AS WE bask in the glory of the brilliant performance by our athletes in Berlin, many have been moved to reflect on the deeper meaning of these achievements. And it is not just a matter of the athletic performance, outstanding as these have been. What is even more striking to all, including people in Germany, are the fine personal qualities of our athletes. They all display a natural human warmth rarely found among celebrities in the scripted public relations world of today.

The Spirit of the Macca Tree

We in Jamaica know where this refreshing naturalness comes from - memorably captured in the brief dance which Bolt and Asafa put down on the track at the end of the 100 metres in Berlin. It comes from Macca Tree and Waterhouse, from Maxfield Avenue and small districts in St Catherine, St Elizabeth, Manchester and other rural areas. These are the real salt of our Jamaican earth - nary a 'topanaris' among them, not one!

People who grew up in hard circumstances, in communities without electricity, pipe-borne water or proper roads, with access to limited education and even more limited health care, with no friends in high places to pull strings for them, without either 'high colour' or riches, have risen to the global pinnacle in their chosen field, stunning the entire world. Berlin, according to one German newspaper, has been gripped by 'Usain-Bolt-Fieber'.

I have been fortunate enough to personally experience Bolt's genuineness. Recently, while awaiting a flight in the departure lounge in Norman Manley, in walked a tall young man dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, accompanied by two friends. Without the least bit of fanfare or showiness, like any other anonymous traveller, he walked over to a food bar and quietly placed an order - despite the absence of chicken nuggets on the menu!

This tall young man bore an uncanny resemblance to one Usain Bolt, but of course it could not possibly have been him. At least, so I thought. No way that an Olympic gold medallist who had already achieved international fame could be acting with such utter naturalness and modesty.

But, indeed, it was Usain Bolt. More persons finally recognised him and rushed to get pictures. He patiently obliged every single one, including me. I can only tell you one thing: don't be misled by the dancing and the grandstanding in front of the cameras. Usain Bolt is a real and true 'born Jamaican' and one very shy somebody.

The first lesson from Berlin, therefore, is what many have observed before. The real problems in Jamaican society are not located at the middle or the bottom. It is the top which cannot seem to get its act together. The negative human activities, such as homicidal crimes which develop at the bottom, actually spring from the top. It is the top which divided and armed the bottom. It is the top which is constantly squabbling and profiling and breaking world records - in conspicuous consumption.

What we need in Jamaica more than anything else is not lessons in values and attitudes for the mass. This is preaching to the choir. The sermons need to be redirected. Aim them at those who really need them: the shallow and materialistic uptown lumpen!

Berlin reminds us that there is present at the base of our society the potential to perform at the highest international levels under the right set of circumstances. No, Bolt is not "from outer space", Mr Prime Minister. He is from Sherwood Content! And the remarkable thing is that these hidden talents are not limited to one or two persons. On the contrary, they are widely distributed among a significant number of grass-roots people.

There are a number of historical reasons why this is so, not the least of which is the centuries old tradition of independent small farming. This goes back to our roots in African agriculture (the yam!) and continued all throughout slavery and after emancipation, the plantation system notwithstanding. Indeed, the more social, economic and political pressures have strived to stifle this spirit of Macca Tree, the more it rises up and refuses to be suppressed.

However, Berlin offers us another and more complex lesson: in the real world, this talent which is so widely present at the base and in the middle of our society cannot realise its full potential on its own. It needs the help and assistance of persons of all social classes, including those at the top, local and foreign. No G.C. Foster Sports College, no gold in Berlin. No Chris Blackwell, no Bob Marley. But - and this is the most important thing - no Bob Marley, no Chris Blackwell!

In a remarkable letter in The Gleaner last Thursday, Paul Lawrence made this point very convincingly. What we are reaping now are the fruits of the efforts of those who had faith in the great potential of the ordinary Jamaican person, male and female. The country is reaping the hard and prolonged sacrifices that all these persons - the athletes and their families first of all - made over many years, through many disappointments, amid fickle public support and on ridiculously small budgets.

Recentring Jamaica

But faith, hard work, discipline, patriotism and dedication - vital as these are - were not enough. As Paul Lawrence put it, "As in all things, money held the key. Could Jamaica support home-grown talent? Could Jamaica nurture and support world-class athletes, feed them, outfit them and support overseas travel to compete on the international stage? The money was the final piece of the jigsaw." Nuff respect to the firms in Jamaica, large and small, local and foreign - Digicel, Jamaica National, Victoria Mutual, Cable and Wireless, Grace, Sandals, SuperClubs, Puma, D&G and many others - who understand this vital point.

However, we should be clear on what makes this work. Our achievements attain the highest international levels when those at the top put the interests of those at the bottom and middle at the forefront of our activities. It is a question of giving genuine support to the mass - recentring Jamaica. It is not a question of manipulating the mass. The grass roots must be the core - the genuine foundation of the entire effort. This is crucial because we are only too familiar with the many hypocritical projects which pretend to 'put the people first'. Usually, those who proclaim this the loudest are to be distrusted. They are simply playing a game of trying to use the people for their own narrow advantage. But all such efforts, whether in politics, business or intellectual life are doomed to fail.

How do we go about recentring Jamaica to address the many serious challenges we face in our economy, education system, and in our social, political and cultural life more generally? This is the challenge which Berlin poses. If the achievements of our athletes suggest one lesson, it is that the regular grass-roots 'born Jamaican' is ready to meet this challenge. The problem is at the top.