I boarded BRT (Lagos State Government Bus), like I do every morning when going to work. I sat on the outer part of a twin seat with the inner part having a platform, so whoever seats there had to place his/her legs on it instead of the floor of the bus(I deserved to be more comfortable since I got there earlier, right?). It turned out though that I would still have to seat there because the person that was left to seat there when the bus was almost filled up was a pregnant woman. As I moved in, she said thank you but I didn't reply because my brain didn't really register the fact that I deserved one. When she sat down she said thank you again and then I replied with a mumble, realizing then that in her mind I had done her a favour. Then a thought crossed my mind that there was a possibility that someone else would have just stood up to allow her into the less convenient seat but then I reaffirmed myself that nobody would do that. If the seat was inconvenient for me (a non-pregnant lady), I imagined how much more inconvenient she would feel with her legs raised, cramping her protruded tummy.
To cut the long story short; just as I convinced myself it’s a natural 'favour' anyone would do, I remembered a scenario I witnessed, months earlier when I also boarded a lagbus. A lady was sitting on one of the twin seats and the person that was left to seat there was a blind man, who was also a regular passenger. The lady simply stood up for the man (who wasn't seeing her) to go in, watched one of the officials help the man into the seat, and sat back down. I also noticed that no one sitting close by offered to swap a seat for the man. I kept staring at the back of the lady's head in shock and thinking, seriously?
That day I got it-this is why Nigeria remains underdeveloped while countries with less resources develop so quickly. It's our attitude! Our lack of compassion, self-centeredness, inconsiderate behavior, lack of kindness and generally the attitude of thinking about one's self alone without consideration for the impact of our actions on other people's feelings. That's why someone can conveniently steal money that is meant for pensioners, or kill someone (actually take someone else's precious life!) for refusing to give him #50. To most of us, 'it’s all about me'. That's why Nigeria has refused to move forward, she lacks genuine good people. She breeds the kind of people who budget #1.3bn for Feeding allowance while millions of others go hungry, the kind who prefer to waste and squander resources rather than maximize it for the good of all. Most of us can't stand our leaders, but the truth is that many of us will do much worse if given the same opportunities.
This is where it all begins- basic moral values and principles. If you can't inconvenience yourself for an hour just for the sake of kindness, you obviously lack the capacity to feel other people's pain. If you can't feel other people's pain, you can't be the best you should be as an individual. If you are not your best as an individual, you can't be your best as a leader. Many Nigerians steal from their bosses without even feeling guilty about it. Our leaders are also picked from the lot of us. If an individual is not honest while managing a few resources, I don't know why we expect him to be better when given larger resources to handle. If we do not-individually and collectively- commit to embracing and practicing excellent moral values, we should not expect to have the 'good leaders' we so desperately seek in a long while.
I therefore challenge every Nigerian to do his/her part by consciously seeking to be an excellent individual. Do your job to the best of your ability, do not take bribe, show kindness as much as you can, give freely and love genuinely. My pastor says all the time that a person who cannot love people genuinely can never be a good leader. A leader is supposed to influence and motivate people. A person can only be a great leader if he has greatness inside of him because you can't give what you don't have. Do unto others what you would prefer they do to you. Even when people do not reciprocate your good behaviour, do not become bad because of it. It only makes you the bigger person.
When I was dropping from the bus, the woman said "Thank you very much" and I replied with "You're welcome". By this time I fully understood and accepted that exchanging my more convenient seat for her less convenient seat was not a natural act, but a favour I chose to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment