JUST SAD

Just a few days ago a ghastly incident took place at the Anchovy high School in ST. James where a thirteen year old school girl stabbed another fourteen year old school girl to death. Both are said to be friends but had an argument which spilled over into a fight where one was stabbed to death and the other now in police custody. Undoubtedly,it shocked the Nation,and brought howls of condemnation and wringing of hands,and calls for something to be done about the state of affairs within our Island schools,from every section of society.

 VERY SHOCKING

The shocking nature of this particular stabbing that was video by a student on a cellphone,brought home the grim reality that our schools are not a place of learning anymore,but a virtual war zone. The violent nature of our Children nowadays is a cause of alarm for anybody that has a brain and is concerned with the future of this country. It's like there is a spirit of aggression that is coursing through the veins of our school children, that is causing them to react in a violent manner to every provocation,no matter how simply. It is very troubling to see how these kids are reacting to simple provocations, with such violence, only reminiscent of war torn country's,where there is a civil war going on and everyone is at each others throat. What is even more shocking about that particular stabbing incident,is that not one of those kids that were standing around did anything to stop the fight! As a matter of fact,the young man who was videoing the entire sordid affair,was getting angry when someone actually block his view of the fight temporarily! It was like watching sports to them. It reminded me of the gladiatorial contest's that use to be held in Ancient Rome, where the lost of life was considered to be  nothing more than a sport.

"where were the adults"

Even more disturbing is the fact that not one grownup who am certain would have seen that fight made any attempt whatsoever to stop it. This indifference, is yet another example of how far we have plunged down the wrong road,when it comes to the taking of life,or the maiming of one another. It cannot be,that as a society,as individuals,we become so numbed to violence that we see it and do nothing to stop it. It's just unconscionable! For so many students, and quite possible, a number of adults to stand and watch a teenager been wantonly slaughtered like an animal,is absolutely shocking,unbelievable and downright ghastly! If someone had stepped in to put a halt to that fight,we would not have had one dead and one in police custody. Where is the compassion,where is the brotherly kindness that should characterize this great Nation? Where is the sense of decency,where is the sense of abhorrence to brutal acts of violence? Where is the old adage that says: "it takes a village to raise a child," been put into practice? But as bad as the aforementioned things are, the madness didn't stop there.The child,after  been stabbed,was dragged along the ground like a common dead animal,and a car driver refused to carry her,been more concern with the spoiling of the interior of his vehicle! Amazing!

How did we get here ?

How in God's name did we reach to this point? It's not rocket science to see why we are currently in this position, as a nation,where our schools are  war zones. The schools are a part of the wider society and if the wider society is riddle with violence,the schools will be also be riddle with violence. All that is now happening is a reflection of the condition of the wider society. The Jamaican society has lost all  respect for the sanctity of life,and violence is a normal part of everyday life. The settling of disputes are solved by violence rather than arbitration or common sense. To be somebody in this country,one has to show that he or she is capable of so called defending ones-self,and that invariably means a perpetration of violence. Violence is glorified in our music,with entertainers singing about guns and glorifying the use of aggression to solve disputes. These children are absorbing all of these things and are acting it out in reality. Poor parenting is another matter. With the explosion in teenage births,there would bound to be a segment of society,that would grow up without the requisite guidance that would make them into law abiding and peaceful kids.These children are the product of that. The other matter that must be noted,is the general lack of respect for law and order in this country. Nobody seems to interested in obeying the laws of the land anymore. In the words of former minister of National Security,Peter Phillips,the man that plays by the rules is the man that gets shafted. In other words,if you are a law abiding citizen,you can expect to be worse off than if you weren't. This is the main reason why you have this high concentration of violence in this country that has now taken over our schools. People in general do not see the profit in been law abiding and the children are adopting and assimilating into it. That in and of itself is very frighting!


Children are supposed to be the future,but at the rate that they are going,and there total disregard for the laws of the country,i shudder to think about what the future will be like in 10 years time. Until the fear of the law is put back into the citizenry of this country,we will always be having these acts of senseless violence.