Mendel discoveries have manifested that there are two factors that influence the life of every individual – he called them Trait [those characteristics that men acquired from parent] and Environment [those characteristics acquired from our physical surrounding]. Additionally, he emphasizes that environment has greater impact on mankind than trait.
Philosophers also on the other hand have agreed, but in different terminology, to the Australian Monk argument that men are influenced by nature (acquired behavior from parents) and nurture (learned behaviors which are gained from environment). Hence, sociology also agrees with them, after a profound observation and analysis that men are born in the strict structure of the society. I.e. if a society is an evil and a violent one, it breeds evil and violent people.
History has shown us that our elders had always, insensitive to the fact that they were going to be copied by the generation to succeed them in activism, seen violence as the only legitimate means in seeking redress to their plaque and the people’s they claimed to represent. Hence these generations of Librian youths have been so addicted to this contagion that no one will do them reference as future leaders of this country. All this age-long violence has not only obliterated all the basis fabric of the society, but has also provided excuses for governments who failed to deliver the good to the people. All the pervading violence has been exploited as pretext for the degeneration of government promises, plans and policies into farce. These mental habits, slowly acquired in the course of evolution, and now part of our intellectual heritage, have become so ingrained in us that no student or human right activist will commence a speech without terminating it with “any attempt”. However, most youths tend to hang on the proverb “what goes around must come around” as justification for their action. “Mr. / Mrs. X did it,” they always say. While it is true that they did it, should we continue to walk in their erroneous foot-print? No! The essence of leaving behind is to monitor and avoid stepping on those stones the man ahead of you slipped on.
Alluding to the fact that history has the tendency of repeating itself though not as uniquely as in the past, if we do not shake up the shell our elder past behaviors have cast over us we will continue in this circle and culture of violence. Because what so ever we do now, will surely haunt us in the future.
Now that we’ve learned the bitter lessons taught us by history, Liberian youths should be the ones to educate and caution people to avoid repeating those things that sank us into the quick sand of political malaise, economic dislocation, ethnic rivalry, ect.We should be the outlet and strumpet of peace, and not violence. Violence is not the only means of portraying ourselves as conscious and powerful people.
History should cease now being the record of personalities and become the history of great invention and new ideas; it should begin studying people at work rather than the warrior at war. Transition from the compulsory cooperation of militancy to the voluntary cooperation of pacifism is not only critical to the solidification and cementation of our peace, but rich in reward for us and our unborn generations.
But on the contrary, if we continue, like our predecessors, to put this commando-style of dealing with issues in the head of our successors, we will not be content with the consequences it will pose on us in as mush as man is what society made him.
For the children in the elementary and high schools now to see peace as the only salvation to mankind, we must first set the benchmark. Once we learn how to harness the tremendous potential of our mines and how to organize the knowledge we already have, we can turn into the power necessary for attaining our definite major purpose.
© 2007 by The Perspective
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