WORD FOR THE WEEK – HUMANE
The word humane is defined as having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; it is to be compassionate.
I would gladly assert that it is an essential component of the human psychology. As human beings, when we see someone display in a callous manner, bereft of emotion and handing out an unbearable level of hardship and suffering, we term such an one as being inhumane.
It is sad to note that bit by bit, humanity is losing touch with its humaneness. We see crime being perpetuated with the type of violence that use to be exclusively reserved for the darkest moments of wars, clips of such barbaric and horrific occurrences, carried out purposely by humans to prove a point now litter the crevices of the Internet. Worse still children are exposed to all this unreservedly and would describe it to you in gory detail, making even adults shiver in fear and worry.
I can not advise on how this can be fixed holistically, but with the recent news of an attempted poisoning of a classmate by a junior secondary school in Lagos, on the grounds of academic rivalry, I believe a line has been crossed.
Children are wont to fear death, but when an early teenager or a preteen at that can concoct an elaborate scheme to eliminate another human being, for any reason whatsoever, it is a big sign of failure of not only his parents but his immediate society as a whole.
We now see public office holders being accused of embezzling sums of money that over ninety percent of the population would only imagine in their lifetime, amount of money that a single person cannot work for in ten lifetimes, nor a family exhaust in several lifetimes. Money is being found in unbelievable places, forfeited by absconding “bandits with biro”, proving once and for all that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword, albeit in a negative way.
I sometimes wonder how newscasters are able to keep a straight face or not burst into either tears or outrage when reading these news items, as I can best describe them as funnily maddening unbelievable phenomena. Or how else do you explain to your kids that amounts totaling 19 Billion Naira in various currencies (it’s value can grow by almost half more if converted by parallel market rates) was found unattended to while the government is desperately trying to tax market women and artisans?
Stealing such an amount without having to carry arms or worse still break a sweat all thanks to taxpayer-funded air conditioners cooling your office while powered by diesel engine the poor man cannot afford while the guy in the next office is doing the same or worse, all these without the country going to the UN or IMF to legally file for bankruptcy can only be achieved with help from the supernatural. What else can be a classic example of a Phenomenon?
It is time for parents to begin to help their children connect with and stay in touch with their humane side. This can save us a whole generation of lawlessness. It is time neighbors begin to show humaneness to one another, that could teach our children to look beyond religion, tribal and other societal differences.
Your humaneness could be why your children have a good spouse, proficient professionals to attend to him and an unhandicapped civil service tending to them in the future.
It’s time to fix our children’s tomorrow by changing our today.
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator and Creative Writer.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. @IJoswil
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