Family value fall-off fuelling social ills

We are our choices! As a nation, we have had politicians who have chosen various paths for us to follow, some good, some bad. How did we arrive at this place as a nation? What were the choices made that have us now facing dire consequences? When did vulgarity and lewdness become the hallmark of our culture? Who allowed this to happen? Why is it that when Jamaicans are now travelling abroad we are viewed with suspicion? We are now embarrassed by the reputation we have gained.

Why is it that so many Jamaicans who have gone abroad and returned home to retire have to live in fear of their lives? When did it begin to happen that schools and churches are targets of gunmen, thieves and bandits? There are those who blame our condition on the poverty in the country. But are we the only nation that has high levels of poverty? Are the other nations where poverty is as pervasive as violent as ours? Is the level of uncared-for, abandoned children the same?

The Status of Children Act of 1976 dealt with the unfair impact on children who, through no fault of theirs, were prevented from benefiting from their father's estate. Although this act dealt with this unjust result, it created another problem. Because of this law, marriage was no longer seen as necessary and the result of that decision is glaring. Eighty per cent of our children are born out of wedlock. More children are being abandoned by not only fathers, but mothers as well. This is happening in spite of all the family planning advertisements.

Re-establish cultural mores

We must recognise that we have lost our moorings as a people. We need to re-establish our cultural mores again, based on our motto, anthem and pledge. These should frame our belief system and our choices. We are a people who believe in God, "Before God and all mankind ..." our pledge says. Our anthem establishes this fact, "Eternal Father, bless our land, guide us with Thy mighty Hand." If we were following God's plan for parenting, we would not be in the situation where we are now, with 80 per cent of our children being born outside of marriage. We would not be in a situation where lack of good parenting has resulted in myriad social problems in our country, the greatest of which is the level of violence that has now been accepted by many youth as the norm. I do not always agree with Daniel Thwaites' views but in his article, 'Nuh bastard nuh de again' (October 27, 2013), he expresses his concerns of the social impact of The Status of Children Act 1976. I agree with him in this instance. I see the effects first-hand in the schools of our nation. Here are his words:

"My question can be reframed as follows: Can the Jamaican State afford to be completely morally neutral regarding a distinction between wed and unwed mothers?

What happens when people get the message that 'it nuh mek nuh difference'? And what happens to a society when the young people do not feel any pressure whatsoever to impose traditional order on their personal lives? When it becomes the cultural norm and habit to expect little discipline in this most crucial and intimate aspect of our lives?

With all the imperfections of marriage, it does have significant advantages as a social institution geared towards protecting society's most vulnerable: children. It also is a stable, reasonably predictable avenue through which society reproduces itself, transmits values, trains future members, etc. It forces men to channel social and material resources to their offspring. When the family disintegrates or is weakened, it is the State that fills the breach. If the father scurries off and refuses to contribute to the child's upkeep, tax dollars must flow through PATH or other social-welfare mechanisms to upkeep and protect the child."

We need to reaffirm who we are as a people and base our decisions at policy, community and personal levels on values and mores framed from the motto, anthem and pledge. Think about the difference that would make to us as a people. We are our choices.

Using the motto, anthem and pledge would deal with the challenge of persons who are policymakers trying to determine the basis on which to make policies for our people. This would also ensure that we do not use our personal experiences to influence our decisions but rather have an objective standard by which we measure our choices. In an age where tolerance of all things seems to be the determining factor in policy-making in the nations of the West, using the motto, anthem and pledge as the standard would provide a framework within which Jamaica could act.

We cannot use the measure that the other nations are doing this or that so we must follow suit as the way to determine our policies. This is the thinking behind so many who conveniently turned blind eyes to the Nazi atrocities of the early 20th century. Many nations pursuing one path does not make that path correct.

In the past, we had some unsuccessful attempts at introducing a values and attitudes campaign. We need to revisit this goal.

Esther Tyson is an educator. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and esther.tyson@gmail.com.