So A Child May Follow

‘Dread shine your light, so a child may follow, many have been lost along the way, until tonight, turns into tomorrow, teach them to be careful while at play” (Damian Marley) one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite artists. And at one of his performances he said he wrote this song for his nephews an nieces who are young adults growing. And it got me thinking. What example are we setting for people to follow? Recently there was a boy who posted a video online ranting about a girl who left him and it got people talking. Many people said he lacked good manners, while others blamed his parents. ‘How can a child say such kind of things?’

instead of the blame game, we should seat down and address the elephant in the room. He might be wrong for what he said but what difference is their from what politicians say ? or even clergy men like pastor Nganga? Sometimes it seems easy to blame the young people for their recklessness forgetting they learn from the older generation. Maybe he picked it up from television or the conversations he heard at home.

And the easiest place for people to learn things is from home. Home shapes an individual. Home prepares an individual for life. If at home one gets a wrong footing, it can have tremendous effects on his/her life. For example if a person grows up in a home where the language is vulgar, chances are high he will use that in everyday conversations.

We should then step up as a society and stop the blame game. Come to the table and see that young people model the older generation. The older generation then should set a good example. Not only the older generation, but also influential people. Musicians actors, journalists and even us as writers. We should set an example not to just live life without care.