Letters

Evil influences are every- where

THE EDITOR MADAM:

I have always believed that a person who is motivated and knows what he or she wants out of life will not be easily influenced. I foolishly believed that my strength would be enough for any external influences.

I was given a rude awakening recently. I have a cousin who is 21 years old now. He was a soft spoken, disciplined and quiet person from he was growing up. I was very proud of him. Everyone in the community was too. He was even baptised at the age of 13. We all thought he was going to make something of his life.

Then he started hanging out with the wrong crowd at the age of 15 and he refused to listen to his parents and relatives. Church was a thing of the past. He smoked ganga and two years ago he started using hard drugs, "cocaine". That was when all hell broke loose.

Point of death

One night when he was 'high' he chopped his best friend to the point of death. It was a miracle that his friend survived.

Parents, listen to me very carefully; one of the greatest influences in a child's life is his or her peers. I know it, I am a teacher and I have seen it from my nine years of experience in the classroom. Don't let your children tell you that they are strong and they won't be influenced - rubbish! Monitor them carefully and watch for the slightest change in their behaviour. Don't let them hang out with the 'wrong crowd".

We as adults need to get down on our knees and pray for the youths of this country because they are in a very serious predicament. Evil influences are everywhere. It can touch any one of us, it respects no one.

I am etc,

A. DEERR

paddmanj@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica