Destiny terrorism is plaguing Jamaica
WHETHER YOU were born uptown, downtown, or roun’ town, it is important for us to understand that every life that is born in this country is a seed of potential that is driven by purpose or destiny, that is arranged and decided by the manufacturer, our Creator!
We are all born to fulfil that destiny. Therefore, when a child enters this world, he or she has a mission assigned to him or her and is therefore NOT HERE BY ACCIDENT! Even if UNPLANNED! Unfortunately, this distinction keeps eluding some of the most learned among us.
Let us reason together from an informed, evidence-based perspective. Science has gone the full yards to prove to us the bold reality that the creation and design of a human being is everything intentional.
Millions of sperm compete to attach themselves to a woman’s egg, yet only one succeeds. The power of that one seed that hits is destiny that is packaged.
Interestingly, our destinies are not carbon copies of each other’s lives but unique to each individual.
It is against this background that I am turning the spotlight on what has been happening here in Jamaica. According to police statistics, over 516 of our children have gone missing between January and April 2019. The consistent preying upon our children by predatory grown men – being raped, abducted, murdered, etc – is all a feature of a diabolic extremism called ‘destiny terrorism’ plaguing Jamaica.
Countless references have pointed to social denigration as the root cause of the wanton onslaught on our nation’s children but are limited as they seemingly do not recognise that Jamaica has a deeper problem in this regard, which is spiritual, and
it is called ‘destiny terrorism’.
Every human being is a specimen of God’s masterpiece designed to be a solution to a problem here on Earth. This is nicely articulated in Genesis 1:28: “… Be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue and have dominion.” So what on Earth are we here for? It means there is an expectation at each level. For example:
n Fruitful – where there is any unproductivity, barrenness, impoverishment, we should correct it. n Multiply – where there is potential, we should build on and increase it. n Replenish – where we have expended our resources, we should refill, restock and reload them.
n Subdue – take action in the cases of the need to pacify, compose or mollify.
n Have dominion – simply exhibit responsible leadership.
Then what on Earth are we doing?! Each of us is supposed to be designing, crafting, strategising, developing, leading, managing, and directing whatever the solution we have been put here to accomplish, and that, my friend, is destiny fulfilment. Anything that is used to bombard or deny us from achieving that objective is an act of terrorism against our God-given life as designed.
Children are and represent the succession of a nation’s most priceless capital – its human resource. If Jamaica is to achieve its fullest potential and the coveted prosperity status that is widely talked about, it must do so as a collective responsibility. The talents, educational astuteness, business acumen, and sheer brilliance of the input of all is required for transgenerational prosperity. It therefore makes no economic sense, or developmental sense, for that matter, to be killing our children. We will not be able to transition from potential to actualisation if we continue on this insane path.
Each bullet of copper or physical, emotional or mental abuse fired at our children is an attack against the infrastructural integrity of the society’s capacity.
It is time for us to buckle our seatbelts and unite in prayer rather than scoffing at prayer as a solution, and return to the ‘child-raising’ village that was established decades ago by our forefathers and mothers. In this village, every child belonged to the wider community family, and there was a vested interest by everyone to see to the protection, safety and nurturing of each child in that community. Familial ties went beyond biological in the name of ‘collective responsibility’.
In this village, selfishness was never allowed to thrive. Alas, materialism has ravished that village, demolishing and displacing the long-standing nurturing institution, and has instead rebuilt a gated village, covenanted by a stratum of a consuming desire to promote self. Subsequently, our children have become the ransomed invoices for payment.
If we want to see a change, we must refrain from doing things the same way and expecting different results. ASK ME HOW
I stand ready to lead one of the planks of the change process with an interim plan of action. This will involve the recruitment of volunteers at the community level, through a rigorous screening process, as community marshalls to escort/walk our children to and from their schools or any other spaces as determined necessary by the participating community. Janet Allen is an author, motivational speaker and pastor. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jeba2k17@gmail.com.