TT babies may be saying ‘no, no’

THE EDITOR: The recent spate of babies’ deaths due to a deadly bacteria in hospitals prompts me to make this response. Before I start I want to remind people that babies have been delivered in the bushes and under primitive conditions and have survived even in caveman days. Otherwise, how is the world so overpopulated today? Now we come back to hospitals and where we expect the simplest procedure of sterilisation to be adhered to, in order to ensure a standard just a tad better than the primitive cave and bush dwellers. We should at least have hot water, clean towels and a sterilised pair of scissors. With this in mind, I feel strongly that unsanitary conditions notwithstanding, new souls just do not want to incarnate in Trinidad.

Some religions with deep philosophical insights say that souls become conscious just before birth and they become aware of their impending advent into the family and locality where they are to be born. That is why they cry so loudly at birth. Let us assume that this is so and these souls realise that they are coming to Trinidad. They may be saying “no! no!” and withdrawing from their new bodies in horror. After all, this upturn of criminality only recently escalated. It was widely believed that God was a Trini, but apparently He left and went elsewhere. Before anyone who is reading this turn up his/her nose in scorn and derision, let us consider what a newborn expects to get here.

Choice #1: Mother single, no father figure in sight. Mother working in a low paying job and having ten other children in various stages of neglect. Communication and living conditions no better than in hell. Child likely to become bandit at early age to kill or be killed.
Choice #2: Parents are educated, employed and totally selfish. To them children are just an acquisition to be envied by neighbours and relatives. Servants bring up the child while parents pursue job and social life. Child, on being given everything except parental attention, without having to ask, can become bored with life. He starts following bad company and who knows where he may end up.
Choice #3: Potentially frustrated mother whose life is okay now but will kill children at the first sign of stress in order to ensure personal happiness.
Choice #4: Parents are largely ignorant and under-educated, but have “loud” money due to some business they started from ground zero. Child financially spoilt and over-indulged. He is likely to be given his expensive sports vehicle, loud music and no guidance from an early age. Child is likely to become irresponsible and may crash expensive sports vehicle, killing himself and/or others who might be innocent. Having just come from some hellish region, good soul does not want to go back there just yet.
Choice #5: Parents are sensible, caring and honest who will bring up children in the right way. The family will be small and manageable with the mother caring and both parents finding time to be with the children and look after their welfare. Child can fall victim to peer pressure at school or neighbourhood depending on locality. Child could fall victim to criminal as collateral damage and life snuffed out early.
There are many more gray-area scenarios, but which is going to be the lot of the newborn? Could it be that the new soul in comparing what he or she left before coming here and what he or she is coming to meet, decides that even hell is a better place? At least in hell, from all accounts, criminals are punished for crimes committed, but in Trinidad, criminals are kings.

SUE SANKAR
Chaguanas