Tuesday, 26th June 2018 (North Side, Anguilla) — As Paul wrote to the readers in Colossae, I write to the people of Anguilla saying, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” Colossians 3:15 (KJV).
This morning I sit at my writing desk contemplating a recent incident of gun violence in our small Caribbean community. For two days, I’ve reflected on the news received about the shooting of Ms Samantha Wright who is a lawyer. I heard from a reliable source that she was evacuated by air to Cayman Islands for critical medical treatment. I am praying for the Divine’s intervention in her recovery and the Royal Anguilla Police Force’s ability to apprehend the alleged shooter(s) so the person(s) can be held accountable for the crime committed.
I don’t normally make presumptions and wait for the facts to reveal what is true. But, I sense deep within my core being that I have uncovered at least part of the Truth. Only God knows for sure what motivated the individual(s) to take such extreme actions. I hope and pray the police obtain the actual facts through a thorough investigation, and with crime scene evidence, as well as find any witnesses who are willing to come forth and speak truthfully. God willing, we will be able to determine whether this was a revengeful matter, a robbery gone wrong, a lover’s quarrel involving domestic abuse or whatever was the real cause behind this act of violence.
These thoughts lead me to seriously contemplate measures that we can implement to curb the ever-increasing criminal behaviour in our less than 15,000 populated community. What can we collectively do besides talk, pray and discuss various methods to alter the course of our children, youths and adults who are headed down a path of destruction, destroying their lives and the lives of other persons?
It’s not just this incident that concerns me, but also what we are allowing young people to emulate. When a friend told me that he discovered his six-year old grandchild watching a video game in which the sole purpose was to shoot and kill people on a beach, I was appalled. What are we saying to our children? That it’s okay to play games killing persons? Don’t we recognise the negative influence and programming of these young minds that occurs through their viewing such violence? How do we encourage them to shift their awareness? Too many of us are influenced by the negativity of these self-degrading games, television programmes, movies and social media videos that are produced and we watch.
Last summer when I temporarily worked as Centre Manager for the Blowing Point Youth Development Centre, I paid attention to what the primary school aged boys and girls viewed on the Centre’s computers. They were permitted to play age appropriate, non-violent games… no shoot ‘em ups, prison lock ups or escape scenes. Freedom to use the computers unsupervised was a teaching lesson in being responsible for their own actions. There were consequences when they misused their privilege.
Periodically, I checked on them to observe what they were viewing. We know what happens when children are unobserved for long periods. Some decide to forgo the set rules. Two of the boys went on other websites to play games that were more appealing to them, presumably with more action than had been prescribed for their viewing pleasure. When I walked into the computer lab and discovered what they were doing, I immediately told them to turn off the computers. One boy didn’t respond quickly enough, so I shut it down for him. The other child complied immediately and said, “Teacher, I didn’t do it. The computer changed websites.” Now I was younger once and have worked with many children and youths, so I’m not stupid or naïve and didn’t believe what he told me. Not wanting to burst his ego in front of other children, since young people can be quite sensitive to reprimands, I told him that he ought to have come to me right away and let me know what happened.
The boys who disobeyed the game site instructions faced consequences. They were given a choice of either drawing or reading in place of using computers – and chose to draw pictures. Fortunately, the images they created were pleasant scenes. As a well-trained teacher, I didn’t just tell the children that they couldn’t play certain computer games. I explained the reason why, and gave them alternative learning activities to engage their young minds on a positive path.
After reading today’s Our Daily Bread devotional, I thought about how we need a grassroots teaching system, arising from the youngest members of our society, to train them in non-violence. We need to develop a Peace Academy to instruct them in lessons on resolving conflicts, dissolving anger, and how to live collectively and peacefully in a nation of infinitesimal village communities with a variety of personalities. We must show young people through our own actions, as mature adults, that God resides in every human being and each person’s life is valuable.
Like young people in America, our youths on Anguilla need to take a firm stand against gun violence, speaking out publically so we adults can hear them loud and clear. We need tougher regulations for gun permit holders with extensive background checks and serious monitoring of importing and smuggling guns. We need to implement teaching programmes for everyone of all ages in the public and private sectors and become knowledgeable about creating peace, conflict resolutions, and the causes, traumas and long term effects of violence. If the younger generations are trained and become activists for what’s right in the sight of God then, perhaps, we can shift the dis-ease pervading our society.
Though I am more spiritually inclined than religious, I end this morning’s conscious raising contemplations by quoting from the King James version of the Holy Bible. I hope and pray these divinely inspired words channelled from God will lead us to contemplate how we individually, and as a collective community, will shift our conscious awareness and become the souls in human form whom the Creator created us to be in Jah’s image.
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness… Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity… And let the peace of God rule in your hearts… But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong, which he hath done…” (Colossians 3:12-15, 25 KJV)
May we lead our Anguilla community forward with the love and light of the Almighty, and forgo the outer trappings of this mad cap, crazed world. God bless each one of us and our families, neighbours, enemies and those with whom we disagree!
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Kay M. Ferguson writes under the nom de plume Empress Extraordinaire. She is a Spirit-filled, conscious raising writer who composes words to enlighten and uplift humanity. To find the Empress or “i-nect” on social media, link with her via Facebook Messenger or email empressextraordinaire@outlook.com.
