Years ago when the West Indian reader books were used in elementary schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago we learnt this "How the twig's bent, the tree's inclined" Every thing starts from small. We were trained. My deceased father used to say " Trifle makes perfection but perfection is no trifle". All those things we were taught as children, we failed to pass on to our children and they in turn to theirs.The generation has now changed twice or three times. We sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The world, not just T & T is paying a dear price for abandoning the norms, moors, values and yes training. Just look at the crop of politicians we have worldwide and compare them with those we learned in our history books. The Honourable Patrick Manning is not a Dr. Williams, George Chambers or even ANR Robinson....neither should he be. However, the difference is startling. Years ago we dealt with Abdul Malik, Mano Benjamin, Boysie Singh and Bolan as our despots of crime but we still were able to feel safe and as kids we respected out teachers, priests and neighbours. We valued our next door neighbour. We had fist fights after school not gun battles When we turned our caps backwards we were called "badjohns" and an indisciplined child was synonymous with being rude and/or wayward. Just look at our Carnival celebration. I was able to get a credit grade in English when I wrote the essay "Carnival" which embraced, like the essay....the introduction, the body and the conclusion (J'ouvert, Monday mas, Tuesday Mas and Las lap) even the pre-shows and fetes. Even when the steelbands were unsponsored and steelband warfare reigned, things were morally different.

I often wondered when swamp dog and James Brown came to Trinidad and when my organisation gave $1.00 parties in the late sixties and early seventies and we did the "dog" on the dance floor what the coming generation would do to top that?? Well, look no further. I can go on and on and on. Yes we have made progress as the rest of the world.....but as King Austin imotalised in calypso some years ago is that the price we are paying for progress???? Our education system has gone down the tubes; our culture is still found wanting, our infrastucture is worse off than in the seventies despite our wealth and our health care is in shambles. Politically, the rum and roti politics of yesteryear is still very much alive and sustainable with our trini gullible rhetoric.

So my dear friends, the kidnappings are just a microcosm of a larger indisciplined society with parents and so called leaders who have not passed on the values and training we were exposed to as children. The computer and technological advancement are not to blame and are only being used as cop-outs.

Once there was a buliding at upper Federick street near the Deluxe cinema called "The Institute for Leadership Training" and when the National Youth Council was the National youth Council we used to go to La Fantasie Road in St Anns to take courses in Leadership training. The first set of Community centers managed by the Community development division saw people like Pete Simon, Aubrey Adams etc hold afternoon and evening classes in Tailoring, welding, Home economics etc for parents and teenagers. What is being done in the communities to foster that kind of belonging and instil learnig and pride. Sweet nothing. Even the Best Village competition is not how it used to be.

So yes, we sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. ANR said some years ago " streams flow into rivers and rivers into seas" Sadly those folks are on their way out and just look at what we have. What a pity!! For a country with such great trini spirit, beloved by many around the world, we are slowly but surely achieving 2020 status......in the wrong way.