Haiti Awake

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Twòp chenn gate revèy 

Twòp chenn gate revèy 

"Too many chains spoil clocks" is the literal translation for this proverb.


Clocks are very important for families. For some people, it is just a decoration for their rooms. It helps some other people be aware of the time so that they can balance their daily activities. 


There were  some big clocks that rang each hour and every one had a special sound. That is to say the sound for noon was different from 1:00 clock, and so on. For some other clocks, people had to use a chain to program them. The more you calibrated it, the better it became. But sometimes, the clocks broke up because of using the chain too much.


Haitians use this proverb to warn people that tend to overdo, overcare or are too meticulous. Everything has a limit. It is alright to look for a certain limit of perfection. But sometimes we complicate things and even damage them by putting what does not have to be present on it. They also say this proverb when people that have lots of opportunities/means/connections  create their own unhappiness/adversity by doing excess or abusing their freedom and means.


Let us keep things simple and take advantage of what we have without any abuse.