Stella Says…Money cannot buy this kind of power

by Stella Ramsaroop

(Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 04 April 2006)

An individual’s power to confront life’s challenges comes from deep within. It is from this dark and unseen place that a man finds the will to live in the midst of hopelessness and where a woman finds the strength to fight for honour when faith has abandoned her.

The depth of this place is unknown for it has never been measured, though it is explored on a constant basis by those in need of even one more thin thread that can connect them to the realm of the possible.

When this power graces the feeble with its inspiring presence, it grants the terrified soul with a steady hand and the weak heart with enough courage to stare unflinchingly into the eyes of a vicious miscreant with defiance and resolve. This power connects every human, great and small, by an unbreakable bond – the human spirit.

Just like virtue, humans instinctively know where to look for this power – even from a very young age. This place feels spiritual at times and physical at other times. In fact, this oasis of strength feels so tangible at times that one might reach out in an attempt to grasp its wind with bare hands.

This beautiful power lingers only as long as it is needed, but leaves wisdom as a gift when it departs. Money and clout cannot summon this power because it exists solely for the most desperate of hearts. Lest this awesome power create yet one more haughty and supercilious fiend in a world ruled by such ogres, this power is distributed in short, controlled measures to the frail and destitute.

From whence this power comes, no one knows. Though it is given sparingly to the shallow and lavished upon the weak, most seek this power only in the direst of circumstances. It fashions strong hearts and brave souls from a jumbled heap of dejected individuals.

When it rises from the deep to impart its subject with unexpected might, the person feels this power well up inside like a balloon of hope inflating inside the subject’s chest. This power then begins to surge through the veins as it seeps into each muscle, bone and organ till every single molecule of the body is overcome with resolution and boldness.

Suddenly the faint of heart instantly morphs into a hero. The victim transforms into an illustrious warrior and the prey becomes the aggressor. This power causes hope to transcend reality and beckons each person endowed with it to shake off the chains of lassitude.

I am not a merchant of hope, but I know where to find this power because I have often been forced to seek the fathoms of the deep for just one more ounce of strength. I have frequented this oasis in my direst moments, just as you have visited during your own calamitous times.

History has been witness to momentous points in time when humans have harnessed this power in a collective effort to withstand an onslaught of wickedness. Anytime an oppressive force seeks to subjugate the masses and slaughter the innocent, this power rises up within the people to face off tyranny and hold back evil.

Perhaps these historic times bring out the best in human nature in an attempt to balance the worst. Because human history is peppered with these extraordinary events and because our lives are graced with such power, we are able to believe that tomorrow can be better than today.

It does not matter that we cannot know the origin of this power. It does not matter that we do understand how it works. All that really matters is that it materialises when we need just one thin thread to connect us to the realm of the possible and take us beyond the wretched reality in which sometimes must live.

All that matters is that the human spirit is not condemned to a perpetual broken spirit. Because of this power, the human race has the ability to accomplish greatness in the midst of obscurity. In fact, it is when humans are at a breaking point and society is on the brink of collapse that we find our greatest and most noble attribute – a wellspring of internal strength and power.

It is from this deep power that Guyana will one day soon find the strength to fight for her future.

Email: Stellasays[at]gmail.com