Many people engage in escapism. It is one of the coping mechanisms that has helped people to cope in this time of COVID-19. But despite how often and what method we use to relieve ourselves from trauma or the general complications of life on Earth, the universal unease is ever present. At any moment if we do not make a choice to be in control of our thoughts and actions, anxiety or panic attacks can destabilize us. There are positive methods of escapism that can include spiritual practices such as meditation and prayer, and there also are destructive methods, such as the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Many Guyanese believe that they are grounded because they knowingly or unknowingly practice escapism. From birth to adulthood, the harsh realities here have resulted in many of our people disconnecting from reality. And. unfortunately, some are eventually snatched by the ultimate form of escapism, which is death, either by their own hands or by their destructive choices.
Someone asked me a few days ago, “How are you feeling about the future of Guyana?” Having been grappling with grief for weeks for a departed relative, smiles, laughter, and entertainment have been my attempts of escaping the pain of that reality. As a lifestyle choice, I would escape through meditation – a method that helps keep me grounded and saves me from giving into the constant threats to our sanity. But somehow when death wounds you so deeply, you can forget where your strength lies, become immersed in melancholy and question everything you know. And questions like, how are you feeling about the future of Guyana are compounded by that grief. But I thought of news like the sod turned for international hotels, gated communities, and the thriving business community. Guyana, the new Dubai because of our oil boom? Should I suspend my grief and escape to what are fairy tales for most Guyanese who will never experience the life of the elites here?
I thought of feel-good concepts like ‘One Guyana’ and ‘Because We Care’. Are these not good intentions that would include all of us? As we welcome the world to our shores, our futures must be bright too, right?
And then I thought of the picture of a dried coconut that someone posted on social media predicting that the future of Guyanese would include such extreme poverty that a diet of dried coconut is probable.
Juxtaposing thoughts about wealth, the appearance of wealth and poverty, how could I respond? Am I hopeful? Am I doubtful? Do I even care?
They said, “Write about people’s salaries not raising, but that the price of everything is.”
I thought about how the price of coconut water increased recently. A big bottle of coconut water increased from $1000 to $1200 in a matter of two months. The dollar does not stretch as far as it used to, and it seems that soon it will not stretch at all.
But I have a written about it or mentioned it a few times at least, I told them.
“Please, write about it again.”
That prediction about a diet of dried coconuts disturbed me. I was reminded of a story a relative told me some years ago about a man who joined a spiritual movement sometime in the 70s. Determined to reject the life he once knew and to evolve into an enlightened being he decided that his diet would only include dry coconuts. Before long he became emaciated and died. It is quite a sad tale but at the time I found it humorous. But now a picture of dried coconut and someone thinking it will be the fate of many Guyanese once the oil dries up or before it does, the story about that man does not seem so funny anymore.
How do I feel about the future of Guyana?
Optimistic. I must be optimistic for I have trained myself to be positive and hopeful.
“But everything raise! Like I don’t understand how people making out.”
Escapism I thought. That is a reason you see so many people in the rum shops, imbibing in other public places or in their homes. There are young and old alcoholics, functioning ones and the ones who are belligerent and staggering to their deaths. That is why you see so much drug use among our people. We see the eyes of men and women, wild and dark, who escaped so far that they could never return. We also see unaddressed mental health issues, harsh criticisms, cruelty and broken homes, while even some of the ones who appear to be grounded suffer in silence.
Escapism is sometimes people calling on their gods to save them. Guyana is steeped in religiosity and yet, the universal consciousness still manifests in so much destruction here; every week someone is murdered, there are robberies, fires, and accidents. We see intimate partner violence and intimate partners escaping to the arms of others. We observe people searching for something to make them feel good and valued; something to make them feel that the future is not bleak.
Optimistic. For a nation so rich as ours must result in at least optimism that all in this land of ours will be given their share.
“I don’t even want think about oil anymore. Or the politics!”
Sad, angry, sweating, disturbed, and struggling to comprehend how we went from all the excitement about the first oil discovery, the pride of first oil, to now the average man in the street responding with regret and disappointment that the Guyanese people are being cheated.
“You must take care of yourself. Try not to stress.”
Easier said than done are words of encouragement sometimes. It takes courage to not cry every day for the Guyana which we long for. I may be optimistic but the thread of hopelessness that is running among our people is long.
There must be something to reassure us that we would never be made so destitute that dried coconuts will be the meals. Our issues with poverty, inequality and racial discrimination cannot be solved by cash grants and promises. The average man sees news about international hotels and other investments and prospects, and they shrug or curse. While the creation of jobs is welcomed, do we set our people to build generational wealth, or do we set them to continue to be dependent on a system that has cheated them? Do we accept that most of the people must continue living in poverty, praying for a day when better will come?
To survive in Guyana, we must constantly engage in escapism. For many it is necessary. We must however seek to engage in healthy forms of this coping mechanism.
