When we are born, we do not have to be taught to be self-centred, greedy or manipulative. It just comes natural. We can, for the most part, get what we want just by making enough noise or being destructive. Later on, we learn that our parents do not know when we lie, so we lie. You can find all this behavior even in very young children.

When we are born, we are born with a moral code. A conscience. We instinctively know right from wrong. A child does not have to be taught that it is wrong to hurt someone, or to steal from them. They have a healthy conscience that acts as their guide.

Imagine this conscience as some beautiful statue representing a person's humanity.

Now, imagine that every time a person acts against their conscience, this statue becomes damaged. A person does something they know is wrong, such as stealing. Their conscience tells them. They feel guilty. They suppress the guilt, and their conscience is damaged. A crack, a break. They find they can steal again, and their conscience does not react as much. It is damaged.

Every wrong we do against another person damages our conscience, and makes it easier for us to do the same thing again. In fact, doing these things gives them a feeling of power. Of being in control. The other person doesn't matter - "He isn't me, so he doesn't count. I'm the important one".

The first time you steal. Crack.
The first time you mug someone. Another crack.
The first time you hurt someone.
The first time you set something on fire.
The first time you kill someone.

Crack. Splinter. Smash.

The statue is not so beautiful. Parts have fallen off. There are gaping holes all over it. The person's humanity is broken. They become like cruel, uncaring animals.

So, what to do about it?

Some people say humanity will evolve into a better society.
Some say the answer to these problems is education.
Others say the answer is counselling and therapy.
Some say it is the need for discipline.
Some say to punish them, lock them away from society.
Others say that a person can change through meditation.
There are some that use spells and incantations.

Some of these methods may change behaviour on the outside, but they cannot repair the damage inside. Sooner or later, a person will need the buzz, the feeling of power, that these things undoubtedly give.

Jesus Christ is the only person that has an answer to this. He called it being born again.

When we become Christians, we break away from our old life. We consider it dead. It has no more power over us than we allow it to have.

God wipes our slate clean. Our minds are renewed. Our conscience is repaired. The statue of our humanity is restored.

We have the Holy Spirit, who heals and repairs us, then changes us from the inside. It is not a cosmetic thing. Not simply adopting particular behaviour, but a change to our very character.

The violent become caring. The greedy become generous. The selfish become servant hearted.

No other religion, no other philosophy, no therapeutic technique, no meditation can deliver what Jesus Christ does through the means of the Holy Spirit.

The people that are rioting and stealing have become damaged. They have become less caring about other people, more self-centred. Their conscience is broken, and the world offers nothing to restore it.

They have felt the buzz, the power, the feeling of control that comes from acting against their conscience's restraints. They boast of what they do, not fearing any consequence.

These people are our future society. Because they have broken consciences, they will have an effect far greater than their numbers suggest. One bad family can ruin life in a whole estate. You can move the family, but you cannot change them. Unless...

Only Christ provides the means by which a person with a broken conscience can become truly human again. Only Christ can give them another chance.