Back in school I wasn't really the religious type. But I had sound moral principles, what most people may consider rigid, stiff, and stringent.
I was the guy people ran away from during exams, cos not only would I not ask you or tell you, but I will also make sure my papers were well covered so you couldn't have a peep. And oh, just so you know, this hasn't changed one bit! But before the exams? I don't mind spending my whole day teaching, explaining, demonstrating, gesticulating, breaking my head and pouring out my brain's grey matter for you to understand. One day we were arguing about examination malpractice, the reasons why some cheat and others don't, and I was saying that my not cheating was a conscious decision inspired by my sound moral upbringing.
But something a friend said hushed me, and made me to have a sober reflection on the subject. He said, " Chidi the reason you don't cheat is because you know that no matter how tough the exam you would always pass. If you were some of us that struggle to pass, and is almost always on the verge of failure, do you think your 'morals' would have kept you from cheating to make ends meet?"
Try all I did, I couldn't find a suitable defense for that rhetoric. Anything I said then would pass for just mere theories. Fact is until I wear that painful shoe of failing repeatedly , and walk that path of uncertainty and loss of self confidence, I wouldn't be sure what I would do. I had suddenly lost my bragging rights; that question shot me down from my moral high horse, and I lost the right to judge. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy, says Martin Luther. Next time before you climb on your moral high horse to judge, take a break and ask yourself the billion dollar question, What if the tables were turned?
DISCLAIMER
The aim of this article is not to provide a moral justification, or an emotional excuse for wrongs. What is wrong is wrong.
It just calls for sober reflection and to remind us one of the numerous reasons why we should never be in a hurry to pass judgements.
And before we praise ourselves for doing good, we should always ask, what if the circumstances wasn't in our favour, would we have gone ahead to do said good?".