We have definitely lost our successor generation if what we see is anything to go by. The damage on them may go beyond one generation, it may cross to a third except we realize the damage and commence remedial actions today, not tomorrow. As it is, I don’t know how many of us are really bothered about what we see of our youths today. Not many parents and adults care. I have added adults in general in very restricted sense. Before things began falling apart in our culture, not only biological parents were responsible for a child’s upbringing. It was the task of every responsible adult.
Today, that noble norm has been shredded to pieces. It is now a case of every nuclear family on its own and terms. The most ugly thing about it all is that there is no longer the existence of acceptable standards. Each unit is responsible for proper culturalization of the young raises and acts on its own prescriptions. The consequences is the disaster the young ones are turning out to be. We are a society of argumentators; even things we see with our open eyes we still want to argue in the end we turn out paralyzed by over analysis. Remove from that the situation with our young ones is perilous.
For the majority of them, deviance has become the new normal. They have taken it as a culture. Not acting from the reverse side of things means for most one is out of tune with modernity, they are enmeshed breaking all known limits of sane human conduct. It goes even far beyond.
I have seen children exhibit raw effrontery and I have witnessed parents tell others with pride, «my son or daughter doesn›t take nonsense, if he was around things would happen differently». This is a parent making allusion to possible fight that may lead to infliction of bodily harm and even destruction of hard earned properties yet offering open approval. These parents know this trend is bad and if left to become the norm society will be saddled with waking up and seeing dead bodies everywhere yet they sanction the development as a positive one. Some label these attitudinal dysfunction modernity. It isn’t; the West which they imitate has buffers, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for any citizen to climb into public office, this is a check. Where did we go wrong?
Talking about the home and about its responsibility for raising good citizens, the home is the foundation of any society. Whatsoever goes wrong at this level correspondingly reproduces itself in the larger society. When it is about negative culturalization, it leaves a country with a high ratio of vagabond population. We all know that the consequences of that scenario is never pleasant to say the least. If we were a country of very serious people by now we ought to take critical interest in the state of our families and the objective would be to find out the factors propelling the disintegration of core values in that vital unit of human existence.
One of the issues that should engage our time, efforts and then resources would be why parents don›t have time to impart foundational knowledge and wisdom to their kids. Has the abdication of responsibility in this level anything to do with harsh economic climate? Or could it be a simple case of untrained children becoming adults and then parents.? Whatever it is we must admit the family unit is going south and the negative progression is turning out to be very costly therefore a quick intervention has become very necessary. Rescue efforts at the beginning should include the political class, the misadventure in substituting politics away from service to career is a disservice to our coming generations. They should pursue careers, excel in them before venturing into public service. Current trends breed laziness. It kills vision and then industry.
Our educational institutions at various levels have failed us in our bid to bring up worthy leaders for tomorrow, there is huge bewilderment at the quality of graduates each tier of training institutions put out every year. I met a lady last week and the first talk from her was in the form of a lamentation. What was the issue? Her only daughter finished primary school in a private school without ability to construct a proper sentence. I didn›t feel like adding to her woes hence I desisted from asking her critical follow up questions but deep down me I knew the revelation besides disappointment for her held out a possible troublesome future for her and the child, also larger society too.
Kids don›t fail or repeat classes anymore, children can›t be scolded or reasonably flogged to correct grievous character flaws, all of them must pass so that increases in enrolment are not jeopardized. This is a big threat. I told a group of very intellectually exposed persons that there is correlation between the economic philosophy of a country and behavioral patterns. Good enough most understood the point very clearly. Our country has become a victim of the point just made. Private initiative in an atmosphere where key drivers of development and good life are yet to be properly structured out leaves everybody and every institution prostrate. The youthful population would be the worse hit. The resulting atmosphere will definitely disorient them.
We are in that situation right now. The young population is becoming increasingly restless, like falcons that can›t hear the falconer. They are flying in the air without a compass and figure of their crashes should create a startle but lack of statistics is masking what is obviously a huge disaster. Today, we have many graduates who cannot speak good English and write well. Unfortunately both their speeches and write-ups posses no souls. The works lack the force of sound logic. Bad training shows as terrible character, life of no decorum nor decency. Since they lack force of sound reason, every strategy to debate is anchored on abuses and false tales.
A recently released research document from one of the imperialist countries said they were glad in what is happening to youthful population in developing countries, especially Africa because they believe the coming generation would be more amenable to controls, direct or indirect than the ones that emerged post independence. Those researchers are correct. Many of us in the country fear that reenactment of slavery and recolonization is possible. If the young can opt to cross the desert on foot and the Mediteranean sea in rickety boats into western World, is it giving out his sovereignty for survival that would constitute an issue?
Many who are keen to see the position of the black man reordered have pointed to how the younger generation in other places are developed. Countless examples- have been given but because our leadership class don’t care instituting good governance in the land they have also chosen to look off the marks. Other western countries show us lessons by force of examples but some of us love the Italian model. They have it in their rule book, “we have founded the country Italy, the task is to find the citizens.” Sound philosophy. Inside it is the big secret which our leaders have failed to understand of course none can venture into what he doesn’t know.
As I make to conclude it is important to note certain important points if we are to regain the new generation almost lost. The first will be that we don›t have a country. We are still at the society level. A country is the outcome of a deliberate vision and efforts. We have not done this. How is this important to new generation question. Simply, a
country would have ideals that must drive it, these would shape the creation of citizens young population inclusive. In Israel you are never counted until one has gone through the Jewish institute to know what makes you a true Jew.
I asked a Jewish friend «why do the security officials believe all that you tell them? He replied: «They know I won›t tell lies.» That country has indoctrination process on nationhood but here we don›t. The other thing would be our institutions now concentrate on learning and leaving out character. This is very dangerous. Developed countries established special institutions to raise future leaders for them, where is ours? Then, every country that intends to enter the league of civilized world must regulate social influences that hit their space. This is very crucial. Today, apart from foreign films every advert begins with and ends with young ones engaged in wild dancing, even schools want our children to play terrific music and dance sensually. We can›t survive the fire. It will burn us.