The priceless power of hope, vision, and inspiration

We cannot put a price on hope, vision, and inspiration.

These three things give life to a nation. They give people a reason to live, a future to pursue, and the courage to rise above their circumstances.

I know this because I have lived it.

Although born in Montego Bay, I grew up in the inner city of Kingston, surrounded by poverty, violence, anger, and suffering. I knew abandonment, hunger, and what it meant to depend on the goodwill of others for survival.

There was a time when I almost surrendered to a life of crime, believing it was my only escape.

But I discovered something that changed my life.

My greatest battle was not with the environment around me. It was with the hopelessness growing inside me.

I had lost the vision of a better future and the inspiration to change my circumstances. Through faith in God, I came to understand that my present condition did not have to determine my destiny.

That experience taught me a lasting lesson: Before you can change someone’s circumstances, you must first restore their hope that change is possible.

I graduated from Mico Teachers’ College and spent fifteen years as a classroom teacher at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, Trench Town High School, Charlie Smith High School, Balcombe Drive Junior High, and St. Mary’s College.

I taught children from uptown, downtown, and rural Jamaica. Beyond the classroom, I established training programmes serving young people from all fourteen parishes.

I have worked with youth struggling with drug addiction, poverty, learning disabilities, mental illness, physical disabilities, imprisonment, violence, abuse, suicidal thoughts, and broken homes.

Their circumstances differed, but beneath their struggles, I discovered a common condition.

They lacked hope. They lacked vision. And they lacked the inspiration to pursue a better life.

I have watched hardened men with criminal pasts break down and cry when they discovered they could learn to read, master a trade, and contribute meaningfully to society. I have watched young women, broken by abuse and trauma, smile again as hope returned to their eyes.

I learned that to reach them, I first had to break through their protective walls of bitterness, anger, fear, and insecurity.

These experiences convinced me that hope, vision, and inspiration are not luxuries. They are necessities of human life.

A child needs more than food, shelter, clothing, and education. A child has a soul that needs nurturing and a spirit that needs lifting.

What good is it to fill a child’s stomach while allowing that child’s hopes and dreams to starve?

As a teacher, I learned to celebrate even the smallest achievements, because recognition builds confidence and inspires greater effort.

I believe this same principle applies to an entire nation.

The value of art to a nation

This raises an important question: What is the true value of art to a nation?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs reminds me that human development extends beyond the basic struggle for food, shelter, and security. We were created for more than mere survival.

A truly developed nation must be measured not only by its infrastructure and wealth, but also by the humanity, spiritual well-being, and quality of life of its people.

We must move beyond merely surviving and begin truly living.

To appreciate a sunrise, the beauty of a butterfly, a blooming flower, and the natural environment. To stand before a painting or sculpture and be moved to reflect, to feel, and perhaps to change.

Art awakens our sensibilities. It cultivates an appreciation for beauty, care for our environment, empathy, compassion, and love for one another.

A nation can become materially wealthy and still remain poor in spirit.

Hope, vision, inspiration, love, and unity are spiritual qualities. They cannot be measured in dollars, yet they shape the character and destiny of a people.

Art gives expression to these invisible qualities. It can soften hardened hearts, restore dignity, and inspire people to see beyond their present conditions.

Art does not merely decorate a nation. It helps shape the soul of a nation.

That is the purpose behind Together We Rise.

Built by Jamaican hands

What fills me with tremendous pride is that Together We Rise was conceived, designed, engineered, and constructed by an all-Jamaican team.

From the artistic concept, architectural and engineering documents, to the professional tradesmen, craftsmen, welders, builders, and labourers, this achievement was made possible by Jamaican talent.

Equally important were those responsible for project management, purchasing, logistics, financial stewardship, transportation, meals, and accommodation.

Every contribution mattered. Every hand played a part.

Together, we achieved what we believe to be a historic first: the tallest monument in Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean.

But the greatest achievement is not its height. It is what it demonstrates about our people.

God has blessed Jamaica with the imagination, intelligence, craftsmanship, discipline, and determination to accomplish extraordinary things.

Before this monument could inspire a nation to rise together, Jamaicans first had to come together to raise it.

That is nation-building in action.

And I believe these Jamaicans deserve national recognition.

We proudly celebrate our athletes when they use their God-given talents to represent Jamaica on the world stage. We honour their achievements and inspire generations through their stories.

And rightly so.

But should we not also celebrate the artists, engineers, craftsmen, tradesmen, and workers whose achievements bring honour to our country?

Their arena may not be an Olympic stadium, but their contributions can also inspire a nation.

Across the world, monumental artworks have become symbols of national identity, attracting millions of visitors and creating lasting cultural and economic opportunities.

Now Jamaica has an opportunity to develop a monumental landmark of its own, created by Jamaicans, reflecting our identity, and carrying a message to the world.

We are internationally celebrated for our athletes and musicians. Why not also for our monumental art, engineering excellence, and creative industries?

I want the children of those who worked on this monument to look upon it with pride and say, “My father helped build that. My mother was part of that achievement.”

What we celebrate in one generation becomes an inspiration to the next.

This may appear to be one monument, one achievement, one small step. But it can inspire new artists, engineers, entrepreneurs, greater investment in public art, tourism, beautification, and a deeper appreciation for our national identity.

A small step can have a far-reaching impact when it changes how a nation sees its possibilities.

A monument built on faith and prayer

There is something even greater behind the creation of Together We Rise.

This monument was built not only with Jamaican hands, but with faith in God and the power of prayer.

Every single day we worked on this monument, our team joined hands and prayed.

We prayed for wisdom, protection, strength, and guidance. But beyond the successful completion of the sculpture, I have been praying for something far greater.

I have been praying for Jamaica.

Praying that our nation will rise. That we will turn away from the path of violence, hatred, selfishness, corruption, and destruction.

That we will turn our hearts back to God.

That we will love our neighbours as ourselves, become our brothers’ keepers, show kindness, extend charity, forgive one another, and place the needs of others above our own selfish ambitions.

That we will learn to serve rather than seek only to be served.

And above all, that we will put God first.

I believe the greatest transformation Jamaica needs is not merely economic, political, or physical.

It is a transformation of the human heart.

We can build highways, schools, hospitals, and magnificent structures, but if our hearts remain filled with hatred, greed, and disregard for one another, we will continue destroying the very things we build.

True prosperity must be rooted in righteousness, compassion, love, and service.

This is why the Tree of Life rising from the joined hands carries such profound meaning.

The hands represent unity, compassion, and our responsibility to lift one another.

The tree represents the life, restoration, growth, and fruitfulness that I pray will emerge when Jamaica turns its heart toward God.

I envision a Jamaica where love replaces hatred, kindness overcomes cruelty, the vulnerable are protected, our children are nurtured, and our communities flourish.

A Jamaica where we put God first, love our neighbours, serve one another, and enjoy the blessings of peace and prosperity.

Our daily prayers were never merely a ritual before work. They expressed the message we were building into this monument.

When we joined hands in prayer, we acknowledged our dependence on God and one another. When we worked together, we put that message into action.

Together We Rise is therefore more than a sculpture. It is a prayer expressed through art—a prayer for the healing, restoration, and spiritual renewal of Jamaica.

My hope and prayer for Jamaica

Who would have believed that a little ghetto boy, abandoned in the inner city, struggling for food, battling learning disabilities and physical challenges, would one day be entrusted with creating a monument intended to inspire an entire nation?

Yet here I am, not because I made it alone, but because of God’s grace and the helping hands He placed along my journey.

Together We Rise is my life story. It is Jamaica’s story.

It is the story of people finding hope because someone cared enough to help them stand.

For too long, our national conversation has been dominated by crime, poverty, violence, and failure. These problems are real, but they are not the whole story of Jamaica.

There is another Jamaica worth celebrating: the Jamaica of hardworking parents, dedicated teachers, skilled craftsmen, courageous entrepreneurs, faithful public servants, and ordinary people making extraordinary sacrifices.

It is the Jamaica of neighbours helping neighbours, communities standing together, and people refusing to surrender to despair.

I want the child growing up in the inner city to look upon this monument and see hope. I want the young person struggling with poverty and despair to know that their circumstances need not determine their destiny.

I want Jamaicans at home and abroad to see a nation capable of rising above division and suffering through faith, love, unity, and service.

Together We Rise is not simply a monument to what Jamaica has overcome. It is a declaration of what Jamaica can become when we turn to God and extend our hands to one another.

Its greatest value may never be measured in concrete, steel, engineering, or money, but in the hope it restores, the hearts it touches, and the lives it inspires.

My prayer is that this monument will remind every Jamaican of our responsibility to God and one another.

That we will turn from the things that destroy us and embrace righteousness, kindness, charity, and love.

That the Tree of Life will become a living expression of the Jamaica we are called to build.

Scheed Cole