Olympic sport....bronze , silver , gold..... not me !!!! I'm a family type person . I spent my time working and familyising not womanising (sp) . I've been a father since I was 18 years old (twins) and worked at being the best Dad I could be . Sure I like bars etc but my last concern is to see if I can bilk some lady out of her money , or emotions. I brought up 5 kids not 25 times a baby father. If I'm going to follow something around it isn't going to be my package !!! I have the GREATEST !!!!!!! RESPECT !!!!! for women . I hate bullying , and I like to help the down trading . Nope not me bronze , silver or gold. wrong guy .

my man raised his mothers children from age 14....5 of them, one mentally challenged. No pickney himself. Very hard worker...makes concrete blocks in that heat. They are not all the same. Most yes but not ALL.

OMG

Macy you are making me feel like I a a proud parent!
I am sooo happy you read the book -
It really helped me feel better about things...

And I can't say how glad I am that you now see Bob from a new angle. You are breaking a cycle Macy - it is certainly not easy being a ground breaker - you can hold your head high - as you truly are a trail blazer!

OT - life is a complicated thing - I know I have done my best to complicate my own life along the way - I envy people who have managed to keep things simple. It sounds like you knew your focus and stuck to it. I believe that you must have been taught a good set of Morals - what was your Dad like?

The thing with these men AND WOMAN -( Thanks ladies, for pointing out the obvious) they did not have anyone to teach them what is right and what is wrong. Jamaica had some of the most brutal slave owners in the world - the scars they left still run deep.

Doctoro - sincere thanks - I write from my heart and when I'm done I often feel exposed - I was worried I might offend someone so I truly appreciate your ever present positive feedback - and as always -You made some really good points - We can lead a horse to water.......

Wit - I am so happy to hear that Himself continues to be one of the good ones - we all know how hard it is to find a good one .

Oliz - Yes! - perhaps part of the allures is that the woman can feel "in control" as long as they are the one with the deep pockets. Control is such a major issue in so many relationships.

Wit - this is for you

Doctor,
We often think along the same lines.

For me, Jamaica has always been bitter sweet.
From the first time I set foot on that beautiful soil I felt a stabbing pain in my heart - almost as if I could still feel the sting of Slavery.
I sometimes find myself filled with emotion and tears when I pass through various places in Jamaica - it is as if the pain of slavery is still echoing through the hills. I am a highly sensitive person and I often find myself feeling others pain. I don't understand why I feel so connected to that when I am in Jamaica- but I do. It does not happen to me in the Southern US or on and other Caribbean islands I have visited. I think the ramifications are so very present - hence the lack of family structure as you just described.

The saddest thing for me is the lack of sexual boundaries and the sexual corruption of the youth. Slavery has got to be the root of that.

Being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse I know how hard it is to break the cycle. I was part of the first generation in my family to do so. It has taken me a lifetime to come to terms with it - and it still rears it's ugly head on a regular basis.

It takes a lot of strength to see what most do not want to see.

As far as Rasta Heart goes - LOl lol Doctoro - you were trying to be polite - so I will say it - who wants to hear white some privileged white American dude has to say about Rasta? I was surprised that you even own the book lol lol
I was very nervous after I recommended it to Macy as I was waiting for such responses.
However - the book goes way beyond Jamaica and Rasta - (Ineed to reread it - its been several years) It is about love and healing - you do need to read it and let us know.

This is from amazon - it is outdated but it will help you to understand how rasta heart evolved

"To date, Roskind, his wife, Julia, and their 19 year-old daughter, Alicia, have organized and hosted 74 of these "One Love Events" in Jamaica and on Native American reservations, colleges and at public venues in the U.S. All are non-commercial, involve no sponsorship funding and are free to the public. They are non-denominational, apolitical and bring forward a message of universal love for all.
Their latest event was on February 6, 2005, Bob Marley's 60th Birthday Celebration, in Kingston, Jamaica with a live audience of tens of thousands and a TV and radio audience of almost two million. It included presentations by the Jamaican head of state, Governor General Sir Howard Cooke, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Tourism, Bob's daughter, Stephanie Marley, many conscious civic leaders and talk show hosts and twenty well-known recording artists also performed including Bunny Wailer, Culture, Luciano, Ernie Smith and Abijah.
These events have often led to a community-wide healing. Their five events on the Hopi reservation in Arizona led to the Hopis defeating reservation gambling and preserving their ancient ways. Their two events on the Havasupai reservation on the floor of the Grand Canyon led to the tribe electing a pro-environmental tribal council committed to protecting the Canyon. In Jamaica, their 54 concerts brought a much-needed message of love to a country in turmoil."

Doctoro you said it very well. I think of you even though we never met when I see dresses that you may like online.

Is there not a time when you say "get over it". Rootie you said that there was no example in front of them . Yes there was and they took it. There is something wrong with their thinking !!!! There are no excuses , there is a problem and it ain't goin' to be fixed soon. They screw for a living and that's it !!! Show me the money !!!!

It isn't easy .

Good thread oldtimer. You can gain knowledge while reading books. Living what is written in books, gives an some thing to write about. Living 'it' more exciting/ruff/tuff/raw/real/beauty of the island/talking to mattie in a taxi/killings/attempted murder/peace in nature[gone]/and on and on.........

Smile Orange Baby, it just has become more easy with cell phones, and planning who is coming in next......Yes I am Very Critical-I lived it for many years........Bilking woman out of enough money to build a concrete house for their Jamaican wife-who will either be a cousin-sister-aunt-friend-baby mother/living a woman with nothing left for herself,but AIDS????

No I do NOT have AIDS. I also planned well and I never got taken for everything, Keep your own nest egg, You will never know what could happen, when You have fulfilled THIER DREAM!!!!!!

I say this with much sadness. I saw the same gigs come to play with a different coconut each week, all different places from all over the world. Some coco, have a plan with a man, who has 10 other coco's, that have a plan, and all the man is doing is playing them all....take that to the bank...but he will never show his wealth to YOU!!!! I don't understand why a coconut tree can stand so tall up in the sky, yet not c a thing????

This is MHO. It is not meant for anyone personally. It is only my point of view. Peace

PS. Edit to add I need to read the whole thread

Doctoro, your post warmed my heart like a big huge hug.

I think one of the beauties of this board is that we are somewhat anonymous.
If you knew me in person, or even were to be looking at a picture of me when you read my posts, you most likely never would have drawn a connection between myself and your Mother.

I can't tell you how moved I was when I read those words. This board is allowing us all to grow in ways we never would have thought about.

Having the freedom to speak what is on our minds is a major part of it all for sure.

Being able to sit here, not having to care about how I look, if I have enough money to hang, or where I have to be late,r are all part of the freedom we have when we come here.

This board is a place to heal. That is why Tammy started it and that is whey she wants it to run smoothly. People come and go but this board is always here when we need it.

Macy - I swear, you become wiser every day.
Doc - I think you do too!

OT - What can I say. You can lead a horse to water....
I know that my core values came from my family of origin. I know that I learned what was right and what was wrong through their good deeds and their mistakes. I had a good sense of family and maybe they were flawed, but they were united. Without those roots - I have no idea who I would be.
How does one learn to value "family" when they have never really felt part of one? Attachment must start the day we are born - if we are not allowed to attach as infants we may never be able to truly attach to anyone.