Letters & Opinion

We need to read and re-assess our moral compass

Image of Carlton Ishmael
By Carlton Ishmael

A country’s people look towards their leaders to guide and lead them and hopefully bring them prosperity.

Being born in a period or a particular country is not determined by the children, as it is the parents that make that choice. And therefore, we are forced to grow up and develop in the chosen country or place of birth and it becomes rightfully ours to inherit.

As we grow up and gain a basic education, we learn how to absorb the culture and the way of life handed to us by our society and we use this as a stepping stone to our growing-up from childhood — and hopefully to becoming an adult.

Sadly enough, throughout that process, we learn to read and understand our own values and way of life as well as a peep into others’ way of life in various parts of the world and this sets the tone in determining our own aspirations, needs, wants and goals.

But to attain growth and the required intelligence to acquire such aspiration, the state has to provide that foundation — and failing to do so forces one to seek alternative countries to live ones dreams.

We all know that based on our struggling economies it is not possible to attain the best that the world has to offer, especially as it relates to education, technological and in some cases industrial needs, but to deprive us of the basic and fundamental necessities is neither progress nor guidance that will enhance our living.

Man is supposedly spiritual and physical, meaning that both segments of our lives need to be nurtured and nourished.

If you live your life deprived of either of these two virtues, there is a possibility of you becoming an abstract individual. In our early days as youths, parents ensured that we went to church so as to enrich our spiritual understanding and make us aware of our relationship with God and Nature.

These teachings brought a certain consciousness and meaning to our lives. Despite the origin, or by whom it was taught, meaning denomination, it was considered to be a necessity to our spiritual advancement and thus make us understand the difference between right and wrong or good and evil and have our minds and conscience to guide us.

In the same way that we learnt about what was good to eat or drink, what was nourishing or unclean and the importance of exercising the body considering we were of flesh and needed to

keep the body fit — or basically, sick-free.

It is believed that the greater part of our growing-up years are spent in learning institutions, so we are often being tutored and mentored by others. They help shape our thinking and give purpose to our lives. It is through these methods and teaching modules that we acquire understanding and we become dependent on school or home training to acquire knowledge.

But today the situation is questionable if either school or home training gives the necessary guidance or enlightenment for better living or becoming a better citizen.

Based on the state of crime, waywardness, inhuman behavior and callous behavior, it makes me wonder if the state or parents are the cause of this questionable behavior. If ethics, good manners, respect for life and property of others, courtesy and morals are imparted with conviction there must be a better outcome and the behavior of this generation will be less rebellious and immoral.

We need to do a survey, a kind of census, the type that will indicate where we have gone wrong and what corrective measures must be adopted to rectify the situation and give more purpose to life. The state generates funds in different ways. I am sure that some can be used to assess our moral compass. We must make this country a safer and better country to dwell in. We cannot continue not finding answers to our situation.

It is the duty of our leaders to govern and lead this nation to prosperity for all its inhabitants because I believe the purpose for seeking office was to serve and develop this country.

Someone or some institution or government service has to make our lives more purposeful. Parents are caught-up giving all their time and energy to make the money to sustain their families and uphold their lifestyle. They are too tired to give proper guidance or support and since they pay taxes plus the state raises funds on behalf of its people, the people deserve to have some of that money spent for their aspirations to gain a better life at home.

We should never have to be forced to run away from your own home and live elsewhere in someone else’s country for the sake of better living while we open-up our country for others to inherit.

Governments we elect must always remember it is their first duty to fix what is broken, mend what can be mended and earn their salaries by delivering for the people before self, family friends and foreigners.

There is a word called retribution for what happens when you fail to do what you professed to do. Well, that will catch up with you whenever you fall short of that glory and the sins of the parents can and will sometimes ruin the lives of your children.

So, remember the words from the Prophet Bob (Marley): ‘You can fool the people sometimes, but you can’t fool the people all the time…’ And as you enjoy this creole weekend, also remember the age-old Kweyol proverb: ‘Sa oufer, Sa ouwer!’ (meaning: ‘What you sow is what you’ll reap.’

Happy Creole weekend, Folks!

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