We all sit back and watch it happening

We are all experts at sitting down and watching things happen, doing nothing about it, and then crying after the event.

Imagine that you, who are reading this article, are aged between 12 and 17. As things stand in this country, you can practically do anything you like, because no one seems to want to stop you. You can drink as much as you like. In fact, you are encouraged to do so. You can smoke. Stay up late, because all your friends do. Drugs are available and are pushed in your direction and hardly anybody, especially the big fish, seems to get caught.

You can see all the sex, violence, and witness all the bad moral messages, as well as hear all the bad language you like at the cinema. If you wish to stay at home you can see the same on DVDs and even worse on the internet.

You can smoke, because you are told it is the cool thing to do, and even though it is dangerous, nobody stops you. In fact, it is as easy to purchase cigarettes, as it is to purchase alcohol.

You can throw away bottles, paper cups and cans of alcohol on the floor when their contents are consumed because no one will tell you not to, or catch you if you do. Vomit as much as you like because that will be a good laugh and you do not have to clear up the mess.

Should you wish to stay at home and watch television, you have any number of programmes, both locally produced and foreign, that will give you all the wrong messages to help you make the future decisions in your life.

So with all this ever increasing barrage of bad things that you are encouraged to do, what chance do you have of leading a life not influenced by people who seem determined to lead you into every mess they can conceive?

Of course, not every youth or adolescent succumbs to temptation, but what and who out there are telling them the correct and decent way of living, where people do not divorce or separate every five minutes but try to make a success of their marriages and families? Not to smoke until they are sick. Not to drink themselves silly at every opportunity that arises. Not to deceive and cheat because your heroes on telly or at the cinema get away with it.

The answer is that it is no contest. There are very few influential voices out there that are informing them of the good things they should and can do with their life. The bad influences enormously outnumber the good.

We were all born with free will, but free will should not necessarily mean that we only do what gratifies us, gives us pleasure. Free will also means that we are given the opportunity to do what is right. But being inherently weak, we all need help in this respect, and this is where parents must help and give a much stronger leadership.

The ball also rests with the authorities. If they were doing what they should be doing, most of the problems would be solved.

The authorities should also ensure that the correct messages are given to our young people, by insisting that all of the communications media we have in Malta that require a licence should be obliged, as part of their licence, to portray and give good and sensible advice to our young.

Good examples must be given and seen to be given in an acceptable way to our youngsters by those who should know better, and we had better do this before it is too late.

Let us not sit by and let bad habits be ingrained within our children. This is something that is too important to ignore.