I often wonder how things like land, houses, water, electricity, and food became commercialised 🌸. In a world where everyone is a citizen, some people enjoy far more than others 💖. You might say some people work harder than others; however, evidence has shown that it’s not simply about hard work alone 🌼.
The narrative of the world has changed over time. Today, one may feel completely grateful just to have a roof over their head after seeing others on the street 🌸. Let me give you a little background so you can better understand my point 💖.
When I was in elementary school around 2002, our school was very far from our village—about four miles away 🌼. We usually trekked to school. Whenever we saw a private car or van, popularly called a “pick-up,” we would beckon them to stop by lifting a thumb up 👍🌸. They would stop and take us to school. Everyone was free and unafraid—there was no fear of kidnapping or ritual harm 💖.
However, around 2006, the sound or sight of a car began to trigger fear in us—the fight-or-flight response—because cases of children being kidnapped and used for rituals had increased over time 🌼.
Another example is from the olden days 🌸. When a man reached the age to marry but had no house, his age group would come together to help him build one 💖. Every age group practised communal support in the spirit of brotherhood 🌼. Wives plaited each other’s hair, and children ate from any mother’s pot that was ready 🌸.
A brother could show land to another brother and ask him to farm. Though there were possessions and boundaries, brotherhood and humanity remained paramount 💖.
I believe you now have an idea of what I am saying 🌼. Governments tax citizens, yet often fail to uphold their own end of the bargain 🌸. Everything now revolves around gain, money, and self-interest, and people barely care for one another 💖.
If you take time to compare humans with other creatures, you may realise that we are often the source of the world’s problems 🌼. Why can’t we decide to live in peace without trying to control one another? 🌸
The problem in the world today is largely about control 💖. Some groups, having acquired others’ belongings—either systematically or by force—seek to ensure that everyone bows to their command 🌼.
Worse still, many people are not paying attention 🌸. As Marcus Aurelius once said, keeping silent during important matters is also a form of injustice 💖.
I am not advocating physical confrontation 🌼, because those in control already have systems in place. Even innovations meant to help humanity are often commercialised for profit 🌸.
However, it is time we begin to care for the living 💖. It is time we start healing this world from the captivity it has found itself in 🌼. It is heartbreaking that so many people will go through life without ever truly knowing what it means to live happily or enjoy life 🌸.
Look at what is happening in the northern part of Nigeria 💖. What kind of lives will those children—who have lost their parents, livelihoods, and communities in a single day—grow into? Yet they have governments and people who are supposed to be looking out for them 🌼.
This is what I implore everyone to do, no matter where you are in the world 🌸: look out for one another, become part of the solution, and stand up against injustice—no matter how small it may seem 💖.
This world is ours—let’s make it a better place 🌼. Humanity first; create value, and money will follow 🌸.
I remain your friend and brother,
Maazi Onuora Obodoechi 💖
Pen it down. 