Things TT can rise above

In this particular season of resurrection, on this day when joyous celebrations are taking place in Christian churches around the world, it is worthwhile to reflect on the many things that our nation needs to rise above.

Trinidad and Tobago is going through a very testing time and it is all too easy, given the frequent manifestations of hatred and violence, to give in to hopelessness and fear. In fact, these are the feelings that dominate discussions, influence decisions and hang like a heavy dark cloud over our two beautiful islands.

Crime and violence have touched all our lives and no one, not even those who can afford sophisticated security systems and well-trained guards, is immune. From the ghettos to the upscale gated communities, we are enveloped in this crisis, desperately searching for lasting solutions, praying for an end to the constant bloodshed. As bad as things may seem, all is not lost for this country.

Despite the dire predictions from some politicians and social commentators, I refuse to accept that it is too late for Trinidad and Tobago.

I believe we are blessed with the resources and the ability to conquer this crisis. The problem is that we have not properly channelled our efforts and we are still not putting up a united front to the criminals and exploiters who are bent on destroying this country to satisfy their greed and lust for power.

The only thing we agree on is that crime has devastated this country. However, the deep divisions that exist among us surface as soon as we attempt to come up with solutions. We spend so much time pointing fingers, trying to put all the blame on people who do not share our views on politics, economics and morality, that we have missed many opportunities to deal with this national problem.

However, if we apply the message of this season to our current crisis, we will find ways to conquer crime and all the other social ills that haunt us. We can start by reflecting on the things we all need to rise above.

Here are a few examples:

Fear - The levels of fear are so high in this country that it hangs like a heavy weight over all of us, influencing our thoughts, words and actions. The by-products of this fear are mistrust and suspicion. More and more of us are converting our homes into fortresses. Some are isolating themselves inside gated communities, trying to keep danger at bay with alarms and electronic gates.

This is not healthy for us as a community. We are afraid to fellowship. We want police protection for our times of worship and even in times when we should be celebrating, our revelry is muted by fear of crime and violence. Many people I know are afraid to be outside their homes after dark.

Their social interactions have been severely restricted by their fear of becoming victims of bandits, kidnappers and murderers. However, in giving in to this fear, we give more power and leeway to the lawless.

If TT is to overcome crime, we need to rise above fear. Decisions and actions influenced by fear are seldom, if ever, the right ones.

Hatred — This is a deadly emotion that has caused our country to degenerate into a violent place where envy and intolerance drive individuals to acts that drain the very life from our society. We hate people who look different, who don’t share our political or religious views, or who seem to be succeeding in life in areas where we are an abysmal failure. Unfortunately, there are leaders among us — and they operate at all levels in our society — who actively promote hate as a means of achieving and holding on to power.

Their words and actions are filled with hate and they infect their followers, as well as their detractors, with hatred.

We can overcome hate with love. We need to rise above dark emotions, discourage those who perpetrate it and make it difficult for hatred to thrive in our lives and in our country.

Greed — This is the common characteristic among criminals and the people that support them. They break the law for material and economic gain, to have an unfair advantage over others.

Greed fuels the drug trade, fuels theft and fraud and drives many to kidnap and kill. At all levels of the criminal network, the motivating factor is reaping what they don’t sow, gaining what they didn’t earn.

This applies, not only to the lower-level felons — the ones we regularly see before the courts, or being carted off to jail — but to the ones, more deadly and deceptive than the rest, who hide behind veneers of respectability, posing as the movers and shakers in our society.

If we rise above greed in all its ugly manifestations, TT will cease to be a lucrative transhipment point for the illicit drug trade and there will be no hiding place, no comfort zones for gangsters. When that happens, there will be a rapid and dramatic reduction in crime.

Indiscipline — This is one of our biggest problems. It is ironic that in this country, discipline is one of our watchwords, yet we see the very opposite being demonstrated at all levels of society.

Indiscipline drives us to do wrong things, cutting corners unnecessarily, breaking rules, showing disrespect for systems and institutions.

It causes us to be impatient, lawless and reckless motorists, it causes us to be careless and disrespectful of our environment, unproductive in our workplaces and irresponsible with our families. Think of the greatly enhanced levels of efficiency and excellence that we will achieve as a nation if indiscipline is eradicated in TT. I believe TT will rise again and will prosper economically and socially. However, it will take effort and commitment on all our parts, as well as a genuine desire to see a positive turn around in this country.

We can use this Resurrection Sunday as the starting point for the revival and renewal of TT.

(ssheppard@newsday.co.tt)