The problem goes a long way back, we've been cursed with a rigid mentality and it is being passed down through generations and it will continue until there is a revolution in our mentality. It is common practice in this country to blame everything and I mean every little thing on the government and the "society". We refuse to take responsibility of our lives and as such we make little progress. Our sense of rigidity doesn't allow for exploration, everyone wants to be spoon fed, no one wants to take a risk or be the first to try anything. Greatness is not achieved by sitting in one place and leading a rigid life, Alexander the Great is revered and almost worshiped in the world today because of his conquests. He could have sat in Rome like all other emperors before him but he knew that there was more to the world than the great Roman Empire so he set out on the most expansive campaign the world has ever known till date, he conquered the world, discovering and developing the places he went to including Egypt. Exploration is the beginning of discovery and the human mind is so powerful that we can never really discover all our true potentials but we must try to harness as much as we can before our time here is done. The youth of this country are too lazy and are impressed by very little. The tittle of this piece says it all, Nothing is enough. We can never really finish discovering therefore we should never relent or relax. if the great innovators of our generation had relaxed after their first achievements, we wouldn't have progress. If Steve jobs had been impressed by the first generation mac computers, we wouldn't have the imac, if he had been impressed by the first generation of the ipod, we wouldn't have the itouch and so on. Steve Jobs has battled cancer for years now, he has been given several deadlines for his death yet he continues to develop even more. The reason is because he gets it, he understands that it's not just about him, he understands that his company, Apple is bigger than him and that his innovation is now part of the world and he has a responsibility to continue improving and that my fellow Nigerians is greatness. Aliko Dangote made a significant leap in the Forbes listings coming from an earlier 342 to 51 with 13 billion dollars. Being the only supplier of sugar, cement and salt in Nigeria, he could have relaxed but he knew that controlling a monopoly in Nigeria wasn't enough, he knew that he needed to make a global impact hence he expanded to other parts of the world and today he is the only Black man in the list of the world's richest men. My point is that in order to make an impact in the world and in your country, you must think globally and act locally, you must understand that there is more to the world than Nigeria and not limit yourself to the opportunities here. Consider this... if you have a million Naira, in Nigeria you are a Millionaire but that's just $7000 to a US citizen. The country may have let us down but we can't keep dwelling on the "Nigerian Factor". We must save this generation by rising up and assuming our positions as Global citizens. We must start now to think of ways to make this country better for our children and theirs. Nigeria has a lot of potentials and resources which can be harnessed to make global impacts. In order to avoid further failure, we have to take it upon ourselves to champion the development of our beloved nation but we must first develop ourselves. We have to start looking beyond ethnicity, religious inclination, and other differences which make us "Third World". we need to start thinking positively and progressively and realize that it is never enough. development is a lifelong project and the well being of this world transcends everything else including Nigeria and her problems.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Nothing Is Enough
Myopia is one of the biggest problems in our country today. The distractions here and there have rendered the citizens of this country, especially the youth blind to what the bigger picture is; The World. Nigeria and her problems take up so much of our time and we forget that it's not just about us as a nation, we think too little and act even less, we forget that aside from being citizens of Nigeria, we are global citizens and we have the responsibility of making impact globally and not just in our country of origin.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow emmanuel. I must say this was a very moving piece. I have to agree with you that Nigerian youths are somewhat myopic and we have come to live in a society where we blame our leaders for everything. However I wonder about this global impact you speak of. Just last semester my international business teacher incorporated Nigeria into most of her lectures. It was quite startling for me to see that while she taught about the US, Uk, France, etc she taught about Nigeria, Congo and South Africa. You see this myopia that plagues us Nigerians does not necessarily mean that we dont, albeit unknowingly, make a global impact as well. My teacher was Bulgarian and after she showed us Osuofia in London, I went to go talk to her and ask her how she found that movie. She said that just because WE only see our problems, doesn't mean other people don't see our potential. You say we are easily impressed, but if foreigners are also impressed with us or on their way there then are they also easily impressed or do we finally have reason to BE impressed. I feel that while we do have a long way to go, we have already made impacts on the educated people of the world. Lastly, I want to say that when it comes to Africa, no one, educated or semi-educated, can talk about its countries and NOT include Nigeria. Whether its the economy, music, films, people, etc. I go to school and I see non-nigerians, in fact non-africans watching nollywood. Do you know nollywood is available on the Virgin decoder service in the UK? So so many things Nigeria is unwittingly involved in, but you are right, our myopic youth don't see it all, appreciate it all or even try and build up on it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on this matter.There is definitely a problem with the mentality of individuals inhabiting Nigeria. And as the saying goes, charity begins at home. We as the youths of today have to first of all be aware that there is a problem and move to solve it. Then and only then can we move to prevent our children from suffering the same fate. But the problem here lies in the fact that there is no incentive to uphold this cause if you ask me. I am a youth and honestly i want this country to be better as much as you do but the question on the lips of most of my peers is " will it work"? Also another question is what will i stand to gain. You may think that that is a dumb question but further pondering will lead you to believe that sense lies in it. This is in the sense that if i make a conscious effort to lend a helping hand to this country what will i gain. THis is in the light of the news going round about ridiculous sums of money being looted everyday. These sadden me. Tax payers money! People even make statements like" Fashola may be looting but what do we care?, as long as he is doing his job" This is a sign of resignation and doom as looting is now a norm in the society that we are ready to accept and live by?? You see what i mean?
ReplyDelete