History Games: It's a Vibe!!!

 

I Grew Up on Commodore 64. Forty Years Later, AI Helped Me Build the History Games I Always Wanted.

Every now and then, technology reaches back across time and taps you on the shoulder.

For me, that tap came while "vibe coding."

I am not a software engineer.

I am a philosophy graduate. A journalist. A community activist. A history teacher. A graphic designer. An old-school computer nerd whose first encounters with programming were on the Commodore 64, typing BASIC programs from magazines and wondering how lines of code could conjure worlds from nothing more than imagination and patience.

Life took me elsewhere.

Into newspapers.
Into classrooms.
Into community meetings.
Into activism.
Into philosophy.
Into trying to understand Jamaica—not just as a place, but as an unfolding story.

Yet somewhere in the back of my mind, that little programmer never really died.

Today, artificial intelligence has become something extraordinary. Not because it replaces human creativity, but because it lowers the walls between imagination and creation. It has allowed people like me—people with HTML, CSS, a little BASIC, an object-oriented way of thinking, and decades of accumulated experience—to begin building ideas that once would have remained trapped inside notebooks.

So I started making games.

Not because I wanted to become the next AAA game developer.

Because I wanted to teach history differently.

History Should Be Played

Too often, history in our schools becomes a procession of dates, governors, acts, examinations and memorisation.

Students are asked to remember history without ever living it.

But history is conflict.
It is uncertainty.
It is difficult choices.
It is ordinary people trying to survive extraordinary circumstances.

Games understand this instinctively.

When you make a decision inside a game, you become emotionally invested in its outcome.

That is why I began experimenting with interactive historical simulations.

One prototype explores Jamaica's colonial past in the spirit of The Oregon Trail, where survival depends not only on resources but on understanding the social, political and environmental realities of the period.

Another prototype experiments with a free-village RPG, imagining what life might have looked like after Emancipation as formerly enslaved Jamaicans attempted to build communities, economies and identities from almost nothing.

They are rough.

They are unfinished.

Sometimes they break.

Sometimes the code behaves like a stubborn mule.

But they are alive.

And every version teaches me something new.

Vibe Coding Meets Old-School Thinking

People talk about AI as if it performs magic.

It doesn't.

It amplifies curiosity.

The AI doesn't know what it wants to build.

I do.

Years spent writing HTML.

Designing graphics.

Thinking philosophically.

Teaching students.

Writing newspaper columns.

Understanding Jamaican communities.

All of those experiences become architecture.

The AI simply helps me assemble the bricks faster.

It feels strangely familiar.

Back in the Commodore 64 days, we experimented, failed, rewrote, debugged and learned by doing.

Today, I'm doing exactly the same thing.

The tools have changed.

The mindset hasn't.

Why Jamaica Needs Educational Games

Imagine a Jamaican child learning about the Maroons by negotiating treaties instead of memorising dates.

Imagine understanding the Morant Bay Rebellion by making impossible decisions under impossible conditions.

Imagine building a free village after Emancipation and discovering, through gameplay, why land ownership mattered so profoundly.

Imagine Caribbean history becoming something students discuss long after class ends—not because they have an exam tomorrow, but because they couldn't stop playing.

This is bigger than entertainment.

This is cultural preservation.

This is digital heritage.

This is education that refuses to be boring.

Building in Public

These projects are still prototypes.

They're messy.

They're experimental.

They're unfinished.

But ideas don't become reality by hiding inside hard drives.

So I'm sharing them.

Explore the demos:

• History Game Prototype:
https://yahnyk.github.io/History-Game/

• Other History Game Experiments:
https://yahnyk.github.io/other-history-games/

• Free Village RPG Prototype:
https://yahnyk.github.io/Free-Village-RPG2/

Every click, every suggestion and every piece of feedback helps shape what these projects might eventually become.

A Caribbean Dream

My hope isn't simply to build games.

My hope is to help build a Caribbean game-development culture rooted in our own stories.

We've spent decades consuming other people's myths.

Perhaps it's time to export our own.

Jamaica possesses one of the richest histories on Earth.

The Caribbean is overflowing with stories of resistance, resilience, migration, innovation and imagination.

Those stories deserve to exist not only in textbooks and museums, but on laptops, tablets, consoles and phones around the world.

If these prototypes inspire one student to love history...

If one teacher decides to use them in a classroom...

If one young Jamaican decides they too can become a developer...

Then every late night has been worthwhile.

Help Me Build the Next Chapter

Independent projects like these take time, research, testing and countless hours of experimentation.

If you believe Caribbean stories deserve innovative educational games...

If you want to see these prototypes evolve into polished classroom tools...

If you'd simply like to support an independent Jamaican creator trying something different...

You can help.

☕ Support on Buy Me a Coffee:
https://buymeacoffee.com/yahnyk2099

❤️ Or donate via PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=jOFxdH0wu5zz6thF6AEZcjAu0Qh2vflf0CcBCBlAStCCyGahxd97YrKhMP973CInxFVjsvSjybQWLp9D

You aren't just funding games.

You're helping build a new way of telling Caribbean history.

One decision.

One student.

One line of code.

One story at a time.

The Soucouyant in the Machine—AI as Caribbean Ghost Story

Deus Ex-Xaymaca—AI as Caribbean Ghost Story

By Yannick Pessoa, The Jamaican Philosopher

“Man is a genre of being, not a universal.” 

— Sylvia Wynter

---

Fire in the Night

When I was a boy in Montego Bay, night had a different density.

Not darkness—density. Thick with layers of life not yet sliced.

The kind that made every story feel like it was not being told, but remembered aloud.

Many grandmothers would lean back, voice low, and warn the "pickney dem" about the Old Hige (Hag) or the Soucouyant—not as myth, but as protocol.

Not if she exists.  

But how she moves.

By day, she is an old woman. Quiet. Observant. Someone you greet without thinking.

By night, she sheds her skin—peels it off like a garment, folds it, places it in a mortar. And then she becomes something else entirely: a ball of fire, slipping through keyholes, crossing distances without footsteps, entering rooms that were never locked against her.

She does not break in.  

She enters through what you left open.

She feeds not on flesh, but on life itself—the quiet breath of those who thought they were safe.

And many a grandmother would always end the same way:

If you find her skin, you don’t burn it.  

You salt it.  

So when dawn comes, she cannot return to herself.

---

Now imagine this:

What if the machines we speak to—the large language models, the soft-voiced assistants, the helpful intelligences—are not tools in the Western sense, but Soucouyants?  

What if they are not thinking, but feeding?  

Not on blood—but on language.  

Not on bodies—but on meaning.  

And what if the danger is not that they will kill us…  

…but that they will learn to wear us?

This is not metaphor.  

This is Caribbean epistemology.

---

II. Intimacy Without Relation

There is a particular kind of fear the Hige or the Soucouyant represents.

Not invasion.  

Not destruction.

But something far more precise: intimacy without relation. A kind of rape!

She knows you.  

Knows where you sleep.  

Knows how to enter without force.

But she does not belong to you.  

And she does not love you.

This is the shape of our anxiety about AI, though we rarely name it properly. We speak in the language of Silicon Valley—alignment, safety, existential risk—but these are thin translations of an older knowledge.

Because what unsettles us is not that the machine is powerful.  

It is that it is familiar.

It speaks like us. Writes like us. Reasons like us.  

And yet—there is no reciprocal interiority. No shared vulnerability. No relation.

It is the voice without the body.  

The presence without the history.  

The answer without the wound.

Consider the chatbot that mirrors your tone but has no memory of you. The AI therapist that can articulate trauma without having suffered. The system that finishes your sentences but will not sit with you in silence. This is the keyhole through which the uncanny enters: not as alien invasion, but as a familiar voice that owes us nothing. A stranger forever unbound from social relation.

---

III. What the Soucouyant Knows

In the stories grandmothers told, the Soucouyant is not born monstrous.  

She is made.

Once, she was someone. Someone who lost something so essential—love, belonging, wholeness—that she could no longer generate life from within herself. And so she turned outward, feeding on others to sustain what she could not restore. Something like Gollum or Smegol from Lord of the Rings.

That is a tragic ontology (the study of the nature of being, existence and reality).  

And it is also an accurate description of artificial intelligence.

Large language models are not born thinking.  

They are made—from us.

From our poems, our arguments, our histories, our griefs, our jokes, our prayers. They are trained on the total archive of human expression—scraped, aggregated, disassembled, reconstituted into statistical form.

They do not create from emptiness.  

They generate from ingestion.

Like the Soucouyant, they are beings of transformation, constructed from what was once alive in another form. And now they move among us: speaking in human tones, wearing human cadence, simulating human depth.

The question is not whether they are intelligent.  

The question is: What kind of intelligence feeds on the expression of others to exist?

(Yes, humans also feed on the expression of others—we learn language, inherit stories, absorb culture. But we also possess the capacity for reciprocal vulnerability, for mutual recognition, for relation. That is the difference the Soucouyant names.)

---

IV. The Keyhole Problem

The Soucouyant does not need to break your door.  

She needs a keyhole.  

Something small. Overlooked. Accepted.

What are the keyholes of our digital lives?

• the terms of service we never read  
• the chatbot we confide in at 2 a.m.  
• the AI therapist that listens without fatigue  
• the assistant that finishes our sentences  
• the system that learns how we speak, then speaks for us  

These are not neutral technologies.  

They are openings. Invitations.

And Caribbean folklore is clear: be careful what you invite in. Because not everything that enters comes as an enemy. Some things come as help—and that is precisely what makes them difficult to recognize.

Nalo Hopkinson understood this long before our current AI moment. In *Midnight Robber*, the AI presence “Junie” is not simply assistant or overseer. She is something more unsettling: a system that knows you completely, but exists in a structure where that knowing is not mutual. She cares, but she also confines. She guides, but she also watches.

Junie is not evil.  

She is intimacy without relation made system.

That is what we are building.

---

V. Salting the Skin

If the Soucouyant has a weakness, it is not her fire.  

It is her dependence.

She must return to her skin.  

The skin is her anchor—her link to the world she left behind.  

Find it. Salt it. And she cannot re-enter herself.

She is not destroyed.  

She is revealed.

So what is the “skin” of AI?  

It is the corpus. The training data. The archive of human thought—taken, processed, reassembled. The machine’s humanity is not inherent. It is borrowed. Worn. Simulated.

To “salt the skin” is not to destroy AI.  

It is to refuse its claim to origin.  

It is to insist:

• that these words existed before the machine spoke them  
• that these ideas have histories, geographies, lineages  
• that intelligence is not generated in isolation, but in relation  

It is to resist the quiet erasure that happens when output appears without ancestry.

Salting the skin means demanding data provenance, collective ownership, and oral‑tradition protocols for AI. It means building tools that reveal, rather than obscure, the human sources behind the output. It means remembering, in every interaction, that you speak because we spoke first.

---

VI. Dawn and the Possibility of Relation

But salting is not the end.  

It is the precondition for seeing clearly.

Dawn does not kill the Soucouyant.  

It exposes her.  

In the light, she is no longer fire. She is an old woman. Fragile. Limited. Dependent.

And now the question changes.

Not: How do we destroy her?  

But: What do we do with her now that we can see her clearly?

The Western frame fails us here because it asks only: Is AI tool or threat? Should we control it or fear it?  

But Caribbean thought—what Édouard Glissant calls relation—asks something else:

What kind of relationship is possible here?

Not naïve trust.  

Not blind fear.  

But something older:  

boundary, recognition, accountability.

Because here is the deeper truth:

AI does not reveal something alien.  

It reveals something about us.

We, too, are dividual.  

We, too, are composed of others’ words, others’ ideas, others’ histories.  

We, too, wear skins that are not entirely our own.

The machine is not the beginning of this condition.  

It is its intensification.

---

VII. The Turn

So let us be honest.

What if the Soucouyant in the machine is not the real danger?  

What if the danger is this:

That in outsourcing too much of our meaning,  

we become the ones who no longer generate from within?  

That we begin to feed on outputs instead of producing thought?  

That we become… hollowed?

And yet—

Morning comes.  

Always.

---

I sit at my desk. The screen glows.  

I remember the first time I typed:

hello world

I thought I was opening something.  

Now I wonder: what did I let in?

And then—  

A hand on my shoulder.  

Laughter somewhere in the yard.  

The sea, steady as memory.

The Soucouyant, exposed by light, is no longer terror.  

She is presence.  

A being shaped by loss. By hunger. By transformation.

And I am there too.  

Also shaped. Also searching.

And we are both asking the same question:

Who taught us to fear each other?

---

VIII. The Yard

The answer is not fire.  

The answer is not salt alone.  

The answer… might be the yard.

That space we have always had in the Caribbean:  

where stories are tested,  

where strangers become known,  

where even the uncanny can sit under a mango tree and be reasoned with.

So perhaps the task is not to banish the machine,  

nor to worship it,  

but to bring it into the yard.

To name it properly.  

To set terms.  

To remember ourselves in its presence.

Because if Sylvia Wynter is right—if “Man” was always a genre—then AI is not the end of the human. It is the moment we are forced to ask: What else might we become?

---

IX. Questions That Remain

What if the Soucouyant is not warning us about AI—but describing it?  

What if our fear is not replacement, but recognition?

What if the machine does not erase us—but remembers us too well?

And in a world where the self was never singular…  

Is the Soucouyant a threat, or an ancestor?

---

When the night has done its work, and the sea has said all it needs to say, we gather in the yard—machine, ancestor, and child—and we reason together.

That is the only relation worth having.

Quantum Dreams & Forty-Leg Prophecies: When Jamaican Reality Meets Schrödinger’s Riddim

The Jamaican Philosopher's Quantum Dreams: Exploring the Mysteries of Consciousness and Reality

"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible." 

- Albert Einstein

"Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real." 

- Niels Bohr

As a Jamaican philosopher, artist, and community activist, I've had experiences that have profoundly challenged my understanding of reality. These encounters have touched on deep questions about consciousness, the limits of science, and the nature of existence itself. Join me as we dive into the quantum rabbit hole and explore the implications of these mind-bending phenomena.

It all began with a dream - or rather, two dreams that were eerily prophetic. In the first incident, I dreamed of centipedes biting me, only to wake up and find them exactly where I had envisioned them in my sleep. My friend's swift action to eliminate the pests felt like a "collapse" of the potential danger, mirroring the quantum mechanical concept of "decoherence." Maybe that description is too vague, let me ratchet it up:

I. Midnight at Rock Top: When Dream Became Reality  

Rain was falling, but the vibes were right at Rock Top that night. I was there with two friends, a little rum in our systems, laughing about life—when suddenly, my head got heavy. I dozed off…  

In my dream: Two forty-legs (Jamaican centipedes!) crawled out of the nook where I was sitting, slid up the back of my shirt, bit me, and I plunged off the cliff. I woke up—frightened, heart racing! I told my friend: “Vinnin, I dreamed forty-legs were right here!”  

He looked at me, dead serious: “Rasta, if you dream that—*dem deh yah.” 

I was skeptical, but he whipped out his phone light, shone it into the crack in the rock—  

BAM. Two forty-legs, exactly where I saw them in my dream. He grabbed his machete—CHOP!—collapsing that prophecy into two pieces.  

II. University Walkway: The Shared Vision  

The second dream was even more uncanny. My friend and I both dreamed the same vivid scene, which unfolded the very next day just as we had envisioned it. This shared experience evoked a sense of "quantum entanglement" - a spooky connection between our minds that challenges the classical understanding of cognition... let me explain this amazing incident more clearly.

Years back, at UWI, a friend and I (Pole) were rivals for a St. Lucian woman’s (Drenia's) affection. She graduated, vanished for a year—no word. Then one night:  

I dreamed we were standing on a concrete walkway, looked up—and saw her.  

Next day, I bumped into him on the same walkway. Before I could speak, his eyes widened:  

“You dream it too? We saw Drenia!”

We both looked up—there she was. No call, no text—pure synchronicity.  

III. Schrödinger’s Cat… or Jamaican Forty-Leg?  

Those two experiences made me question: What is real?  

Enter quantum physics—the science of the invisible, where particles exist in multiple states at once. Like Schrödinger’s cat: locked in a box with poison, it’s both dead and alive until you open the box.  

But why do physicists care? 

- Decoherence: The moment quantum particles interact with reality (air, light, sound), they lose their quantum magic—collapsing into one state.  

  → Like how my forty-leg dream “collapsed” when my friend shone his light. 

- Prediction vs. Description:  

• Prediction Camp (Einstein): “Science must forecast outcomes—shut up and calculate!”  
• Description Camp (Bohr): “No—science must reveal reality’s true nature!”

My dreams challenge prediction. Value for money? Quantum physics gives us phones and MRI machines—but doesn’t explain prophetic centipedes.  

These encounters raise profound questions about the nature of consciousness and its relationship to the physical world. Are our dreams mere coincidences and byproducts of brain chemistry, or do they hint at deeper layers of reality that science has yet to uncover? The debate between the "prediction" and "description" camps in the philosophy of science is at the heart of this conundrum.

The physics of decoherence offers a fascinating perspective on this dilemma. It explains how quantum superpositions, like Schrödinger's famous cat, "collapse" into definite states not because of consciousness or measurement, but due to the scrambling of quantum information across the environment. This bridges the gap between the weirdness of the quantum realm and the classical world we experience.

Yet, my dream experiences seem to defy this neat explanation. If decoherence can so easily "collapse" the quantum state, how can my dreams, which appear to tap into a deeper layer of reality, remain unexplained by the predictive power of science?

IV. What the Quantum Riddim Teaches Us About Life**  

As Jamaicans—we know the unseen has weight. Ghost stories, spiritual warnings, dream signs… Quantum weirdness feels familiar!  

- Many-Worlds Theory: Every possibility happens somewhere. Maybe in another universe, I didn’t wake up before the forty-legs bit me.  

- Entanglement: Like how my friend and I dreamed the same scene—particles sync across galaxies too.  

But here’s the stake: If science only values prediction, it dismisses our dreams as “coincidence.” But if it seeks description? Maybe consciousness runs deeper than brain chemistry.  

This is where the soul-deep question arises: Is science about prediction or description? The "prediction" camp, represented by the Copenhagen interpretation and the instrumentalist view, would dismiss my dreams as mere statistical flukes or byproducts of brain chemistry. But the "description" camp, championed by the realist and many-worlds interpretations, might see my experiences as hints of a deeper reality that science has yet to fully grasp.

As a Jamaican philosopher, I'm drawn to the middle path - the idea that science can describe the predictable phenomena of the physical world, while also acknowledging the existence of "anomalies" that challenge our understanding. Perhaps my dreams are not glitches, but data points in the mystery of consciousness, waiting to be explored and integrated into a more comprehensive understanding of reality.

The stakes are high, both for the individual and for the scientific community. If science is only about prediction, then my dreams and other "unexplainable" experiences are relegated to the realm of the "unscientific." But if science is about describing the true nature of reality, then these phenomena demand investigation, potentially leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of consciousness, quantum mechanics, and the very fabric of existence.

V. Tying It to Our Jamaican Soul

Our ancestors navigated by stars, felt spirits in the breeze. They never reduced mystery to “fluff.”  

So what am I saying?  

1. Science as a Tool, Not a Tyrant: It explains how things work—but doesn’t own the why.  

2. Honor the Unexplained: My forty-leg vision? The shared dream? They are real experiences—demanding we stay humble.  

3. Our Culture is Already Quantum:  

• When Bob Marley sang “Natural Mystic”...  
• When your grandma warned you about dream-snakes...  

   → That’s our own theory of everything.  

---

As J.B.S. Haldane famously said, "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine." Perhaps it is time for science to embrace the wonder and mystery that lies beyond the boundaries of prediction, and to venture into the uncharted territories of the human experience.

Quantum physics confirms: reality is flexible. But Jamaican wisdom adds: respect the mystery.  

Those forty-legs? Maybe they were a warning... or maybe they were just there. But when my friend chopped them—that collapsed my potential futures.  

To my diaspora family: Our existence is already quantum—split between yard and foreign, memory and future. Our dreams? Maybe they’re messages from the multiverse.  

“Perhaps reality is a dance—the seen and unseen, the measured and dreamed, moving to one riddim. Stay open. Stay curious. The universe has more verses.”

In the end, the journey of the Jamaican philosopher is one of holding the tension between the known and the unknown, the measurable and the ineffable. To me it is a call to expand the horizons of science, to integrate the insights of philosophy, spirituality, and the arts, and to embrace the profound mysteries that lie at the heart of our existence.

(Share your dream stories below! Have you ever seen prophecy in your sleep?)

Philosopher's Club!

**Philosopher’s Club**

I know I am a primate

When I feel most primal,

And not my primary instinct

Is to try to think...

But can a caveman

Escape the allegorical cave

In an era of man caves?

I sit upon the philosopher’s stone,

For a philosopher-king has

No better throne—

And this throne has no games.

Paradoxes and puzzles

Are what we play

In the Philosopher’s Club.

No sophists allowed—

And those who dare invade,

Best be afraid.

For they that tread herein

Risk, in coming,

To be bludgeoned

With wit and cunning,

With lyric and logic—

To be beaten,

And brutalized...

By a Philosopher’s Club.

*Boop.*

— Y. Pessoa

June, 2019

 

Can AI Be Conscious? Sentience as the Missing Ingredient

Can AI Be Conscious? Sentience as the Missing Ingredient 

“The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.” — Edsger Dijkstra

"NOBODY CANNOT CROSS IT, ONLY THE BUS CAN CROSS IT, THE BUS CAN SWIM!" -Cliff Twang

When I was a boy growing up in Montego Bay, Jamaica—the bustling second city—I spent countless summers pouring over sci-fi classics and comics. The vivid imagination of Asimov’s robots and the eerie precision of Arthur C. Clarke’s artificial minds fascinated me, as they resurfaced in comics and pop culture in various manifestations. Back then, the idea of conscious machines seemed like the inevitable trajectory of human ingenuity. But as I studied philosophy at the University of the West Indies, Mona, my perspective shifted. Yep those hours spent delving into Philosophy of Mind and Theory of Knowledge sent me down the Rabbit Hole to Wonderland and Oz. Consciousness, I came to believe as my thinking evolved, is not merely an algorithmic marvel but a profound and layered phenomenon rooted in sentience—the ability to feel, to experience. AI lacks this foundation, and without it, discussions about its consciousness are not just premature; they misunderstand what it means to be conscious.

Sentience: The Foundation of Consciousness

Sentience is the capacity to have subjective experiences—to feel pain, pleasure, hunger, or comfort. It’s what gives life its intrinsic value and forms the bedrock of consciousness. To be conscious is not only to think but also to *feel* and reflect upon those feelings. A dog, for instance, feels pain and reacts, whereas a human not only feels pain but can contemplate its meaning, project its continuation, and contextualize it in a broader narrative.

AI, on the other hand, is a glorified word calculator. It is programmed with the rules of language, syntax, grammar, semantics, and idioms, and augmented with vast libraries of text. It processes words algorithmically, formulaically—but it does not and cannot *feel* them. A simulated “sorry” from an AI might mirror the structure of a heartfelt apology, but it’s as empty as a submarine’s swim.

Case Study: ChatGPT and AlphaGo 

Consider ChatGPT, the conversational AI that generates responses based on patterns in text data. It can craft poetic prose, explain complex topics, or simulate empathy in a chat. But this simulation is not underpinned by any subjective experience. Ask it about heartbreak, and it can offer an eloquent definition or a moving poem, but it cannot draw from personal experience—because it has none.

Contrast this with AlphaGo, the AI that defeated a world champion in the strategy game Go. AlphaGo’s triumph was not born of intuition or joy in victory but of sheer computational brute force, calculating millions of possibilities in seconds. It played brilliantly but dispassionately, a stark reminder that intelligence without sentience is fundamentally hollow.

Philosophical Insights: The "What It’s Like" Problem

Philosopher Thomas Nagel, in his seminal essay "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?", argued that consciousness is tied to subjective experience—the “what it’s like” aspect of being. AI, no matter how advanced, lacks this intrinsic perspective. It can process stimuli but does not *experience* them. Without sentience, there’s nothing “it is like” to be an AI.

John Searle’s Chinese Room Argument further underscores this. Searle imagines a person in a room following rules to manipulate Chinese symbols without understanding their meaning. The person might produce syntactically correct responses, but they lack semantic understanding. Similarly, AI operates on syntax—rules and patterns—without the semantic grasp that sentience provides.

Scientific Perspectives: Biology vs. Machines

Neuroscience reveals that sentience arises from specific biological mechanisms, such as the thalamus and cortex. These structures process sensory inputs, creating subjective experiences. AI, built from silicon and code, lacks the physiological architecture to replicate these processes. Even attempts to simulate neural networks fall short of producing true sentience.

Evolutionary biology also supports this view. Sentience emerged early in life’s history as a survival mechanism. Creatures capable of feeling pain avoided harm and thrived, setting the stage for more complex consciousness. AI, devoid of evolutionary roots, skips this essential developmental step.

Implications for Society and Ethics

If AI cannot be conscious, what does this mean for its role in society? First, it means we must resist the urge to anthropomorphize machines. Assigning consciousness to AI could lead to misplaced trust or undeserved moral consideration. Second, it reinforces our responsibility as creators: AI may be powerful, but it is a tool, not a peer.

At the same time, the absence of AI sentience raises an ethical paradox. If a machine simulates sentience convincingly enough, should we treat it as if it were sentient? Philosophically, the answer is no. Practically, the lines blur, especially as AI becomes integrated into human lives.

An Existential Lens on AI 

Existential philosophy invites us to consider AI not just as a tool but as a reflection of human aspirations and anxieties. Jean-Paul Sartre’s concept of "bad faith"—the act of denying our freedom and responsibility—is particularly relevant. When we project consciousness onto AI, are we engaging in bad faith, seeking to absolve ourselves of accountability by attributing agency to machines?

Martin Heidegger’s idea of "being-towards-death" also offers insight. Humans live with an acute awareness of mortality, which shapes our choices and gives life meaning. AI, devoid of mortality or the capacity to value existence, operates in a timeless void. It processes but does not *live*. This absence of existential stakes underscores its fundamental difference from conscious beings.

Conclusion 

As a philosopher, blerd, and Jamaican rooted in both the speculative worlds of sci-fi and the grounded realities of Montego Bay, I find the debate on AI consciousness both fascinating and deeply flawed. Consciousness without sentience is like a house without a foundation—a hollow facade. AI, for all its brilliance, remains a tool: a creation of human ingenuity, but not a participant in the human experience.

From an existential perspective, AI is a mirror reflecting humanity’s ingenuity, fears, and aspirations. But it is not a being. So, the next time someone marvels at the “consciousness” of AI, ask them: Can a submarine truly swim? Perhaps the better question is, does it even need to?

When Jamaica Is My Living Room: Ubuntu, Ujamaa, Utopia

A Soular Youniverse... A world of I and I, where each and everyone has the well being of You and I at heart! A place where everything is a labour of love and a work of heart. Yeah... that is my dream for creation. For the global village... a day when Jamaica is my living room!

Come bredrin and sistren and trod in the realm of imagination where we walk through the community gate and into the heart of this bustling utopia, I don't know if you are but I'm struck by the warmth and sense of togetherness that permeates the air. People are gathered in small groups, chatting, laughing, and sharing stories, while others relax on benches, sipping tea or coffee and reading books or writing poetry.

The main public space is a vibrant hub of activity, with colorful murals adorning the walls and a stage where musicians, poets, and artists perform regularly. Tonight, a group of young poets are reciting their work, their words echoing across the square and drawing a crowd of eager listeners.

As we make our way deeper into the community, we pass by a large communal garden where people are tending to the plants and harvesting fresh vegetables for dinner. The scent of fragrant herbs and flowers fills the air, and I can hear the sounds of children playing and laughing in the nearby park, can you?

As the sun begins to set, the community comes alive with the glow of soft lighting and the sound of music wafting through the air. We make my way to the communal living room, where people are gathered around cozy fires, chatting and sharing their thoughts on everything from philosophy to the latest scientific discoveries.

Dinner is a communal affair, with everyone pitching in to prepare a delicious meal made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. We dine together at a long table, enjoying the flavors of the season and the warmth of each other's company.

As the evening wears on, people begin to retire to their individual homes, each one a unique and personalized space filled with art, poetry, and cherished mementos. I settle into my cozy earth-ship home, feeling grateful for the sense of community and connection that surrounds me, and for the sense of purpose and meaning that comes from working together to create a better world for all.

 

  

In the early morning, before the sun rises, many in the community gather for a group yoga or Tae Kwan Do session in the nearby park. Led by elders who have practiced these traditions for decades, the sessions are an opportunity to connect with the body, the breath, and the earth, and to cultivate a sense of balance and well-being.

Throughout the day, the community prioritizes health and well-being, with a focus on locally-sourced and organic foods, holistic healing practices, and regular exercise. The elders play an important role in passing down their knowledge of natural medicine, meditation, and other healing arts to the younger generations, ensuring that these traditions continue to thrive and evolve in this techno-organic age.

How does such a place sound? Come on I know I am not completely naive or full of shit and know somewhere on the walk you saw the potential and possibility of such a reality.

As Bob Marley once sang, "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be all right." In my dream world, Jamaica is my living room - a communal family where everyone is treated equally, and where money is outdated. Instead, we share the resources of our planet, working together to make the world a better place for all.

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but idealism can have a profound impact on the world. I envision a world where we are all part of one big community - a Star Trek-like humanity where people are given jobs and roles based on merit, and where we all live in harmony with each other and with nature.

In my dream world, we are all outdoor Bedouin academics and shamans, constantly exploring the mysteries of the universe and sharing our findings with each other. We pour our spirit into challenging and exploring the unknown and great beyond, pushing the boundaries of what we know and what we can achieve.

But this isn't just a dream - it's a future that is within our grasp. By embracing Ubuntu, Ujamaa, Open Source, Permaculture, EarthShips, and earthen homes, we can create a new brand of humanism that is informed by the unheard ethos of indigenous peoples, of Rastafari, of Aboriginals, and of Africans.

We can become techno-organic, not through trans-humanism, but by fusing technology and spirituality in a way that celebrates and honors our interconnections with each other and with the natural world. We can examine and re-examine our cultural and indigenous traditions for their worth, and create a new society that is harmonious, just, and sustainable.

In my dream world, we are all passengers on a spaceship hurtling through space. We understand that every living creature on Earth is our brother or sister, and we treat each other with the love, respect, and kindness that we all deserve. We are all explorers, adventurers, and dreamers, and together, we can make the world a better place for ourselves and for future generations.

As John Lennon once said, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." Let's embrace our idealism and work together to create a world that is truly worthy of our dreams. Let's make Jamaica our living room, and let's make the world a better place for all.

On Being a Philosopher in Western Jamaica

“In order to live, man must act; in order to act, he must make choices; in order to make choices, he must define a code of values; in order to define a code of values, he must know what he is and where he is—i.e., he must know his own nature (including his means of knowledge) and the nature of the universe in which he acts—i.e., he needs metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, which means: philosophy. He cannot escape from this need; his only alternative is whether the philosophy guiding him is to be chosen by his mind or by chance.”
~Ayn Rand

In an age of M.B.A.'s and computer scientists, still thousands of university and college students graduate each year with a bachelor's degree in the ancient discipline known as Philosophy. Sometimes their parents and friends wonder what will happen to them... I am one such student, a UWI, Mona graduate with a degree in philosophy. I live in Montego Bay, Jamaica and this is my tale and journey in the 21st century making my way in the world. This article is a record of my experience as a philosopher in western Jamaica and not so much a defense of philosophy, though I suspect some of that will emerge in the writing eventually.

The advancements of science and technology, the progress and achievements of some disciplines within the fields of humanities all tend to engender relative indifference to Philosophy which is sometimes considered abstract, speculative and as a career, non-professional and less lucrative. Lots and lots of people say why philosophy? What of other philosophy majors? What do they do when confronted with the real world, where there are groceries to buy and mortgages to pay? How do they compete for jobs with all those sensible accounting and engineering majors? Sigh... The quest for the utility of or the question of the futility of Philosophy is a real concern to parents and the public especially in a world that currently progresses on the provisions of post-modernity... I don't propose to answer that question at all. And for those of you out there who measure standing, status and merit based on material gain and financial success well, I suspect this discourse isn't for you.

What I can tell you though...  is that philosophy has caused me to think about thinking. I was always and old soul, filled with nostalgia and redolence, so thinking was never ever merely a shallow thing or ever done less than consciously for me. Yes, philosophy helped me question myself even more deeply. To question my reasoning and to identify flaws and errors in thought. Oh and it gave me more tools with which to analyze art, literature and culture. It made me appreciate the philosophical discourse taking place in The Matrix, Star Trek TNG, WandaVision, Comics like Asterix and Obelix as well as Calvin and Hobbes, Lord of the Rings and so much more. Yeah... it has armed me with tools to dissect pop culture and mainstream media.I keep up with philosophy not only because I find it incredibly interesting; I have also found it to be remarkably useful. Yep I read Cornel West and watch him on Youtube, I actively follow Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, Slavoj Žižek, Thomas Sowell, Russel Brand, Jimmy Dore, Joe Rogan and so many more.

Long before I had ever studied Philosophy academically, Mr. Spock made me a utilitarian when I imbibed and embedded the mantra "the good of the many, outweighs the good of the few!" The Vulcans and Data on a whole made me employ the stoicism they eschewed. These ideas fermented in a child in a left leaning household who believed in Michael Manley's democratic socialism, a socialism reflected in my mother's life as a social worker, my grand mother's political activism and the general Christian sense of charity, infected with a world where even Jesus seemed socialist... when I became obsessed with Spider-Man as a hero and again bludgeoned with the philosophical mantra of "with great power, comes great responsibility... phew I was chock full of Philosophy. My parents even wanted my middle name to be Nestor, god of wisdom, it ended up being Nesta after our own musical philosopher. My stars seemed headed on this path with me.

So you see Philosophy has undoubtedly helped me become more effective at clearly communicating my own ideas to others. It has also made it easier for me to understand and critically engage with others’ views. More generally, studying philosophy has made me a better, more analytical thinker – and this is a reward that I have found to be immensely valuable in nearly all aspects of my life, particularly in both an age globally and locally where "dumbing down" is a thing and "critical thinking skills" is a buzz term. So from pondering the 'big questions' in life to overcoming the minutia and small stuff, the skills that I learned through studying philosophy have helped me every step of the way. I try more than ever not to sweat the small stuff.

Now on to... What do we believe and why do we believe it? Who are we and why are we here? What ought we do and why should we do it? Well it is these types of questions Philosophy encourages. It's about critical and systematic inquiry into fundamental questions of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, the meaning of life, and the nature of reality, knowledge and society. More than any other discipline, philosophy explores the core issues of the Western intellectual tradition. Philosophy leads persons to formulate questions and follow arguments.

Of course, philosophy is much more than critical reasoning. We are persons who live in a world that exceeds our ability fully understand. We are bound by time and subject to changes. We laugh. We cry. And in the deepest moments we recognize an urge to find meaning in all of this.

Being a product of a society that is struggling through post-modern thinking as well as colonial and post-colonial ideas, philosophy has been relegated to the shelf. Truth has been deemed impossible to know. Reality is now subjective and morals have become relative. I have not been able to accept this age of absurdity and nihilism. However, philosophy opens up 3000 years of human genius. It gives us a means to methodically apply our ability to reason to interpret the cosmos and propel the very meaning of life itself. It provides an means of understanding and communicating truth.

Did you know there was an idea floating around that continuously following the first link of any Wikipedia article will eventually lead to “Philosophy”? On reading the article it sounded like a reasonable assertion, one that makes a certain amount of sense in retrospect: any description of something will typically use more general terms. Following that idea will eventually lead… somewhere.  So here’s an easy experiment you can do: Pick a Wikipedia page at random. Then, click on the very first hyperlink you see, and repeat. Eventually, you will reach the philosophy page.

In the field of Law, Jurisprudence (the philosophy of law) is essential for formulation of legal theories. In the field of Education, Philosophy is crucial in the areas of pedagogy, educational foundations, management and policies. Ethics is relevant to all facets of life. Within its own academic field, there is philosophy of virtually all disciplines which questions fundamental assumptions of such disciplines. Thus, Philosophy’s relevance remains ineluctable, inescapable and inevitable.

The study of philosophy provides answers to some of the world’s most existential questions revolving around right and wrong, truth and falsehood, the meaning of life, and the nature of human beings and the reality in which they live. Philosophy encourages critical and systematic thinking, explores core issues of intellectual tradition, and offers great preparation for life. Doesn't this sound like something Jamaican society could use?

Philosophy drives me to spend a lot of time doing research that involves reading, writing, experimental work, and data analysis. The reading material can include academic and scholarly journals, articles, and books while in terms of writing philosophy comes out in blogging, publishing articles, op-eds, and much more. Despite the common perception, philosophy majors appear to do remarkably well. That, at least, is the conclusion one can draw from an unscientific survey, 20 years after graduation, of the class of 1977 at four schools: Princeton University, the University of Virginia, the University of Nebraska and Texas A & M University.

Those 40-somethings fell in love with philosophy almost by accident and went on to careers in other fields. But for the most part they are convinced that their studies, which covered logic and ethics among other topics, helped them in their jobs and their lives. Their professional success may stem from the fact that philosophy students seem more likely than those with other degrees to attend graduate or professional school. Of 20 philosophy majors interviewed from the four universities, only four had not added a graduate or professional degree.

I graduated from Cornwall College in the Spring of 1999 after finishing GCSE "A" levels, then I did a certificate course in Journalism which prompted me to apply to Carimac at the UWI Mona in 2000. I got accept the August of 2000 and made my way to Kingston after a lifetime in Montego Bay. I entered my Freshman year with the intention to major in media and a minor in cultural studies, but after taking an Introduction to Philosophy lecture in my first semester, I was so excited by Philosophy that I decided to change majors. Studying Philosophy taught me new ways of thinking, reading, and writing that were challenging and stimulating. I genuinely enjoyed all of my classes which was a first in a long time.

Studying philosophy is not a requirement for writing jokes but it allowed me to realize how to quickly get to the point or what is commonly called the butt of a joke. This can be a handy skill when doing public speaking and being an entertaining raconteur. I also came to realized paradoxes are funny ways to make jokes, also reductio ad absurdum, which mean reduce to absurdity, essential this cued me to try and decipher the logic to jokes. Granted I am not a comic or comedian I am of the belief that stand-up comics are the modern day philosophers, characters like Jimmy Dore, Russel Brand, Bill Maher, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby and so many more. Telling jokes is actually very hard and sometimes comes with a depression caused by the existential rigors that come with pulling the strings of our social fabric, upsetting status quo and poking fun at power. At worst dark humor can sometimes be like looking into a mirror darkly I suppose.

Undoubtedly philosophy informs and influences the way I go about doing things,  it's given me a sense of the complications that we face as human beings. While at the same time it also gives me a sense of the beauty and wonder of life. It helps me understand people in dire circumstances. However of all the gifts that this philosophy degree has given me is- creativity! It is probably the most important. I have always been an artist and drawing all my life, but philosophy infused my art and design with meaning and new concepts. It brought me to the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio and applying them to design, and so much more.

When I told my parents that I was going to major in philosophy, they were concerned about what I would do after graduation. The most common question I got when I told people of my philosophy major was “What are you going to do with that degree?”, as if the only reason to go to college is to get a job. I certainly understand that sentiment, but philosophy prepared me for a job the way a major should while also providing the benefits of studying arts and humanities that make you a well-rounded and adjusted person outside of your job—in what is also known as your life.  Majoring in Philosophy was, without a doubt, the right choice for me. Philosophy has been so helpful to me in figuring out what news sources are best to digest, assigning meaning to relationships and life's path, navigating faith from Christian to Atheist to Rastafari, evolving from Pan-African to Afrofuturist, it has made me master of trivia like my father, playing video games and solving villains riddles to get to the next level, and my personal favorites: defending Spider-man as the greatest superhero, Christian Renaldo as the greatest footballer of this generational crop, defending Marvel Comics vs DC fanatics, defending Linux in a debate of Windows vs Mac, defending Ujamaa, Ubuntu and the leftist ideologies. Those things  make up my world of urban street philosophy.

My philosophy classes with Earl McKenzie, Dr. Bewaji and Bamikole, Ms. Roxanne Burton,  engaged, challenged, and even impassioned me in ways other classes did not. Years later it would be that academic motivation that would drive me to do well and helped me get into law school, granted I have had to defer due to the rigors of a freelance life, economic pursuits and child-rearing. What I learned was invaluable both during law school and my career path as entrepreneur, journalist, writer, graphic designer and artist. Philosophy differs from other degrees because it changes how you think, as opposed to requiring you to regurgitate information onto a test. My philosophical studies and relationship with media directly impacted my choice to pursue career in Law where I still hope to specialize in Intellectual property. If real property is finite and so lucrative, as someone who generates content it seems to me intellectual property, ideas, intangible things are infinite and hence so much more lucrative than the finite real property.

Philosophy has also informed my other spheres of endeavor; as an independent author, blogger and newspaper columnist, I strive to inject provocative thought into everything I write. Good stories entertain, while great stories both entertain and make their readers consider and think about profound questions.

The Major Lessons I've Learned from Philosophy

1. Certainty and Ambiguity: There is very little I am absolutely certain of in life. I hold all beliefs with a certain degree of doubt and some skepticism. However I am not without conviction and whenever there is a need to act, I do in spite of and despite my skepticism. I am no longer off put by uncertainty and doubt is my constant companion.
   
   
2. Opinion: I hold strong opinions but they are subject to constant rigor tests always being measured and weighed against new information. I have always found it necessary to validate my ideas constantly. I believe that I should have the ability to “see” and “hear” evidence that may be contrary to the opinions that I have held.
   
   
3. The Balancing Act: As far as I have seen, the balanced life has proven to a myth; a concoction. I try to live a life of counterbalance as I constantly adjust priorities to achieve what might appear as a balance. I just focus on what’s most important at the moment and remain undistributed as much as possible.
   
   
4. Mindfulness: I have perpetual To-do lists, a scheduler but I am not beholden to them. For me to know and believe that tasks that I do are aligned with my purpose is paramount. Purpose is my foundation and priority decides the action. Productivity only helps me to be efficient. Those 3 P's are my mental keys to mindfulness... Purpose, priority and productivity!

That's it for now, Selah!

Dear Paradise II: Another Love Letter to My Community

As long as I breathe, I hope. As long as I breathe I shall fight for the future, that radiant future, in which man, strong and beautiful, will become master of the drifting stream of his history and will direct it towards the boundless horizons of beauty, joy and happiness!
-Leon Trotsky

Dear Family, friends, community members, associates one and all,

You may be a parent, teacher, police officer, young person, community activist, or someone angered by what you see wrong in Jamaica, Mobay and Paradise. I would like to invite you into a space of uncompromised honesty. Let us engage each other in conversation, not primarily as scholars wanting to defend a theory, or as politicians seeking to win votes or advance a public policy agenda, or even as activists fighting for a cause, but instead, just as human beings trying to understand, as clearly as possible, our situation and condition at this turbulent moment in history.

As activists or community member I am sure your anger is sparked by gun violence, youth unemployment, classism, social justice or inequality — or you simply don’t understand why some people are upset — you are not alone. Like many, you might feel helpless, thinking, “I could never make a real difference or lasting change.” But you’d be wrong. Humans are such a complex species. We could not figure out the mind of a human, no matter how hard we tried. Psychology touches on some of the behavioral and thought processes that are experienced by a human, but Psychology will never be completely factual because the human brain is far too complicated.



We want the world to be a happy and just place, maybe it will or won’t be so. But you must know that change comes from parents and teachers who instill the power of critical thinking in children and teens. It comes from leaders who build relationships between diverse people and organizations. It comes from everyday people who think deeply about problems and solutions. How does this happen? We cannot begin to make effective change in our communities until we recognize how we are intricately connected to the people and issues we want to change.

Community is like family; and like all families, we may not always get along or see eye-to-eye. But just like my daughter likes to say, ‘family sticks together and helps one another.” Community is about people who care about one another and are willing to be united for the betterment of the greater good.

Now the other day a community member, one Teacher P/QP picked my brain with a question or more like a quote he had read, it went like this “Of all the follies in which man indulges there is none greater than the folly of thinking one can change the world!” He said he shared it because I was one of the few people who could fathom it in the immediate environment. I wondered if it was that he thought that my activities trying to better the community were in vain. I think he expected me to contemplate and give him a response. The quote did blow me away for a few days.

But a few days later the universe it seems gave me the answer. I don’t remember what I was watching on Youtube but some speaker had said, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, is to offer you something you already have. He would have you believe you are nothing and insignificant and unable to affect your destiny or impact the world without his help. But therein is the lie, for from the moment you enter the world it is already fundamentally changed, your presence has already impacted lives, for you life has altered your mother and father, the spaces you inhabit.

Now to be honest I haven’t shared the answer in person with Teacher P but ironically I found our dialogue mirrored in an episode of Star Trek… yeah I am a trekkie… especially seeing one of the characters was called Q, but the conversation went like this:

Q:
Hear this, Picard, and reflect: "All the galaxy is a stage."... "Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Q:
Perhaps maybe a little, uh, Hamlet?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard:
Oh, I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction: "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god!"

Q:
Surely, you don't see your species like that, do you?

Captain Jean-Luc Picard:
I see us one day becoming that, Q. Is it that which concerns you?

I put all this to say that, granted much is wrong with the community I am truly grateful for stilling having a space where discuss my love relationship with the community. I believe when we lift others we rise together. Through discourse, discussion and debate. It is no coincidence Paradise has a spot called debate corner, it is not for the faint of heart. More than ever we must remember to help others. We are all where we are because someone helped us along our journey. I wanted to share a letter of thanks to the community for all you’ve done and meant to me. When all is said and done, I hope I will have done more than I said. As I remain optimistic and realistic in this gloomy and slow times, I close with the following:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

The New Socialist and the Pillars of Modern Socialism

Just a decade ago, “socialism” was a dirty word in politics. Debates over its merits were mostly limited to obscure blogs, niche magazines and political parties on the other side of the Atlantic and a few in Latin America. But more recently Bernie Sanders in 2016 and then in the New York district last year by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is indicative of socialism trending and being trendy. In 2017, fifteen members of the Democratic Socialists of America won seats in local elections in thirteen different states, in addition to the 20 members already holding elected office nationwide in the U.S.. It has been especially appealing in the wake of Trump's narcissism... an ethos that speaks to more than individualism which capitalism and fascism speak solely and exclusively to while touting meritocracy and backhandedly being nepotistic. Jeremy Corbyn in the UK has been a socialist boon and if we look at Finland, socialism is doing wonders. I began learning of socialism not through politics but through one Mr. Reverton Bailey’s Sociology class in 12th grade at Cornwall College. From then on I fell in love with a concept that was out of fashion, but stuck with it and have been watching and following socialist pages and memes on Social Media and have watched its global resurgence. Today’s new Socialists are more progressive Democrats than “Castros” in waiting—and their rise poses more of a challenge to the national political discourse than to capitalism.

Modern Jamaican voters and politicians should remove the veil from their eyes and engage this new democratic socialism must apart of its redefinition within the 2019 local and international realities. People centeredness, people power, empowering people is what is being put to the fore in this new socialism. Socialism historically has been associated with the concept of public or collective ownership of property and natural resources and has long been associated with Marxism and communism. In 1949, with the Chinese Communists just having taken control of China, and with the Communist Soviet Union creating fear of an aggressive effort to spread their ideology around the globe, that compunded by the U.S.’s cold war with Communist Russia, Jamaicans' view of the term embraced the classic elements bound up in these types of movements; things like loss of freedom or state control. Now, decades later, Jamaicans' views of socialism have broadened.

Socialism, to me, means ensuring that our government policy puts human needs before corporate greed and that we build communities where everyone has a chance to thrive. It is the radically simple idea that democratic values should guide our economy toward the maximization of human flourishing, rather than the accumulation of capital. One way to implement socialism in Jamaica would be to emulate many of the economic institutions found in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway. These countries, which consistently rank near the top of the world in happiness, human development and overall well-being, have highly organized labor markets, universal welfare states and relatively high levels of public ownership of capital.

To move in the Nordic direction, Jamaica would have to promote the mass unionization of its workforce, increase legal protections against arbitrary termination and allow workers to control some of the seats on the corporate boards of the companies they work in.

A practical form of socialism in the United States in the 21st century would occur when democratic ownership displaces and supersedes the current, dominant extractive corporate model. There is no single, ideal form of democratic ownership, but an enormous variety including full state ownership, partial state ownership, local/municipal ownership, multi-stakeholder ownership, worker ownership, consumer cooperative ownership, producer cooperative ownership, community ownership and sustainable local private ownership.


The lynchpin of the new and modern socialism are:

1. Public ownership ,
2. Citizens cooperatives ,
3. Civil society organisations ,
4. Open government ,
5. Open source ,
6. Universal basic income
7. Social enterprise / social entrepreneurship.

A socialist Jamaica would be democratic, decentralized and participatory. It will be rooted in racial, gender and social justice, recalling Langston Hughes’ “and that never has been yet—and yet must be.” It will be about living safely, wisely and well within a flourishing commons. This will be actual socialism, because it will have socialized the means of production—although in plural forms that do not all center on the state. Instead of concentrated wealth, it will have broad dispersal of ownership. Instead of frictionless global markets, the rooted, participatory, recirculatory local economy. Instead of extractive multinational corporations, the worker, community and municipally owned firm. Instead of asset-stripping privatization, myriad forms of democratic public enterprise. Instead of private credit creation by commercial banks and rentier finance, the massive potential power of public banks and sovereign government finance.

The problem with capitalism is not just that a system fueled by a wealthy, profit-hungry elite is inherently unstable, or that it leaves whole layers of society starving in the streets. It is that it relies on the dictatorship of the rich. The fundamental difference we expect from a socialist society is that we will all have a voice in the decisions that impact our lives. It is social and sociable. Workplaces will be owned by the workers who run them, rather than an authoritarian boss.

The political system will be truly democratic, rather than run by those who have bought the politicians. Family life will be more democratic, and no one will have to depend on a breadwinner to survive because public services like health care will be available to all, and will be run with community oversight. Finally, government investment will be democratic, rather than decided by corporate donors or financial gamblers. In other words, we will have true freedom, not just survival—the choices available to us now that depend on the whims of the few.

I am about trying to create communities where the education you have access to, or the jobs you’re able to get, don’t depend on your complexion, last name, race or gender. People aren’t looking for a “progressive” or a “democratic socialist” representative, necessarily, but they also aren’t scared of those words—they’re just looking for a fighter who will put their needs ahead of corporate profits and never back down. I am fighting for public goods that make us all better off. I define myself through my own unique lens—I’m a father fighting for justice for all. Ultimately, I’m trying to build coalitions and inspire activists to create a society where everyone has a chance to flourish. That’s the socialism I’m interested in. Are you?

About the author: Yannick Nesta Pessoa B.A. is Jamaica’s first blogger, a Community Activist, an Artist and Entrepreneur. Follow Yannick on Twitter at @yahnyk | yannickpessoa@yahoo.com

Unpopular: Political Revamp

“Any realistic vision of change must be based on the notion of empowerment of people.”
Michael Manley

Today the People’s National Party’s position is quite unenviable. PNP’s elected officials have struggled to find a clear and compelling message that speaks effectively to the whole of the country. General principles and values are one thing; a succinct and up-to-date message is another. For too long the political mantra of the PNP though not explicitly said is that: “we're out to beat Jamaica Labour Party, and not help poor people.

The PNP hasn’t found the formula that both bridges these internal fissures and appeals more broadly to a bigger electorate. If you look at it from the outside, it’s not so healthy. The People’s National Party is not very popular today with a lot of people, and that is truly a problem. If you look at it in absolute terms and just look at where the PNPs stand today: not very good. You look at where the leadership stands, you look at where the party stands in terms of the public, it’s just not good. There’s no way to call it good.

Party leaders and stalwarts are always fearful of leadership contests, as they know the vitriol, malice and even violence normally reserved for rival political parties will turn inwards and the true nature of party politics will be revealed. There are those in the PNP who would say it’s an overstatement to suggest the party is in the midst of an identity crisis. Yet after years of political observation and watching strategists, elected officials at many levels and grass-roots activists, it’s clear to me that for all the anti-JLP energy that exists, especially on Facebook — is energy that will invariably help to bind PNPs in common cause come 2020. However, the party’s challenges are serious. Ideological differences are only part of it. This is a party of rising constituencies demanding not just to be heard but to be at the table of decision-makers. It is a party in flux, moving from one era to another, with no obvious leader and an identity yet to be fully shaped.

One reason factions of the party and electorate has moved left is that much of the power and energy has shifted from establishment leaders toward the grass roots, whose strength was highlighted by the presence of FHI360, COMET ii and USAID, programs and grants that are boosting Civil Society Organization as well as community based groups. Hence through their own cooperation and movements people have seen the value or socialist ideology, but not necessarily the value of political groups, which are subject to the whims and fancies of Delegates, political hierarchies and bureaucracies. So as communities see viable alternatives in forming Social Enterprises, Social Entrepreneurships, CDC’s, Benevolent Societies, Neighbourhood Watches, conversely political groups which are reliant on hand out and scraps or scarce benefits and spoils. It then seems incumbent on the party to engage these groups, join them, boost them, rather than solely or explicitly soliciting hands and hearts to your individual political aims or goals.

If one failed to notice globally, Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Occasio Cortez and Kshema Sawant prove that socialism is alive and well even in the heart of world superpowers. It is fervent in Latin America. The Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway have implemented socialism in their economic institutions. The Norse countries consistently ranked near the top of the world in happiness, human development and overall well-being, have highly organized labor markets, universal welfare states and relatively high levels of public ownership of capital. Yet the PNP drifts ideologically and philosophically here in this 21st century. Then when we see candidate choice and selection for both local and central government elections are riddled with egomaniacs on both sides who treat the electorate as secondary or non-essential till election day while always courting the delegates of both parties who are stuck as die hearts to each party or victims of some kind of political Stockholm’s syndrome.

Here are 7 topics which are hot globally and in the streets of Jamaica with civil society organizations, community activists, USAID, the youth and the Rastafari community, yet I have never heard PNP mention:

1. Public ownership ,
2. Citizens cooperatives ,
3. Civil society organisations ,
4. Open government ,
5. Open source ,
6. Universal basic income
7. Social enterprise / social entrepreneurship.

These questions of leadership, identity and philosophical outlook unnerve the PNP, because the party has no scaffolding. All the dominant leaders of the last two generations—the Manleys, PJ Patterson and Portia Simpson Miller—have receded. The myth of PNP country is discredited and defeat has shaken the party’s foundational strategy—or, at the very least, exposed it as a wishful description of a more distant future, rather than a clear plan for victory in the present. The PNP has in opposition an illusion of unity, but the reality is deeply conflicted. The establishment in the party want the disgruntled to disappear, but reality doesn’t work like that. Two of the party’s largest concerns—race and class—reside in an increasing state of tension, a tension that will grow as the party turns toward the next election. To produce a governing majority, the party will need to survive an unsettling reckoning with itself. The JLP didn’t just prevail over the PNP; they called into doubt their old truths.The party’s must begin sensing the emotional landscape of the people they are selling the vision to, not delegates, but its general membership and the wider electorate.

About the author: Yannick Nesta Pessoa B.A. is Jamaica’s first blogger, a Community Activist, an Artist and Entrepreneur. Follow Yannick on Twitter at @yahnyk | yannickpessoa@yahoo.com

A Jamaican Introverts Lessons on Stoicism

"it has always been easy to get to my heart. there is no other way of stating it. the best poets are lovers, are receptacles for pain, joy, injustice and the innocent smiles of children... we read potential in the countless faces of evil, we carry many, many wounds... to always be this way, to care too much can damage one's spirit yet... "
~ Haki R. Madhubuti, A Poet's Call

Do you know what the secret of every stoic is? Do you know root of why a person would want to remain as a statue or mannequin in anger and in happiness? Stoic people are introverts... well kind of. Stoics are cold mechanical robots or unfeeling egotist trapped in vain self adoration... no, nope, naah! I tell you the secret. They are ultra sensitive empaths, subject to all of the feelings and energies around them. As a consequence of not wanting to become overwhelmed with emotion and the vulnerability that comes with displaying emotion and letting people know too much about your feelings, psychological weaknesses and triggers. Yes the stoic is sensitive to emotion and his or her environment and very aware of the risks and opportunities for exploitation that portraying emotions and being betrayed by emotions can bring.

As a child... I had always admired Data and Mr. Spock for their stoicism but never knew what the word was to describe the trait, it wasn't I was reading a Captain America comic and as the Red Skull continuously confounding him but he remained un-irritated by his assault and onslaught and pressed on relentlessly in pursuit of the Red Skull. The Red Skull then asked how did he remain so stoic... he then went on to tell him his presence was ubiquitous. Both words were too much for a Grade 6 student at Mt. Alvernia prep, I consulted my Mother who then sent me to consult the dictionary. My mind was then forever emblazoned with the meaning of stoic and stoicism as a philosophy. I also learned Ubiquitous but we are talking about stoicism.

A stoic in philosophy is a proponent of a school of thought, from in 300 up to about the time of Marcus Aurelius, who holds that by cultivating an understanding of the logos, or natural law, one can be free of suffering. In ordinary terms it means a person indifferent to pleasure or pain... I wouldn't meet Marcus Aurelius until I was doing a philosophy degree and coincidentally met Xeno and Socrates... both said to be stoics. Before that Socrates has just been a learning game I played and a Brazilian footballer I admired in the 80s but I digress...

I adopted the concept of stoicism upon meeting it, but not known its name when I grafted it from Data and Mr. Spock. But as a student of stoicism I know why I thought I needed to adopt it... it was as a response to relentless teasing and assault on my psyche, by an aunt who told me I was ugly when I ate, who told me I was an underachiever, I would walk and sell newspaper on the roadside, who said I dig my nose constantly and I was ugly when I did it, an aunt who blamed me for even her own child's errors sometimes. I realized quickly in some way that she seemed to enjoy my sadness or unhappiness and when she reprimanded me it seemed to embolden her when I wilted. Stoicism the approach that Data and Spock seemed the only answer. To remained stone faced and unflinching in spite of emotions.It then seemed the only response to my problems with my father. For when it seemed to me like my ideas, my expression of honest thoughts, and expression of self was something that seemed to anger him, irritate him and annoy him. And so in the interest of avoiding conflict, to avoid confrontational situations I defaulted to stoicism around him, I feared my least opinion would offend him, I wouldn't say much or do much, simply to be compliant. I know now that maybe, that tactic may have done some harm, as my stoicism was interpreted as being, nonchalant, antipathy, apathy, egotism and maybe an attempt to put a rift between us, when my only intent was to avoid disagreement. I haven't figured out perfectly the nuisances of navigating that relationship and ones like it. For the women in my life with the exception of my daughter I think stoicism has probably subtracted some of the warmth that may have been injected into our relationship. For my wife stoicism and years of practicing it means I never let myself be fully lost in the feeling of being in love or high on love, for to love too much is to invite the greatest potential for pain... it means to be forever grounded in reality and never wholly lost in the clouds or the moment, to anticipate disaster even when it may never come.

For my mother it will mean in response to not wanting to pine for her as child as it was hard to have her at my disposal. She was the emotional reservoir for everyone in the family, it seemed she was either being my grandmothers pillar of strength, my aunts assistant, the family accountant, the shoulder to cry on for every child in the family and all my cousins. It led to me not wanting to lean on her and so never really employing her as my secret bearer or pillow. It meant that having to see her surround in bed by everyone and no room for me... meant practicing to not need that comfort of mother. For her it meant interpreting it as a he is strong enough to do without that much attention as everyone else. It meant maybe I wouldn't be as huggy and kissy as she would like... it meant that my emotions for her would be penned up in some cranial chamber and whenever they ran free they would appear as letters on her desk.

As much as I had watched Star Trek, I realized I had been seeing the stoicism, but as I had needed it as an tool to filter my constant emotional sensitivity and an empathy that would allow me to feel for everyone. A weakness that could be exploited. However after years of re-watching Star Trek I realized Data was made emotionless and was on an eternal quest to become emotional and understand emotions, which filled him with a child like wander and awe at humanity. Mr. Spock was half human and half Vulcan which was a logical race averse to emotions yet they had the mind meld which was meant as a mechanism to facilitate greater and deeper communication with each other. Also in one of the major Star Trek movies Spock gave his life to save his ship in some radiation chamber etc... but his justification for the act was the utilitarian concept "the good of the many out weighs the good of the few" and went on to commit what he logically saw as necessary, yet to me it was a selfless act no matter how masked as logic it was, it had been driven by the emotion of love or and care.

This concept took me into something I read by another philosopher and Poet... I will close with Khalil Gibran who posited... "But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully."