The Platonic Academy

Thursday, 7 June 2012

THE NIGERIAN TRAGEDY: A NATION ON THE EDGE

June 3^rd 2012 will be one of many days that stirs feelings of unimaginable grief and sorrow in the hearts of many.

Nigeria is a country that has, in recent times, become all too familiar with the spate of tragic and catastrophic events. Bomb attacks, ghastly road traffic accidents and now, another plane crash.

Many will find it difficult to come to terms with this reality. The bereaved may never be able to live life as they have previously known. What is it that makes death from the June 3^rd Dana Air Plane crash different from death by any other means? Why is it that the bereaved will find it difficult coping with this tragic loss? The most likely answer would be because the blood of the deceased is in the hands of our leaders.

It may seem redundant to lay blame on who was responsible for what, and who wasn’t doing his/her job properly that may have led to the crash; however, the reality is that the crash could have been any other airline. This is because the policies and regulations put in place by the relevant authorities were not followed (and are hardly ever followed) to ensure the safety of the lives of air travelers. The Dana passengers, on that tragically fateful flight, were just the unlucky victims of a broken system.

One need not be an aviation expert or aerospace engineer to deduce that faulty airplanes have no business flying in the sky. A popular Nigerian comical truism goes “there’s no parking space in the sky”; indeed there isn’t. This leads one to speculate what could have been done to avert this disaster and many others waiting to happen. There are a million and one things that could have been put in place to ensure passenger safety – but none of them matter to the families of the deceased right now, as grief and pain are the only languages they understand.

Human life is increasingly beginning to lose value in a capitalist world, where money is our god and financial security is put before all else. But when one loses a loved one(s) in so tragic a manner, the pain and hatred cuts deep beyond description, and all the money and compensation in the world would never bring back the dead or take us back in time to tell the passengers not to board that ill-fated flight.

Nigeria is a nation on the edge. On the verge of total failure and collapse. Our leaders have conceded defeat and have allowed the nation spiral down into despondency and squalor; a haven for corruption, mismanagement and unaccountability.

Act as you please, make your money and go home - should be our new motto, because after June 3^rd, one may find it difficult to see the Unity in a nation where Islamic fundamentalist have resolved to wipe out selected groups in a country they all share; Faith in a nation where opportunities are out of the reach of the underprivileged; Peace in a nation at war with itself; and Progress where more people descend into squalid impoverishment on a daily basis due to corruption.

As we mourn the loss of the innocent lives of that air tragedy (and all the other tragedies that occurred that week and in the past year), we must also remember to mourn the loss of the Nigeria of our dreams. A nation that was to be the envy of the West. The model for Africa, a beacon of economic and social progress marked with outstanding increase in living standards and quality of life. A nation that made us proud. That imaginary Nigeria where people boarded an aircraft and landed safely on the tarmac to meet the warm embrace of their loved ones.

We must mourn, all day, everyday; until change comes.

To the departed…..R.I.P

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Wednesday, 27 April 2011

THE ESSENCE OF NATIONAL SERVICE

The recently (almost) concluded 2011 Nigerian elections had swept through the nation, doling out death, pain, suffering, anxiety and fear of the future.

As I read the online 'This Day' news article of Saturday, 23rd April 2011, I felt sick to my stomach:

"Two Youth Corpers Murdered in Cold Blood while on National Service"

The electoral commission came up with the "bright idea" of recruiting National Youth Service Corps members to serve as ad hoc staff in the capacity of poll station agents during the election. A decision they would soon regret. News of murdered youths serving their fatherland pours in day after day and one can not help but wonder what words of condolence could be offered to the families of these brave and patriotic Nigerians to help them cope with the meaningless and avoidable loss of their loved ones.

A look at the concept of "National Service and Conscription" reveals that it is a practice all over the world. There are about 90 countries in the world that practice voluntary and mandatory military service and 30 countries that adopt the system of National Youth Service for duration ranging from 3 months to a year.

The objectives of the Nigerian National Service are in tandem with that of most other countries that have a similar scheme: Inculcate discipline, Raise moral tone, Improve self-reliance, contribute to economic growth, promote national unity and integration, eliminate prejudice and eschew religious and tribal intolerance among many others. Unfortunately, 38 years on, these goals are yet to be realized to any appreciable extent.

Youth are dispersed to all corners of the country and left to their fate. Many remain homeless and jobless for the greater part of the service period. The government recruits them offering paltry stipends that barely reaches the poverty threshold of $1 a day. In addition to all this, their security is not guaranteed even when they are on national assignment and their deaths are accompanied with insincere condolences.

As one who has witnessed the failures of the Nigerian Youth Service Scheme first-hand, I still can not completely agree with the concept of completely discontinuing the program, because the practice of national service among the youth does indeed foster national unity, stimulate economic growth and encourages individual development. HOWEVER, if the Nigerian government is unable to cater to the security and welfare of their youth during the service period, it defeats the purpose of the scheme in entirety.

Monday, 21 February 2011

WELCOME SCHOLARS!

INTRODUCTION

Plato was one of the paramount philosophers in ancient Greek history and also one of the most creative and influential minds in Western Philosophy.

Born in 428? BC in the city of Athens to an aristocratic family, he grew to develop interest in politics and the philosophical application to Athenian political system. He eventually became a student of Socrates, another great philosopher with an unquenchable thirst for the truth. Socrates was put to death in 399 BC by the Athenian government.

Plato then established his own institution The Academy in 387 BC. With a curriculum in Astronomy, Biology, Mathematics, Political theory and Philosophy, The Academy came to be known as the first University in Europe.

On that brief historical note, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to my Blog – THE PLATONIC ACADEMY.

Among the three great Philosophers of ancient times: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, I have always had the greatest admiration for Plato because there would be no record of Socrates had it not been for Plato and there would have been no opportunity for education for Aristotle, had it not been for Plato. So it would be correct to infer that we owe our knowledge of western Philosophy and all its applications in life and science to Plato.

SOCRATIC DIALOGUE

Before Plato began any writings of his own, he took it upon himself to immortalize his mentor, Socrates. This led him to make written accounts of all Socrates’ dialogues. These dialogues were in the form of Question-Answer. He would argue both sides of the question and arrive at a conclusion, then, he would argue that conclusion against another assumption. Complicated right?

This unique style was practiced by Socrates because he believed that “Man was already born with knowledge” and all that was needed was to task the mind to ‘pull’ the answers to questions out of our minds. The only way to achieve this would be to pose the right questions and argue it out, more or less, until one reaches a sound conclusion.

Socrates also believed that an awareness that one knows that he does not know is the beginning of true wisdom. Plato learned this style of philosophising and also used it in his own dialogues.

“The true lover of knowledge naturally strives for truth, and is not content with common opinion, but soars with undimmed and unwearied passion till he grasps the essential nature of things.”

It has become imperative that the mordern youth engage in intellectual dialogue in order to arm themselves with requisite knowlegde for individual and societal development in a world afflicted with ignorance.

Once again, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to THE PLATONIC ACADEMY. Where Excellence and Greatness are Nurtured through Intellectual Dialogue.

Scholars at The Academy (Plato, third from the left)

References from:

Baird, Robert M (2007). "Plato." Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.

Bust of the great Greek Philosopher Plato (image). Available at: http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/history/carnegie/plato/bust.html. Cited on February 21st, 2011.

Plato's Acadmy Mosaic from Pompeii (image). Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plato%27s_Academy_mosaic_from_Pompeii.jpg. Cited on Februrary 21st, 2011.