Wise words help bad news - Northern Advocate - 27th July 2007. (Pat Slater)

We often hear and would love to “focus on the positive” however headlines would have us do otherwise with no fault of the papers! “Hunt for gang member disrupts school”; “Grenades, tear gas flush out gangster”; “Predator jailed for targeting tourists”; “Rest Home Report – Broken ankle, hip missed by staff” and so on, all over 3 days.

Still, you must acknowledge what’s wrong to deal with it. I believe we often get what we tolerate and our tolerance level has been weakened by many factors that have either made or allowed us to let go of our responsibilities as members of a community. Too much to cover in a ‘Letter to the Editor’ and so I reflect on some old sayings that may prompt a few answers.

First we need to take our heads out of the sand (it could have pollution in it), we should not turn a blind eye or let a call for help fall on deaf ears. We need to take action as it speaks louder than words and put an ounce of prevention in place as it is worth a pound of cure, remember God helps those who help themselves and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Community must join together as there's safety in numbers, we must not tolerate the bad behaviour of the minority and remember that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. It must be made so that crime doesn't pay and on the other hand we really need to give credit where credit is due even though hard work never did anyone any harm.

We need to set some examples because as they say….like father, like son. Our elderly must be looked after and listened to as there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle and you may hear a word from the wise, there is nothing better than hindsight, and history repeats itself! And, if at first we don't succeed try, try again because where there's a will there's a way and life is what you make it.

Pat Slater

Maunu

(abridged items in Bold for Northern Advocate copy)