Fear cripples Christmas

Hello, mi neighbour! Increasingly, Christmas is becoming not a happy, but a sad time of the year for many Jamaicans. And, this is not blamed on poverty or the uncertainty of a Christmas dinner, etc. Despite the plethora of songs of peace, joy and happiness which fill the December air, there are clouds of sadness and fear gathering here and there. The season to be jolly has become a reason for folly!

Since the start of the Christmas season, every so often, there is a post on social media about criminal activities which send chills up the spine of the country. These posts warn shoppers and motorists to be on their double guard as criminals who have become so sophisticated in their operations, may pounce on them, especially females.

One neighbour who has armed herself with her pepper spray, says she will not be a sitting duck for criminals. And she is not the only female preparing for self-defence. Others are now walking with personal weapons of destruction because brazen criminals know that whenever they attack a citizen, it is unlikely that other citizens will intervene they are having a field day. But as it is said, ‘Duh as yuh like, but memba, lang run shaat ketch’.

One of those fear-engendering voice notes recently prompted me to call the attention of readers who may be crippled by fear, to ‘fret not thyself of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall be cut down like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed’. Food for thought.

From the preceding, we understand that the Creator has a plan for all evildoers and workers of iniquity. People who rob, intimidate, kill, kidnap and traffic other people are practising evil and iniquity, and will be severely punished by the Almighty. Remember that Jamaican saying? ‘Get weh from man, but nuh get weh from Gad’. Sooner or later, their day of reckoning will come .

Punishment of evildoers can be progressive or sudden. During punishment, evildoers will regret every pain inflicted on a victim, thus exacerbating the punishment. They will wish they could reverse the act, but alas! ‘If mi di know ‘is always too late, and ‘sorry’ may pacify the conscience, but will erase neither deed nor penalty. Their payday has arrived and they must collect their pay! I have conversed with several inmates and the mental, physical and psychological anguish they suffer often drive some to suicide.

If these neighbours behind bars and elsewhere had just taken a long look down the road, they would have seen the consequences of their actions and acted differently. But they have allowed greed, stupidity and wickedness of the heart to rob them of the dignity which befits humanity.

Take it from this senior citizen, the temptation to rob, steal, kill etc, is a trap set for you by the mastermind behind all acts of evil. If you yield to this temptation, you will get caught, sooner or later, and made to undergo severe punishment because, as night follows day, “evildoers and workers of iniquity are cut off.”

Let’s show love at Christmas and help someone from the list below:

Thanks to neighbours

1. Sharon, for offering a bed to a neighbour.

2. Denise, for offering hairdressing equipment to a neighbour.

3. Lona, for donation.

4. Lena, St Andrew, for clothing.

Neighbours’ requests

1. Simone, St Catherine, single mother, needs a bed.

2. Grace, St Thomas, needs a dresser.

3. Neighbour asking for a freezer on behalf of a single father with impaired vision.

4. Neighbour asking for two bags of cement and two pieces of ply.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 334-8165, 884-3866, or deposit to acct # 351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR c/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; PayPal/credit card. Email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Mr Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.