00:00In an interview with TV6, clinical traumatologist Hanif Benjamin is blaming the rise in cases
00:06of violence throughout the country on the society not valuing the importance of life.
00:12We as a society have been stepping away from the importance, knowing the importance, understanding
00:18the importance of life.
00:20We have become very loose with how we see and interact with life as a people and therefore
00:28without the level of resiliency, that resiliency is spiritual, emotional, psychological, physical
00:35resiliency.
00:37We get to a place where darkness and despair seem to be the only way out.
00:44Solutions though cannot come from just one place.
00:47It has to be a countrywide approach.
00:51We must consider each and every one of our roles, our institutions, whether that is religion,
00:58government, non-governmental, school.
01:00We must all go back to a place where we put value on life and we teach people how to deal
01:07with difficulties.
01:09Benjamin also thinks that religion has a crucial role to play in restoring the society.
01:14We as a society need to do better.
01:17We need to go back to our school, Sunday school, our church mandir, our mosque, we need to
01:24do that.
01:25He is also of the opinion that people must be taught to respect the choices of others.
01:30We have to help people to understand that choice is a critical thing that is bequeathed
01:35to each and every one of us and my choice to leave cannot be usurped because you want
01:42to be with me.
01:44We have to teach people responsibility.
01:46He warns that if time is not taken to address and solve the problems in society, it will
01:52be a long way to the light at the end of the tunnel.
01:55But if we as a society don't take time to understand, take time to help, take time to
02:01mould our young people, we will forever be in this dark place.
02:06Dominic Ramroop, TV6 News.
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