The Churches have it Right

I was driving down Richmond Street today and observed two boys, ages 10-12 having an altercation on the sidewalk. They looked like they were brothers but were having quite an argument, when blows started to ensue and one of them had an umbrella in his hand and hit the other boy. I stopped my car at that point and blew my horn, calling out to them to stop it right now, but could do no more as I had stopped traffic and had to move along.

This incident called to mind the news stories that have been hot topics over the last few weeks. Policemen burning a young man in custody, teenagers having sex in uniform in one of their classrooms, with pictures of it going viral on social media, and our own parliamentary officials crossing boundaries of respect to humiliate opposing members with unbecoming remarks.

I realized that all these incidents actually have something in common, which is that there is no more respect for the dignity of persons. People think it’s OK to treat others with disrespect and violence, and to use them for pleasure.

I hear comments like disgraceful, disgusting and scandalous, but where have these behaviours been learned. People call for more sex-education hoping it will solve some problems but this is false hope as what is currently available does not appear to be making a difference.

Our religious bodies have been calling for education in human development, education and formation of all the aspects of the human person along with training in values and the practice of virtues. They promote family life education which recognizes that parents are the first educators, and call for training of parents, teachers and children alike.

Consistent, age-appropriate education in human development addresses the differences between right and wrong, calls persons to a higher standard and teaches them to master feelings and emotions (not deny them), and to use good sense to make good choices.

It is never OK to burn someone as a means of interrogation, or to engage in public sexual acts, or to use parliamentary privilege to malign a person’s character. It is never OK to sexually assault minors, or to steal from one’s employer or to bribe government officials, and this list could go on.

The Churches have it right!