Right and Wrong

Recently I came across an article online that baffled and bewildered me. The article claimed that children, by the age of ten, know the difference between right and wrong. I had never given this much thought but, after reading through the article and thinking about it, I couldn't help but disagree strongly with the author.

It is my belief that children, by the age of ten, do not have the knowledge nor experience to judge the difference between right and wrong. Young children are not expected to understand the complex issues of right and wrong in life at such a young age. This understanding comes with education and life experience, something a young child has not had the chance to fully experience by the tender age of ten.

Do young children possess the same level of judgement that adults do? Did you know as a child what you know now as an adult? The answer simply is no. I certainly didn't anyway. Judgement is based on experience. At ten years old children do not have sufficient experience gained by work and travel that most of you now probably have as young adults. As a ten year old my main concerns were: was the tooth fairy going to come? had I been good enough for Santa Clause? and what kind of Easter egg would the Easter Bunny leave? All my needs were catered for and my judgement only stretched as far as my parents. I did not understand that occasionally adults get things wrong too. I believed my parents were the ultimate symbol of all that is good. In my eyes they could do no wrong. As a young adult now, I am aware that everyone makes mistakes and I fully acknowledge that people aren't always right.

If children know the difference between right and wrong they should be able to see all the wrong our politicians have been doing and be allowed to make an informed choice in elections. Of course children have not acquired a mature understanding nor have the majority of them any interest in politics or our disintegrating economy. While they may understand the difference between what is a right and what is a wrongly run country they cannot act on that understanding. They are simply too young and their sense of right and wrong is fuzzier and more blurred that that of an adult.

Is it fair to prosecute a child in the same way as an adult? While the majority of children are capable of telling you that murder is wrong, some are so traumatised by personal experiences that they cannot see the consequences of their actions. They do not have the same clear moral sense that adults have. They do not act like rational adults would, they act like the damaged child that they are. Research has shown that children imprisoned in adult jails are five times as likely to be sexually assaulted, twice as likely to be beaten by staff and fifty percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon. Surely to God if the adults cannot see the wrong in carrying out those actions how are we expected to believe that young children, who are influenced by the adults around them, know the difference between wrong and right.

It is ridiculous to think that children could possibly understand the difference between right and wrong by the age of ten. It is hard enough for adults to act on their understanding of right and wrong, let alone children. Life is a continuous learning process and learning the difference between right and wrong is not something that happens overnight, it takes time.

"It is no longer the body of a god or anything with power over my life."

Look around you. Do today's men and women appear to live as equal citizens from where you are standing? On the surface it appears so. Today women are entitled to vote, own their own property, attend university, work in their chosen profession, and seek a divorce. The law no longer addresses women as second class citizens. Thanks to women like Mary McGee, Josie Airey and Nuala Fennell huge strides have been made in the last four decades in improving the status of women. While many advances have been made, we are still in the very early stages of ridding ourselves of the age old stereotype placed upon women. The culture and attitude of our society in the past have acceded to the secondary status of women. Everyone will benefit from a world where men and women live equally but if we think we've reached that yet, we're only fooling ourselves.

Having attended an all-girls secondary school, we were always encouraged to grow up to be independent women. International Women's Day was celebrated annually and perhaps influenced my attitude towards the role of women in society. My view is that we are just as important, independent and influential as any man. Women can now do things that they never would have dreamt of doing before, nor their mothers or grandmothers. Fifty years ago, my grandmother was forced to abandon her teaching post in order to get married. Nowadays that idea seems ludicrous. Although men no longer have the same level of power over Irish women, we are still not entirely equal. Despite discrimination against women in the workplace being "supposedly" outlawed almost forty years ago, 30,000 women lose their jobs every year simply for being pregnant. As well as that, jobs traditionally done by women such as teaching, are still paid considerably less than those traditionally carried out by men. Where is the fairness in that?

Adrienne Rich, in her poem, "From a Survivor" reveals that her husband no longer has "power over" her "life". The harsh reality is men do still have the upper hand in today's world. Women in Ireland are paid 17% less than men and only 16% of Dáil members are women. No wonder our country is in the depths of despair! The epigram "the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world" springs to mind. No expression could be more appropriate to use in the present economic climate. Unfortunately we still live in a world dominated by male politicians. The illusion of power drives men to do many things; destroy, distrust and deny. Recent statistics have confirmed what we all know already; men are excellent liars. This can be seen in Irish politics where honesty clearly gets you nowhere. It just means you cannot be trusted to be sneaky. Our male-dominated political government seem motivated by a desire to take what they can and save themselves.

A programme aired recently on RTE about Haiti highlighted the large numbers of women and young girls who are subjected to sexual abuse and rape there. Unfortunately rape happens everywhere and it sickens me to think how men can commit such a crime and then get away with it. This atrocious act undermines women and their status in society. If men are allowed to get away with this behaviour, which they were in the past, there will never be equality between males and females. In 1970 the Council for the Status of Women urged the creation of a crime of marital rape. I was absolutely astounded to discover that it was not defined as a crime until 1990. How could it possibly take twenty years to see that a woman should not be forced to have sex with her husband if she doesn't want to?

In her poetry Adrienne Rich deals with the oppression of women by men, and documents the struggles and difficulties that women endure in the modern world. Her desire to be respected as a woman and her need to express this, hurt her husband and in response he held her back. When she finally ended the marriage her husband committed suicide. The quote "...it is no longer the body of a god or anything with power over my life..." refers to her husband and is taken from her poem "From a Survivor". In my opinion that poem is one of Rich's best. Her ability to survive both the divorce and her husband's suicide, shows her to be a woman of courage and strength, something which every woman needs in today's world.

Unfortunately us women face a long road ahead of us if we are to gain equality with men across all boards. The fact that rape happens and world leaders are usually male is met with a shrug of the shoulders and the line, "That's just the way it is." But it needn't be just the way it stays. It is high time that all of this changed. Sadly it could take a further forty years before we are on a total level footing with men and equality has been achieved.

The future of Ireland lies in the hands of the young

Government corruption, widespread unemployment and rising levels of emigration. Yes, Ireland in the 1980s was a dull and dreary place to be. Back then Ireland was the sick dog of Europe. In the years that followed it transformed into a Celtic Tiger. Now Ireland is a pig. Our once thriving, successful, wealthy country is now part of the elite PIIGS group. PIIGS standing for Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain, the most economically troubled countries in Europe at the moment. Ireland has rapidly gone downhill at full speed. Mass unemployment has swept through the country, followed by increasing numbers of 'for sale' or 'to let' signs. Our government and state are in the most serious financial crisis ever witnessed. Savings and investments have been spent and squandered and nothing has been saved for a rainy day.

So who do we point the finger at to blame for the cause of our disintegrating economy? In reality there are simply not enough fingers on both my hands to blame the countless petty politicians and big-shot bankers who have contributed hugely to the downfall of our economy. However, it is fair to say that everyone had a part to play in the destruction of our country. We got caught up in the excitement of our new found wealth and prosperity. Luxury homes, flash cars and exotic holidays became the norm. Nobody stopped to ask where all the money was coming from or, more importantly, how we would inevitably have to pay it back. We took the easy option and enjoyed everything the Celtic Tiger had to offer us with absolutely no thoughts for the consequences of our selfish actions.

Someone was once quoted as saying “Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” I could not agree more. However badly our economy was handled some right steps were taken that simply cannot be undone. Huge emphasis was placed on college and providing young people with the education they needed and were entitled to. Ireland proudly boasts one of the largest, brightest and most-educated workforces in the world. Young people have never been presented with the amount of opportunities as they are being offered now. We are more aware of the world around us, the possibilities in front of us and the ability we have to change the world one step at a time. The government might be fooling some people but they are not fooling the young people of Ireland. We know exactly what a well-run country looks like, because we've seen it with our own two eyes.

With this education and connection to the world we, the young people of Ireland, have the ability and means to lead. But where exactly are we going? Faraway hills seem much greener at the moment and increasing numbers of young people are choosing to emigrate abroad to countries such as Australia and New Zealand. This is not the answer to our problems. Those who move abroad believe that this country can not and will not change. In reality it is inevitable that it will undoubtedly change. The future of any society lies in its youth. Therefore one must ask the question, how is it possible for Ireland to have a better future if all its' young people are setting up home and establishing new lives on the opposite side of the world?

It is hard for anyone to admit that they have been wrong. It is even harder for a politician to admit this, particularly when their inability to lead and handle situations correctly has resulted in more than four million people blaming them for the state of their country. However it is high time that these so-called politicians swallowed their pride and admitted that they have been totally off the mark. I am still waiting for them to utter the three magic words of 'I was wrong', because they have been wrong. About everything; tax, NAMA, loans, you name it they misjudged the situation. As well as being wrong they are also in denial. Right now they are probably trying to find an alternative word for “bail-out” to make it sound better. Dick Roche attempted to call it an “arrangement” the other night on television. Full marks for trying , Minister, but you are not fooling anyone and the government's attempt to think they are is laughable.

The truth is we now have to call on our neighbouring countries for financial aid. The name Patrick Pearse is brought to mind and I ask myself, is this what the men of 1916 died for? Having fought tooth and nail for our political independence from Britain, to be masters of our own affairs, we are now surrendering our economic sovereignty and independence while Britain and other countries look on in feigned sympathy. Patrick Pearse would be turning in his grave if he knew.

We live in a world dominated by male politics. The illusion of power drives men to do many things; destroy, distrust and deny. Statistics have shown that men are excellent liars. This can be confirmed in Irish politics where honesty clearly gets you nowhere. It just means you cannot be trusted to be sneaky. Politicians are motivated by a desire to take what they can and save themselves. Although men are successful, behind every man is a more successful woman. The rise of women's role in society and the changing perception that they are as good, if not better, than men has contributed to more women getting involved in government roles. More women in politics would undeniably mean stronger politics.

Radical change is needed to dig Ireland out of the hole it has landed itself in. The voice of the future lies with the young people of this country and they are shouting to be heard. It is up to the government to listen to the new ideas and different approaches that we, the future generation, have to offer, before it is too late and we have packed our bags and headed for the shores of Sydney or New Zealand.

As technology improves the future looks bigger, better and brighter

Let us rewind back two hundred years ago. There are no lights, no televisions, no mobile phones, poor farming methods and no modern medicine. Can you imagine yourself living in a world like this? If you think science does not affect you, think again. Science affects us all, every day of our lives, from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep. Your digital alarm clock, the light you switch on and off, the car you drive to work, your mobile phone, the decision to eat a baked potato instead of chips and the antibiotics that fight your flu have all been developed for our benefit, courtesy of science and technology. Technology is constantly changing and improving around us and can only mean bigger, better and brighter things for the future.

The decision to move with the times and embrace science and technology has led to the modern world we now live in. Although there has been debates in the past about the advancements of science and technology and whether they have caused more harm than good, in my opinion the answer is very clear. Without the understanding of technology enabled by science the modern world would not be very modern at all. Thanks to discoveries made by men such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell we no longer live in a world of darkness and isolation. Instead we can now see through the darkness at the flick of a switch or ring our friends and family at the touch of a button. It must be acknowledged that these men have contributed significantly to improving all of our lives for the better.

The past number of years has seen an epidemic of social networking sites around the world. Bebo, Facebook and Twitter have all become household names. Although initially targeted at younger people, particularly teenagers, Facebook now boasts over 800 million active users ranging from teeny boppers to older aunts, uncles and even grandparents. Imagine my shock when I logged onto my Facebook account one day and saw I had a friend request from a woman named Joan Maher. Low and behold, Nana Joan had entered the world of Facebook! At 75 years of age her decision to embrace technology had resulted in her mastering the ability to use the internet. Thanks to a programme run by transition year students where they teach people how to approach and use the internet Nana Joan is now e-mailing, blogging and a regular on Facebook.

My Grandmother's new found love of the internet has made the stereotypical Grandmother image a thing of the past. Another thing that has been thrown into the past is the idea of rooting out an old map before setting out on a road trip. Gone are the days of getting lost while venturing to an unfamiliar part of the country. Gone are the days of stopping strangers with confused and frustrated expressions on our faces and asking for directions. Our saviour, the sat nav, has been invented. What does this delicate device do I hear you ask? Simply type in the address of where you wish to go and the sat nav will show you how to get there. Magic isn't it?

Not being the most enthusiastic geography student meant that the decision for me to invest in a sat nav was easy. My own sat nav has been christened Mary. Though not always accurate (she has led me down some back roads!) Mary has been my saving grace and has always brought me home.

So as technology continues to improve and change the world around us, one must ask, are we prepared for this kind of world? Some might have their reservations but, in reality, we must move with the times, embrace new forms of technology with enthusiasm and strive to use it for the benefit of the world around us.