In some recent discussion about unity, the pervasive issue facing our young black men, who are at the extreme end of this saga of disunity, was included as the top current manifestation of disunity.

As much as the human race has excelled in technological progress, often propelled by individual research and discovery, still the very basic statement “monkey see, monkey do” describes how we humans arrive at our behaviours.

For the most part we are modelling after caricatures that parade up and down our psyche; from parents to teachers, to leaders, to TV, movie stars, musicians, rap artists, gangster kings and mobsters, the list of influences are endless.

Leadership is not a small matter, and in these circumstance it holds weighty responsibilities. There is a biblical verse that says: “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.”

Without advancing into the territory of religion, we can look at the principle implied — in particular, the principle implied in “be lifted up” and the magnetism involved. Indeed, anything which is lifted up draws attention and, by default, when something or someone is put down, the reverse occurs, and they become less attractive.

It’s no accident that Chinatown in New York bares resemblance to parts of China and the behaviours exhibited also, because such is the way of life for everyone. Unfortunately the behaviour of our young men similarly is the result of taking on an environment modelled before them. The difference is what would ordinarily be their positive role models, such as fathers and community, have been destroyed, and many who have stood, were put down.

I don’t think there is a male of my generation who cannot remember having a hero, or saying, I want to be just like, or I am so and so, whether it was a sportsman, businessman, tradesperson or pastor, there was someone whom they wanted to be just like. Show me a society of any race or nationality where there exists a culture of respect for their men and you will see a community of thriving young men.

The big question is, what will it take to rebuild the kind of role-modelling that could attract our young men towards proper behaviour?

The role of men in society has shifted generally with the rise of the value and status of women. This is not a deficit, but it means the role of men needs redefinition within the bonds of their masculinity.

In Bermuda the move towards international business as a softer industry has meant a colossal shift in the real wage earners within the family construct.

At one time in the not too distant past, tradesmen were the earners, which meant fathers commanded the respect as the bread winner and provider. Men traditionally went for the harder trades and the professions related to clerical skills were for women.

Where once the harder trades paid best, now the clerical skills are more valuable and pay more. That pattern will not shift and will remain as the new socio/economic reality.

Military training is another arena for fashioning men, which includes the police and even martial arts schools, or anywhere that power and discipline are combined could be considered as good fashioning instruments. Yet nothing seems to compare with strong leaders, who with a strong moral persona, inspire men and society to excel and become masters in their communities and marketplace.

It is said, “without vision, a people perish”, when properly articulated, truthfully means without real leaders with vision, they perish.

In Bermuda strong leader doesn’t mean winning the ballot polls, but rather having the magnanimity to capture the hearts and minds of the young men.

Natural leadership comes as a result of a dialectic and discourse of finding solutions for the challenges within society.

But that’s natural leadership led by the heart, instead we have political institutions that have emerged where the upward mobility of leadership is determined more by loyalty and devotion, or even manoeuvring for acceptability within the political organisations.

Most organisations were born as a response to social conditions, but not only have they become disconnected from the real social pulse, often the leaders can be even further removed systemically from being the charismatic figures engaged with the needs of the masses they serve, due to the inorganic institutionalisation of leadership. They become constitutional robots.

To add insult, too often natural leaders are ostracised and demeaned by proponents of institutional leadership. This is the saga throughout social, political and biblical human history.

Bob Marley was inspired to ask the question in Redemption Song: “How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?” The poison tongue of slander and innuendo has taken its toll on our community and has destroyed too many of our prophets, who indeed were true role models.

We often lift up individuals who have offered nothing in the way of guidance, but filled with unconstrained indignation, lead us to protest, but with no solutions.

They exclaimed “burn baby, burn” when really we needed to “build baby, build”.

To begin the process of healing, which includes addressing the horrendous violence, we need to begin at the top by example. We need to be honest with ourselves and cultivate a respect for honest endeavour.

Conniving, self-serving manipulators or smart crooks, infect the atmosphere, which has a way of cascading down to the bottom and creates a subculture. We gain the moral authority to sort out the young male’s problem, when we first take the pill by offering clean and moral adult guidance.

The hatred, bigotry and self-negation at the top must end. We must honour talent and intelligence above greed, and stop obstructing persons who have genuine contributions, just because they do not fit the biased, preset moulds of cronyism and nepotistic political cliques.

This quagmire has hurt us for 50 years and our young are experiencing the net result of our political and social dysfunction.

Remember the old African proverb: “When Elephants fight it’s the grass that suffers ...”

We have a lot to sort through, and now is the time to do it.