Dear Editor,
One of the wisest exhortations I have ever read is "Man, know thyself". We are fortunate that diverse research — scientific and spiritual — has provided indications as to how man should be regarded, and therefore governed, for best results.
Firstly it should be clear that an homosapien is an awesome predator, perhaps the greatest predator that ever lived on earth. He is capable of behaving like a wild animal when enraged, nursing a grudge or with some agenda in mind.
If we look at the past century alone, it becomes instantly clear that as we get "smarter" in technology we employ this to enhance the ability to slaughter members of our species. World War II alone saw over 100 million casualties in what many say was a useless, brutal, war to the death.
Whatever the root causes, it is clear that violent slaughter is now a commonplace event in Jamaica. In fact, this has been so from the 15th century as carried out by European predators; what with feeding old slaves as food for mastiffs, scourgings, beating to death, and violent reprisals by rebel slaves, not sparing women and children.
In the present case it is almost useless to call for "divine intervention" to solve our dilemma. We must attempt intelligent action before imploring the creator to do work we should be doing ourselves. In doing so, the most important thing is to ensure that killers, and other criminals, are caught and face justice as laid down by our laws, if found guilty. Some people term this effort "zero tolerance". Reckless indiscipline should not be tolerated.
Having said that, it must be acknowledged that mankind can also live in peace, and this should be encouraged in Jamaica by providing opportunities whereby youth and the poor can have hope of achieving an honest living. No one is completely safe, however rich, if we as a nation collectively continue to ignore the ugly side of poverty. The church and school can help with values and attitudes, but after the "jump up" or other inspirational expression in the sanctuary, or the closing bell sounds, then what?
Cathy Brown
cathy291181@yahoo.com
Man can live in peace, what of Jamaica?
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One of the wisest exhortations I have ever read is "Man, know thyself". We are fortunate that diverse research — scientific and spiritual — has provided indications as to how man should be regarded, and therefore governed, for best results.
Firstly it should be clear that an homosapien is an awesome predator, perhaps the greatest predator that ever lived on earth. He is capable of behaving like a wild animal when enraged, nursing a grudge or with some agenda in mind.
If we look at the past century alone, it becomes instantly clear that as we get "smarter" in technology we employ this to enhance the ability to slaughter members of our species. World War II alone saw over 100 million casualties in what many say was a useless, brutal, war to the death.
Whatever the root causes, it is clear that violent slaughter is now a commonplace event in Jamaica. In fact, this has been so from the 15th century as carried out by European predators; what with feeding old slaves as food for mastiffs, scourgings, beating to death, and violent reprisals by rebel slaves, not sparing women and children.
In the present case it is almost useless to call for "divine intervention" to solve our dilemma. We must attempt intelligent action before imploring the creator to do work we should be doing ourselves. In doing so, the most important thing is to ensure that killers, and other criminals, are caught and face justice as laid down by our laws, if found guilty. Some people term this effort "zero tolerance". Reckless indiscipline should not be tolerated.
Having said that, it must be acknowledged that mankind can also live in peace, and this should be encouraged in Jamaica by providing opportunities whereby youth and the poor can have hope of achieving an honest living. No one is completely safe, however rich, if we as a nation collectively continue to ignore the ugly side of poverty. The church and school can help with values and attitudes, but after the "jump up" or other inspirational expression in the sanctuary, or the closing bell sounds, then what?
Cathy Brown
cathy291181@yahoo.com
Man can live in peace, what of Jamaica?
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