TRUE REFLECTIONS
"I swear! I can be a better man! I swear! If only you could understand, the faith in me shall set me free, reflections!"
By Mutryce A. Williams -Master of Politics
"Behind these prison walls doing my paces, doing my time!" "Deeply, I am hurting!" "I was young and unwise." "Didn't you hear my cries?" "I swear! I can be a better man! I swear! If only you could understand, the faith in me shall set me free! Reflections!" These are lyrics from one of the most popular songs of 2005, "True Reflections," by the incarcerated Jamaican Reggae artist, Siccature Alcock or Jah Cure. Society, have we gotten past all the controversy that surrounds the young artist and taken the time to listen carefully to the lyrics of this song? This song is about having faith in young men. This song is about rehabilitation. It is a cry for help, not only for Jah Cure but also for the countless young men who are suffering daily; for the countless young men who are neglected and abused. It is a cry for help for those misunderstood young men with their pent up rage and anger who lash out and spew their venom at society. Jah Cure is sending out an S.O.S. He chants that our young men are pleading, "Please Save Our Souls!" These are their cries. In his song, Jah Cure is giving a voice to our troubled young men? He is revealing their demons, because believe it or not they do have demons. Years of counseling troubled young men have taught me this. Years of seeing them crack before my very eyes and hearing them let out ghostly wails of bottled up pain, frustration and anger have taught me this. They HURT. This isn't "psycho-babble." This isn't just finding an excuse or justifying their behaviour. These young men are not the wanton brutes or hardened criminals that we would like to think they are. Life's experiences have hardened them but they still feel. They still cry. It may not appear as if they do but believe me they do. They are desolate and lonely. They are wounded. They are lost. They are empty, hollow inside and devoid of love however they are not beyond redemption. Jah Cure chants, "Behind these metal bars to Jah Jah I am chanting!" He chants to Jah, as there is no one else to chant to, as he feels that his cries and the cries of countless young people have fallen on deaf ears. Society, these cries go unanswered time and time again. Why is this? Why are we ignoring the cries?
The demographics at Her Majesty's Prison are evidence that youth related criminal activities pose a severe threat to our society. We read it in the papers and hear it on the news. Do we really believe that the young men who commit these crimes are just greedy, heartless and lawless without a "true" cause? Do we actually believe that they woke up one day and decided, "Well, I am going to be bad and join a gang today. I am going to kill, shoot or rob John. I am going to rape or stab Joan. Is this the behaviour of a well-adjusted citizen? I am in favor of gun control, however I agree with Charlton Heston, "Guns don't kill people! People kill people!" If I put a gun in the hands of a well-adjusted citizen he or she will not use it to cause harm; a gun in the hands of an angry damaged person well that's another story. In these times we tend to ask, "Well, is wha these young people eating or drinking nowadays?" "Why are they so cold and heartless?" We question, 'Where are they getting the guns and ammunition?" We ask, "Who is to blame?" We blame the educational system! We blame unemployment! We blame the church! We blame the Government! We blame the youths themselves, as we all seem to know that they are simply heartless and bad-minded bandits. I think that in laying blame much emphasis has not been put on the disintegration/restructuring of the family, on the role or lack thereof of the parent or on society. I think that in trying to find a solution to this problem much emphasis has not been placed on healing the family, healing these wounded children and restructuring our society. If this does not take place our society is doomed. It is and has always been my opinion that the majority of young people who engage in criminal activities are those wounded young people that our society has failed. They are those young people who we have cast aside and branded as being beyond redemption. It is very easy for us to view these troubled youths as society's cast offs, pass judgment or formulate our own opinion as to why they wreak havoc as opposed to being the model citizens that we would like them to be. We investigate the various causes and propose solutions as we are desperately doing at this time.
We fail to look not only into the minds of our nation's youth but also into their hearts. Do we recognize that our young people are lost and severely damaged? I ask, did the church damage them? Did the educational system damage them? Did the Government damage them or did their PARENTS and SOCIETY damage them? These young people have hearts that were not taught right from wrong. They have hearts that weren't nurtured, molded and guided. They have hearts that lack discipline and respect. They have hearts that are devoid of all moral understanding. These hearts lack social conscience as there was no one available to teach this to them, as there is no one available to set the example. It is very easy for us to say that children should look for role models, that they should know right from wrong or that it is the teacher's responsibility to teach them these things. It is very easy for us to say that the church or that the Government has failed when in fact society and that child's parents have failed. A child's parents should be his/her role model. A child's parents should be responsible. How is this child going to know what society's acceptable norms are if these norms weren't instilled in that child? How is this child going to empathize with those that he harms, if he knows not the word, if he has not been taught compassion? How is he going to show compassion when he is hurting, when his actions are misinterpreted, when he is frustrated and when his cries go unanswered? Do we think that a well-adjusted young citizen would exhibit such anti-social behaviour? In defense of the educational system, it is not the teacher's job to teach a child about morality or values, that child should have those basic values instilled in him or her at home. I agree that the teacher's job may be to reinforce these mores. Why are we using them as scapegoats? If a parent can't effectively parent one child how do we expect a teacher to parent thirty-something children? Why do we let parents off the hook so easily?
The alarming thing is that parents are no longer parenting. Our society is disintegrating and again we ask the unrelenting question, "Who is to blame?" We ought to blame ourselves. Gone are the days when it took a village to raise a child. Gone are the days when Granny, Aunty or Uncle played a role in the raising of the child. Gone are the days when parents were concerned with parenting. Gone are the days when people were more preoccupied with their souls and salvation as opposed to the latest material gain or fashion. Gone are the days when parents dragged their children to church or shipped them off to Sunday school so that they could learn the Golden Rule. Gone are the days when corporal punishment was allowed in school. Gone are the days when we genuinely cared and looked out for each other and each other's children. Society, and we expect to be in a better shape than we are today. We must be crazy! We need to address the issue of these broken souls and hearts. We need to hear their cries. We need to have faith in them. We need to believe that they are not beyond redemption. We need to catch them early and help them heal before their wounds begin to fester and bullets spew from the wounds like lava and ash from a volcano, because this isn't just the Government's problem, the church's problem, the school's problem or the parent's problem. It is society's problem.
"I swear! I can be a better man! I swear! If only you could understand, the faith in me shall set me free, reflections!"
