Get your own life in order and leave everyone else to theirs

The Usman writes….
I was taking koko at my favorite joint after the first evening prayers waiting for the second. At the same time, I was going through my memory recapping what I had been able to do for the day and what was left to be done. However, my thoughts were interrupted by a loud conversation between two young ladies. It appeared almost like a monologue because one was doing almost all the talking. And what were they talking about? A popular lady’s private affairs that have come public. What struck me was how this lady was able to narrate the happenings in great detail tracing history, analyzing news, and even forecasting the future.

I was worried most about how she was confident that all the information she had was accurate. My bother is how should a young lady care about any of these? What moral right does this young lady have to say anything about this issue? Just because someone’s issue is in the public automatically gives anyone the right to judge and make conclusions. We can say a lot of things because what we do in our closets is not in the public domain yet. And even if those things become public, who will even care? Are we worthy of discussion? Hmm!

I have people I look up to who are far from perfect. What inspires me to look up to them is their little perfections that I think are worthy of emulation. The rest? Not my business. I believe there are a lot of things about people including family and friends I don’t know and may never get to know. Will I be surprised if I get to know them? I doubt! I’ve already assumed they’re human and fallible.

We’re in a country with countless developmental challenges we don’t want to address head-on. The youth hardly want to admit there are challenges at all. Talk about corruption and we’re quick to justify that it’s almost unavoidable. Raise concerns about laziness and we’ll defend that there are no opportunities. Comment on littering and hygiene and we’ll come up with countless reasons to normalize it. Speak of entrepreneurship and we’ll explain that there is no capital. Draw attention to technology, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and processing among others and we will neutralize the discussion with external forces as excuses.

We will even go as far as to blame the slave trade and colonialism for our woes. We don’t want to admit the part we play in our troubles but are quick to judge people based on a negligible aspect of their lives. In our self-righteousness, let’s also admit teething problems like unemployment, poverty, inequality, deprivation, unpatriotic citizens, illiteracy, miseducation, poor healthcare systems, adamance to change, etc.

Even the education we receive is focused on ‘schooling’ us and not ‘educating’ us in the strictest sense of the word. We have churned out too many people who are over-schooled but undereducated. And when you draw their attention, they’re focused on the certificates and not whether they can do what the certificates imply they should be able to do. The education system is fraught with dishonesty to the point where students and teachers appear no more interested in learning and teaching respectively. They seem more interested in passing or making sure students pass by any means fair or foul.

I know many youth who haven’t read a single complete book but they’ve been to school or are in one. You’re almost empty but you think you’re entitled to judge how people live their lives? What’s your basis? Upon which fundamentals are your judgments based? It doesn’t surprise me the perspectives and opinions some of us the youth have. We’re not committed to learning, coaching, mentoring, etc. We’re needlessly entitled and chronically lazy. We complain of a lack of opportunities but fail to go through the mill when given the chance. We complain about things we have little or no control over. Overall, it scares me how the future looks like when we become the new ‘old people’ to replace the old ‘old people’ who may have transitioned to the hereafter.

If you’re reading me as a youth, get your own life together. Chase your dreams, focus on your vision, and get working. Learn. Learn. And learn. Learn from your own mistakes. Learn from the failures of others. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be cowed into the abyss of uselessness. Work on the miseducation you’ve received. Work on your mindset. Work on your skillset. Relearn. Unlearn. Break societal shackles. Remember you may just be a situation or one bad decision away from the very things you criticize about others. Before you criticize and judge, check the achievements of your target and assess if you’re in a position to do so. Get your own life in order, please; and leave everyone else to theirs.

Mustapha Bin Usman
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+233 246 134 798