Out of control

Churches are generally sacred ground for everyone — including bandits. I have never heard of a priest being robbed or a church being defiled by such behaviour — even in the most deplorable ghettoes of North and South America. And look who these bandits robbed: Fr Harvey, a priest who is known for his social and community work.

Of course this shows just how low the low life are willing to stoop. Of course we should all be outraged about this violent act as we should be outraged by any act of violence. But, I ask you, what are we all doing about the violence in this country? A Facebook message or letter expressing our discontent is not enough. Pontificating about what the authorities are not doing does not solve the problem either.

What we need to do is tackle two major issues in this country: irrelevant education and poverty.

Our schools need to be places where students learn skills — not just subjects so that everyone – including poor children who can’t go to university and children who are not inclined to go to university — can feel hope and a sense of success.

We need to think outside the box when it comes to education.

Skills-based classes are not just woodworking, welding or plumbing.

Students should be coming out of secondary schools as landscapers, small business entrepreneurs with their own food, laminating or repair business. They should be PVC furniture makers or decorative tile experts.

While in school, all students should have classes that transcend ethics and religion. They need to be in classes that teach cooperation and empathy.

Too many students come out of school in this country with no passes and a heap of rage because they feel like failures.

They go back to their poor neighbourhoods where someone is willing to make them feel like “somebody” by putting a gun in their hands. They have no feelings; no appreciation for life because no one has taught them how to care or appreciate life on any level. We are not asking the right questions in this country.

We are incensed when poor people from Morvant burn tyres in the road and protest about not having a community centre or jobs, but what causes them to get to that state? Our problems can’t be ignored forever. Someone has to figure out why poverty is so prevalent, and why money is not more evenly distributed in this country? Why do people in some areas of this country feel utterly neglected? We have to seek solutions — and I don’t mean more Cepep work.

My heart goes out to Fr Harvey and everyone who is a victim of violence.

We don’t deserve to fear for our lives every waking moment of the day. We must find ways and means of teaching people to be in control of their own lives so that the gangs and the guns don’t control them or us. Everything is out of control because we are a people who don’t think about solutions.

We just like to complain and then engorge on rage. It gets us nowhere. We will not solve our problems until the Government seeks meaningful solutions for society’s woes.

Stop wasting money on useless public servants and put that money in more programmes to help poor p e o p l e b e c o m e self-sufficient.

Insist on revamping education.

Insist on a better