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Youth Discipline: A matter of life & death

- A disciplined child will lead a safer & better life
Dickson Igwe. Photo: VINO
Dickson Igwe

Now, this Old Boy “bumped” into a fellow Old Boy and renowned local scholar one perfect Saturday morning in paradise. The Educator could read this Writer’s mind before both men spoke. He has always been able to do so. Jack the Senior Teacher told this old boy that he was very unhappy with the poor discipline of a number of children and youth in the Virgin Islands.

He stated that the problem was out of control and getting worse. He accurately added a caveat, however, stating that the problem of poor behaviour was with a minority of children and youth. The overwhelming majority of youth in the country were well behaved.

Well, this Old Soldier was not surprised that his friend’s mind was on a subject that he had been contemplating that very same morning. There appears to be a natural affinity between the mind of Yours Truly and the Great Educator’s. Both Old Boys think on the same frequency. Their minds sit on the same wavelength. There is a high level of cerebral connectivity between both men. As is the norm, both men got into a heated and sustained dialog.

OK. The matter of discipline is a “very” hot topic in a “very” politically correct world ruled from Geneva, Brussels, New York, London, and Washington DC. Corporal punishment in schools has been thrown out the door. Educators today cannot spank, lash, or flog. In the home, a father and mother must consider very carefully the consequences of “spanking” their child for poor behaviour. In fact children have been known to sue parents for punishing them “harshly.” Agreed: there is a very thin line between physical punishment and child abuse. And the matter of child and youth discipline is governed by conventions, rights, rules, and laws. This “daddy” understands that the rights, protections, and welfare of children are sacrosanct.

Another matter is that these “hard rules” emanate from The European Community, The United Nations, and a host of organisations and individuals. Child welfare and human rights are driven by externally written laws that any country that wishes to thrive and prosper, and that sits in the Western Hemisphere, must adopt.

The policy on child and youth discipline is governed by state organisations, charities, nongovernmental organisations, and very vocal and activist types in society and politics. These “powers” have all tipped the scales in favour of the child over and above the parent and the school system in the matter of discipline. It is not necessarily a good thing, this new tolerance for poor behaviour despite the right intentions.

Returning to the conversation with the scholar and educator, and he told this Writer something exceptionally compelling. He told this Curious Observer that in the part of the world that he came from there was a lot of wilderness, jungle territory so to speak.

There were hundreds of miles of punishing and inhospitable territory. The region was interspersed with thick forest, endless bush, thorny foliage, unpredictable rivers, treacherous swamp, steep ravines, invisible precipices, dangerous reptiles, deadly traps, cunning predators, and dangerous wild animals. There were subsets of the jungle that could kill the human being in an instant.

Consequently, discipline was a matter of life and death for the child in the jungle. Life in the jungle was treacherous and deadly. The jungle dweller had to be able to discern danger swiftly or get injured and even worse. Children had to learn how to survive fast or they did not make it into adulthood. Parents taught their children critical survival lessons. These parents had in turn been taught by their own parents. The Educator told this Old Boy that a child who was disobedient and undisciplined rarely lived to adulthood. 

And here was the valuable analogy and lesson. In a world where the tail wags the head, and where the onus is on society to “bend over backwards” to accommodate poor discipline, the only persons who really suffer are the undisciplined youth. 

The problem with the present status quo is that it gives a “green card” to the delinquent parent. There is no personal responsibility for their child. The responsibility has been transferred to society: “the tail wagging the head syndrome.” This is a culture of “appeasement.” It is a beast which feeds on the notion that there are no consequences for poor parenting and poor child discipline. But, there are always consequences in life.

Now, poor discipline begins in the home. However, terrible parents frequently blame others for their own failings with their children. It is always left to the community to pay for Little Johnny’s stealing, violence, assault on his classmates and even elders, breaking and entering, and drug habit. Little Johnny today has the “right” to disrupt the school and insult his teachers. The community pays a price for Little Johnny’s bad behaviour in terms of crime and illegality. However, it is Little Johnny himself who pays the ULTIMATE PRICE for his indiscipline.

For just as those children who did not listen to their parents in the jungle got maimed, injured, and killed, by that unforgiving environment, Little Johnny will not fare well in a hi- tech jungle ruled by specialist knowledge, information science, and digital technology. Today’s world is extremely competitive: the best survive, succeed, and thrive.

Today, without a good education, one is literally “thrown to the wolves.” As the world becomes increasingly scientific and technological, the workplace is an unforgiving place, and the child and student with the skills and knowhow alone is able to surf the complex waves that he or she will meet in the world of work. The ones without adequate learning will suffer socially and economically.

And the key to benefitting from compulsory education is a disciplined approach to learning. Yes, there are students that are naturally bright. However, for the rest, it is all about focus and application, and that requires discipline.

The undisciplined student who is also poorly behaved will not have the opportunities and options that are available to those students who apply themselves and learn. And he or she is not alone in that predicament. The parents who unknowingly aid and abet these students in their deviancy are to blame. They too will ultimately feel pain and regret as they experience the sad prison visit, and the deep sadness of seeing their child “strung out” on drugs, or maimed, injured, or killed, as a result of violence.

Agreed, it is very difficult bringing up a child in today’s complex world. Most parents are trying their best. However, too many are “shirking” their responsibilities. Then, education at all levels is becoming more expensive. Education is not free. It is a major financial commitment by the state. The well off and rich alone can afford to pay for private primary and secondary education, and costly university tuition today. The rest of society has to play by the rules in order to benefit from a valuable publicly funded education system. That means ensuring the child is prepared in terms of learning. That further means application and discipline. 

The failure to discipline and to instill discipline is a matter of life and death. Disagree? Visit the prison and see the number of young black men incarcerated. The Virgin Islands prison population has increased dramatically since 2005: by approximately 20%. Practically all of that increase is made up of young black males. Or better still, “pop over” to St Thomas and visit the cemetery at Charlotte Amalie. There you will meet a whole generation of young black men who lie interred: the victims of violent crime.

The politically correct appeasement of deviancy, delinquency, and criminality is a feeding of a monster. It is a monster that will swiftly devour the deviant and delinquent. It is also a beast that will create a less safe and less secure community.

Ultimately for our children and youth, the Old Boy Scholar was absolutely right, they will have to learn to survive in the modern jungle or die!

Dickson Igwe is on Twitter and Facebook

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