Easter in the Caribbean
It's the long weekend for Easter. It begins tomorrow; Good Friday. Today all over the Caribbean, productivity has reached the all time low of the steady decline during this short week. Today it is difficult to accomplish anything because most staff, where-ever you need to conduct business, have taken a compensatory day, sick leave or just did not make it to work today. All establishments plan to close an hour or two early... but may shut their doors even before planned. Business will be playing catch up for a couple weeks to come.
For people just returning home from the more fast paced outcome driven psyche of the 'developed world', this can be frustrating.... because without experience, there are so many things that can go wrong for you if you don't understand the magnitude of the "Shut Down" during the major religious holidays of Easter and Christmas. But with time comes the wisdom of how special it is and how important it is that this is how we operate.
Other societies (you know the ones I mean, where everything is open 24/7and you could be missing something if you sleep) have become broken. Individuals are isolated from family and community in the pursuit of the ultimate individual accoplishment and individual freedom, only to be met at the smallest break in the flurry of activity with profound loneliness. You may not be able to conduct major (or minor) business transactions this weekend, but there are certainly no shortage of opportunities to bond with community and family. There are invitations to church, kite flying, family food and beach limes,... gatherings to suit all persons. And no matter what you believe, the message of Easter, the death and Resurrection of Jesus is clear and not clouded by bunnies and eggs (not that we don't have Easter eggs).
Our societal shut downs throughout the year prevent the inevitable individual breakdowns that happen in those fast pace places. The shut downs also mitigate the extreme commercialisation of our religious holidays. So the next time you're about to complain, remember why you returned home. If it was for a better lifestyle, this is the necessary (and small) price to pay for the quality of life in the Caribbean.
For people just returning home from the more fast paced outcome driven psyche of the 'developed world', this can be frustrating.... because without experience, there are so many things that can go wrong for you if you don't understand the magnitude of the "Shut Down" during the major religious holidays of Easter and Christmas. But with time comes the wisdom of how special it is and how important it is that this is how we operate.
Other societies (you know the ones I mean, where everything is open 24/7and you could be missing something if you sleep) have become broken. Individuals are isolated from family and community in the pursuit of the ultimate individual accoplishment and individual freedom, only to be met at the smallest break in the flurry of activity with profound loneliness. You may not be able to conduct major (or minor) business transactions this weekend, but there are certainly no shortage of opportunities to bond with community and family. There are invitations to church, kite flying, family food and beach limes,... gatherings to suit all persons. And no matter what you believe, the message of Easter, the death and Resurrection of Jesus is clear and not clouded by bunnies and eggs (not that we don't have Easter eggs).
Our societal shut downs throughout the year prevent the inevitable individual breakdowns that happen in those fast pace places. The shut downs also mitigate the extreme commercialisation of our religious holidays. So the next time you're about to complain, remember why you returned home. If it was for a better lifestyle, this is the necessary (and small) price to pay for the quality of life in the Caribbean.
This post resonates with me in a special way because the shut down is something I've always loved and missed about Grenada. I had to use a vacation day to have Good Friday off and even then my supervisor eyed me with suspicion over her glasses. In our fast paced world, we have to be intentional about these 'shut downs' not only for practical things like work, but to make it a personal shut down as well so we're more open to time with family and friends or reflecting on the events of Holy Week and Easter.
ReplyDeleteI certainly miss being in the Caribbean for Easter. The holiday is pretty similar in the UK, but in Grenada, the difference for me is that I can feel that sense of community and having family and friends around to give meaning to it all. Happy Easter!
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