“Let our
pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself but that he is a public
property. Let him be taught to love his family, but let him be taught at the
same time that he must forsake and even forget them when the welfare of his
country requires it” – Benjamin Rush
There was an
incident I encountered at the Taxis and buses station one evening. It was
around 5pm, where normally most workers after work come and board cars to their
various destinations.
This place is
commonly characterized with long passenger queues waiting for their turn to
onboard a vehicle which is heading to their destinations, hawkers selling,
buses trooping in and out of the station. At this point, as some passengers
acquire their need from the hawkers, they also take advantage and sell their
wares to them.
I was in one
of these long queues waiting patiently for a bus, when a young man infront of
me just dropped an empty water sachet on the floor, immediately my conscience
triggered me that it was not the right thing the man had done. I quickly suggested
to the young man that, he should pick it because it was not right. He agreed
and willing picked the sachet and added it to the things he was carrying. I
thanked him for that gesture.
In some few
minutes, a gentleman who was actually even well dressed than the guy infront of the man who picked the rubber just called a hawker who was selling water, bought one, drunk it and after
threw the rubber on the floor. I questioned myself, ‘is this intentional?’
because, if he might not have seen what happened, he might have heard it.
I moved two
steps forward and suggested this gentleman to pick the waste, he boldly turned and
told me confidently that, “some people will come and sweep the premises so he
was not picking the trash”. This was because a waste management company has
been contracted by the government to clean various parts of the country.
I then picked
the empty water sachet and held on to it. This situation let me understood that,
this gentleman did not care about the multiple effect his action will have
on other citizens and the nation as a whole - if the rubber was going to end up
in a gutter by either wind or rain, it will cause stagnation of water, breed
mosquitoes which cause malaria and also can even cause flooding, which can take other people’s lives and
displace others, if there be many rubbers choking the gutters to prevent free
drainage.
He didn’t
think about it this way too: that it does not speak well of his country, if tourists
visit this country and find out how filthy the country is, and what will be the
effect of that on the country and many more.
If you have
the sense of nationalism as a citizen you will behave otherwise.
I have also observed that, most of the politicians have lost their sense of nationalism. They first speak from their parochial interest, then their political stand and later the country. This shouldn’t have been so, for a politician, the interest of the welfare, wellbeing of the citizenry and the utmost development and progress of your country must be your prime aim and objective. But some of our politicians nowadays are blinded by greed, cheap propaganda to win cheap political scores and this makes them forget about their sole duty for which they were elected into office – to bring about development and better living conditions for the people.
I have also
observed that, some party supporters and sympathizers most often cloud at party
offices and demand money from these politicians instead of them edging the
politicians to implement developmental projects in their communities. These
politicians see this as a way of luring these people to vote them again into
power. I ask the question that, “where do the politicians get the money all the
time to satisfy these money-minded party supporters”?
It’s my
prayer that the spirit of nationalism will rain in the hearts of the youth and
especially the budding young leaders of this nation. Let the love of our country
outweigh and surpass any other motive in your cause and doings, if we cultivate
this, I believe strongly that, there will be a paradigm shift in the state of
our country and its inhabitants.
“Every
good citizen makes his country’s honor his own, and cherishes it not only as
precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defence and is
conscious that he gains protection while he gives it”. ~ Andrew Jackson
“A man’s
country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is
a principle: and partrotism is loyalty to that principle”. ~ George William
Curtis
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