SSP Diaries | Our new world and changing values

IN THE 21st century, many traditional things have given way to new and emergent trends, depicting changing value systems in our societies.

Whereas the bun-and-cheese has remained at Easter, there is less

kite-flying activity. Mangoes are no longer strictly seasonal, but the season is now fully commercialised with the advent of carnival.

This activity has taken centrestage on the calendar of our young and not-so-young people, to the extent that preparation classes are organised to ensure that the ‘haf-fi-si-mi’ inclined can parade their wares in public under the guise of displaying an approved costume.

The focus has changed, greater value is placed upon jumping at carnival rather than observing the reason for the season. There are other examples that bear this point out.

In recent times, we have seen the conviction of the popular entertainer Vybz Kartel overturned in court, basically because of a technicality in procedure. He is not the only one. This does not mean that a person was not guilty of an offence. This entertainer now seems more popular in the minds of many than he ever was before, commanding great fan bases, locally and overseas.

POSITIVE MESSAGE

He has since been granted a US visa, a document prized by many and one that has been denied to many persons. Kartel is now idolised by many in our society, youth and aged alike.

The artist is probably making more money than he ever dreamed of, his past behaviours having been literally forgotten at the expense of those who choose to promote him for money.

The truth is therefore no longer a requirement of our leaders, whether in positions of governance or otherwise. As has been proven time and time again in the USA, the ethically and morally challenged in the political arena find greater acceptance from the people of that country and are repeatedly elected to govern. The truth has become a grey area, something to be questioned, interpreted, then promulgated to suit the designs of the power hungry and corrupt.

In a country where convicted felons can hold public office, there are many questions to be asked about its future leaders and social structures. What was before, the normal order of things, has suddenly been turned upside down. Their value system has been thrown out the door and they are seeking to influence others to follow in their footsteps.

THE OPTICS ARE NOT GOOD

In our local scenario, if people are not aligned to a governing party, they cannot be appointed to important bodies, such as the Integrity Commission. The print media recently published the objections of some parliamentarians to an appointment merely because he is known to a member of the Opposition.

I urge the parties concerned not to go down that road of obvious partisan politics, and if there is more to the issue then let the public know. As it stands now, the optics are not good on the part of the government. The message being sent speaks to what we have been trying to rid ourselves of for decades in our system of governance.

Looking farther afield, the world is in serious trouble as the evidence of eroding value systems is everywhere. In the post-WW2 NATO agreements focused upon collective defence and mutual assistance among its members against perceived Soviet aggression.

Having set the boundaries, the West gave its word that there would be no further expansion westwards as the Soviets declared that to be a threat to their existence.

Subsequent advancements westwards, on the part of NATO contravened the ‘agreement’ and to cut a long story short, this is the root cause of the Russian/Ukraine conflict today.

The world has moved away from being comprising trusted entities where one’s word is one’s bond, to a point where there seems to be no trust at all among certain states. It is at a stage where might is right and there is total disregard for the lives of others in achieving one’s objectives.

There is a loss of respect here of one for the other, as well as the fact that man’s inherent greed continues to be satisfied through age-old aggression. Diplomacy has been thrown out the door.

TEACHINGS OF CHRISTIANITY

Our belief systems, based largely upon religion, are now being brought into question. One must look at the treatment being meted out to the Palestinians by Israel in the Gaza and the treatment of women in Afghanistan.

Based upon the teachings of Christianity, people ought to live in peace and harmony. The Israeli practice of capturing lands, establishing settlements in areas that are not legally theirs and subjecting the Palestinians to inhumane treatment, all under the guise of eradicating Hamas, has gone beyond the imagination of any sensible human being.

Nevertheless, they have been allowed to continue the eradication of a race basically without meaningful objections from the rest of the world.

In Afghanistan the treatment of women, their deliberately restricted development, signifies a value system that has no respect for females, their religious beliefs being intolerant of their development in society. This represents a retrograde step as that was not always the case.

There is nothing wrong with change, but where it occurs it should be for the betterment and not the worse. Our world is losing its focus rapidly, it is confronted with much delusion and resulting confusion, but the stable and well-thinking among us must ensure that we remain strong to the cause of doing what is always right, remain resolute in our convictions and let our voices be heard. We must protect future generations. Value systems must be just and in congruence with the desired/proper development of nations.

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