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Of Humanity, Service and Love

FeaturesOf Humanity, Service and Love

Dearest Readers,
It is often said that this is a cold, cold world that we are living in. But to subscribe oneself to only such a premise would be to live with absolute abeyance of the beauty of life; the grander scheme of things. So, saying that the world we live in is all bad and dark would make us guilty of uttering a most heinous statement. It would also be wrong to say that the people who occupy this space are all egocentric and self-indulgent.

Our view would also be egregiously lopsided if we believed that all our law enforcement officers are stiff-handed individuals who apply the letter of the law with little or no spirit. See, late Monday night I got a firsthand experience that we live in a beautiful world, surrounded by people whose hearts are in the right place, and guided by law enforcement officers who act with love and soul and purpose. Permit me, dear readers, to tell you about a personal encounter, a true story that has filled my heart and has truly warmed my soul.

On Monday, February 15, I got home from work fairly tired. Be it the day’s proceedings or the weekend happenings that preceded it, I was exhausted. So after supper was finished and after indulging in my ritual of scotch and spritzer, I retired to bed early, and called it an early evening (which was quite unlike me). I would typically be up late in the night consumed in reading or work that I would bring home, or just passing the time in a state of quiet and subtle reflection.

Nonetheless, I retired early that night and failed to do some of the basic rituals that one does before retiring for the night: locking the windows, taking out the trash, securing the vehicle, and the like. Given that I normally ensure that these things are done every evening, my wife later joined me in bed with the assumption that it was taken care of. We dozed off in sweet slumber and made merry in dreamland. This was until I heard a knocking at my bedroom window at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday morning along with a solemn but stern “good night”.

My wife and I awoke frantically. I was nervous. I called out to the voice and inquired who it was. Before a refrain could come, I cleared my eyes and I immediately noticed the blue and red lights flashing through our summer curtains. Then the response came. It was the police. I frantically struggled to compose myself and I immediately went to the front door, where I was met by a woman police corporal, who was gracious and sweet. She greeted me with warmth, and she immediately quelled my fears when I saw the look of concern glowing in her eyes amid the backdrop of the flashing lights.

She proceeded to tell me that the reason that they had stopped and had even bothered to disturb me from my slumber was because they were on routine patrol in the area and they noticed that the brake lights of my vehicle were left on. She continued to explain that out of sheer precaution, they decided to reach out to me because they were concerned that with the brake light being left on throughout the night, it would eventually kill the car’s battery. In that very moment, I was awestruck, and at a loss for words. That was such a sweet and kind gesture, I couldn’t even begin to process it — and a man of many words, found himself speechless.

Nonetheless, the woman corporal proceeded to invite me to get my car keys and indicated that they would facilitate me as I ventured outside on the street (where my car is parked in front of the house) to turn off the brake lights. As I went out to do just that, it turns out that there was a glitch in the brake’s switch and the lights couldn’t be easily turned off. This was when the male officer intervened. With much alacrity and willingness, he offered to disconnect the battery pole in an effort to offer a temporary solution to the problem and mitigate the possibility of killing the battery.

I was further taken back and sent into a state of sheer disbelief. This was all foreign to me — and I mean in such a darn good way!  I couldn’t process it. That’s because from early on we hear that this is a cold world and that every man is all for himself. We learnt from early on that nobody will look out for you, except for you, yourself. We often hear that law enforcement is usually mean and crude, stiff-handed and tough. But that is not true! That is not the case. I witnessed humanity at its best, on Monday night. I witnessed our police officers going above and beyond the call of duty to serve their community with humanity and love.

As if they hadn’t don’t enough for me already, when we finished from the car, the male officer stood watch as I locked up the vehicle and the woman corporal personally said that they would wait until I got back into my house safely and locked up. As I made my way back into the house, well looked after and taken care of, they noted that I left some valuables in the yard in front of my house and even went as far as to ask if I’d like to stow them away before I retreated to bed. Mein, was I delighted to know that we live in a beautiful world, with loving people and a community of police who demonstrate service through humanity, kindness and love.

So today, for my column, I chose to set aside my previous topic and write this tribute as an ode to these two officers. It was incumbent upon me to use this platform as a medium to salute them for their service and for their subtle display of humanity, kindness and love. I saw it rather important that I write this piece in an effort to tell a story to enlighten readers that good people still exist. That despite the trying times we face and the steep climb ahead of us, somebody will be there to help carry you through. Lastly, but most importantly, it was imperative that I share that we have dedicated, loving and kind police officers in the force who are eager to go above and beyond their call of duty to serve their community with humanity, valor and love!

And if you ask me how I know this, well it is because I witnessed it and experienced it firsthand. So believe me when I tell you, we live in a beautiful world, good people still exist, and more so, we have awesome police officers who live to serve and serve with love.
So as I conclude this piece, I must say that the following day, this incident rested on my mind heavily, so I reached out to a friend in law enforcement and shared my story with her. I then asked her to kindly get me the names and particulars of the officers who warmed my heart and left an indelible imprint on my soul. After a little digging, I was delighted when she reached out to me and told me that she had the information. The officers who served with much humanity and love are Woman Corporal 625 Debbie Galvez and PC 1317 Steven Richards. I want to express my sincere gratitude to them for their loving service and for going above and beyond their call of duty to serve with humanity and love. You both are true inspirations and reminders of good heart and soul and that good people still do exist in this beautiful world in which we live in; and more so that we have exceptional law enforcement officers in Belize!

Thank you, Woman Corporal 625 Debbie Galvez and PC 1317 Steven Richards! God bless you, and God bless Belize!

Unchained Reflections Of a Liberal Pragmatist.

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