Recently I have been thinking about the accumulation of wealth (possessions, experience, and relationships). These are the things that are very precious to people. We protect them, ponder them and hold them tightly in mind and the mere thought of it may give delight and pleasure. A few months ago I visited Cat Island for the third time but this time my experience was none like I have encountered before. I climbed the highest Point of Cat Island with six others. There were two choices a more gradual path and there was a steeper path. I took the steeper path and each step was an experience within itself. On the way upward were Stations of the Cross. As I passed the Stations of the Cross; I noticed that they were carved out of stone, all the way up to the summit. Just being up there for a while was an emotional recovery and an experience of solitude; in a dramatic way. The atmosphere was very tranquil and calm. There were others with me but at times it seemed that I was all alone.
This takes me back to Jerome Hawes, a British man who constructed the Stations of the Cross on the side of the hill. He died about 54 years ago but those structures still stand strong. It does strike me that he came from an affluent family and gave it all up to live in such simplicity. He purchased the highest hill in Cat Island which is also the highest point in the Bahamas where he built (due to his diminutive size) a model of a miniature abbey. He was ordained as an Anglican Priest but converted to Roman Catholicism and built a few churches in the process (from Long Island to Cat Island and beyond.)
He is entombed at the hermitage; which is a living testimony to the values which altered and governed in his life. He did not seek reputation or fame but he came to be recognized as a world renown architect, a philosopher, a poet, and sculptor. Father Jerome Hawes gave up all his treasures and came to Cat Island in The Bahamas to seek solitude and to live in poverty.
It is ironic that if it were not for his vast wealth he would be unable to buy the hill on which he built the monastery and he would not been able to build the churches that he built (using his own funds) and he more than likely would not be able to afford the education which gave him the architectural “know how.” Yet he chose to live in utter destitution while spending his money in doing “God’s work.” This tells me that having wealth is not bad in and of itself but we should be very prudent in how we choose to use what we are given.
The Washington Post article of Fr. Jerome.
In the Bahamas there is one character that has a food store trolley cart laden with hub caps. He always has cardboard placards that are always thought provoking. I look forward to reading them when I pass him on Shirley Street. He is homeless but does not beg and always seems so self assured and independent with his trolley. He is known by the alias Pot Cake. In the Bahamas Pot Cake often refers to a stray dog. The other meaning is the burnt bottom of a pot; some say it is the sweetest part of the pot others think it is the worst. I would think from his demeanor that his meaning was based on the sweetest part of the pot. In Montserrat, in other Caribbean countries and world wide there are many such characters. Even in European countries, they have abandoned their laws that make vagrancy a crime.
I recall this man called Brim, in Montserrat, who made a living from begging for money. One day he approached a prominent person for some money. When the person hesitated in giving it to him, his words were you may have more money than me but you are not better than me. To this day that incident has been etched in this person’s mind and they have shared it with others.
Some homeless individuals may appear to suffering from mental illnesses but it is only because we can see them every day as we pass them by. They give us a peep into their secret worlds. We can only guess as to how many other persons suffer from disorders. Many of these homeless men and women have behavior that can only be explained by physicians, psychiatrists or psychologists but to me they are some of the most creative individuals you can come across. In history there have been many examples of eccentric behaviour be it in art, literature etc. There are many international examples such as Van Gogh, Dorian Grey, Michael Jackson etc. In every day life the man or woman on the street in order for them to counter their conditions (anxiety, manic depression, mania, depression, bipolar disorder, drug abuse) they behave in a particular ways; begging for funds, appear on the side of road cursing, scratching themselves all the time, not taking a bath for weeks, tearing their clothes off etc).
For me these antics of some homeless individuals evoke powerful imagery that stretches my thinking and deepens my understanding – giving me different perspectives on life. The next time you see a vagrant do not think about how you could wish them away and think thoughts of they should stop bumming around and find a job. Yes many of us may think ill of them but bear in mind that many of us who are not in the eyes of the public have control of our persona; we bring out what we want the world to see; the apollonian side (rational, formal, uncontrollably, predictable, cohesive , regulated). These homeless people on the other hand are individuals who show us their Dionysian side (disorder, falling apart, chaos, emotions, and irrationality) and in the background to there story are often interesting and profound and many of their quirks can be traced to family traits.
Yet not all of the homeless are strange and undisciplined characters. Living on an island as one would come across these personalities I notice that some are kind, some sincere, some genuine others insolent. Some would tug at our heart strings in one manner or the other and some inspire us to reevaluate ourselves when we finally do notice them.
Recent Comments