The Pacifist
Some of my readers will, upon ‘browsing’ this article conclude that I’m a coward. Quite frankly, I really don’t care. I believe that whatever the virtues of belligerence are it is one thing we as a people really do not need at this time, and yes we are “a people” at least until there is an official alteration of the current status quo. To those who have called me a pacifist in the past on account of my call for mutual understanding, well this is me “coming out of the closet” (in a manner of speaking) so eat your hearts out, you were right I am a pacifist. And what is worse? I’m seeking to recruit disciples, so help me God.
In my humble opinion it takes courage, in our present circumstances, to be a pacifist. The national landscape is awash with sectional champions spewing forth inflammatory rhetoric; everyone – from Einstein to fool, male and female, proletariat and aristocracy – just about everyone really is guilty of standing on their own side of the bitter divides from where we are foolishly fanning the flames of the deadly fires that threaten to consume us all. Before spitting the word ‘pacifist’ at me, pray tell: what has hate really achieved so far? When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object you know you have an irresolvable impasse on your hands. This stalemate of fury cannot be allowed to continue unabated because surely no-one will survive its devastating aftermath when full blown.
I remember reading an article about Barak Obama written by New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, titled “From Barak to Barry and beyond”. Something stayed with me from it which I want to quote here. Talking about Obama’s multi-racial upbringing Mr. Cohen says that it forced him “to explore the spaces in-between, the areas that are neither ‘with us’ nor ‘against us’. One would think that Nigerians of all people would understand the need for and benefit of this approach to living. Honestly I always wonder about the people who are calling for war, for a breakup of the country (into God knows how many pieces!) whether they don’t have relatives among people of other tongues and religions. I have family married to Yoruba, Calabar and Ogoni people; I also have family married to Muslims so no matter which myopic, primordial, bigoted line this country is divided along it would be most unsavory for me.
Let me make one little clarification: I am a man of strong Christian convictions and I’m not confused about my cultural roots and heritage either. All I’m saying is that our lives and destinies have become so intertwined that calling for breakups and division is a little too simplistic and does not take into account the full import of the consequences and implications both in terms of collateral damage and social upheaval including disruption of families. So I’m asking that in the alternative, can we just consider being as objective, as open minded and tolerant of our differences as humanly possible? Couldn’t we possibly just accept the fact that we are NOT all the same and other people are entitled to be who they want to be?
Another little point to note: I’m not naïve. I know there are grave challenges and obstacles. Whiz Kid (a Nigerian hip hop artiste) says he knows bad guys; I’m certain we all do. I believe nonetheless, that the triumph of evil over good is at best temporal. But then how will good trump evil if we all allow our religio-xenophobic worst to get the better of us? There must be good to counter the evil and I’m asking you to be the good that Nigeria desperately needs right now, even if that means that like me, you will be called a pacifist.
Come on people, we can do this.
In my humble opinion it takes courage, in our present circumstances, to be a pacifist. The national landscape is awash with sectional champions spewing forth inflammatory rhetoric; everyone – from Einstein to fool, male and female, proletariat and aristocracy – just about everyone really is guilty of standing on their own side of the bitter divides from where we are foolishly fanning the flames of the deadly fires that threaten to consume us all. Before spitting the word ‘pacifist’ at me, pray tell: what has hate really achieved so far? When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object you know you have an irresolvable impasse on your hands. This stalemate of fury cannot be allowed to continue unabated because surely no-one will survive its devastating aftermath when full blown.
I remember reading an article about Barak Obama written by New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, titled “From Barak to Barry and beyond”. Something stayed with me from it which I want to quote here. Talking about Obama’s multi-racial upbringing Mr. Cohen says that it forced him “to explore the spaces in-between, the areas that are neither ‘with us’ nor ‘against us’. One would think that Nigerians of all people would understand the need for and benefit of this approach to living. Honestly I always wonder about the people who are calling for war, for a breakup of the country (into God knows how many pieces!) whether they don’t have relatives among people of other tongues and religions. I have family married to Yoruba, Calabar and Ogoni people; I also have family married to Muslims so no matter which myopic, primordial, bigoted line this country is divided along it would be most unsavory for me.
Let me make one little clarification: I am a man of strong Christian convictions and I’m not confused about my cultural roots and heritage either. All I’m saying is that our lives and destinies have become so intertwined that calling for breakups and division is a little too simplistic and does not take into account the full import of the consequences and implications both in terms of collateral damage and social upheaval including disruption of families. So I’m asking that in the alternative, can we just consider being as objective, as open minded and tolerant of our differences as humanly possible? Couldn’t we possibly just accept the fact that we are NOT all the same and other people are entitled to be who they want to be?
Another little point to note: I’m not naïve. I know there are grave challenges and obstacles. Whiz Kid (a Nigerian hip hop artiste) says he knows bad guys; I’m certain we all do. I believe nonetheless, that the triumph of evil over good is at best temporal. But then how will good trump evil if we all allow our religio-xenophobic worst to get the better of us? There must be good to counter the evil and I’m asking you to be the good that Nigeria desperately needs right now, even if that means that like me, you will be called a pacifist.
Come on people, we can do this.
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