“Nothing comes free” is perhaps the most glaring and humbling of universal truths to have peered through the veil of our existence. Granted, some things may not cost actual currency, but an exchange of some sorts occurs. For the uninitiated: this is the way the world works – big or small, some things can only be obtained by sacrificing another. Unfortunately, this truth is often challenged by its sole rival – unwillingness. Yes, there are always a few who desire greatness but are unwilling to facilitate it.
My father would refer to this as having your cake and trying to eat it too, but my mother, well, she found inspiration elsewhere. Perhaps it was the lyrics of songstress Loretta Lynn, or maybe it was the legendary Albert King, but “_Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die_”, is a stark summarization of this profound and relevant feature of human nature.
To label it a flaw of the human psyche might be too simplistic an interpretation, especially when there exists an evident continuum to this paradoxical state of affairs. You can agree that this “paradox” is found in every aspect of our lives, and at every stage of our evolution. We all fit into this spectrum in some way but shift according to the proportion of our wants and desires and what we must sacrifice.
Take for example: we want the perfect body, but the crunchy skin of a deep-fried chicken and a tall glass of soda is too tempting to sacrifice at the altar; or maybe we want a fair society, but our Prado just can’t be seen waiting its turn at the Harbour Bridge with the rest of the peasants in their carriages; or perhaps we want gentle, peaceful, and wonderful children, but we teach them freedom without responsibility and we create monsters that we then unleash upon the world. But these can still be considered to be matters that are low on the spectrum of this paradoxical conundrum because they fit within an individual context as opposed to a much larger unified, collective, good paradigm.
What about sacrificing your beliefs and current way of life for much greater rewards—gains that ripple beyond yourself to benefit society and the world at large? Too often, these too are treated as trivial, akin to the earlier fried chicken and perfect body examples, despite the stakes being immeasurably higher. Obviously, no one would lose sleep if you’re morbidly obese, entitled and have horrible children. No one!
But in the grand scheme of things, big sacrifices demand deeper reckoning. We continue to fail in this regard. Take for example, last Thursday, several sections of West Bank Demerara, specifically south of Goed Fortuin heading to Canal #1, including La Parfaite Harmonie and its immediate environs, suffered an almost four-hour blackout. Despite an advisory being published almost a week prior to the interruption, scores of people took to social media to protest their frustration.
According to the advisory seen by this publication, the outage was necessary to facilitate the stringing of conductors for the linking of the Gas-to-Energy Project at Wales to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Substation at Vreed-en-Hoop.
This commentary does not seek to excuse or justify unannounced service interruptions or frequent blackouts, but the overreaction to this particular outage was, frankly, unnecessary. Patience is key in a situation like this, especially when the result will greatly improve the quality of life for everyone.
By now, all Guyanese should be familiar with the Gas-to-Energy Project and its expected benefits. The project is set to deliver 300 megawatts of power to the national grid—doubling the current capacity—and will reduce energy costs by 50 percent. To any reasonable person, four hours would be, but mere ticks of a clock compared to halving their electricity bill.
Interestingly, not just transmission and distribution efforts, but infrastructural works in general are being viewed as permanent inconveniences. Look at the reaction from residents in infrastructure zones who complain about noise nuisance from machinery, utility service interruptions, inadequate parking, walking long distances to access walkways and traffic diversions.
With the presentation of the $1.382 trillion 2025 Budget yesterday, which includes an $8.2 billion allocation for sea and river defense construction and a staggering $203.8 billion for roads and bridges, it is clear that many Guyanese can look forward to transformative infrastructural development in their communities. However, it’s equally clear that a significant number of these beneficiaries will voice frustrations over the inevitable inconveniences that accompany such projects.
To be clear, this commentary does not endorse delays in contracts or substandard work. Instead, it aims to encourage a shift in perspective—acknowledging that while we aspire to enjoy better roads, modern schools, and properly developed streets, we often struggle to endure the temporary disruptions that come with achieving these improvements.
It is apt to note at this point that not all residents have this disposition. At present, construction is underway to transform the southern dam at Canal #1 into a concrete road—a development the farming community has been advocating for decades.
Currently, farmers face immense challenges accessing the dam, resorting to carrying hundreds of bags of produce on their backs across the canal. This is because their tractors and trailers, unable to navigate the work zone, are forced to park over 200 feet away.
As construction progresses, these vehicles will need to be relocated even farther, adding to the logistical difficulties. But a beautiful thing is happening in that community: the villagers are coming out to assist the contractor. The citrus farmers of Orange Field are lending their hands, machinery and expertise and are playing an integral role in the development of that street. They recognize that the rewards are greater than their sacrifice. May we all be inspired.
As a parting gift, please see the lyrics to Albert King’s “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die”.
“Everybody wants to laugh
but nobody wants to cry
I say everybody wants to laugh but nobody wants to cry
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die
Everybody wanna hear the truth
But yet everybody wants to tell a lie
I say everybody wants to hear the truth
But still they all wanna tell a lie
Ohhh everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die
Everybody wanna know the reason
Without even askin’ why
Oh everybody wanna know the reason
Oh without even askin’ why
You know everybody wanna go to heaven
But nobody wants to die”
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Don Nix
Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven lyrics © East Memphis Music Corp., Deerwood Music
