I WAS luckier than most 16-year-old kids in the world because at that age I got a job in the PPP’s bookstore, Michael Forde Bookstore (MFB), where I had access to the world’s best books on philosophy, history, literature and great novels.  This was the best bookstore in the history of this country. No bookstore since then has been able to match the items carried.

It was while working there that I discovered philosophy and literature. For this column, I will expand on one of the most brilliant books ever written – Miguel Cervantes – Don Quixote. When you finish reading Don Quixote, you are left with tantalising curiosity about the unlimited humanity of people.

There is no one in this life and the generations gone by that will deny that books and songs shape your life just as the humans you interact with. One of the books that is responsible for the meaning of my existence is Don Quixote. Interestingly, when I heard the song from the movie “Man of La Mancha”, based on Cervantes’ great novel, it had a profound effect on me.

Two songs had an undue influence on my life when I was pretty young – ‘The Impossible Dream’ and ‘He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.’ These two songs are not mere pop songs but an instruction to humans of what should be our purpose in life. My stint at MFB changed my life forever, and Cervantes’ masterpiece contributed enormously to molding me. I had just entered teenagehood when I first heard, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, and that song created a dream for me, a dream that came true for me because I became the brother of countless souls that I have carried on my slender shoulders.

I see President Ali as someone who can tame power. I have always been a critic of power since I was a teenager, through my embrace of the Russian anarchist, Mikhail Bakunin, whose works I found while working at MFB.  Ali reminds me of the unique figure that can transform people through the common touch that allows one to see that power does not necessarily show itself from the balcony of a majestic tower.

I am deeply fond of President Ali. We talked several times over the five years he has been in power. And during those interactions, my age, experience and philosophical schooling were there. They are always there when I am talking to men and women with power. As the conversations roll on, silently, they remind me of the pitfalls of the human.

In talking to Irfaan Ali, my sixth sense on those occasions instructed me that I was speaking to a transformational leader, the type of leaders I always wanted to see change the world. As I learned from Marx, “the philosophers have interpreted the world, the point is to change it.” As I listened to Dr. Ali on the times we talked, I sensed this man is going to change Guyana. I hope when he comes home from Berbice tonight, he listens to these two songs:

Johnny Mathis: The Impossible Dream

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there’s no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live

And I know if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I’m laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

The Hollies: He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother 

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where, who knows where
But I’m strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We’ll get there

For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

If I’m laden at all
I’m laden with sadness
That everyone’s heart
Isn’t filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It’s a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there
Why not share?

And the load
Doesn’t weigh me down at all
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.