THE phenomenon of distraction is not a helpful process because it ignores where it is leading, regardless of what it means when those who sleep come awake. Most likely, they will still be unawake and refuse to attribute the cause of falling asleep to anyone except themselves. The imposition of the adult world, absorbed across human expression worldwide, cannot be merely a matter of things carried that fail to be anticipated, with protection offered to the more and less vulnerable.

Facts brought to the feet of perceived authority are put aside. It is not those who bring them that err, but the structure of the human environment, where secrecy envelops self-interest, prevailing over justice and self-preservation, has to be taken into consideration in understanding why the lessons to be taught are not taught swiftly.

The alternative rests, in many ways, with the arts and public activists. When I ran a small institution with some colleagues, directed at schools, it was incredible what we learnt. Co-operation spurred us on. We spread anti-drug concepts against the walls of not knowing.

A former Police Commissioner advised us to widen our scope, but what we learnt required more input from data. When we acquired it, it required intense additional research. We were a small group with families, and with incidents that visited us.

The horrible things we learnt from parallel institutions compelled us to dig deeper. Home economics and an offspring entrapped by addiction commanded attention at home for me, and this intruded on much of what we were doing.

I was excited when the Drug Court came into being, but there are still valid areas that require serious intervention.

As an artist and writer, I envisage much more to be done.

Stay strong, families. No one said that it would be easy…