Garth Rattray | What moral fabric?

Recently, following the alleged rape of a schoolgirl on the compound of a rural high school, someone asked what has happened to our moral fabric. As soon as the words left his mouth, I wondered what moral fabric he was talking about. Although we still have many individuals with moral integrity and ethics, as a nation our moral fabric was long ago tattered, torn, dishevelled, and disintegrated. In reality, it’s nothing worth mentioning.

Morality consists of beliefs about what it right and what is wrong. Fabric is something that is woven together. Today’s ‘modern’ society abandoned the principle of doing the right things, and not the wrong, in favour of doing whatever it takes to get along. A fabric binds things together, but people choose to do their own thing, so there is very little binding together going on.

If our nation had a moral fabric, we would find effective ways to make certain that our underprivileged citizens had essential, modern amenities. Today, in this 21st-century society of ours, the citizens of Greenwich Town, Kingston 13, have not had potable water for many months. They have to be staying up at nights in a (sometimes futile) effort to catch the little water that might come through their pipes every once in a while. They might get trucked water, but must buy the essential commodity when the supply truck does not turn up.

If our nation had a moral fabric, we would see to it that our children living in poor communities are raised without the aggression, violence, abuse, and the hate that warp many of them. These things are mostly responsible for producing the criminal monsters that unleash unspeakably horrendous acts on our society. Yet, we expend a lot of time, energy, effort, and resources to deal with society’s ills, after the fact, by dealing with the end products of our moral failings as a society.

If our nation had a moral fabric, the powers that be would ensure that every citizen is afforded his/her constitutional right to ‘enjoy’ his/her home. But, anyone can construct anything almost anywhere and get away with it. All it takes is knowing how to make social and/or financial links with the right people, in the right places. It doesn’t matter to the people in charge that inappropriate and illegal constructions will bring down the property value of the homes in which citizens invest their hard-earned dollars. It doesn’t matter that commercial enterprises get placed in residentially zoned communities, and inexorably destroy them.

RAMPANT INDISCIPLINE

If our nation had a moral fabric, we would easily see that the rampant indiscipline on our roads is increasing exponentially. It is setting the tone for our society. It is reinforcing the ease with which citizens can do whatever they want and get away with it. This mentality directly contributes to criminality and murder, because a lax society facilitates the committing of any and all crimes. Disciplined societies have lower crime rates.

If our nation had a moral fabric, our endemic and deeply entrenched corruption could not exist. We would have prevented or rooted out all attempts at corruption. Instead, we embraced corruption and it has become the bases on which many things get done in Jamaica. Without links and connections, it can be very difficult to get the simplest of things done that should otherwise be accomplished with consummate ease. It leaves me to wonder if the system is set up to favour those who choose the corrupt route.

If our nation had a moral fabric, people could not get away with flouting the Noise Abatement Act. This act has been regularly ignored by those who choose to earn from the intrusive noise that their businesses produce. The noise disrupts the thoughts, concentration, study, peace, quiet, and rest of other citizens. But the noisemakers don’t care, and the powers that be often treat the offence with scant regard. Excessive noise poses health risks, just like NCDs do.

LEWD MUSIC

If our nation had a moral fabric, lewd and violence-promoting music would be banned. Self-expression is one thing, but sanctioning amorality, and even murder, in song is quite another. Music in all forms can be very influential. The rhythm and the lyrics can strike a chord within us. If someone is susceptible to violent ideations and songs make it look easy and simple to commit violence, then the songs will become catalysts for violence. A moral and responsible society pays close attention to such things.

Aside from the issue of morality, our nation is not cohesive. There is a multiplicity of groups in Jamaica, and they only become temporarily woven together during specific entertainment or sporting events. Then, everyone goes their separate ways and live out their separate existences, independent of one another.

We need, and should work towards, a diverse society that is woven together for the common good of the whole. Several societies become woven together during times of crisis, like wars. We have been blessed, because we have never had the need to fight a war for our country. But we have also been cursed, because we have never had the need to fight together for something greater than our individual selves. Consequently, we have very few threads in common, save our genetic roots.

We need to right the wrongs and unify if we are to have any moral fabric to speak of.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.