We can break new ground

Tue, Jan 17. 2012

Editor: I am yet to be convinced that this year would be any different from the last. The same old discussions of politics and religion seem destined to dominate our society once again. This is disappointing, because neither would take us very far. We have many more important things to think and talk about.{{more}}

We are facing challenging times, but absolutely nothing can justify the direction in which we are going. We just have to look at the number of men that are wearing their pants below their waist and wearing dreadlocked hair styles. It seems that looking deviant or appearing bad is the in thing. The danger of all this is not the styles, but the effect all of this is having on the minds of our people. In order to maintain an attitude of being bad or deviant requires the maintenance of negative thoughts in one’s mind.

These persistent negative thoughts then become entrenched and lead to a totally different individual. This is why we must make every effort to get our children to adopt positive values. The problem is that our children have very few role models that are close to them. In the US, children aspire to be like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. In Brazil, they may aspire to be like Ronaldo or Ronaldinho. Here in the Caribbean, Jamaican children may aspire to be like Usain Bolt. Here, the majority of our young males appear to aspire to be deviants.

We simply are too consumed with things that are easy and pay little dividend. Instead of trying to address our problems, we prefer to hide behind discussions of politics and religion. I do believe that in order for religion to be of any benefit to our society, it has to be revamped to make it more realistic and acceptable to young people.

In this day and age, it is difficult to convince anyone that someone would burst through the sky and change the world. They ought to be convinced that they are the ones to shape the world. It is science and technology that would shape the future, certainly not religion. Maybe we can be the pioneers in revamping the Christian doctrine.

Do we have to wait for someone to do it in a developed country and run with it?

It is time we begin to break new ground and chart a new course.

Mystic