IT'S very sad that a young Bermudian man committed suicide this week. As a parent I cannot imagine the pain I would feel if my son committed suicide! I would blame myself instantly and wonder what I might have done differently to prevent him from feeling so terrible about his life or his lot in life that he would take his life.

The message here is that parents, societies and the country must pay closer attention to the needs and behaviours of people.

If we think there is even the slightest chance that something could be wrong, we must act before it is too late.

More on this after the Top 20.

Holding at number one is a former essential new track, Lollipop by L'il Wayne featuring Static Major. At number two is The Way That I Love You by Ashanti.

Up to number three is last week's essential new banger, No Air, the new hit by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. I was telling somebody earlier this week that I'm not exactly in love with Chris Brown's music. It is becoming poppy bubblegum and his voice is beginning to annoy me just a bit. Wow, those are strong words but I think he needs to vary his music because its all starting to sound the same.

Up to number five is 4 Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake. Madonna is still hot; even at 50 she can be accused of breaking up marriages. I don't condone this but as far as I am concerned this is still a rumour (her alleged fling with A-Rod). I'm just glad that he is still hitting home runs and isn't letting this nonsense bring him down or affect his play. And if he was watching his wife or having her followed. Good for him.

Slipping to number six this week is the new one from Usher featuring Young Jeezy, entitled Love in this Club. Check out Love in this Club Part II which features Beyonce.

Up to number seven is last week's essential new banger, Bust It Baby Part 2 by Plies featuring Ne-Yo. Falling to number eight is Touch My Body by Mariah Carey, largely thanks to the banging dance mix.

On the way up at number nine is Heaven Sent by Keyshia Cole. Improving to number 10 is Chris Brown's new single, Take You Down.

Up to number 11 a former essential new banger, I Luv Your Girl by The Dream.

Improving to number 12 is this week's essential new tune, Alicia Keys' new hit entitled Teenage Love Affair.

Don't Stop The Music by Rihanna tumbles to number 13. There are several remixes on the circuit that are keeping this one in the mix and atop charts worldwide.

Improving to number 14 it's A Milli by L'il Wayne and soaring to number 15 is Trey Songz new hit, entitled Last Time.

Down to number 16 is The Boss by Rick Ross featuring T Pain.

Now the soca section. Improving to number 17 is Love is Wicked (Soca remix) by Brick and Lace featuring Kess.

Advancing to number 18 is another soca anthem, Defence (The Anthem) by Machel Montano featuring L'il Jon and Pitbull.

Falling to number 19 is Dey Know by Shawty Lo and down to number 20 is Sensual Seduction by Snoop Dogg, which has had a good, long run in this chart.

Now back to this week's word ¿ looking out for our people and intervening if we suspect problems.

After a person has taken their life, it is way too late to help. I am certain that at many levels, many people knew that there were problems with the young man in question.

This has to start in the home and surely it spread out into the community, his friends, associates, colleagues, etc.

This did not start out as the Government's problem because the Government does not lay down and make children.

However, when problems are suspected we should speak up and offer help before its too late. Employers, colleagues, friends, lovers, we can all help or as a minimum offer assistance.

This has to start with parents paying greater attention to their children, to the needs of their children and being intimately involved in the lives of their children.

The absence of parental involvement is a recipe for disaster, challenges, low self esteem and for people not reaching their full God-given potential.

Parents have to understand that once you become a parent, you are a parent forever, even after you die your legacy as a parent continues. Anything you have left behind, any example you have set, will live on with and determine the outcome of future generations.

Someone once told me that for a family to be sustainable, have a good name, be respected in the community and to be positive contributors to that community, each generation must do better than the previous generation.

However, by doing better I do not mean only the accumulation of assets!

Doing better means providing higher levels of education for successive generations. In other words, if I have a Masters Degree. The bar for my son must be as a minimum a Masters Degree and ideally a Doctorate or PhD.

Anything less means I have not created the conditions for the next generation to do better.

I have often written that education is one of the solutions to all the problems faced in most societies. Two others that come to mind are God and travel but we will tackle those later.

Education is knowledge and knowledge is power. Once you have knowledge it can never be taken away from you and your only limitations are the size of your hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations. Education is enlightenment and understanding of how things work, fit together, coexist in the great circle of life.

Travel has been for me an awesome source of education, knowledge and enlightenment. In some cases I've learned more through travel than I might have learned on a whole course in school.

My mind now goes back to my amazing grandfather, the late great Andrew Solomon Stephen Smith, who never travelled outside Bermuda but was still a great, wise man. I now wonder how much wiser he would have been had he gone on a few trips? However, I digress.

The main point I wanted to raise here was that we have to look out for each other and we must be our brother's and sister's keeper.

Where families break down and are dysfunctional, somebody has to step in and fill that void. It is most unfortunate but nowadays Government is being asked to fill the void when in the old days the entire village raised the children. We must get back to that.

Governments are now being asked to foot bills for and deal with people who engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour, often because of absent parents and/or a village that did not step into the breech when the parents were not getting the job done. We must get back to the good old days.

I'm all for modern ways of doing things but the best plan is to take the best from yesterday and today and marry them into a model that provides a solid, decent, law abiding, moral, effective, efficient fabric and society.

Peace ...