A Time When...

I remember being born into a time when life seemed less complicated; A time when we were  more conversant with our neighbours' houses than we were with ours. A time when it took a village to raise a child because our fences were not too high for morals to get in. A time when a stranger's problems strangely became ours and vice versa. A time when presence was essential in communicating and people were more “physically” connected. A time when calculators did not displace mental arithmetic and man's ability to think. A time when it was unacceptable to be educated and intellectually lazy. A time when people were not indifferent and fought to preserve what was right. 

The late Chinue Achibe narrated an even lesser complicated but more passionate era in his book "There was a Country";  A time when our institutions hardly produced half-baked graduates. A time when academic qualifications could be defended by their owners. A time when employers searched for qualified graduates and not the other way round. A time when meritocracy was encouraged and unemployment was minimal. A time when there was prestige in the value of our currency. A time when wisdom in the counsel of elders was valued. A time when legacy was the reason for a man's existence. An era where people were passionate about what they believed in and saw dignity in dying for a just cause. 

Now...we live in an era where  "hi" and "lol" are an indication that our loved ones are doing fine. We have become a generation that will not seek for solutions to the stranger's problems but will ensure it's the next trending news online. A generation that allows trends to be a distraction from the real issues that affect us. A generation that is almost totally dependent on devices to connect and technology to survive. It's frightening to think that my kids require devices (phones, tabs...) to keep still as opposed to discipline. A generation that has little to no respect for authority. Over time, the art of communication has diminished and values placed on our natural abilities to connect, coexist and survive, misplaced.   

Just as a phone call takes away the longing for the letters that take forever to get delivered, the sincerity that cannot be hidden in a face to face conversation and the memories that a simple touch can create, this era takes away the spice of life and leaves us disconnected in ways that we may never imagine...it leaves us in touch but not in tune...






Loretta Laoye