IT is often said that some people see the grass, others the shrubs, trees, forests, et cetera; of course, in our little niche, on the northern tip of South America, we inevitably end up with our own country as being the subject of our gratuitous affections.

What one sees in life falls into a particular parameter that essentially categorises a specific individual in how they think and live. Do we all have the capacity to gravitate from small things to the bigger ones?

In our Guyanese society today we find that most people are in a tremendous hurry to get rich quick. Probably they feel that life is way too short for them to dillydally.

One feels that one must leave a legacy by which they are forever remembered by posterity.

Hardly anyone builds a lasting foundation anymore; a swift and phenomenal rise seems to be the order of the day.

Little do we realize that however and whenever we get there, that there had to have been a starting point.

Where and what is that starting point? Does it not repose itself in the seemingly innocuous things that we do on a daily basis that ultimately affects us, our fellow citizens and ultimately our country?

As President John F Kennedy said in his famous inaugural speech on Capitol Hill  on Friday 20th January, 1961:  “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.

Today in Guyana it might just be a bit difficult for the general populace to understand that they can actually do something to benevolently impinge upon the welfare of their country. So caught up are they in the everyday chores of their lives that we do not stop to think that we can actually DO something, however miniscule, for the welfare of our beloved Motherland.

What little can we do? Be a good law abiding citizen, dutifully pay our taxes, be productive, be circumspect in your relationships with other citizens, be obedient to the laws of your country, in other words, adhere to the national pledge.

These are just some of the little positive things that we unconsciously do while carrying on with our everyday lives and can be considered as the basics, i.e. the grass we see in our existence.

For those who would want to further contribute, one would presuppose that an active government job would be the ideal place to start, notwithstanding  the contributions one can make by joining the private sector.

Service to ones’ country, apart from being a patriotic mandate, can go well above and beyond the normal call of duty in the performance of your actual job.

It is to this end that one would think that President Kennedy was referring to, in his now famous inaugural speech.

What can we do to fulfill this non-mandatory call to voluntarily serve? Self help,  beginning in our own communities, caring for the less fortunate, performing the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, et cetera.

In the end, it can be said that whatever we do, and at what level we execute it, will definitely have some beneficial impact on our country.

Of course, in the very word reciprocity, is embodied the distinct consideration of ‘what your country does (can do) for you’.

This is a two-way street so, where shall we meet? A quarter, half or three quarters ways? In a mutually undisclosed relationship, we meet where and when we meet. What we do for each other is unsounded and is done with an abundance of undeniable love.

What does your county do for you? It provides a terra firma on which one can build a lasting foundation from which one can propel oneself to great achievements. In Guyana, this is done within an environment of protection, unrestricted freedom of travel, human rights and speech within the boundaries of the laws of the land as laid down by Parliament.

The unspoken relationship between Guyanese and their homeland is a special one where
the little things that both parties achieve will eventually burgeon out into bigger things,
thus fulfilling their mutual goals.