Edward Seaga/Columnist
It is to be expected that as the decades go by, there will be new beliefs and patterns of conduct which will take the place of the old established order. Social and cultural changes do take place. But it is also expected that these changes will occur within tolerable limits which will not create unbearable points of stress within the existing system.
Families in particular, but schools also, have become deeply concerned that the cultural changes of young people are creating a new order of indiscipline, inordinate violence, disrespect and other types of social disorder that is running away from their control and from overall authority. Indeed, this is becoming an emerging sub-culture. There is much talk about what to do to bring back more control.
For instance, learning more about appropriate values and attitudes may very well be considered a good learning experience worthy of promotion within the framework of a learning city. If this is so, notwithstanding the good intentions of this approach, it could have only limited success. At the teenage stage of development or early adulthood where the problems become more evident and troubling to the society, the social responses and beliefs have already become culturally ingrained and a monumental effort would be needed to effect really meaningful change.
next generation of social problems
Today's social and cultural differences are a result of yesterday's influences. Yet there is little or no recognition that if changes in the practices of parenting which create stressful and hostile experiences are not dealt with by correcting these practices now, when it is possible to do so by better parenting of this generation of children, they too will become the next generation of social problems. Today's abused will become tomorrow's abuser. With appropriate measures now, the next generation of children could be raised with less of the brain damage suffered by their parents and become a better educated, more socially-balanced generation with added capability of the brain to rely on to handle their growing up periods to maturity without causing chaos.
This new order of parenting should be the number one priority for focused learning. Families will be receptive. Schools will be attentive. This new approach to parenting would be a focal point for participation by people from many backgrounds. Some would impart their successful experiences and some would learn, as in the new initiative, the Roving Caregivers Programme. I see it also as a focus of interest for young parents who can best explain their own preferences. This mix is in keeping with the precepts of the learning city to participate in the shared vision of developing a new generation of youth.
There are other areas of life that are examples of a breakdown in the society as a whole, but I prefer to speak to another problem area which has personal concerns as the focus.
Although Jamaica has a strong reputation for maintaining low levels of communicable diseases, the incidence of chronic disorder is a different matter. Diabetes and heart problems are two of the most prominent chronic diseases in Jamaica. While there are many factors which cause these chronic medical problems, one common area is the diet of Jamaicans and the lifestyle which fosters these dietary practices.
The pattern of excessive carbohydrate content in meals, especially when loaded into one oversized daily meal, puts great pressure on vital organs like the pancreas to process the overload. The excess load which is not processed, causes damage. A similar medical threat arises for persons who indulge in fast foods and are heavy consumers of syrups, sugared juices, starches which in the body converts to sugar fried fish, fried chicken, fried corned beef, fried bammies and other unhealthy foods. Explaining a rationale for the need to switch the diet to smaller portions, and less carbohydrates, sweet products and fried foods, will need to be very convincing as eating habits have been culturally ingrained over the centuries. The problem is admittedly present in huge proportions but the remedy to reduce the threat exists.
The concept of a learning city encourages confrontation of many daunting challenges, of which healthy nutrition could be a priority. It should be noted that the central problem in the two areas highlighted for learning, the vehicle which impairs the brain and limits its learning ability and the agent which pressures vital organs of the body beyond their capacity to cope, is stress. Scientific studies tell us that excessive stress is a major cause of 75per cent of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Jamaica is a greatly overstressed country in which the stress factor has strained the society to breaking point in many areas. Correcting this must be at the heart of any strategy on how to proceed to restore tolerable limits and a new balance.
Other health issues of great social concern for discussions in a learning city mode, are AIDS, drug addiction and early pregnancy, areas which lack informed discussion, despite public education campaigns. The need here is for the more intimate outreach, which the learning city concept fosters so as to allow for questions and answers on a frank basis.
Urban blight is the breeding ground for many of these problems. Economic stress is greater in the inner-city areas compared to rural regions. City residents must purchase all foodstuffs. Rural people always have some of nature's abundance at their disposal at little or no cost.
Shortages of food creates stressful competition. So too does the shortage of space, on the bed in the house and in the yard. At school, it is the shortage of books and at times desk space. All these are potential confrontations which add more stress.
Fraternal relations in the inner city are rife with suspicions of who are friends and who are enemies. Gangs form around those who live in close proximity, or 'corners', because they can be trusted. Inter-gang rivalries often arise which become a source of not mere conflict, but open violence. The stress created by these conflicts affects entire communities because everyone becomes a potential target.
Even schools, though more regulated and controlled, are scenes of gang rivalries or individual feuds which turn violent.
Not all of these are stress related. The causes are many: drugs, girls, money, politics, guns, territorial space and a deep concern with disrespect.
Deep-rooted remnants of centuries of disrespect under the punishing conditions of slavery have made respect one of the prime elements which cements relationships among young men. Disrespect destroys relationships and creates frenzied reactions. Even minor acts committed inoffensively in unstable circumstances can be considered grounds for disrespect and consequential abuse, often leading to violence and involving whole communities. These are all factors which lower the bar of tolerance in inner-city communities.
the element of fear
These specific examples must not give the impression that inner-city residents live in continuous fear, watchfulness and apprehension. Inner-city communities have more than their share of relaxation and entertainment, successful upbringing of children and solid family relationships. These are at their maximum potential, however, when the element of fear is not present. To find protected surroundings becomes a prime factor in the settlement pattern of inner-city life. When people feel safe in a community, others follow in order to ensure their own safety.
Those who do not understand the high level of stress in daily life in the inner city will also fail to recognise why the ever present danger of living in fractious communities is to be avoided and the need to find collective security is critical. This is the principal need that drives the development of what has come to be called 'garrison' communities. Family safety comes first in the inner city as it would anywhere else.
These are not problems amenable to learning solutions but their underlying causes are the stressful environment of inner-city life, which needs to be tackled by a concentrated assault on economic deprivation and social desperation.
Less perceptible, but equally dangerous to the society, is the extent to which ignorance makes the workings of a democracy ineffective. A democracy is not just about the selection of elected leaders by a free and fair vote. The basis of choice is critical. But in a society with a malfunctioning education system, the choice is not rightfully about issues or performance. It is often moreso about 'feel good' factors promoted by food, music, merriment and mass events.
Over the past decade or more, another factor has entered the picture. The choice is now moreso about benefit to the individual personally than in the past where community interests used to dominate. In both of these areas, the vote is no longer a means of securing the best outcome for the nation, but for the person.
Lifting education levels through the promotion of learning city workshops would be of great benefit to any effective democracy.
Edward Seaga is a former prime minister. He is now a Distinguished Fellow at the University of the West Indies. Email: odf@uwimona.edu.jm.
