If one errs, one should always be willing to apologize. Step up to the guillotine, have your head cut off, and then go about your business. Okay, I can see where if you are the kind of person who harbors malice, or has an inflated ego, apologizing might be difficult. They have their own laws.
An apology is many times just a formality. However, there are times when an apology can compound a felony. Then, you have to grin and bear it.
This short piece is about an honest apology…a crow I ate. When I was a young fellow, my boss stuffed this crow down my throat…and I enjoyed every morsel.
I thought the men in one of my gangs (my boss gave me three gangs to supervise) were demanding too much pay for a certain job. It wasn’t an arm and a leg they were asking for, but I didn’t feel it was one hundred percent fair to the company. I had the authority to choose the rate; I could have given in, but I chose not to. That might seem strange to you coming from a left leaning socialist like me, so allow me to explain: You always want the best for your workers but you have to be careful not to kill the goose! True, true, what does a young guy know about setting rates? Lots of passion, but little wisdom, noh.
Anyway—we’ll forego the other innards of that “rate” story, fu now—some of the “old” men in the gang took strong objection to my “rate.” They weren’t unionized—PAUSE…
I love unions. Far and away it is a better work environment where workers are represented by a union because management can focus more energy on the other aspects of production. The responsibility of a union is not only to win more pay and better benefits for workers. A good union also goes about educating workers about how things… work…and we all know that that makes for more efficiency.
Ho, I see where some bosses fear unions for fear of dealing with a jackass union leader, or a malicious one. Yap, some union leaders will push the button just when you need your workers most…like at harvest time! But, if you know your game you have no need to fear those kinds. See, if you stay on your toes you can lick an idiot if you are unfortunate enough to meet one. If you meet a malicious one, then it’s no holds barred all out warfare until you defeat the so and so…before he can do your job harm…
END PAUSE
—yes, my workers weren’t unionized and they wanted to speak directly with the boss. Bully, I said, I’ll go bring him to you. The boss pulled on his work boots forthwith when I told him about my workers’ request, and went to the fields…and tek sides against me. Yap, he listened to both sides of the story, and chose theirs. Some “old” men had a “field day” with me for months. They rubbed my head, and pulled my leg…lectured the little boy about labor and the cost of living…in full graphics… the price of panti fu daata, kush kush fu wife, school book fu lee pikni, rice an pigtail an flour, an soh. I loved them to the bone, so I was glad that they were victorious. To this day when I think about the shelling I tek, and those “old” men (some have gone on already), I laugh. No, eating crow is not such a bad thing, if your heart is sincere.
Fingers must point, Mr. Ottley
I heard Mr. Ottley (the coach of our U-16 team) say, after our recent losses, that finger pointing serves no good purpose. I wholeheartedly disagree. Finger pointing is absolutely essential here.
Sports is about RESULTS! The glory goes to the victor. The loser gets kicked in the butt. An old hero, just like an old horse, is put out to pasture when he can’t deliver the bacon anymore. A saxophonist who can’t hold his note has to go before he ruins the whole orchestra. When there are no people in the stands, when you get your butt kicked every time you step on the field, people call for you to hand in your boots. Heads roll.
We have changed ‘nuff Ministers. We have changed players and leagues. We have changed coaches. There is one constant – the bogus leaders of football called the FFB. It isn’t fair to our nation, our youth, and our children. A number of our kids say their dream is to play in the MLS (United States professional football). The real is that they don’t stand a ehm…snowball’s chance in hell under the present leadership.
Some people defend the bogus FFB saying that at the very top of the parent organization – FIFA, there are rumors of dirty handkerchiefs. Well, they lie! FIFA delivers RESULTS! FIFA does not encourage incompetence in nations because FIFA knows what pays the bills – talent honed to its finest edge. Who says the next Pele isn’t a Belizean? Didn’t we learn anything from the achievements of Marion? You know how much business Marion generated in the world with her all around excellence?
There are just too many dinosaurs in sports administration in Belize. Somebody should find a desk job somewhere else for all amateur minds involved in sports. Yes, get them far away from the games. Boo, some people in Belize give them pity. The pity is for the poor Belizean kids whose dreams are dust in a world where frauds and relics two centuries removed from their era, run things. We must be ruthless in seeking out leaders that are ready for the traffic. If the British didn’t point fingers, Churchill would never have been brought to the fore in England! Achtung! Sauerkraut or cole slaw with your barbeque?
P.S. If you think this piece “personal”, please to understand, you definitely don’t know the turf. In sports we live by different rules. Sorry, there is no room for mercy in God’s game! Sweat no fever for these “lettered” men at the top of the FFB. Lettered men can do any fool in Belize, and still find fat job. And they have visa to every country in the world. Save the tears for the youth who pay the price for ignorance. Where there is warped vision…