Has life lost all value for some of our people?

Tue Aug 20, 2013

Sometimes when one reads about the circumstances under which some of our people are seriously wounded or lose their lives, one wonders if life has lost all value to some of our people.{{more}}

Or could it be that many of our young people do not realise how fragile is the human body and how easily a careless or thoughtless act could end another’s life? We would hate to think that rational, pre-meditated thought was involved in some of these incidents that have come to our attention, but sometimes, such is the case.

Most of the disputes which led up to devastating outcomes, to onlookers, are ones which could have been easily resolved.

Yesterday, Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias had her hands full at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court with three murder matters and several incidents of wounding.

When one looks into the faces of the young accused or observes the grief of the relatives of the accused and sometimes the victims, who congregate in the vicinity of the court, it hits home how incidents like these devastate far more people than those directly involved.

Some of these serious offences could possibly be avoided if individuals would only take an extra moment to consider what they are about to say or do, and the consequences if they were to proceed.

Life is precious. We need to treat the lives of all other individuals in the same manner that we would safeguard our own life.

It is not until we start seeing the next person in the same way that we see ourselves that we would understand how important life is.

There needs to be more focus on conflict resolution in schools, clubs, churches, the workplace and, of course, in the home.

There also needs to be greater respect for life, or this situation we are facing would only get worse.

Where have we gone wrong as a society?