DEAR EDITOR: Change is a part of life. It offers us challenges, new beginnings and endings. How we respond to change determines our strength and confidence in God. We live in a rapidly changing environment. We are at a stage in our lives where we are exposed to everything and I mean everything. This is mainly via the Internet.

No longer are we sitting together as a family and having healthy discussions or even a family prayer time. The youths are very computer literate and are e-mailing, web-browsing and texting friends. Yes there are huge changes; a few years ago, a working person had to budget carefully for a cellular.

Now, a primary school child has a cell. Nothing is wrong with that since it comes in very handy, but, do we teach our children the importance of control? Are we focusing only on material things and material dreams? How do we want our kids to be in years to come?

“All-rounded” is a good answer but does this include your responsibility of exposing your child to God, good Christian values and to Church?

I believe that once there is that exposure then at some time in their lives they have something strong and certain to rely on and that is God. We may express frustration at children's lack of interest in the Church or their interest in malls, clothes and whatever temporary solution for escape they want.

We need to let them grow, experience what is out there but at the same time we need to guide them and to be their friends. We need to let them know it is great to be “cool” but there must be some form of appreciation for people and for things. Do not criticise, just try to prove your point and to listen to them.

Parents, do not wait, get your child involve in extra-curricular activities at school, at church and with the family. Years later, you may look back and cherish the moments you spent with them. In your heart, you would have fulfilled your responsibility as a parent, whether as a single parent, step-parent or foster parent.

Encourage freedom of expression and promote kindness, honesty and love among others.

Child of Christ, Port of Spain

DEAR EDITOR: Please allow me some space in your newspaper to share some concerns which I have regarding this whole question of “Morality and Politics”, “Morality and Civil Society”, “Morality in Pubic Affairs”, “Youth and Morality”, “Family and Morality”, “The Church and Morality”, “The Citizen and Morality” and “Living Life and Morality”.

Notice that the common “denominator” in all the above is the word “morality”. I always say that I should move out of Arouca and go and take up residence on “Ah repeater Avenue” (of course this residence will have to be in one of the parks along the way, because we all know I will not be able to purchase or rent any residence on Ariapita Avenue, not at this time anyway.)

I am really getting tired of repeating myself and I can understand why so many people are dropping out of the system and turning to escapist activities (e.g. drugs and alcohol, taking up residence on pavements and parks, truancy from schools and homes etc).

Trinidad and Tobago has become one whole confused and deeply pathological society, when people who are given the mandate to lead us, (the ruling party, opposition and all those “gurus” who are being given licences to run radio stations and give themselves the freedom to talk, because it is a universal right) say that there is one morality for politics and another for everything else and “the ends justify the means.”

I am reminded here about a scenario I witnessed at an Internet café when a young lady took an examination slip and enquired if they had the technology to change the grade on the slip. She was told that it was illegal to do so and she “buffed” the big man, the manager of the Internet café, and told him, “You are not my moral agent.”

I begin to hear many such stories. Young people are learning from these politicians that “the end justifies the means” so that anything goes. This is dangerous politics.

There will be confusion if we continue to use the word “morality” because it is an abstract noun. “Moral behaviour”, however, is more concrete and we can learn where moral behaviour can lead. Moral behaviour has two basic functions in any society:

• It serves to maintain and perpetuate order in a society.

• It educates in order to fit a person to live in such a society.

If we understand these two basic functions of “Morality and Moral Behaviour” we will not have one morality for politics and one for everything else in this society.

From captain to cook, from Prime Minister to Leader of the Opposition to Man in the Street, everyone must be concerned about what it takes to maintain and perpetuate order in our homes and in our society. Parents must be concerned about what it takes to maintain and perpetuate order in homes.

We know that corporal punishment is not the way to do this. Licks and emotional abuse did not keep the slaves in line during slavery, and it will not work in the homes. Children must be made to feel that the home in which they live is as much theirs as it is yours, my dear parents.

Please stop saying, “This is my house, I paying de mortgage, all you doing is eating, eating, eating and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.” This is not moral behaviour because it does not maintain order in your home.

Your teenager is driven on to the streets because of this, because he/she does not feel that he/she has any business at home, because you have made it clear that it is your home. I repeat, children and teenagers must be made to feel that the home is just as much theirs as it is yours.

If this is done, you will have no problems with your teens doing their chores and creating an orderly space, because they will feel part of it and be happy to come home on evenings after school and to bring their friends home.

You might think that I digressed but if we understand how everything in our society is affected by our lack of understanding of order and what it takes to maintain and perpetuate order, we will not have the display of deep “dotishness” which we are seeing and hearing today.

If we understand what it takes to fit a person into such an orderly society we will not be saying that “politics has its own morality.” We will not be thinking that “the ends justify the means.”

We will be thinking and acting in such a way that everyone understands that each human being has a right to be walking this beautiful earth, just like you; she/he has the right to his/her opinion; has a right to express his/her opinion and do what she/he feels will maintain and perpetuate order in a society.

Cussin', fussin' and fightin', creatin' divisions and suspicions, do not maintain and perpetuate order. The “Truth” maintains and perpetuates order. Personal Integrity maintains and perpetuates order, and any leader should be proud to know that he/she has a person or persons of integrity on his/her side.

Prayers are needed now in our country, yes, but we need more people of integrity, who understand what it takes to maintain and perpetuate order and who know deep down in their gut that the end does not justify the means. This attitude and behaviour only creates disorder.

SOS!

Anna Maria Mora MA, MEd
Counselling Psychologist/Concerned Citizen
Arouca

A simple wooden casket; a gusty wind

Flipping the pages of the book of the Gospels placed upon it –

Images reminiscent of the presence of The Holy Spirit;

Not only announcing itself to the Congregation, come to pay their last

Respects to the pope.

But showing to the world the Mantra he lived by

Such a fitting tribute to one who

Walked in the ways of the Lord.

One who was humble enough

To ask forgiveness of the wrongs

Done by the church, to the institution

Of learning, and others

One who reached out to other religions

In friendship, in building bridges of

Understanding

And yet in a sense, a conservative, in

Standing fast to traditional norms of Catholicism

One whose tenure was marked by such

Troubling issues as sexual molestations.

Almost to tear the Church asunder

From its spirituality

And yet, one, whose deep convictions,

Drew the world to recognise the Merit of humanity,

And the need to save it for all times,

With the strength of the words:-

“Do not be afraid.”

Michael, Les Efforts