The questions we need to be answering

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 28 July 2017, 12:00AM

This much is undeniable. In Samoa today, we see so much evil. 

Just like there is in the world where we see the endless struggle between good and bad. Everyday we read and see stories of murders, rape, incest, robberies and all sorts of petty crimes being committed left right and centre. 

It wasn’t always that bad. Once upon a time, such incidents were far and few. Once a month maybe?

These days are different. You only have to look at the daily newspaper, watch the news on TV, listen to the radio news and update your newsfeed on Facebook or any other form of social media to come away with that sickening feeling that something is terribly amiss somewhere in this country today.

And it has something to do with the wanton violence committed by one villager against another, the senseless beating and abuse of our women and children and the corruption we see all around us. 

It has something to do with the growing number of young children hawking goods on the streets at all hours of the night and day. It has something to do with the exploitation of our most vulnerable people, the cry for help from members of this community who can barely afford to keep up with the menacing cost of living. 

It’s a fact that when people look to Samoa from afar, they see pristine beaches; lush greenery and they imagine the sort of tranquillity that cannot be matched anywhere. 

They see pictures of friendly Samoans. Which are true and accurate to an extent. These are great attributes to promote about ourselves and our country. 

But we’ve got to be careful and we must be alert.

The ground beneath our feet has been shaking and is slowly shifting as we speak. You see, over recent months, there have been a number of suicides involving people of all ages. Gone are the days when suicide in this country mainly involving young people. 

We’ve had several cases this year where grown men and women have resorted to the unthinkable. Elsewhere, incest has been rising. Mothers are turning on their sons, brothers and their sisters and young girls are being sexually molested by their own fathers and grown relatives. 

This has become so common these days.

It’s disgusting we know and we can go on and on but you get the point.

Now, we’ve asked these questions before and we will ask it again, what is going on in Samoa today? What has become of this country that is supposedly founded on God? 

Speaking of God, we accept that we are a deeply religious country. There are four, five, six and sometimes up to ten church buildings at some villages. There are church meetings happening throughout the year and they continue to occupy a good part of our annual calendar. Sundays are days to behold.

Recently, our government changed our Constitution so that today, we have become an official Christian state.

But how can evil flourish in a country where there are so many churches? How can this be happening in a place where people are supposed to be following Jesus Christ’s teachings about forgiveness, compassion, love, caring for one another, honesty and more of those wonderful virtues? 

It just doesn’t make sense. Is it possible that maybe the church is finding that it’s no longer able to appease troubled minds, spread the meaning of kindness? 

How can we exalt God with one hand and kill with the other? How can we profess to love God and harbour so much hate for a brother/sister? Have we become a nation of hypocrites? Whose examples are we following?

We need to be asking tough questions about ourselves.

Has life in our country become so unbearable that some people are finding it difficult and are therefore resorting to the unthinkable? Where is our Parliament? Where is the government? Where are the church leaders?  What about our matai and village leaderships? Where are our law enforcers? What are the Police officers doing? 

What about the individual households? Are parents performing their God-given roles or have they become so caught up with their busy schedules they simply don’t have the time to be parents anymore? Are children being instilled the right morals and values?

These are tough questions. We know. But at a time such as this, we need to be reaching deep down inside us for solutions. Each and every one of us has a role to play. 

The government leaders have got a part just like the church leaders. Village matais have to step up just like the every family leader. What do you think? 

Have a fantastic Friday Samoa, God bless!

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 28 July 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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