Commentaries, Local News

Pumpkins Follow The Vine!!

By Neals Chitan

The rise in crime and violence among teens in our 21st Century societies has reached epidemic proportions, seriously challenging; parents, school administrations, law enforcers and governments regionally and internationally. Reasonable thinkers believe that crime and violence has always been a part of human existence and there is no real problematic issue worth addressing. They argue that 21st century population explosion has rendered a comparable explosion in the ratio of criminal and violent incidences per capita and there is really no need for undue concerns.

Many of my colleagues in the area of youth rehabilitation who deal with young people on a daily basis have agreed that this social virus is fed by the lack of respect for laws by these so-called delinquent youth and thus multiplies exponentially. Their teenage care-free attitude and insatiable craving for sheer uninhibited fun and excitement, even if at times at the expense of others’ feelings, safety or lives, can be attributed to their rebellion or sometimes unintentional willingness to ignore rules and regulations.

Let’s face it, if rules, regulations and laws are ignored, broken or looked at with disdain, the consequences will be disastrous. These statutes and guidelines are put in place by authority figures that have hopefully debated them and found them more beneficial for the good of society therefore installing them in place to act like guardrails to encourage us as humans to exercise caution, respect and consideration as we travel our journey through life.

It is rather irritatingly unbelievable how adult authority figures, which have themselves lived a law breaking and rule ignoring defiant teenage existence, now hold today’s youth so steeply accountable and display such merciless attitude towards the same lifestyle they once lived.

That level of intolerance shown by these so-called authority figures and law enforcers who can’t seem to understand why, nor seem to possess the ability to “walk in the shoes” of these youth, is appalling, especially when their own worn out, broken down law breaking shoes are still warm from overwork. And so the hypocrisy continues!!

As a dad and a Christian gentleman, I’ll never forget an incident where I was heading to church one day with my wife and small children. I was speeding across Highway 401 here in Toronto when a Highway Patrol Officer pulled me over. Being guilty, I immediately realized the implications of a speeding ticket on my insurance and I came up with a “little white lie” which I hope he would consider and let me off.

As the officer came to my window, I skillfully and emotionally told him that I was the leader of the children’s program that morning at church and that my children had to be part of it and I was late. He was very understanding and empathetic and so let me off with a warning. As his

cruiser became smaller and smaller in the distance as I drove out, I felt so relieved that he had believed me and I had gotten away with this lie. But as I looked back in my mirror, my rear view glance was quickly arrested by the four small pairs of eyes from the back seats of the minivan that stared deep into mines as if to say “dad you are such a liar.” Oh my God, I thought, this is the same daddy that holds them responsible for lying and not taking responsibility for their actions, now a wide-awake, bold-faced liar. What hypocrisy!!

And so it is, whether; dad, mom, teacher, principal, policeman or even mayor, we are the ones shaping the behaviour of our children, teens and students not only by discussing and enforcing the rules and laws, but more significantly MODELLING them ourselves for our upcoming adults.

I have worked in schools here in Canada and the USA where the national anthem is taught to be respected and revered. Rules of these institutions dictate that on the rendering of the national anthem to begin the school day, all students and staff should quietly stand still in respect for the country. However, it is not uncommon to see as I go from school to school, the same authority figures that will hold our students accountable for not respecting the national anthem, themselves, chatting and running around their offices while the anthem is playing. Oh the hypocrisy!!

As a resident of Toronto I cannot finish this piece without adding my disgust for the recent wave of alleged demeanors of our own Mayor Rob Ford, for this in itself is the epitome of adult rebellion to laws.

It is as if our 44 year old Mayor is still trapped in his teenage rebellious law breaking years. This mayor has been photographed driving and texting on his phone when the province of Ontario of which Toronto is the capital city has a very unambiguous “No texting and driving” law!

The mayor has been pulled over and photographed reading while driving his Cadillac Escalade, a direct disregard of Ontario’s Distracted Driving precepts.

The same mayor was reported for driving around an open door of a Toronto Transit street car which has a clear sign on it advising drivers that it is illegal to pass when the doors are opened. The breaking of this law like the others carries a hefty fine, but Mayor Ford’s answers to all these law breaking episodes when held accountable by law enforcers and the media was that he is a busy man who has to do what he has to do!

Then I wonder what would happen if a young man on a drug trafficking charge went to the provincial court of Ontario and says to the judge, “I was broke and needed the money, so I had to sell cocaine, I had to do what I had to do.” Oh Lord, the hypocrisy, it’s hurting!!

I wouldn’t even bother with the recent allegation of Mayor Ford involvement with drug dealers, and smoking crack cocaine.

Ladies and gentlemen, as I did about the incident of lying to the police on my way to church, maybe it’s time to be honest as adults and take responsibility for not modelling a law abiding

lifestyle ourselves. Let’s be more tolerant with our youth, because we may just be teaching them the crime, domestic violence, uncontrolled anger, disrespect, cheating, stealing and the law breaking in the living rooms, classrooms and auditoriums of our homes, schools, churches, mosques or even in our city halls, and yet expect different from them. As we say in the Caribbean, “pumpkins follow the vine.”

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