I am not a cricket fanatic. Although I like the game, I am not obsessed with the sport. When the West Indies team is winning, I am happy for them. When they are losing or in the midst of controversy, I empathise with them.
Like many other West Indians, last week’s victory which completed a triple for the region, was inspiring, exciting and filled with pride.
I will not discuss the debate on whether the West Indies Cricket Board should resign, whether Darren Sammy’s comments were inappropriate for the setting or whether the Dwayne Bravo’s catchy “Champion” song is annoying.
I want to highlight the comments of Mike Matthews, father of 18-year-old West Indies cricketer and former Harrisonian Hayley Matthews. Matthews said Hayley had to make many sacrifices in order to fulfil her dream of playing cricket for the West Indies. Matthews stated: “I told her to go and play cricket because that is what she will be doing.
Resentment
“Once she is playing for West Indies team over the next good couple of years, she will be travelling all the time. I can’t see her going in an office and working for nobody and then having to ask for time to tour and to practise. So she made a choice to play cricket and she can always come back and do her CXC.”
This is not a conventional view of most parents. Let us not fool ourselves by thinking this, and it is my belief that more parents should have the ideology of Matthews.
I know many people my age, younger and older who have entered career paths because society and more specifically their parents forced them at a young age to enter particular fields. What does this breed? Resentment, because invariably, these people find themselves grossly unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives.
Analysing careers
We get one opportunity at life. Why live it for someone else and in pursuit of someone’s approval? As it relates to parents, children are your blessings from God. Parents I have encountered hold varying views. Some believe that in loving their children, they always know what is best for them. In wanting the best for their child, the encouragement to pursue conventional careers is undertaken. Many of these same careers have proved not as lucrative as in the past because the fields are very saturated.
With reference to Hayley, CXCs are not pertinent to a career in cricket – which is another critical point I would like to highlight for consideration. I would like parents to understand the era we are living in. Do we understand that some pig farmers and fishermen locally make more money than most lawyers, engineers and doctors? This is in no way an attempt to denigrate formal education. To do so, would be highly hypocritical of me.
I just wish more parents would have the view of Matthews. We have too many bitter, resentful personalities wishing they followed their hearts as opposed to their parents.
Toni Thorne is a young entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Shaper who loves global youth culture, a great debate and living in paradise. Email: [email protected]
