Earthquake and discipline

THE EDITOR, Madam;

Just a week ago, Jamaica was spared significant damage from an earthquake. Nepal was not so fortunate.

I expected that, as happened after Hurricane Gilbert, the frightened citizens of this country would be so thankful to God that they would change their errant ways, if only for a while. Instead, the killings have continued, the rampant indiscipline on the roads has continued and the general uncouth behaviour of many Jamaicans has continued unabated. Many simply shook themselves off, prayed like the Pharisee who thanked God he wasn’t like other dreadful men, then went right back to business as usual.

We must thank God for the administrations of so many schools that practised drills and were thus able to marshal students in an organised way during and after the earthquake. It is on these youngsters and their teachers that we will have to depend if we are to restore civility to our beleaguered country. While many adults were screaming and scrambling for safety, not knowing about, or caring for the protocols that would help them, the children were following established procedures and looking out for each other.

It may be too late to reorient those adults who were traumatised only briefly, then proceeded to treat fellow citizens with wanton disregard in traffic on the way home. However, it is not too late for the children who can, and are learning how to be organised, disciplined and courteous.

We cannot despair. Our education system, with all its faults, can still provide the programmes needed to ensure that Jamaica will, if not by 2030 then sometime thereafter, be a disciplined place in which to live, work, raise families and do business.

CLAUDETTE CARTER