by Christopher D. Lowe

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend over the last 10 years or more, I’ll call it  “Belligerence coupled with ignorance and machinery”.

Somehow, we Bahamians have come to believe that he who shouts loudest wins. Another version is he who intimidates best wins. Most will lie to win, but often it is he who knows least is trying the hardest to win.

Let me explain, using just one example to illustrate.

This is a synopsis of hundreds of situations occurring over the last 5-10 years.

Gentleman buys a lawnmower.

It is explained to him, as now required by law, that this lawn mower is dangerous, can injure him, and needs oil in the engine to run. The air filter must be cleaned periodically, and if he doesn’t do that, the spark plug will need cleaning.

At this time, the customer is asked if he is going to be using it commercially, or if he is a homeowner, and therefore a periodic user of the lawnmower. It is also said during this time that if the unit is being used commercially the warranty will not apply, as these are not commercial machines.

Commercial machines cost 3 to 6 times as much but, while not indestructible, will out last any consumer machine given the same reasonable care.

Usually, I am asked at some point during this helpful and informative few minutes’ whether “you think I stupid hey?” or I know, I know, I been using these from that time, etc etc.  It seems that the offering of knowledge or information is a form of insult, especially I will note, by politicians in my experience.

Guess how many come back within a week? A Month? Within 6 months?
Guess how many show signs of commercial use? Abuse?
Guess how many didn’t understand the importance of maintenance to THEIR investment?
Guess how many think WE owe them a new lawn mower?
Guess how many start by being confrontational and ornery?
Guess how many mow rocks?

One answer fits all: Almost all of them.

I have heard every story and form of justification for some sort of divine intervention, usually at my expense, I have been threatened, accused, insulted while being implored and begged and above all, if all else fails, my white ass is somehow to blame which by the way, according to Larry Smith over at Bahama Pundit isn’t white after all, but is in fact Jewish.

So, why the lawn mower issue?

Well it seems that our new found industry and entrepreneurial spirit has found the landscaping business, particularly with all these second homeowners around. While I applaud these industrious people, Haitian and Bahamian alike it’s because I think it may lead to an embracing of agriculture as a whole, a newfound respectability for producing food, and beyond that, a newfound pride in existence. But that doesn’t help me with my problem.

My problem comes in, with the shortcut approach being taken by not investing in commercial grade equipment for a commercial trade and purpose and the lack of real incentive to invest in quality and the lack of understanding for the necessity to LEARN and study everything and anything to do with the craft or trade and its tools. 

I am a level headed fellow, but this is getting old, getting worse, and across all forms of implements and tools designed over centuries to make mans life easier and more productive.

I was and am very lucky, in that I’ve had a number of mentors, in technical fields, and have always been a tinkerer. Taking things apart and putting them back together, because I can. I fix things. I build things from scratch. I have invented things only to see them marketed in the U.S. a few months or years later. I’m just not in the right country for getting things manufactured or marketed.

Later in life I have gained from having philosophical mentors who have helped me to stand back and see the big picture.

I was lucky in that, I had people willing to share their knowledge, and I was willing to listen. No conditions or attitude, just attention.

Were they all perfect? No. Were they all likeable? No. Did I learn from all of them? Yes.
Do I miss them? Yes, I feel awash and almost alone in a sea of ignorance.

Today however, knowledge no longer seems to matter, opinion is king. Neither right nor wrong is relevant; force of will is king, even when it flies in the face of reality.

Laws have been and will be written that radically depart from what I will call conventional wisdom. You point out stupidity, and you get attitude. Yes, people still do stupid things from time to time; you’re just not supposed to notice or speak of it. Because so many have shared their knowledge with me, I want to pass it on. I’m still learning, everyday. A day without new knowledge just isn’t a good day.

But I’m going to stop. No, not learning, I’m going to stop sharing. I’m going to keep my knowledge to myself. I’m going to go away. I’m going to sell the wares from the hardware store, and keep my damn mouth shut. I’m instructing my wife to rap my hand with a ruler whenever she sees me start thinking, my brain trying to engage.

Every time I try to give freely of myself, my knowledge, I get burned for it.  I’m going to impart what I can to my son and daughters, I’m going to sit on the side and watch the show. I think I know where it is all going, but I’m not going to lift one damn finger to stop it.

“Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies” the song says, but they didn’t sing about losing the truth, about losing sensibility about the overall societal loss of knowledge, morals, ethics. They ought to be crying, mourning.

I’ll keep my own counsel, teach my children to think for themselves, enjoy the natural world and all the wonders in it.

By the way, the problem with the Lawn mower that started this rant was owner caused.

You see, with all his protestations that he knows all about them, he completely overfilled it with oil, in itself just as bad as letting the oil level fall below full, as marked on the dip stick. So it turns out that no permanent damage has been done by his inability to read a dipstick as it could have been, and perhaps I haven’t wasted my time, by tolerating a self professed expert, half cut on his second visit to the shop, who apparently didn’t know it all, who might then realize that, contrary to what he has been taught to suspect, I’m not out to screw him, and that, if he pays attention, I may be willing to change my mind, and help him understand some realities that no politician, or expert can change, realities that I do not profess to own, but simply have become fortunate enough to learn to accept.