Back in the days, those times we were still young, we do hear the elders say...just because it is not illegal does not make it right. Personally, I just think they aren't given us the freedom to do and explore, they are kind of taming us or is it clipping us....
As I began to age, I found out that there's a very thin line freedom and harm, I saw things the real way it is. I found out that it is possible to be technically innocent before the law, but very guilty before their own conscience. So, I ask myself.....*should we separate ethics and morals from our law/the laws we make?
In Nigeria, most of us are usually very careful, so we won't learn the hard way, but we can't really bypass that, one way or the other, you and I will definitely learn the hard way, I have had my fair share too. I have seen certain people exploit others, and the way they do do it, they will say nobody is above the law, so they wouldn't say they are breaking it, but bending it, they often bend the law to remain untouched.
We live in a country where as long as you are in a/holding a certain position, you can't be scared of the law, the law is not for you, you can maneuver your way around it. I have seen people in their suit, agbada and all destroy lives with pens, with signings with just a simple...lock him up. But tell me, how do we cope, and how do we live knowing we are protected by laws that don’t protect us.
Everyone wants freedom...freedom to speak, to live, to choose. It is good and I very well agree to it. But freedom shouldn't mean we could do whatever we want. Some words pierce in deep than blade, so just because you didn’t stab someone doesn’t mean your words didn’t make thrm bleed, just because you haven't rob a bank doesn’t mean you didn’t rob a person of his/her. What I am saying in essence is that we shouldn't just find offense and criminalize those things that causes physical harm, while leaving/overlooking every other thing that affects us on the inside.
Morals and ethics are those things you won't see in court, you won't find them in documents but of a truth, in as much as they seem invisible, they are what keep the society humane. In a country like ours where tribalism, greed wickedness and all evil deed often hide behind culture, we need more than just laws, we need good conscience, laws will just be mere words that punish actions and not intentions.
Let's imagine a country, a country where it is not illegal to cheat on your partner, where you can choose to abandon your parent or leave home at any age, where you can choose to humiliate anyone anywhere, where a lot of vices could ne done willingly and at ease, no jail time, no fee, no correction.....what do we think of such a country, are we good to go, can you live in such a place, is that country going to experience growth, if they will, what type of growth would it be, would we say as long as no one died, then it's ok. Can we really say people's compassion, integrity, decency and all are still intact and not dyimg.dying What about the death of integrity? Of compassion? Of basic human decency?
Of a truth, we can’t legislate every bad behavior, the problem comes when the law becomes so neutral that it forgets its purpose, and what's the purpose of the law......to protect life and the quality of life, as long as that is not in place then we've we've lost the right to call ourselves a nation built on values.
I believe a nation is not judged by how many laws it has, but by what it permits in the name of legality. So, when making laws, we should/must consider ethics and morals, not because we want to control people, but because we want to preserve the soul of our people/country.
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