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Essay / Lost Virtues in My Country
Virtue, as used here, is a manifestation of moral excellence in a person or group of people. It is a set of desirable qualities exhibited by one or more people. Unfortunately, my dear country, Nigeria, is losing its once highly desirable virtues. Throughout this country, its citizens are losing their once renowned virtues, leading to serious consequences. Yes, as a result, great talents are lost, dreams are shattered, and a once-promising future now seems bleak because vices, as opposed to virtues, are now the norm. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Take violence for example. In the past, in my dear country, everyone's life was considered sacrosanct. A murderer was despised and treated with disdain, starting with his family. The sanctity of human life was not debatable. Fast forward to the 21st century and you'll get the exact opposite. Human lives are being destroyed in the most horrific ways. In homes, farms, mosques, churches, citizens are shot, massacred and burned in cold blood. Unfortunately, when society as a whole gets wind of these tragic news, rather than condemning it in its entirety, it tends to let the ethnicity and religion of the victims influence their response. Rather than acting decisively, we first try to compare the number of deaths to those recorded under previous administrations. What a shame. Virtue truly lost. We have forgotten that we were first and foremost humans before religion separated us, ethnicity divided us, and politics classified us. We should learn from a parable told by one of the most respected people who ever walked the earth: Jesus Christ. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 teaches us the need to do everything we can to show love to others, even those who may be very different from us. Therefore, whether it is the life of a Fulani, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Tiv, Ijaw, Nupe or any other ethnic group, we must consider it as precious, as sacred. So may we never actively or tacitly condone the killing of a human being. In doing so, we will preserve the lives of the future Ahmed Musa, Chimamanda Adichie and Olamide. Yes ! The future of our children. Another example is political decadence. I read that once upon a time millions of Nigerians, devoid of ethnicity and religion, came together en masse to vote en masse for a Muslim-Muslim slate. This seems like millions of light years ago, as it would be mere wishful thinking to conceive of such a possibility in my present-day Nigeria. My Nigeria today where meritocracy is sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity. My Nigeria today where the question of origin is raised above capacity. My Nigeria today where the question of knowing what we believe takes precedence over what we can offer. And the latest and most sickening, my Nigeria today, where votes are bought and sold for as little as 2,000 naira. We have become so cheap. Our children's future has become so cheap. How can we deign to so lowly mortgage the future of our children for such a paltry sum? The time has come for us to be proud of our dignity and integrity. It's time for all hands on deck. If we still hope to have a country where our children will grow up to be leaders tomorrow, if we still hope to have a country that will compete effectively and favorably with its.