Lettersto the Editor
Time to Helpthe Young People
Dear Sir,
During the past years crime in these islandshas become a thing of the norm. It appears that very little progresshas been made in this small community of ours. Crime is at anall time high, unemployment is even higher, drugs and violenceare tearing apart the soul of most communities. All of these problemsare having an adverse effect on our youths.
I conspicuously remember a few years agowhile being incarcerated at Her Majesty's Prison Northward inthe maximum-security unit under severe confinement. I was visitedsurprisingly by a group of youngsters from the Cayman IslandsMarine Institute. Most of them were kids I recognised. I knewtheir parents and it made it a lot easier to talk to them.
In one of my conversations I asked the groupof youngsters what their plans were for the future. For thosewho had given it some thought , the typical response was thatthey wanted to become a professional athlete or rapper. However,there were a couple of youngsters who had different aspirations,they wanted to become hustlers.
This response disturbed me because the likelihoodthat an aspiring youngster will become a professional athleteor rapper is slim, but attainable. The key to success is hardwork. But a young person does not need a key to become a hustler.All he needs to know is how to pick a lock. Achieving this lifegoal requires a parasitic mentality.
Those who choose to become hustlers begintheir careers by either selling drugs or committing robberies.Both roads lead to quick money, fast living and a dead end streetlike unto many of us incarcerated in Northward. Unfortunately,there are many of our youths who choose to take this route.
On any given day you can see these teenagersdriving their fancy cars, wearing name brand clothes, eyeglassesand jewellery worth hundreds of dollars which cost more than whatmost people pay for rent. Make no mistake about it, these teenagersare still residing under the roofs of their parents with no guidancewhatsoever.
Unfortunately, many of these make more moneyin a month than their parents make in a year. I am most concernedand bothered by the fact that most of these young people havevery little regard for their lives and even less for the livesof others.
Most are out of touch with anything outsideof their immediate environment, and see only those things whichbring immediate personal gratification.
Many of these youths are unaware that themost dangerous period in the life of a male is between the agesof 13 and 25. This is the time period when many youths becomedisillusioned with school, get involved in drugs and turn to alife of crime. All these activities contribute to the developmentof a permanent underclass with little or no hope for improvementfor themselves or their future families.
In most instances, those who take a wrongturn in life do so because they lack proper guidance and exposure.People who become successful set their sights on a particulargoal early in life and continually thrive towards it. Those whoare unsuccessful cultivate unsuccessful habits early in life.
It is a simple case of cause and effects.In other words the philosophy is simple, we all get out of lifewhat we put into it. The habits we cultivate in our youth determinehow we will live our adult lives. Just ask the person who sitsbehind a desk in a luxurious office or the prisoner behind thebars in Northward. They both got where they are by employing thesame methods.
Personally, I think the problem is one ofcomplacency. Many parents and adults are not fulfilling theirobligations of their heritage by seeing to it that our historyis preserved and passed on to the next generation. The disciplinaryproblems that now exist within our school systems are not thefaults of teachers. A child's behaviour reflects his or her upbringing in the home, in the schools or in the streets. The factthat so many of our young people disrespect authority figuresindicates that they have no respect for themselves. Respect ofself is a trait which must be initiated or reinforced at the home.
Young people today are not being allowedto reach their true potential. It is our responsibility as adultsto encourage and assist all youngsters to reach their goals. Oneof the best ways to achieve this is to be fully conversant withour young people and be involved with their lives. The majorityof families are already working hard for their young ones butlet's not forget the young people who are not so fortunate tohave been brought into this world within a loving and supportiveenvironment.
I think it is very important that we remindourselves of the fact that the children are the future. Thereforeit is most consequential that we educate them the best way wecan. At present our youths lack proper guidance and direction.There is also the need for mentors, heroes and positive role models.
Cayman is a very small island in big trouble.One does not have to be a prophet to see the handwriting on thewall and read the signs of the time. Believe it or not, the problemthat exists with our young people is a national insanity. Thetime for apathy and inactivity is long gone. We cannot idly sitaround complaining and waiting for things to change. I stronglybelieve that with the concerted effort of everyone the parents,the church, the schools, government, private sector and with thecooperation of our young people we can make a difference in theirlives.
George Roper