EPISODE 27 - GENERATIONAL CHANGE AND CULTURE OF INTEGRITY

Everywhere you turn all you hear is that things have changed for the worse; everyone is in a hurry to amass wealth, hard labour is no longer attractive to the young ones since the end result of having money and fame are the things that count these days, and the idolization of wealth and fame has impacted negatively on the value we used to place on age and wisdom.

Now in the days of old (30years down the line), integrity was something to be cherished; parents monitored their children and made they never had what the parents did not purchase for them. If your graduate son came home with a car a bit too soon for that kind of acquisition, you took him aside and ask him how the windfall came to be. If your child wore something you didn’t buy for him you ask for an explanation and if you are not satisfied, you destroy the item and even impose some form of punishment for the questionable act.

Then too, those who stole in the villages were fished out and publicly punished; no known thief was ever given a chieftaincy and if you misbehaved after being titled, you were disrobed, not only as a punishment for the offence but to make a point to the young ones that crime is never tolerated. And the elders were not bribable—integrity and principle were the order of the day and signs of being an elder in the land. NOW THE SONG HAS CHANGED.

Discussant: Do you agree that the value of integrity has dwindled in recent times and if you agree, what do you think is responsible?

What do you think should be done at the family and community levels to stem the tide and possibly reverse the situation?

What about the government levels—should they continue to be above the law? What urgent steps should be taken to make sure that corrupt public officers are made to pay for their crime? (once your actions are suspected to be flawed the person should be suspended even before conviction which might take ages, once a ministry fails in an important project the head should resign, and our cells should be decongested while new ones should be built etc).