According to famed anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, the principle of legitimacy is not a European or Christian prejudice but amounts to a universal sociological law. The general societal rule is that no child should be brought into the world without an acknowledging father  to act as the custodial male link between the child and the community. The crucial determinant of legitimacy is not legality, a widely varying concept, but the male’s public commitment to his child’s mother. Virtually every known culture favours children born of such unions.

‘Only cricket unites the West Indies. To us it is more than just a game, it is a way of life.

Sir Frank Worrell

My conviction that cricket is the greatest sport ever invented by man or god was severely shaken by the massacre in South Africa. Each pathetic surrender only made it more obvious that cricket was dying both as a game and a West Indian cultural bond. Not even the players seemed to consider what they were doing important. They simply went through the motions like workmen earning an unhappy living.

Psychological studies show that attractive women are generally considered nicer, smarter and more honest than those who are not. But though life often seems easier for good-looking females, experience inclines one to the view that beauty can be a curse as well as a blessing. Pretty young girls who are constantly indulged can become willfully self-centered. They may not be inherently stupider than those less favoured, but most girls used to getting by on flirtatious smiles never fully develop their minds. (A cynical aphorism says beauty times brains is a constant.). Many businessmen reckon that pretty girls in general make poor employees as they tend to be spoilt and lazy. Attractiveness often means attitude.

Jamaica’s homicide rate of 36 per 100,000 is not as high as that of world leaders El Salvador, Colombia or South Africa, but it is over three times that of Trinidad, over five times that of the USA and over twenty times that of Britain.

Except for Switzerland and Sweden, the only countries to enjoy uninterrupted democratic rule between 1914 and 1945 were Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This was no accident. As the black American Economist Thomas Sowell wrote.

It is only a game and, in the larger scheme of things, not very important. But mankind needs its diversions. And no other outdoor sport, and few endeavours of any kind, provides such lasting pleasures as cricket. Here the onlooker measures his satisfaction not merely in terms of results, but in the beauty of the spectacle.

In a news article on March 1 Richard Coe, CEO of Courts Jamaica, claimed some radio talk show hosts were destroying the country’s psyche through the irresponsible use of freedom of speech. According to him ‘the more outrageous they are the more they appeal to the lowest denominator amongst us, the more audience they get. Those who control the media have a huge responsibility, those who mould public opinion need to encourage positive productive action.’

British playwright Harold Pinter probably went over the top when he said “Cricket is the greatest thing God ever invented on earth. It’s certainly better than sex, though sex isn’t so bad itself”. But cricket to me has always seemed to present a broader stage for drama, to allow a greater canvas for artistic expression, and to encompass a wider range of emotions and moods than any other outdoor game.

Skyrocketing crime, daily roadblocks, corrupt elections, incompetent politicians - Jamaica is simply a disaster. The system just doesn't work, so let's throw it out. Anything must be better than what we have. Things are so bad, they can't get any worse.

It is only a game and, in the larger scheme of things, not very important. But mankind needs its diversions. And no other outdoor sport, and few endeavours of any kind, provides such lasting pleasures as cricket. Here the onlooker measures his satisfaction not merely in terms of results, but in the beauty of the spectacle.