Actions have consequences. The universal law states:“For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction.” This statement is Isaac Newton's third law of motion. It means that if an object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts a force back on the first that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

In their daily lives, many individuals do not ever understand or even venture to grasp this law. They go about harassing others because of their lack of culture, and their choice to be arrogant. Most societies require a modicum of good human relations. Nonetheless, some people choose to be resistant when it comes to good behaviour. Such people would not stand up for something good and noble. They follow a multitude to do evil; they fall for anything. They never seek to settle for what is deemed to be good. They prefer restless, ribald, raucous, and rebellious overtures. Jean Jacques Rousseau once said:“Reverse the usual process and we may almost always do right.”

It is said that we must 'prove all things.' In the King James Version of the Holy Bible, the phrase“prove all things” comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:21, which states,“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” This verse is an imperative for believers, whosoever they are, to carefully test, examine, and discern the truth of ideas, teachings, or experiences, rather than blindly accepting them. The instruction, therefore, is to hold firmly to what is good, true, and beneficial, while simultaneously rejecting what is not.

You may ask where he is going with this apparent diatribe. My assessment of what obtains in terms of living conditions in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) is not at all satisfactory or comfortable. If some want to doubt me that T&T is not a dangerous place, well, good for them. Maybe such persons have super-rigid burglar-proofing, high-level security systems, electronic gadgets and firearms to procure their safety. Nevertheless, there's a vast majority of T&T citizens who do not have such fancy devices to ensure quality living. To top it off, T&T ranks in the group of countries with the highest levels of crime in the world, the sixth most criminal country in 2023. With 641 murders, T&T in 2024 revealed its position as the country with the second-highest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean region. So what are the real reasons for the plight of T&T?

Four basic elements influence the development (socialisation) of a child. The quotation:“Give me a child till he is seven years old and I will show you the man.” This Jesuit statement is probably attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. This shows clearly that children must be trained to be disciplined individuals. As the Book of Proverbs 22:6 hints:“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This verse suggests that proper guidance and teaching in a child's early life will set him or her on a lifelong path, from which they will not deviate as they grow older; fit to live and fit to live with. These early teachings will become a lasting part of their character and choices in adulthood. The four agents of socialisation include the home, the school, the community, and the mass media.

Doubtlessly, the home has a solemn responsibility to nurture the child as he or she grows. We cannot ever underestimate the role of the home. The geographical location and the cultural landscape of the home are especially important in shaping the mentality of the child. We must remember also that a house is not a home. Many people become parents, but parenting is what matters. Because of their social underpinnings, some people become parents a little bit too early in life; usurping their very own childhood to take care of a child. Winsford 'Joker' Devines was correct when he wrote these lines in the calypso Progress:“Children making children to be a part of this growing mass...”

One fellow recently explained to me that barrel children seldom develop into civil citizens. These children are left in the care of their grandparents, mainly grandmothers. Their parents' leave their children and go off to find jobs in foreign lands. Barrels filled with 'stuff' for their children are sent intermittently, but does this really fulfil the real needs of the children? Can grandmothers really take care of all the children? It has been said:“If you want to spend something on your child, spend time.”

The school is the second major factor in the development of the child. Depending on the location, the catchment where the child resides, the school in that community has to accept enrollment of all eligible children in that particular catchment. Some areas (villages) are not too compliant with the rule of law and so some schools become saddled with dozens of unruly children. Many unruly children come from fatherless, motherless homes, while others arrive from homes where drunkenness and drug addiction prevail.

In recent times, many reports have emerged about bullying and violence against students and teachers alike in several schools in T&T. To stem the tide of violence, police officers are now stationed in such schools. There are certain people in the country who are averse to the presence of police officers in the schools, but as it is, the present government is seeking to foster a better learning environment for the nation's children. In other words, bullying and violence in schools must cease. Allister Guevarro, the T&T Commissioner of Police, recently said:“If parents can't control their children, we will confine them.”

“It takes a village to raise a child.” Often cited as a West African proverb, this hits a powerful note. It is certainly an aspect of community in promoting the progress of a child's development. In this case, the communal spirit must be engendered. I remember growing up in Sangre Grande, Trinidad, during the 1960s. Although my father deserted us, my mother insisted that all nine of us must be respectful, especially to the elderly. A pleasant“good morning,”“thank you,”“please,”“excuse me,” and“sorry” became part of my vocabulary. The use of“cuss words,”“four-letter” or 'Yankee passwords' were not allowed in our house, on the street, at play, or at school. Everyone in the 'village' kept an eye on us. To be rude, feisty, disrespectful, disobedient, and ill-disciplined were attributes that were not allowed to develop. In our home, there were severe consequences.

As an essential part of the community, the church I attended and the Sangre Grande Library factored heavily in my upbringing. The church taught me to stand up for the good, for discipline, and to stand my ground for honesty and right doing. It did not matter to me who thought that I was inflexible. I reasoned that if I bend today, I may have to bend tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. That was not the track I wanted to follow. Mediocrity was not my style. I knew the maxim: 'As the twig is bent so is the tree inclined.' I will always remember:“Laziness is so slow that poverty soon overtakes him.” In other words, if you choose to be poor, be lazy.

Last but not least, we have the mass media . Is it good? Is it bad? Is it indifferent? Those who design and provide material to shovel off to consumers are in the business of maintaining an audience and possibly generating cash. They will tap into the mental resource of gullible, unsuspecting consumers to extract what they want to achieve. Today, mass media has a digital offspring we tag as 'social media.' How much are children allowed to guzzle? What are they consuming and inculcating?

Is social media providing the knowledge and wherewithal for children to imbibe the good of what it is to be civil and disciplined? Are the children of today involved with mere banter and hearsay? Are the promoters of kuchoor (trouble, confusion, conflict), commesse and bacchanal (loud, arrogant, troublesome) concerned about what they are doing to little minds? Is social media driving children into the doldrums of perplexity?

My studies in the field of education took me to the book Education, written by Ellen G. White. Here's what I gleaned from the book about character building and standing up for something:

“The greatest want of the world is the want of men-men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.”

Are there any politicians and/or leaders who can really testify that they are following the principles described in the statement above? Standing for the right seems to be a difficult thing for many people in T&T. I've heard in many quarters the statement:“Is like dog eat yuh conscience...” It's about character; the truth. We all know: 'Honesty is the best policy.' To me, honesty is the only policy. Honesty will not permit someone to fall for anything.

Today, T&T has arrived at a watershed moment with regard to crime. Despite the present State of Emergency (SOE), murders are continuing, as well as banditry, criminal wickedness, grand theft auto, illicit drug running, kidnappings, home invasions, and praedial larceny. Evil miscreants are seen walking around in T&T with AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, Glocks, Taurus, Barettas, Smith & Wesson revolvers, mini Uzis, and homemade firearms.

I keep asking, where are the guns coming from? Who is selling and who is buying these guns?

So far, no one has given me any answers. Trinidad and Tobago does not manufacture guns, but there are thousands of guns floating around the country, and people are getting killed! To top it off, T&T is saddled with rogue police officers. As of June 2025, there were 163 officers on suspension, while past years have shown figures like 300 suspensions in 2019 and 280+ suspensions with pay in 2020.

Some parents contend“...ah make dem but ah din make dey mind.” Hmmm, people have their opinions. When young men and women are sometimes killed by police officers, some parents tend to say,“He was mammy nice child.”“O gawd...but he was a good boy.”“No, no, no, she was such a good girl.” They cry out in anguish and pain but they never question the real whereabouts of their children and the reasons why they were engaged in illicit activities.

Presently, T&T is wrestling with the establishment of a Stand Your Ground Policy so that eligible homeowners and business people could obtain a Firearm Users License (FUL) so that they could purchase a firearm to protect themselves. I am of the view that these FULs would not have been necessary if parents had originally stood their ground in the training of their children. If they had done so, our children would not have run aground, floundering on the rocks of lawlessness...falling for anything.

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