Dear Editor,
The recent happenings in which members of our police force have been accused of acts of fraud and violence towards members of the public must be a wake-up call for us to make a serious effort to address the need to include the instilling of some sort of ethical education into their training programme.
Apart from these events in which these guardians of our community security are reportedly involved, it is disturbing to note the number and nature of the criminal acts of violence by our citizens that are reported on a daily basis.
This void can only be addressed in a positive manner in all sectors of our education, from the students at all levels of schooling, to the teachers and security personnel in their training courses and during their working lives, to our professionals in their working environments, and even in our communities by regular efforts by our regional leaders.
This all-important aspect of our personal development is being dealt with in an off-hand manner, as we seem to feel that this would have been taken care of by our religious practice, and by the instructions and examples set by parents and outstanding members of our communities.
This is indeed a mistake, as the adoption of moral principles can only really occur when we take definitive action to inculcate these into our intuition, which helps us when we have to make the decisions on what is truly right or wrong in the various situations we encounter in life.
This can readily be seen when we realise the steps necessary to adopt these principles and make them guide us towards truly good and just living:
1. Make a conscious effort to determine the values which we need to lead us to living moral lives. These will be clear when we use our reasoning abilities, our experiences, and most importantly our consciences.
2. Commit oneself in advance to using these principles when making decisions, whether or not these lead to our own comfort.
3. Develop the skills and discipline to make decisions based on moral values and principles.
I know that it would seem a herculean task to adopt this type of education into our present systems, but I ask all involved to think of the impact this would have on our livelihood, compared with the negative results of carrying on as we are now.
It may be recalled that there was once a programme in schools and the teachers’ training college, of which I played a prominent part, called “Health and Family Life Education”, which was designed to deal with imparting moral education into students, and I strongly feel that revival of this course can help tremendously in filling this moral void in our society.
I stand ready to assist in the formulation and implementation of any programme towards this cause.
Sincerely,
Roy Paul
