By Ustaz Mark Bang
Here in our country, it’s so controversial that it’s now up to weak people to forgive and ignore.
To forgive their leaders and sometimes ignore the facts of suffering. When vulnerable people open their mouths to utter things out of their senses because of their predominant suffering, some find themselves ending up in the cell, and others are harassed, intimidated, and sometimes killed.
There is no solid reason to testify to shutting the mouths of vulnerable communities, individuals, or social groups if the people whom they have given chances to lead have never done what is needed to be done in their societies if their parents fought wars that liberated this nation, and if they are the particular people dying of conflicts, hunger, and even poverty. There is nothing more that we are in dire need of than good roads, schools, health facilities, power, and clean drinking water. If roads were constructed, vulnerable women, children, and elderly people wouldn’t succumb to the death of slight diseases simply because roads are inaccessible, especially in rainy seasons, and simply because there are no health facilities present in their locality and sometimes far from them. Pregnant mothers, children, and the elderly die before reaching places where they might get medications; medicines might also be present, but reaching the most suffering communities is so hard.
Just in the twinkling of an eye, people will take revenge by saying enough is enough. Mark my words from now that the majority of our country’s inhabitants will come out in large numbers crying if most of the desired things are not fulfilled, things to do with security, the development of infrastructural facilities, and many others aren’t maintained. Endurance of hardship and suffering have their limits, and when this happens, no one will say no. Don’t do this and that. In Sudan’s neighboring state, things are getting harder and harder; people fled to seek asylum, food, and shelter, among other things. No one expects to see what is going on wrong in either Russia-Ukraine, the state of Israel-Palestine, or other countries that have failed to address problems facing their nations. Revenge is the pathway to contempt and more violence. Violence breeds violence, simple as that. In order to commit this violence, all you need is a drink or two to fortify your anger, and off you go. Now I ask you a question. What is the result of the lack of violence? How about this, peace? The pathway of forgiveness leads to healing, to hope, and to a return of peace. You have lost an enemy and may have gained a friend. The hard part about forgiving is that it takes courage to do so. That person needs to move through an internal struggle and overcome the hate that leads to vengeance and violence. If we say we believe in peace, we must take our portion with peace. There is your answer: courage for peace.
Notwithstanding, forgiveness, patience, peace, and dignity reveal who the person is, what he might think, and all he has to do. It’s of great importance to find ways to resolve conflicts by bringing people together, visiting them, sitting down to discuss ways forward, and looking into their problems. With this, they will know that their representatives in government have been by their side in times of difficulty. Point being, it’s really easy to give clients what they ask for. It’s much harder to really understand what the client is asking and then make sure they are doing it to serve their best interest. Manager managed versus member managed? That’s a good question, and there are real legal consequences down the road. A good operating agreement? It’s more important than you might imagine. If you’re interacting with any third party, i.e., partners, clients, and investors, you owe it to yourself to verify that whoever you’re doing business with will actually have properly licensed attorneys and paralegals helping you. How long are people going to be silent? When is their government going to see all the wrongdoing they are doing? And what will be the end of all this we’ve been seeing occur? These are questions most of our people have, and we continue to be patient and silent, even though we endure things that are impossible to keep quiet about. Before being a good citizen, we can help our children understand their role as members of a community. It helps to first define it. What does it mean when we say someone is a good citizen?
First, there are established rules we must follow. We all need to abide by laws, pay our taxes, and vote. Beyond that, other traits associated with being a good citizen include: having respect for others and their property; knowing your rights and respecting the rights of others; being informed on the issues of the day; learning the facts of our true history, both good and bad; having compassion and empathy for others; taking responsibility for your own actions; being tolerant and accepting of others’ beliefs and attitudes; recognizing and respecting the truth; and speaking the truth to power.
Once you understand what being a good citizen means to you and your family, it’s time to talk to your children about it. Having an open, honest conversation is what children need to better understand the concept. Explain to your child what you’re hoping to do and why, then encourage them to ask questions and provide honest answers as best you can. Be a role model. You are the biggest influence on your child. Be sure that you are modelling the behaviours you would like to see in your child. Discuss the issues. Don’t be afraid to talk about the issues of the day. Have frank discussions on the political divide, current events, and social issues such as racism and antisemitism. It’s only through open discussion that issues can be brought to light and addressed. Be a responsible voter. Do your research, talk about the candidates and their views, and explain why you are voting for one candidate and not another. Take your child to vote with you and explain the process. This will help to convey your beliefs and views on topics that are important to you and your family. Explain how our government works and why it is important to our society. Children can learn much more about this. Get involved. Support your local community by taking part in community activities and volunteering for events. Having your child be part of this can help instill a lifelong tradition of being involved and offer a sense of belonging. You can learn more about how to effectively talk to kids in this post.
Conversation is key. Once upon a time, conversation was an art. Today, so many of our conversations devolve into arguments, with neither side winning. The art of listening respectfully and responding accordingly seems to have disappeared. That’s why it’s important to instill in kids the value of a true conversation. It’s critical that we remind children (and adults!) that opposing viewpoints are something to be discussed, not dismissed. It’s time for all of us to recognize that it’s okay for others to think differently about things and have their own opinions. Part of being a good citizen is recognizing that not everyone will agree and respecting the opinions of others, even when they differ from our own. The key, though, is whether those opinions are based on fact. The truth is what is most important in a conversation. It’s one thing to be a good citizen in the real world. But today, reality also includes the digital world. Social media has had a huge impact on society, affecting how people obtain their information, share their thoughts, and treat others. Unfortunately, not all of it is good. Teaching children to be good citizens in the digital world is also crucial. Again, having open discussions and stressing the importance of respect and truth in the digital sphere can be helpful for children. When you interact with other communities, even on social media, be kind, honest, and polite, even when wrong people attack you on social media. “Public Staunchest Ally”
The writer of this article is a human rights activist, writer, and professional teacher.