You can imagine my agony writing about patriotism in a country sinking in the intensive care unit. It feels like taking Amala and cold tea in the early morning. I could list the different areas our Nigerian “bumbum” is getting some sizzling kicks, but that would be me telling you that the sun sets in the west.
For most people, the cache of love for the motherland has been sucked dry, and quite rightly so. But tough times, they say, reveal character. Do we only love our country when things are smooth? What does this say about us? In this season of Independence Day celebration, we hold it a duty to reignite our love for our country; and perhaps, things will change for the better. As Mother Teresa said, “I cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
I realised early on that patriotism does not have to be grandstanding. One does not have to get a Nigeria tattoo buried on their belly button or have their forehead marred with angry protruding veins in violent activism. What we do in our little ways matters and, like Mother Teresa’s stone, can create ripple effects.
Do you wait for that traffic light to turn green? What do you do with the banana peel in your hand? In my opinion, our patriotism is an offshoot of our value system. Being guided by the right compass, as a side effect, translates into what we call patriotism. Simply put, you cannot give what you don’t have. In this light, I think that most of us are patriotic if we stand to look at it. We only relegated our true selves in response to bad leadership. However, we can always obey Nigeria’s call and start taking action.
Be kind!
Being kind and a little selfless is a good start. Always sit to consider how your actions affect someone else’s day. The traffic warden you “wakarize” is just an ordinary person trying to provide for their family. Your littering makes someone’s job more difficult. The company is not affected by the insults you threw at the call centre agent. In all, most are just ordinary people trying to get by. See things from that perspective.
Speak Up!
I know that the above statement is hypocritical, coming from a guy who is always in his head. Maybe this advice is for me too. Nonetheless, speaking up is a powerful weapon of the populace. Be a voice for gender equality; speak up for our students who could not see the four walls of a classroom for months. Just speak! And who knows, you could be the domino.
Get involved!
Take that long queue and get your PVC. Waste that precious vote of yours with pride. Get involved in that neighbourhood sanitation exercise and pay up your contributions. Read newspapers and analyse the trendiest topics with your fellow political experts at T-Junction. Haha! The last one was a joke, even though I am always fascinated by the T-Junction form of involvement.
Happy Independence!
