MAYBE, tis my late mother’s birthday today, that brings this very poignant memory to my mind, of her coming to pick me up from school when I was a little fellow, and finding I was punished, “What’s his punishment?” asked my mother, quite okay that if Bob did something wrong, he should be pay for it. “We’re putting soap in his mouth!” said the British, or was it, Australian KG headmistress.
“No way!” said my mother firmly, and insisted on walking into the torture chamber where I was being held. “But he said something wrong!” said the lady. “Are you allowed to do this to children in England?” asked my mom, and led me off. “Are you?” The headmistress meekly apologized and said she would think of another punishment the next day.
“You may!” said my mother kindly, “And when we reach home, I’ll tell my son to shut up and not say such things again!” Like I said it’s my mother’s birthday today, and somewhere up, where she’s keeping an eye on her son, I look up and ask, “Ma, what do you say to a world leader who wants to inject soap and detergents into people’s stomach to get rid of the virus?” “He wants to put soap in their mouths?” I can hear my mother ask incredulously, “Tell him to shut up!”. I’m going to leave the soap, detergents and my kindergarten headmistress aside for a while, and concentrate on the second part of my mother’s advice, which is to shut up!
At a time when the largest number of researchers, with the best brain power burn the midnight oil, searching for a vaccine and cure for the virus, it is high time political leaders and others learn to shut up. And it’s not just during this time, that they need to fix a tape on their mouths but at all times of crisis. Crisis times are when experts discover solutions for particular problems and specific situations.
“During that time sir, don’t be like a medical general practitioner who feels he knows more than the specialist!” Because when you don’t shut up, we see…An economy on the downslide, because learned men and women weren’t listened to! Coronavirus deaths because a president knew better than anybody else on how to handle the deadly disease! Tis my mother’s birthday and let me be a little indulgent with her, “Ma,” I ask, “What else would you say, after you’ve said, ’shut up’?” “Listen!” says my mother. Yes, this is the time for politicians to LISTEN! Listen to specialists, before you shoot your mouth off! Listen to economists before you make drastic changes!
Putting soap into the mouth was already a cruel practice those many years ago, but needed a concerned mother to stop it happening, and maybe it’s time we told our political leaders or maybe some of we ‘know alls’ need to listen to those words ourselves, to, “Shut up and Listen!” Like I said, just be a little indulgent with me today; my ma’s birthday..!
