Before planting, farmers clear the weeds from the land to enable the needed plants or trees to grow. Even after clearing the weeds, they treat the land and apply manure to enrich it. Yet, if the farmer fails to sow the desired seeds after clearing and enriching the land, weeds will still grow on it. Despite sufficient comfort, without proper direction of human energy for harmonious productivity, the energy turns against the society.[1] That is how energies that could have been used for social benefits have been diverted to cultism and reckless life.
Nigeria rose in recent ranking of most dangerous places to be born[2] or raised in the world. The menace of violence, robbery, kidnapping and a recent explosion of cultism and reckless life among youths increase the ranking. Some of these occurrences are blamed on poverty, since most culprits are found to come from poor backgrounds. Yet, among the perpetrators of these crimes are rich kids, whose youthful exuberance were neglected or misdirected. Some rich families lament about their children’s involvement in cultism and reckless life despite receiving every material thing they requested.
Theists believe that humans are active beings and co-creators created in God’s image. Humans are active beings with energies to manifest for their fulfilment, not passive beings who just lie to accept anything. Even after accepting several comfort, they desire to get fulfilment by manifesting their own abilities, expertise or relevance. The hunger for manifesting their ability may not be quenched by receiving more material gifts, but by overcoming tough challenges. And when positive challenges are not posed and rewarded by the society, negative challenges are posed by media or peers.
Range of challenges posed in the society can be divided in two ideas: Plato’s republic-philosophy of contribution and Epicurus’ Hedonism. Plato describes the ideal society as a progressive republic with three categories of people: administrators (leadership), soldiers (security) and workers (production).[3] He defines social good as the individual’s contribution of his part/duty to the society as administrator, soldier or producer. Propagating hedonism, Epicurus prescribed physical[4] pleasure as the only good[5] – let us eat today for tomorrow we shall die. Plato’s challenge is individual’s development and social contribution, while Epicurus’ challenge is individual’s effort to get personal physical pleasure. Hence, societies encourage challenges from either hedonism or philosophy of contribution based on the one they reward.
Observing Nigeria’s media space shows a prevalence of Hedonism as the society’s driving force and challenge. Presently, Nigerians seek praise by how much pleasure they are able to flaunt. And due to Nigeria’s disorganized system, getting these pleasures has become too challenging. So, even rich kids wish to prove that they struggled to obtain wealth, or prove strength by taking up daunting challenges. Some of the ways through which they prove strength include risky challenges like cultism and reckless life. Unfortunately, they form deep bonds with dangerous people who provide them the incentives to prove their strength.
While average kids join cultism life for pleasure, rich kids join to prove themselves and to form bonds. There are not so much ways to show strength and get approval in Nigeria apart from physical pleasure and force. Nigeria’s production capacity is blocked by the colonially made government that seizes and sells peoples’ resources.[6][7][8] Since there is little local productivity, Nigeria depends on importation, which becomes scarce and proves a challenge to many. Hence, what other people get easily as citizens of their nations is sought in Nigeria by struggling and showing force.
Reversing the urge to show their youthful energy on cultism and reckless life begins with the society’s redefinition of values. Observing the negative challenge produced by Nigerian hedonism demands a switch to republic-philosophy of contribution. And Nigeria has many industrious and intelligent people who can collaborate and contribute their energies to develop Nigeria.
So, Nigerian ethnic communities that have never been allowed to agree on their nationhood[9] have to talk and agree for collaborative productivity. Then, the different ethnic communities will educate their people to use whatever they have to produce what they need. As farmers observe soil to determine suitable plants, parents/society enable their children to discover and develop their talents for suitable social-roles. Eventually, the society expects the same fruits they sow in the life of their citizens. Then social praises will come from individual/group productivity instead of pleasure and force through cultism and reckless life. Then the determinant fact of “cult” superiority over others becomes their ability to produce better social commodities than others.
[1] Chukwunwike Enekwechi, “Emptiness of unchallenged comfort” in Restartnaija 26th October, 2017. https://restartnaija.com/2017/10/26/emptiness-of-unchallenged-comfort/ retrieved 26th March, 2018
[2] Anule Emmanuel, “Bill Gates faults Buhari’s economic plan” in NewTelegraph March 23, 2018. https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/03/bill-gates-faults-buharis-economic-plan/ retrieved 26th March, 2018.
[3] Plato, “Republic” In A brief history of philosophy by Derek Johnston (London: MPG Books, 2006) p.22
[4] By physical pleasure, he meant pleasures derived from “taste, touch, hearing, sight smell” Derek Johnston, A brief history of philosophy (London: MPG Books Ltd, 2006) p.46
[5] Derek Johnston, A brief history of philosophy (London: MPG Books Ltd, 2006) p.43, 46
[6] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 2
[7] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 2, paragraph 1
[8] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 3
[9] cf. Richard Dowden, Africa altered states, ordinary miracles. (New York: Public Affairs, 2010). p.445