Looking at the situation of the upsurge in crime, it’s very clear that you may change the head of the department, or change personnel, or change the pay of the police, but if they, in-turn, do not change the manner they deal with crime-fighting, then there will be no change.
The same applies to countless other situations. Everybody complains about the deteriorating social conditions, or the high prices of goods and services, as well as the poor work ethics that some workers display, or the negative attitudes we sometimes display, but nobody cares to deal with the reasons why such attitudes exist.
Man is a creature of habit and if they get away with a negative habit, once they believe it is alright, they do the same again. As parents, as friends, as loved ones, we confront such behavior on a regular basis, but we pretend it doesn’t exist, we do not comment, or even try to alert the person of their faults, or negative behavour.
This is the very reason why things remain the same, or seldom change. You drive at night and almost every driver knows the reason why they should use the dim switch when another vehicle is approaching, but they care not because it does not affect them.
The same goes for excessive speeding, or reckless driving, or riding without a helmet. It is like we have a new code of life: “Do as I please, because nobody cares, or no action will be taken against me…”
Everybody thinks of stealing from another because that is how we get by: from the top to the bottom, rip-off has become a way of life. So, regardless of the situation, there is no compassion, or being just, or considerate. It is always about, “What is in it for me?”
Laws will always be broken, it is the prerogative of persons to do as they please, but if there are consequences, then the protectors of the Law and Justice must do their job, in ensuring that perpetrators are caught and they get what they deserve, or pay the cost of their transgressions.
Nothing is for free, so the wrong that we do we should also pay the price. We get what we deserve, because we do nothing to change situations. The covid pandemic has become a grave concern because we know what should be done to minimize the risk, or to reduce being contaminated, but we flaunt the laws and play Russian Roulette with our lives and the lives of others.
Guns are everywhere because, like drugs, it has become a lucrative business so everybody wants to get in on the action, despite the cause and effect.
So, I say in ending that unless we change as people, or change our mindset or better still change the way we do things, I am afraid we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
We need to reflect on our actions as well as the actions of others. We have to face our realities, we have to stop burying our heads in the sand and we have to stop blaming others for what we cause, because we cannot progress if we are all crocked.
Change starts from us, not from any other source. The test is to assess your own faults and help in the process of change.