THE GENTLEMAN who cuts my hair is in his mid-1970s and is the most spiritual of men that I know. He was not always a man of God, and well into his adult life was not able to read. Yet he has the greatest appreciation for Jesus Christ through his reading and through understanding that is received “directly from the Master”.
He has an abundance of faith, which is the only requirement for accepting the existence of his Master. He is simply my spiritual adviser as his faith has given him an enviable amount of wisdom that no intellectual institution can teach. In addition to the spiritual richness that his company and barber shop offer, the latter brings with it a gathering of an older generation of Barbadian men who possess a collective wisdom that is invaluable.
Apart from my own reading over the years, there is a history that is taught, especially of an economic dimension that excites me.
It is the common-sense approach to life that is truly the foundation for understanding the more complex decision making that takes place at the “higher” level.
I have always argued with my colleagues that the highest form of complexity is simplicity and there is no better place to apply such thinking than in the spiritual world. Once we believe that there is a God, then there is a God. It is as simple as that!
Those who do not believe that there is have the task of using their intellect, which at its upper limit is still minor, to justify why there is a Satan. The unfortunate thing about an intellect is that it has two extreme sides; in other words, it is two-dimensional. Such limitations do not exist in the spiritual world.
In a recent discussion in the “lower’ level fountain of wisdom, the real reason for wanting to “own a piece of the rock” was revealed. It had nothing to do with the price or the future value of the land; it had all to do with putting the family name on something. In essence, it was about experiencing the pride resulting from the industry.
Economic lesson
This brings me to the lesson learnt from the discussion. In 1971, an average Barbadian had an opportunity to buy two acres of land for $7 774 in Ashton Hall, St Peter, which was in Zone 1, or purchase just over 6 000 square feet of land at one dollar per square foot in Appleby Garden, St James.
He opted to buy the land in St Peter, and six months later the area was rezoned. Some 41 years later, he is able to will his property to his children. There are a number of economic lessons in this story, but the one which is my focus is not the obvious one.
At today’s prices, the same piece of land, which is not now in Zone 1, will fetch well over a million dollars. The irony is that a young man at the same age 35 that he was in 1971, who is now more educated and is earning much more even in real spending terms, is unable to afford the same two acres of land.
The real economic history lesson from the above is that while Barbados is able to boast of growth and development, especially evident in its housing stock, the real beneficiary of the development has been the financial system. In a sense, it is the new breed of economic imperialism.
Unfortunately, the space is not available to elaborate on the new breed, but an accompanying phenomenon is that rural Barbados has emerged as the land of opportunity when compared to the urban corridor. The twin developments present an interesting perspective if we are to understand where the next phase of economic growth must come from in the very near future.
In the absence of an essay on our economic history, it is evident that an understanding of the history is essential and furthermore that changes to our financial institutions are necessary. Barbados’ economic stability is therefore not narrowly defined or confined by the availability of foreign reserves. Such thinking represents old mauby bark wrapped in sugar coating.
But the greatest lesson from the generational mix is to recognize that the two-dimensional intellect that is devoid of spiritual roots restricts a people’s capacity to grow and by extension to develop.
• Clyde Mascoll is an economist and Opposition Barbados Labour Party spokesman on the economy. Email [email protected].
