Is our culture the Elephant in the room
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:00 pmIs our culture the elephant in the room?
It must be worrisome and painful to be a member of a dysfunctional society. It must also be depressing if changes necessary to restructure the society are not a priority of the people. We are at our worst when our law enforcement agents who are created to protect, settle disputes, and enforce our laws, has perfected different methods to extort from us who they swore to protect. Our society is in shambles when you have to bribe to attain everything that you are due. Our future is bleak if our managers are daily reported in the media for corruption, jailed, and found later to be back as a government official. It has become hopeless when our judiciary; our lawyers, judges, and police force are at their glory whenever both innocents and criminals come into their courts or compound to be extorted. It is time, today, that we begin to engage each other and our elected officials and collectively find the means to restructure our society. For each day we do nothing we are cheating the next generation, our children. Their livelihood will be much worst.
My objective is not to assign blame, because we are all responsible, but to ask all of us to reason how we got here and to contribute to how we remedy this terrible situation going forward because ‘a mistake is not an error until you refuse to correct it’ (President J.F. Kennedy).
We have failed, like countries once dominated as ours, to have in place social structures required to direct, inform, and organize members of our society. During colonization our culture was interrupted while our political and economic structures were fully engaged, the social structure was not. Since independence we have neglected our social structure which has begun to affect our economic and political structure.
It is impossible to direct, support, and discipline 160 million people without knowledge of each individual, such as, names, age, gender, profession, residence, population distribution, health, new born, death, property, nationality, etc. A house has an assigned number that is how we locate it. In the house we have the kitchen, the bedroom, living room, and bathroom. When in search of a pair of pants we do not look in the kitchen. Likewise when searching for a spoon we do not look in the washroom. In the kitchen, like in the bedroom, we compartmentalize. The spoons, the cups, the plates, etc. placed for easy access at a later time. In the bedroom we have closet and drawers else we may never find that particular red shirt or stockings. When we travel to a new town we buy a map to navigate us through the city. The map guides us by the streets names. The house number indicates our destination. Imagine if there is no map, street names, no house numbers, no traffic lights and traffic signs? A society cannot be directed, supported and disciplined if it is not organised. Each member of a society need assigned identifications that can be electronically stored, updated, and retrieved. This is how we know every member’s name, address, age, profession, gender, occupation etc. This is the only way that we can direct, support and discipline effectively. (A traffic offender will be issued a ticket rather than corrupting the officer with bribery. Resources and services will be better allocated if population distribution is known e.g. Schools, sewer, water, and hydro. Contracts become reliable and dependable. Daily production of goods and it’s exchanged are transacted with the least interruption. Those with money may now find those with ideas much easier. Each individual become responsible). Every member of a society is patriotic if each has a relationship with the society. If my country knows who I am, where I live, and understand my needs, my country cares about me and I will care about my country.
No one can direct a society unless its members understand how, where, and why they are heading. Therefore there must be information structure to fully narrate the direction. Every individual must be engaged and given a platform to participate. Even when our elected officials are offering what is good for us they should always remember that a gift is only an offer until it is accepted. There should be daily briefing of the Federal, State, and Local leader’s political, economic and social directives for the society. We will all be motivated to follow if we are informed, engaged, and encouraged to participate.
Security is a major factor for members in any society. It is important therefore for any society to develop structures that will ensure security of life and property. There must be venues to call and get response when there are irregularities, immediate and imminent dangers. Structured personnels that will response timely and effectively make possible a safe and organised society. The law enforcement agencies and the telephone are readily available but the structure is not.
Our culture has also impacted our individual finances. In developed countries life, houses, cars, businesses, and other valuable assets are insured. The loss of what is insured is replaced as per contractual arrangement. While the death of the bread winner in a family ends the livelihood of majority of our nuclear family, the death of a family member in developed countries creates wealth for the family left behind. When houses, businesses, and valuable assets are damaged or destroyed they are repaired and or replaced per insurance contractual agreement. Insurers do not have to bribe or be aggravated to receive what is due. Every Nigerian understands the value of insurance but our corrupt culture has significantly undermined participation. The need to structure the over site of this industry is critical for economic growth and family stability. There are also other collective provisions that our culture has totally ignored. It is critical to have a structured affordable health care for a society because a healthy population is a healthy producer. Insurance on health is essential. Critical illness had bankrupted many families. Each time a nuclear family is impacted severely it affects the GDP. If it is the primary caregiver the impact on the children can be severe. Schooling becomes unaffordable and they fall into poverty. It is equally important to encourage unemployment insurance. We cannot be employed all the time. Temporary sickness, company shutdown, layoffs or unsatisfactory working conditions necessitate the need for unemployment insurance a safety net that will insure workers for a reasonable period of time to secure another employment.
We must develop structures necessary to successfully inform our society of the direction we intend to lead which will enable us to support, discipline, and direct. We must assign responsibility to each member and organise them to effectively and efficiently exchange their production with the least interruption. We must structure our culture to support security of life, property, finances, and health that may ease the stress, burden, and insecurities on the family. Just maybe this is the foundation, the beginning to softening the stress on the whole society. God knows that we sincerely want our country back.
It must be worrisome and painful to be a member of a dysfunctional society. It must also be depressing if changes necessary to restructure the society are not a priority of the people. We are at our worst when our law enforcement agents who are created to protect, settle disputes, and enforce our laws, has perfected different methods to extort from us who they swore to protect. Our society is in shambles when you have to bribe to attain everything that you are due. Our future is bleak if our managers are daily reported in the media for corruption, jailed, and found later to be back as a government official. It has become hopeless when our judiciary; our lawyers, judges, and police force are at their glory whenever both innocents and criminals come into their courts or compound to be extorted. It is time, today, that we begin to engage each other and our elected officials and collectively find the means to restructure our society. For each day we do nothing we are cheating the next generation, our children. Their livelihood will be much worst.
My objective is not to assign blame, because we are all responsible, but to ask all of us to reason how we got here and to contribute to how we remedy this terrible situation going forward because ‘a mistake is not an error until you refuse to correct it’ (President J.F. Kennedy).
We have failed, like countries once dominated as ours, to have in place social structures required to direct, inform, and organize members of our society. During colonization our culture was interrupted while our political and economic structures were fully engaged, the social structure was not. Since independence we have neglected our social structure which has begun to affect our economic and political structure.
It is impossible to direct, support, and discipline 160 million people without knowledge of each individual, such as, names, age, gender, profession, residence, population distribution, health, new born, death, property, nationality, etc. A house has an assigned number that is how we locate it. In the house we have the kitchen, the bedroom, living room, and bathroom. When in search of a pair of pants we do not look in the kitchen. Likewise when searching for a spoon we do not look in the washroom. In the kitchen, like in the bedroom, we compartmentalize. The spoons, the cups, the plates, etc. placed for easy access at a later time. In the bedroom we have closet and drawers else we may never find that particular red shirt or stockings. When we travel to a new town we buy a map to navigate us through the city. The map guides us by the streets names. The house number indicates our destination. Imagine if there is no map, street names, no house numbers, no traffic lights and traffic signs? A society cannot be directed, supported and disciplined if it is not organised. Each member of a society need assigned identifications that can be electronically stored, updated, and retrieved. This is how we know every member’s name, address, age, profession, gender, occupation etc. This is the only way that we can direct, support and discipline effectively. (A traffic offender will be issued a ticket rather than corrupting the officer with bribery. Resources and services will be better allocated if population distribution is known e.g. Schools, sewer, water, and hydro. Contracts become reliable and dependable. Daily production of goods and it’s exchanged are transacted with the least interruption. Those with money may now find those with ideas much easier. Each individual become responsible). Every member of a society is patriotic if each has a relationship with the society. If my country knows who I am, where I live, and understand my needs, my country cares about me and I will care about my country.
No one can direct a society unless its members understand how, where, and why they are heading. Therefore there must be information structure to fully narrate the direction. Every individual must be engaged and given a platform to participate. Even when our elected officials are offering what is good for us they should always remember that a gift is only an offer until it is accepted. There should be daily briefing of the Federal, State, and Local leader’s political, economic and social directives for the society. We will all be motivated to follow if we are informed, engaged, and encouraged to participate.
Security is a major factor for members in any society. It is important therefore for any society to develop structures that will ensure security of life and property. There must be venues to call and get response when there are irregularities, immediate and imminent dangers. Structured personnels that will response timely and effectively make possible a safe and organised society. The law enforcement agencies and the telephone are readily available but the structure is not.
Our culture has also impacted our individual finances. In developed countries life, houses, cars, businesses, and other valuable assets are insured. The loss of what is insured is replaced as per contractual arrangement. While the death of the bread winner in a family ends the livelihood of majority of our nuclear family, the death of a family member in developed countries creates wealth for the family left behind. When houses, businesses, and valuable assets are damaged or destroyed they are repaired and or replaced per insurance contractual agreement. Insurers do not have to bribe or be aggravated to receive what is due. Every Nigerian understands the value of insurance but our corrupt culture has significantly undermined participation. The need to structure the over site of this industry is critical for economic growth and family stability. There are also other collective provisions that our culture has totally ignored. It is critical to have a structured affordable health care for a society because a healthy population is a healthy producer. Insurance on health is essential. Critical illness had bankrupted many families. Each time a nuclear family is impacted severely it affects the GDP. If it is the primary caregiver the impact on the children can be severe. Schooling becomes unaffordable and they fall into poverty. It is equally important to encourage unemployment insurance. We cannot be employed all the time. Temporary sickness, company shutdown, layoffs or unsatisfactory working conditions necessitate the need for unemployment insurance a safety net that will insure workers for a reasonable period of time to secure another employment.
We must develop structures necessary to successfully inform our society of the direction we intend to lead which will enable us to support, discipline, and direct. We must assign responsibility to each member and organise them to effectively and efficiently exchange their production with the least interruption. We must structure our culture to support security of life, property, finances, and health that may ease the stress, burden, and insecurities on the family. Just maybe this is the foundation, the beginning to softening the stress on the whole society. God knows that we sincerely want our country back.