I couldn't help but observe that people in T&T and lots of the poor people in the US do not like to deal with, or discuss psychological issues. They would dismiss the issue, and usually resort to a violent way to deal with it. As an example, they are quick to prescribe a good beating for children and adolescents as the best solution to treat behavioural problems–because it worked for them. Some even talk glowingly about physical and mental stress which are responsible for their great success in life today. Every one of those people have damaged self-esteem and may be even mentally unsound.
I had a caps-gun once, my only toy for a couple of years as a boy, which I bought with my hard-earned cash. The gun accidentally slipped off my "Billy the Kid" gun belt and went nozzle first into the latrine pit! That gun was my symbol of power. Do you know how many people I shot with that gun? The funny thing is, I didn't even have to dislike those people, I only shot them to demonstrate how powerful I was. Well, you know that I couldn't leave my gun in that place, however, I had to quit looking for it.
I did not recover from the loss of my gun for years, and at age 15, I went to my father who was an excellent cutlass-maker, to make a cutlass for me (for the garden). I called it my gun. Could you figure out why I wanted to have a weapon at that age? If you say I was bad and all I needed is a good beating, I wouldn't be surprised, but you would be wrong! I needed a weapon to even the scores. Growing up in Grande, around every corner was a boy about my size looking for a fight, with a bigger brother sitting on the step watching. I had to have ownership of a reputable weapon. Just the notoriety was enough.
The fascination with a real gun is much more intense and powerful than the fascination I had with my toy gun and cutlass. But take a look at the psychological realities playing out in my world everyday, and I have to deal with the issues, totally uninformed about a different way to resolve them. If I only had the natural power to stop attackers in their tracks, like the boys with better pedigree, vocabulary, and clothes. Those boys could go around the same corners, and nobody will call them out to fight–because their manner is more developed–they could express feelings and not sound stupid. My only capability was a raw violent threat that left no doubts about the risk of hitting me. The problem is, you stay in these environments too long and the threatening character becomes MO-character!"
It is only different today for boys by the size of their toys, like cars, but the violence is more deadly. People carry around a lot of petty grudges for a long time. We are living in the same social environment that plays by the same old rules, and people are trapped by their own mentality. This makes it difficult for the Government to make any meaningful changes because the majority of people apply the same psychology. There are more people who will question what am I saying, than those who will consider what I am saying, simply because it may not be a comfortable fit in their mental framework. We have to empower our young people with personal development.
Fred Andrews
Via email