In our Belizean community today, there is mounting concern over the various expressions of violence which is prevalent in the concentrated areas where there is a claim of social neglect or poverty. Over the years, the impact of this problem has been becoming broader and out of control to the extent that it is affecting the more affluent sections of our society.

The law of the jungle is the order of the day: an eye for an eye; if you do me wrong, I take retribution with the same level or maybe deadlier.

Violence also occurs within the immediate family circle. Domestic violence is the start, brother against brother follows. Or someone preys on the other. Even social relations outside the immediate family circle are not always easy to solve at times and this often leads to occasional disputes but what used to be traditional quarrels or fistfights with margins have transcended into deadly incidences of fatal hostility.

Aggression attracts hostility and results in personal injury and death to innocent people. Chilling, right? Frightening and out of the ordinary, but true. No, it is not a sign of the times, as the apocalyptic preacher would want his/her congregation to believe. We do not have to elude our social responsibilities.

Any Government with no vision or compassion will bring down pain and suffering on its people. Any irresponsible head of household, be it the father or mother, will negligently cause pain and suffering on the children. Belize is not a huge country and we certainly do not have an overwhelming population, even when compared to other countries in the region. For us things should be easier to solve, but what can we expect when an entire government lacks a sense of direction? We can expect a community to become desperate and frustrated and violence to become like marrow to their bones. Their offspring cannot grow up as innocents. The first words children learn are those they hear from their parents or the things they see around them. With so much apathy in so many homes and environs, hopelessness breathes the violence that is causing all the deadly hurt we see on a daily basis. Could you expect these kids to grow honest, courteous, affable in their behavior or civilized in their coexistence with others?

Learning institutions can only do so much and teachers will only embellish the framework. Your interior décor starts at home. By the time children go to school, they have already soaked in a collection of examples from within their very homes and surroundings. Continuous violent expressions from parents only increase the negative vibes and can only depreciate the value of life. This negative energy overwhelms the sensibility of children and makes them even more aggressive in their behavior, compelling them to act irrational and to test their actions with risky competition. It makes them believe that only the strongest will survive and whatever they can’t earn, they will take from the first one that crosses their path. Youth without proper parental guidance or orientation associate with gangs and quickly become daredevils in all sorts of violence and crime. It’s their way of feeling protected or the quicker way to get material things that would seem farfetched otherwise.

Traditionally, in our schools teachers and students should maintain an understanding of authority and obedience, mutual respect and trust. In years gone by, teachers got a high degree of respect not only from their students but also from the entire community. But today things are different. It appears that human value and respect has declined. The radio airwaves and the television are infested with the promotion of material things or with suggestive promiscuity. The popular imported music serves to inject criminal intent and violence. The severe deficiencies within the family unit and the deterioration in the education system make matters worse.

The forecast for Belize does not look positive because our youth seem to be substituting dialogue and negotiation with hostility and aggressiveness. The value on human life is subject to waste in the pursuit of material things.

Meanwhile the more affluent people in our community are too busy considering their economic capacities, there spending power, their elevated stature or appearance. Influence sets the pace of our daily lives and not capacity. Self interest over national interest. Corruption and impunity is a great part of our culture, from Government all the way down to the family unit. And casinos don’t help. Many have lost what they could be investing in the welfare of their families.

Our children, young men and women, are busy chasing after fast money and the corrupters are living the life doing so. Adultery is the fastest way to make money today. Our youth are the reflection of our future society, and these days not only do they appear immune to violence, they are now generating it. The response of the government must come quickly and it should be in the form of integrated social programs and infrastructure. We need a whole new manner of thinking towards our country and our fellow man. What we sow today, we will reap tomorrow. We must realize that we are all one people and common courtesy and respect is the first step to peaceful coexistence.