The Life Cycle

The most potent test tool for the essence of a people’s existence is their culture. The late Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai referred to culture as coded wisdom in the custody of the elderly in every African community. Here in Nigeria, such wisdom, which defines what a people are, is not in short supply. In fact, I am yet to find a country with a more complete value system entrenched in the ways of life of its people than Nigeria. We are however quickly losing this as we navigate more and more to cities and lose that community spirit and respect. Nobody listens to the elderly anymore. We squander their knowledge, as we do the abundant natural resources that God has gifted us with.

The world over, it is the parents’ responsibility to care for their children. In almost all Nigerian cultures, this value system pushes that sense of duty a notch higher. It is not enough for the Nigerian parent to provide for their children, they do so with the consciousness that their children will either be a blessing or a curse to the larger community, depending on the kind of care they receive early in life. Beyond being duty-bound, our culture measures parents’ virtues by what their children turn out to be in life. This is why the single mother selling roasted corn by the roadside has children she is educating, sometimes up to university level, when her daily income is nothing to write home about. This is why fathers will sell their property, rather than watch an opportunity pass their children by, be it qualitative education or a business opportunity. They just don’t want to fail only the children but also society at large.    

Traditionally, our culture of care does not end at the parent-to-child level. In reality, care giving is a cycle whose beneficiary is interchangeable. As is expected of parents to adequately provide and care for their dependent children, so are the children bound to respect and honor their parents in their old age.  Every senior citizen is the responsibility of the younger generation, as every child is the responsibility of an adult. This reciprocal system is validated by two Nigerian proverbs. “Though one woman gives birth, the entire community cares for the child.” and “When a rabbit grows old, it sucks from its offspring’s milk.”

Unfortunately, the elderly, who are the most vulnerable in our society, have neglected the younger generation as they have drifted from home. We are already experiencing the results of a broken duty.  Senior citizens have been too readily cast aside. Their ways are outdated and of no use. We too will soon be old and will soon be experiencing the same treatment!

We are generation selfish who feel that we know it all. We forget the cycle of life and are blissfully unaware that soon, we shall not feel so strong and invincible but will have knowledge to transfer if our counsel is sought and will need a shoulder to lean on.

 There is no merit in setting up Ministries of Niger-Delta and youth development and pension commissions, etc. if the ideology and the principles, which have necessitated their creation, are not valued. They are thus set up purely as moneymaking ventures for those politicians appointed to oversee them. They cannot perform a civic duty as the corruption of the officials only feeds fat on the sweat of its citizens.

Think of a child, think of the joy that the sounds and the sight of a child bring. Think of what we learn from watching a child grow and think of the unconditional love that our children give us. What would the world be without this love?

Then think of us, able and strong with the ability to care for these children and do what ever we need to protect and nurture them.

Our parents do this for us. On life’s journey, they acquire all the skills to flourish, protect us and survive. They made mistakes on this arduous quest, and when no longer physically able, have the ability in their memory drive to guide us down the beaten track and thereby give us a formula to enable us avoid their failings and improve on their successes. They have empowered us. We should not throw away this gift and should remind ourselves of this culture, as our failure to do so will cost us dear and deprive us of that success which so desperately eludes us.