I NEVER KNEW little Shemar Weekes. Nor do I know any of his relatives, friends or acquaintances from his home district. But what I do know is that subsequent to hearing the news of his death, I, like many of you, feel the hurt and pain regarding the circumstances of his passing.
True to form, we as Barbadians have wasted no time in putting the “rumour mill” into action. And some of us, certainly not abreast of any concrete evidence whatsoever, have already formed a verdict of what happened, why it happened, who did what and what should be the outcome.
But as a Christian I must ask, if this should be our focus at this time? I say no. Our sole desire should be that there is no repeat of what transpired. I respectfully submit that our immediate response should be fervent and earnest prayer.
We as adults must go to God on our knees and ask Him to guide and direct us in our duties as parents, godfathers, godmothers and guardians of our youth.
We should search our hearts as to how we can reach out to those in need whether it is financially, socially or just simply offering an encouraging word to these young ones.
We should get more interested in their academic and spiritual development. And we should also seek out, and offer solutions to any problems they may be experiencing.
We should offer praise where praise is due. And most importantly, we should never be hesitant to scold, correct or give loving guidance as the situation requires.
Let us allow our capable and competent authorities to investigate and adjudicate on the matter. Our job in the meantime is to ensure that we carry out our Christian mandate.
Get meaningfully involved in the lives of the youth. Encourage them to achieve. Never should we be found in a position where by being idle, inactive and showing no concern, we are accused of having caused “one of these little ones to stumble” (Luke 17:2).
I leave with you this tribute to Shemar.
So you have left us at only 12 years old,
Humble, humile, and with a heart of gold,
Even as we say goodbye to you, on your journey,
May the good you did always precede your memory,
Adversity, regret and misfortune will always be,
Reflection and introspection must now be society’s priority.
– David Morris, JP
