Taking a look at the direction our society is heading and what the future holds, I have come to the conclusion that it is not very bright because we are not good exemplars for the young people. I sincerely hope that we are aware of the wrong values and standards we are setting for them.We teach them that its okay to take part in public protests while being of school age and under the care of their parents and the authorities. We teach them that Carnival and feteing is the most important thing in life and more important than life.
We teach them that when they cannot have their way, you ignore the law and rules and regulations and proceed to hold your breath until you pass out, or starve yourself to death. We teach them that you can use your life to bargain with to achieve your objective.We teach them that taking government money is not really stealing; that the money belongs to the people; that nepotism and favouritism is the order of the day.We teach them that wealth is to be desired and obtained at all costs, including sacrificing morals, ethics and principles; that the end justifies the means.
We teach them to stick to their own kind, buy from their own kind and patronise their own kind, to celebrate their differences instead of their similarities.We teach them to go against bible teachings by celebrating Carnival next year as the year of "Revel," the very same festival that was being celebrated when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Why are we inviting the wrath of God, are things not bad enough?
We teach them that education is a tool to obtain money and power in order to trample on the rights of others and to separate themselves from others. We teach them that manners don't matter and bad driving and road rage is acceptable.I only hope that we are not surprised when this country cannot recover from its downward slide in years to come when decadence and anarchy will rule, which actually is not much difference from what presently obtains.
Joel Quintal,
San Fernando