THE conversation on “values and attitudes” is underway but in deep waters as the sea is mined with buggers. The sexual grooming, anti-social behaviour, criminality and murder suggest the spirit is willing but it’s easier to be evil.

The Word says: “There went out another horse that was red and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another.” No aid can fix us; men kill woman, child with impunity yet the solution is in our hands. Some say, “Dem suffa areddy an man haffi eet”, they are poor, entitled — figet values!

This frowzy man with a gas jug barged in ahead of cars in line as “fe me taxi run outa gas dung de road”; do we reward him for failure to plan his taxi business? No freakin’ way! I stood ground, but the cowards in front didn’t — where is a man when you need one; what are their values? Or Mr Taximan’s? Our culture, values, attitudes are based on the Bible yet interpreted as so convoluted, contradictory and negatively they do not help.

Our culture is Judeo-Christian and produces bitter and sweet. More than 40 per cent of the world is on our side; 60 per cent are Abrahamic — Jew, Christian, Islam. Our core values rise from the same aquifer but stuff divides us. Sunni and Shia; Adventist and Catholic, all 67 varieties of God’s realm in utter chaos; brands as Mormon, Witnesses, Rastafari — crazy.

Our culture is of the Book nuanced by language, habit, environment and endowment. In cold lands nature disciplines men to work hard as winter comes. They sought education; cultivated, innovated, did well. We in balmy climates survive without sacrifice; no imperative to produce; innovation, who needs it? Nature “red in tooth and claw” or resolute Cabinets may create and enforce values and attitudes that enure to greatness, but we are at the whims of evil men.

Our core culture is Christian as the English, Spanish, Russian and the nuances are expectations formed by life as in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas. Why do UK Christians worship a Middle Eastern deity instead of Stonehenge Druids? Why do Russians, Slavs and Ethiopians? Or why do Nigerians worship Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the north and Christ in the South, both Abrahamic, Middle Eastern brown men and murder each other like crazy!

Why is life cheap south of the equator yet precious in the north? Why has rich Nigeria not embraced African faiths? Our Chinese citizens would be Confucian in China; Asian brethren Hindu in India; born here I am Christian — an accident — so why are my views unlike the intolerance and intransigence of many fellow Christians? How did we come to the four issues that dominate intermittent national debate for decades yet ignore the few we need to make us prosper?

For decades our four testy horses — corporal punishment, ganja, the death penalty, and buggery — are with us. The north is of the zeitgeist-liberal on these issues, we are punitive, unforgiving. Why? We are poor; the north is prosperous, innovative, educated; is this coincidence, correlation or causative?

Southern people have minerals, oil, gas and the north skills to innovate, unlock, extract and use them, but north is rich; south poor. Knowledge is better than wealth. The Book says, “And I beheld and lo a black horse; …and I heard a voice… a measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”

We are fretful; want to flog our kids, love ganja, think murderers should hang, and hate gays. The nations that send us food are openly gay, liberal, “live and let live”. Is it coincidence that we are poor, hungry; have trappings of democracy but cower in our own land?

Corporal punishment

Earlier this week there was a vox pop that favoured beating kids. Do not “spare the rod and spoil the child”; so why are kids spoilt, abusive and criminal? What profit in decades of beating? Why do those who eschew it in the north do better? Why do we not flog when we migrate?

Ganja is a narcotic the Indians gifted us and cabinets are ambivalent but not so the masses. One of my peeps said most ganja users are idlers and do not merit or need its stress cures. Our leaders are risk-averse, but why?

Look how many cock-ups they made since 1962 and we still vote for them. Fear not, even big firms make bad decisions, recover and do well. Doing nothing is not an option — educate people to the risks and consequences of the choices and make a decision!

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT has been hanging for decades. People say “hang ’em high” but politicians face foreign pressure to subvert citizens’ choice. Our very failure to feed ourselves affects our democracy.

BUGGERY tops our moral menu. Is it the Black horse — famine, the Red — war, White — pestilence? The Book says “and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” Welcome to Hell: why do corruption “sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolators” not excite parsons as much as buggery?

Homosexuality is obliquely referenced in the Bible, yet has big airplay — why? Jewish men wrote the Bible, men preach it and cuss gays. Are our men insecure? Women show no great angst over female gays so why can men not abide gay men? The churches cite three obtuse Bible verses and ignore “in your face” sins as gluttony, lying, stealing, hate or murder.

Jesus said nothing about gays; the Book has no focus on gays, but men do. Buggery has no wiggle room as the masses are alert to being sold out to foreigners. Our citizens want murderers to hang, to flog their kids; to free-up ganja, but the EU and USA enforce their moral FATCA.

Our politicians want to please all. Had gays kept their nerve and pants on “funny uncles” might screechy under the radar to enjoy the privacy they had from time. Our benefactors are white, democratic, rich, rights-aware and do not read the Bible in the punitive way we do.

Will bishops starve for the cause? Will it motivate you to plant food? Get educated, innovate? For cabinets it is moral hazard also risk to food, remittances, tourists; FDI; disease and AIDS: poor but independent? Dream on!

Leaders live well and even young ones raise walled castles with impunity. Sacrifice, what’s that? Expect more debt, not Greek anguish. My people, the fate of buggers is not in your gift; Half-Way-Tree will not win, it was a marker, but cash will prevail. Will parson give up big car, big food, USA visa for his cause?

The Book says “and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer” Good citizens have bigger fish to fry — quality education, production, jobs, true values. Ride your white horse, and clear the obstacles — we are on a mission for Jamaica.

Stay conscious, my friend!

Dr Franklin Johnston is a strategist, project manager and advises the minister of education. franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com