ARE THEY ANIMALS OR HUMANS?

The Bright Side?
A young man pumps five more bullets into the already lifeless body of another young man. Believe or not, the shooter is a human being. There are people that he loves dearly and cherishes.

A young woman acts as a decoy to lure unsuspecting people to their deaths. Believe or not, she is a human being. There are people who dearly love and cherish her.

According to media reports, an “innocent” who was shielded by his community has one criminal charge pending.

I have heard many a discussion that would berate the common lamentations, “He was a good boy.” “She never uses to be involve in nuttin.” “Dah was meh bes chile.”

Naturally, these discussions are nearly always highly critical of those making such statements.

“Dey too hypocrite,” is a common response.

It is rare that you would find one who even tries to understand the basis of these lamentations.

Let’s face it. These young men and women are not animals but human beings. These persons are human beings where something has gone radically wrong. They are a part of the “Lost Generation” that Ella Andell warned about in song, approximately twenty years ago.


I recall Erica Williams (the daughter of the true Father of the Nation and the first Caribbean Godfather), made some statements around the same time. She predicted that we would reap the whirlwind of the seeds that we were sowing at the time.

She was talking about our youth and racism, among other things. If my recollection is correct, she was in Miami and was responding to attempts to woo her into Trini political life.

Notwithstanding the many warnings, we sowed the seeds. We created today’s monsters either by our acts of commission or omission. This is a fact.

A full discussion of this would fill many books. However, it is time that we stop washing our hands and take the responsibility that is truly our own.

The bright side is that since we created the situation then we can change it.

Remember the African proverb that says it takes a village to mind a child? I know this to be true, as I find support for this in my own upbringing.

If each of us takes up the mantle of just one Child, it will make a difference. It would mean one less soul heading down the path of destruction. There are children going to Primary School tottering on the edge and in need of your help. It is not too late.

Select one such Child. Devote some of your time and resources (no matter how limited you think that these may be) to that Child. As a starving child, there were many days when I got food from a very poor neighbour.

Act today and make a difference.