Peter Espeut IMPLIED IN the concept of "management" is that human behaviour must follow some sort of order, and "good managers" are those who create such order in their businesses that they are very profitable. "Cost controls" are crucial, which ultimately boils down to "self-control". Maybe it would be nice for the CEO to have a new car, or for the executive suite to be remodelled; but no! Better to made additional profits to retool the operations to increase production. It is impossible for a company to be profitable without the Board of Directors and the managerial staff practising fiscal self-control. It is impossible for a country like Jamaica to be profitable without the government and the civil service practising fiscal self-control.
IT BOILS DOWN TO SELF CONTROL
It is inconceivable that a country will be able to achieve "sustainable development" without order in human behaviour such that "unsustainable" behaviour is put behind us. Policy must be created and implemented such that unsustainable fishing practices, unsustainable watershed practices, and a variety of other unsustainable economic practices become a thing of the past. Ultimately, it boils down to "self-control" in hosting economic activities in your country. Possibly it would be good in the short term for the country to have a steel mill or to build a new town in a forest (jobs, taxes, political contributions), but at what long-term cost (pollution, habitat destruction, loss the national patrimony of irreplaceable natural resources)? Better to seek out the type of industry which does not threaten irreplaceable natural resources, rather than opt for counterfeit development. It is impossible for a country to achieve true sustainable development without the government and the civil service practising self-control in terms of the economic projects they embrace. And this includes salary increases for themselves and pre-election spending. If the government had had a little more self-control, possibly the taste of the recent tax package would not have needed to be so bitter.
My colleague, deacon Ronnie Thwaites, is fond of saying that "There are some people who every time they itch, they have to scratch". The image is of a soldier on parade or sentry duty who develops an itch on the tip of his nose or elsewhere and the test of his mettle is whether he gives in to the itch and scratches, or practices self-control and puts up with the discomfort. It really boils down to character.
Some people are taught by their parents or their religion or their school or their peers to deal with hardship and to combat temptation as a matter of principle and personal achievement.
And there are some people of weak character who simply cannot control themselves. Faced with the temptation of a bribe they circumspectly accept it. Or a plate of curry goat and a T-shirt. It doesn't even have to be a bribe; it can be giving in to the hook shot on a cricket pitch, or approving the unsustainable scheme of the latest speculator or investor for short-term political gain.
WEAK CHARACTERS IN THE LOWLY
And weak characters are not to be found only among those in authority. While expenses relating to children remain unpaid, why is it that some people just cannot resist buying a flashy car and fancy clothes? When sacrificing to get a good education remains an option to "step-up-inna-life", why the splurging on hair-dos and fingernails? National development is prejudiced when individuals do not realise their full potential as producers because of poor values and attitudes, and lack of self-control.
An important area in which many Jamaicans show lack of self-control is on the roadways: speeding and careless overtaking. This combined with lack of control in the use of alcohol produces cripples, and fills cemeteries and junkyards. What a waste of productive capital!
WEAKNESS AND SEX
One of the areas in which we exhibit the least self-control is in sexual matters. I don't believe that a culture of casual sexual intercourse is good for any country, especially for Jamaica. Sexual intercourse is not just a private affair between individuals. Sex may lead to pregnancy, which automatically costs the state and all taxpayers. First, there are medical costs for pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care; the state has to provide subsidised education and health care, and jobs later on. The economy must then provide foreign exchange to satisfy the demands for their consumption: imported TV sets, building materials to for their houses, etc. And cars.
And then there is the additional pressure on the environment. Yes, sexual intercourse is not just a private matter; it has profound economic and environmental consequences. There are personal and national benefits to be gained when individual men and women learn to control their sexual urges, rather than seeking release when "nature rise".
Casual and/or serial sexual intercourse also has social consequences. When a child of 12 or 16 or 18 begins to have children, this cuts short the process of education and training which will make her economically secure in later life to create national wealth; she may become a burden on the state, on us taxpayers. When a woman has three children by three different fathers, this sets up an unnecessarily complex set of social relations which can impede her future. The relationship between a man and a women in a family is supposed to be an emotionally supportive one, on which both partners depend. The agony of unfaithfulness and abandonment can scar a young woman (or man) for life.
Most psychologists agree that very young persons cannot handle the profound intimacy of a sexual relationship; both young boys and young girls are still trying to find out who they are. Getting into an early habit of sex will lead to improper socialisation, where both men and women become victims. Men are socialised to see each woman as fair game, as prey to be entrapped, which not only demeans women; but men too. Many women for their own benefit advertise and offer themselves, with the same result.
Learning to control one's sexual urges is a sensible course of action which will avoid all sorts of social problems, and lead to a more prosperous economy. The trouble is that sexual indiscipline (lack of self-control in general) is endemic in Jamaica. Who will begin a movement in the opposite direction? I am happy to see that family planning advertisements now suggest that an effective method of avoiding pregnancy is to postpone sexual activity (which requires self-control). Can we agree that one way to work for national sustainable development, for management of our national economy and improvement in our personal lives, is to promote a culture of self-control, rather than a culture of scratching every time we itch?
Peter Espeut is a Sociologist and Executive Director of an Environment and Development NGO.
