societal leadership

The growth of every society is tied to its leadership. 9jeria suffers from a serious leadership crisis. Leadership as used here goes deeper than the political class for when a graph of the true leaders that pilot the affairs of the people is plotted on a graph, the political herd will be among the lowest on that graph.

The institutions that supersede the political herd are the religion and the family.

Starting from religion. Religion in its sublime function is created to guide man to God, this guidance is structured by moral laws and principle

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” the lords prayer.

All the worlds great leaders and founders of the various religion stressed the importance of morality as the bedrock of sucexful living. Ancient cultures practice theocracy or the political head and the religious head as one person. But that has phased out because first it stifles personal growth and inquiry, secondly it allows each individual his freedom of choice which lets him grow at his pace.

Even with this separation, religion still stands taller than the politicians in that religion communes with God but politicians commune with themselves so the politician  has the need to go to the religious so as to hear from God-this is where religion has its supreme power of guiding the political herd aright. The religious herd has the power to correct instill morality in the minds of the political herd. This responsibility falls on her because, the political herd become arrogant due to the power at their disposal which makes them not listern to the people they are meant to guide for they think these people as insignificant or inconsequential when compared to their insatiable greed. Being that this political herd needs the voice of God in their life, the religious herd then is supposed to checkmate the political class and guide them aright.

But the religious herd in 9geria have failed more than the political herd, their failure has robed the society of morality. We are told to worship God hence we reverence his priest, but this same priesthood we respect to so much now turn around and worship the political herd. This failure is as a result of the same insatiable greed compelling the political herd to neglect her duties and fill her bank accounts with money meant for the people. The priesthood wants to get her own share hence even when the political class is out of line, the priesthood forms “blindman”  and do everything within their power to get a share from the political herd.

In a sense, this failure is worse than the failure of the political class.

Secondly the insatiable greed of the priesthood has made her even robe from the very flock she is meant to guide.

“The only thing worse than a wolves is sheep’s clothing is a wolves in shepherds clothing”- old quote (i can’t recall who said it)

These days, its a challenge to know who God called and who called God, everybody is preaching God and lining his pockets with great material wealth, the same wealth which religion is meant to curb us from excessively gathering at the detriment of others. Today, our insatiable greed is being refueled from the priesthood.

The result today being that in some parts of the globe where people are sensible enough, they have started asking questions, this questions make them doubt the sincerity of the religious class, some out rightly claim religion is a scam. I may not  totally agree with that because religion like every other thing has a good and bad side, it depends on the practioners and what he wants. If a good man practices as a priest, he will guide the flock to God but if a bad man practice as a priest, he will enslave the people and enrich himself.

The Responsibility

The responsibility of rebuilding the house of God or the nation starts with each of us,

?why.

God reside not in temple built with hands, by this ,it implies the church or mosque building is not a house of God rather it is a human construct meant to contain the real temples of God as they come together to sharpen each other (iron  sharpens iron),learn from each other and inspire each other.

Religion is a personal race.

We are the true temple of God, not the building, this implies  we must in our own heart seek the face of our creator, just put aside the multitude of discordant teaching issuing from the pulpit and seek a personal union, for if we live move and have our being in him then he must be accessible to us too. I think it starts with our mediation and study, we as a people do not read much, if we must understand our creature we have to develop the habit of reading, there are basically 3 open books we have to read from.

1-The book of our minds

2-The book of other people mind so we can do unto them as we wish to be done

3-And the book of nature (go to the ant you sluggard and learn her ways- Jesus Christ)

We have to start studying our religious texts on daily basis and create an understanding beyond the “pocket garnished” interpretation coming from pulpits. Then we will understand the value of morality to our religious life.

Some of us are like stones in water, even if it remains there for a millenia, the inside is dry-even if all the religious head preach to them, they will remain as bad as their mind can conceive.

When the light of true worship filters through the screen of our minds, its first impact will be a morally upright society where decency is the order of the day and brotherliness irrespective of sociocultural difference, love will reign supreme in us irrespective of the other persons religion for by then we will understand that God does not accept only a people from one religion because all religion leads to God.

“Not those who call me Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven but those who do the will of my father”- Jesus

As for people of other religion,

“why remove the speck in your brothers eye while there is a beam in your own eye”- Jesus.

Religion is a personal race, collective followership sometimes degenerate into crowd control and manipulation.

When we find this truth then it will take us deep into the journey of nationhood because the two religions we practice has done more to divide than to connect us. Division i do not think is the purpose of religion, unity is the supreme aim of man, no wonder the psychologist Eric Ericson termed integrity the highest level of human achievement.

We can grow into a better nation if we try, it starts with you and me.