WHEN WE THINK ABOUT mosquitoes, many of us think about how annoying they are and that they carry various diseases. What most may not know is that these insects are the biggest killers of human beings by an “animal”.
Just think about how small a mosquito is compared to a human and the effect such a tiny creature has had on the human population. The World Health Organisation estimates that over one million people are killed by mosquito-borne diseases yearly.
We complain about the many major problems we as a country are facing, but we fail to realise and acknowledge that what we define as major had its genesis as something small. If it is indeed true that “it only takes a spark to burn down a forest” and “it takes a small axe to cut down a big tree”, why do we continue to ignore the small things that often grow into major problems?
We have all seen the pictures and heard the complaints about the illegal dumping in the gullies, but the problem didn’t just appear. It is normal to see people throwing chocolate wrappers on the streets or empty plastic bottles and juice boxes through vehicle windows. We don’t see only adults engaging in such behaviour, but children as well.
I am convinced that the people who aren’t litterbugs aren’t the ones engaging in major dumping.
We complain about how unmannerly a society we have become. Adults get on the bus, enter a building, answer a phone and pass you on the street or corridor and do not offer any form of a greeting – no good morning, evening or night. We also see this same behaviour among our young people.
It is normal for youth to come to a bus stop and find several adults and not one of them offers a greeting. Similarly, at school, students pass staff on the corridor and say nothing. Parents aren’t instilling this value from a young age, so over time it grows from being unmannerly and not offering a greeting, to “cussing” in public.
Teachers aren’t surprised when they see some of their past students before the law courts for major crimes, especially when they are known recalcitrant students. I remember when two of my fourth form boys were sent to the Government Industrial School for various crimes.
As a teacher I was disappointed but I wasn’t surprised. These boys never got to school early, consistently were in breach of the dress code, were always late for class, were disrespectful to staff, and the list goes on. The small things like punctuality and proper deportment were ignored by either parents or staff and over time, they grew into bigger issues.
Parents often ask what do earrings, watches, hairstyles, shoes, the height of socks, the size of pants and the length of uniforms have to do with learning. One of the functions of school is to prepare children for life.
Life and the world of work are filled with rules and regulations, and learning to abide by school rules is one way students develop the values of obedience and discipline, which help later in adhering to such rules. As a result, parents, guardians, principals and teachers should not overlook the “small things’ as they have the potential to produce major positives or major negatives.
Something must be done
Most mornings this week, the rain has fallen and it continues to break my heart each time I pass bus stops and see people standing completely exposed to the elements.
Either there is no shelter or the shelter is inadequate.
The existing bus shelters are more about advertising than they are about providing shelter. They are built with a roof and all the sides exposed. How is this adequate?
When the rain falls and there is the slightest breeze, everyone under the shelter gets wet. People are going to work wet to work in AC; children are going to school wet and will be unsettled; while people sheltering in verandahs miss the bus, resulting in them getting to work late.
I wonder how ministers feel when they drive by in the comfort of their vehicles and see people wet by the rain or being baked by the sun. Why do these sights not move their hearts to action? You were elected to serve the people. If service isn’t your heart’s desire and people aren’t your focus, please do us a favour and resign.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email: coreyworrell@gmail.com