Rhymer: Stop blaming youth for societal ills; prayer alone is insufficient
BVI News correspondent - Friday, May 6th, 2011 at 11:57 AM
Elihu Rhymer
Talk show host Elihu Rhymer said the young people in the community ought not to be blamed for the type of society which now exists in the BVI.
His comments were made on ZBVI’s Radio Programme ‘The People’s Business’ on Wednesday this week while discussing the topic – ‘What positive steps can be taken to mediate the destructive patterns in our community that are speedily destroying our quality of life in these Virgin Islands?’
Rhymer expressed the view that, “while prayer is efficacious, faith without works may provide us with just a good feeling. It is good to pray, prayer works but no matter what your faith or belief, unless we apply ourselves, prayer alone is insufficient.”
“Its our duty as a community to fix the BVI with God’s help and God will help us. But it is our duty as the citizens of this country to fix the problem. We can’t just hand over to God and say, “ok God, you take care of it” and then we go about our business and doing whatever the devil it is we do making mischief, creating problems and doing all sorts of things that disturb what could be the quality of life in our community.”
He added that : “Whatever our society is, we are the ones who created it. We are the ones who did it and we are the ones who have got to fix it. We blame the young people and say what the young people are coming to, but we were the ones who created the environment. We, the older citizens were the ones who created the society that we are in and that those young people have met what was handed to them. They are responding and they are trying to cope with the society which we gave them.”
“Our parents have handed us a better community that we have handed our children. So we as the mature citizens of this community have to accept that major part of the responsibility for how our younger citizens may be approaching their society. We were the ones who created the society that they came into and we have a duty to help to fix the holes that we have consciously or unconsciously created in the society through which our young people are falling. It is our duty to help them.”
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9 Comments
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I think we shoud also look at the hopelessness that some of our young people are feeling. Not all youngters have parents that encourage and are able to send them to college or trade schools. As such, the children have absolutely nothing to aspire to besides getting a low paying job at a gas station, hardware store etc. and continue what they feel as a non-productive existence that they have seen their families and others continue to live.
The government pays for the education of some who maybe brilliant and know what they want to do but what about those who may not have been the valedictorian type who need to be given that opportunity to excel in something on their own level? The BVI can and should invest in all the youngsters by providing an avenue for all the young people to be able to gain a trade. If not at HLSCC then abroad.
Research many great civilizations of the past and you will see that one of the factors that led to their decline was always the lack of investing in their young people and giving them hope for the future.
Begin before they reach to the high school level. The primary school principals should be able to tell you which ones are showing the need for an intervention. Just saying…
@Just Saying…,
Life isn’t fair and the government cannot afford to offer free education to all the youth of the BVI. Where is the government to get this money? Perhaps we all need to start paying taxes…say 40% of our salaries??? But seriously, scholarships have always been rewards for outstanding achievement in schools worldwide. People like myself, well we had to go work at the low paying gas station attendant while we were in high school and maybe a year or two after graduation to pay for our college education. We also had to take out student loans at atrocious interest rates and pay back for decades following our graduations.
What needs to be done though is the college needs to offer proper courses in blue-collar fields. There is no shame in becoming a qualified electrician or mechanic. I studied in the business field and am now a professional in my field and there’s no way I could have made it through the technical schooling to become either an electrician or mechanic or any other tradesman field of expertise. There is a great need for options to be offered to the young men and women because as an expatriate living amongst you for almost ten years I witness everyday the need for qualified people in the many areas that are obviously lacking in the BVI. There are so many opportunities available to become successful. The youths have an abundance of ways to become entrepreneurs because of the services that are not available to the people. It’s a matter of giving it a try and learning that with some hard work and dedication (and with a few hard lessens to overcome such as roadblocks and the overwhelming negativity and jealousy from neighbors) there are rewards. But nothing comes easy.
People that have set an example in this , or any other community should speak up IF THEY HAVE SET AN EXAMPLE in their lives. Particularly when it comes to parenting. There are far too many mouths that have a lot to say , but have proved themselves unworthy to give advice. Of course there is an election coming up. I must say that a good example will ALWAYS help your children, and religion may work too, but example first PLEASE! Otherwise we are only BSing our kin.
every talking about children getting children and all that but the question remains where are their parents nowhere to be found in church at work or right there next to them inthe club. once the parents wise up and take control of their house these children who are baically fending for themselves will become what they suppose to be children.
The man is right. But, the issue still remains: how are we going to fix it? It takes people that cares, and we should be the ones that influence them. But, they are left to themselves to learn and cope with life and what Jerry Springer and the likes have to offer them.
I personally feel that this generation of young people is totally different from the generation in which I grew up in and I was born in the 1970′s. This generation of young people are growing up in a more technological advance age and they are also mimicking some of the personalities that they see on television from day to day, if you recall some the different types of crimes these young people in particular are committing, I am sure some of you can recall a similar event bring portrayed on television movie, therefore it is only true to say that some of the things our children see on television are being portrayed in their lives today such as gangsters and lesbianism just to name a few, also there are also the popular social media such as face book which they constantly mimic like episodes on Jerry Springer and others, and the music that they listen too are all being portrayed through them. It is a sad thing, there is a saying that “who do not hear will feel” and if that is the consequence for a set of hardheaded young people than so be it sad but it appears that will be the ultimate outcome for some living in this generation.
@Straight UP,
You are correct! To make matters worst we have children getting children! So now you seeing a 30 year old mother and her 14 year old daughter/son involved in the same activities, facebook, partying etc etc which is WRONG!!!!! The parents are the key here! My father didn’t play around with me, he always said “BOSS, focus on your school work, partying, fun, woman will always be there!” HE didn’t play around with me! He didn’t bust my ass, but he was stern from early so there wasn’t a question when it came to discipline! It wasn’t do as I say only, it was do as I say and do! He lead by EXAMPLE!!!
There are mothers and fathers smoking weed, indulging in sexual activities right infront of kids and telling them not to do it! Kids most often mimic what they see their parents or elders around them do. They pickup the habbits, attitudes etc. It doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over time! It all boils down to RESPECT! Another issue is that everybody wants to be American! The paper chase is on, people working 2 jobs not because they NEED to, but because of the material things they WANT! Everybody wants a phone that costs $800 a month and a monthly plan costing $150 per month when there are cell phones on the market for $75.00 doing some of the same things, only in a more ‘basic’ manner. The paper chase, love of material, love of money, the love to be the first to have this or that is what’s killing us! SO many distractions, nobody has time for kids.
I remember the days when we were outside playing marbles, catching lizards in the bush, on teh court playing ball, playing freeze and tag, playing cards during summer vacation! NOW? All the young ones know is to play video games etc. etc. AFter being overexposed to these things they become desensitized to violence etc.! This is why young men can blow your head off with a gun and not feel any way about it. Everybody has a video phone and post everything that is hpapening for all to see…I can go on and on but you get the drift!!
@Real Talk, JUst a little something- firstly i agree with mr Rhyme. Guys the very same thing you embracing, the shitstem, you adapting, your false idea of material things, Big house, bigger houses, big bigger biggest houses flashy cars, designers clothes, when i come home all i see is a people all trying to outdo eash other, with more flashy ,bigger. bottom line i see a society that is putting trust in things that will not last. Think about it what can you own? i will answer, NOTHING, when you dead bury you in your big house, or flashy car and fancy clothes. stupid- dumb- lack of forsight call what iy you may- when the BVI RETURN to the humble place it was then you may start to see a change in the youth. If i was a youth i would not trust any yall- all misleaders calling themselves leaders- in politricks, in church, in schools all around you. who could trust yall, allyo podcet full and running over and still you trying to stick more into your p[ockets bunch of greedy jack donkeys, something like da. nuff said.
@Real Talk,
…..thumbs up !!!!!!
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