioactive cash is evidenced by a corresponding decrease in the values of the people who cloak themselves in it.
These range from pretender to hustler to worker to homemaker to churchgoer to almsgiver. There is a growing multitude of them around. The problem is that their perverse influence casts a long powerful shadow. They are admired, seen as successful role models by the empty-handed, and envied by those who are hungry to make it to the big time. Whereas suspect and ‘teefin’ money had to be kept outdoors, splurged on the sly, and spoken of in whispers; today it is flaunted in the face, inserted everywhere, and suffocates the few principled strivers who struggle to get by as honest earners. Only a few recoil.
In sum, the change is that diseased money has infected the soul and character of this nation; it has gained widespread currency and legitimacy, and even pride of place. And with that taking root, it has taken down the virtues and values of a large part of this society. Another wise man said that there is nothing new under the sun. I submit that this is now and new and not the same as before.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall