Old School vs. Old Habits

By Abubakar D. Sani, Esq

As ties go  Few are as strong  As those forged  In the days of old    Yes - when, as youths,  We were fancy-free  Without responsibilities  Save, to our books    As students, of course  At school, in the days of yore  Regardless of the stage  Primary, Secondary or Undergraduate    What fond memories!  Of mirth, pranks and mischief  Friendships forged for a lifetime  And, more, besides    So strong are those bonds  That they humble  Others forged elsewhere  Both before, and, since then    Technology has surely played its part  Particularly, those of a certain Mark Zuckerberg  Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram  Never mind Youtube, Twitter and others    Unfortunately, its promise  Has also proved to be its curse  As, many have turned it  Into what it was never meant for    Instruments of abuse and conceit  Veritable platforms for extremism  Dispensed wantonly and recklessly  With scant regard for the victim(s)    This, however, risks tarring all  With the same brush  As, arguably, not all posts – as such  Are malevolent – most are not    Old school ties have not been spared  As many a post - regardless of intent  Has touched the odd raw nerve  And provoked a storm of protest    When does the spirit of camaraderie  - In public, at least -  Go too far as to hurt  One, if not some - or even all?    Which standard should be adopted  About what is acceptable and what is not:  That of the man on the Clapham Omnibus?  Or that of an egg-head?    Should the majority  Be subjected to the tyranny  Of singularity - or even a minority  Simply to pander to whimsy or caprice?    As ever, it is a question of values  In this, is there such a thing  As an absolute truth,  Or, is it what we perceive it to be?    What is our moral compass?  Do we look outward or inward?  Questions and more questions,  Begging for answers    Where do we start?  What about religion?  Have we played our part?  Who is the man in the mirror?    Has it occurred to us  That our ‘favourite’ demons  Might be worse versions of ourselves  And that only God is perfect?    Short of playing God, however  We should find it in our hearts  To be as tolerant of others as can be  Otherwise we would be guilty of bigotry

Written By Abubakar D. Sani, Esq., Kano/Abuja, 14th November, 08034533892