In
my younger years, I recall one of the many days when i sat
down with my father in our living room, at a time when all my elder
siblings had been away for school, in various locations across the
country. "My son, as you grow older and face different people and
situations in life, you must never be sheepish". Not having as good a
command of the language, I thought the old man had made a mistake and I
tried to correct him. "You mean cheapish?" I inquired, to which my
father resoundingly refused and emphasized that "Sheepish" was
correct.
He
went on to explain the meaning of the word and the lesson behind his choice of
the word. It was evident that the old man was not only imparting wisdom but
also schooling me in as far as the English language was concerned. It was yet
again a re-affirmation of what I had already known, that Superman had
nothing on my father.
My
eager ears facilitated this transfer of wisdom thereby complying with the
universal truth that "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear".
A
question we must all ask ourselves is;"when was the last time we had a
candid and enjoyable conversation with our elders?”. For hundreds of years,
Africans depended on the direct story telling and interaction of elders and
children to transfer knowledge and wisdom. Both groups; the children
and the elders, found this not only enriching but also entertaining so much
that the very first consideration for nanny duties rested with the
grandparents. It is very obvious that our ancestors were on to something
with this arrangement as a platform for knowledge and wisdom transfer.
Our
society has, unfortunately separated from these ideals by adopting paid
Nannies to take up the roles grandparents previously handled thereby
perpetuating the development of a generation with limited wisdom and tradition,
owing to the fact that, for the most part, children in their most
formative years; have predominantly the limited wisdom and tradition of
the Nanny from which to learn.
This
trend, now just as prevalent in African society, has been attributed to the
increase in not only the cost of living but also the pace of life. This is even
more pronounced in households where both the wife and the husband hold day jobs
that keep them away from their children during office hours. The extra gap
created by the absence of the "mother" at home has bred a thriving
industry for nanny services.
The
obvious casualty in this of course is the transfer of wisdom from grandparents
to the children,infact even to the parents who return home from work ever so
tired, without the energy to make the effort and time to satisfactorily
interact with their elders.
It
is well documented that the ancient Egyptians invented the first form of
writing, this they used to record history and their many other inventions. This
also became the means for the transmission of cultural and traditional
teachings to the young generations. An argument can therefore be made that upon
realization that with civilization, the need to develop an alternative way for
recording knowledge and wisdom to be transferred to the next generation, other
than the interaction with elders and parents, who are kept ever so busy by
civilization, needed to be developed.
This
belief that we can receive all the knowledge and wisdom from books is what is
prevalent even in modern times, coupled with a misconception that the old ways
from our elders are "old fashioned". With hundreds of thousands of
books available in various media on any topic, it has once again become difficult
to know which book is telling the truth.
"Wisdom is the ability to act using
knowledge,experiance,understanding,common sense and insight"(Wikipedia)
From
the definition above ,it would be correct to suggest that one of the best
places to find wisdom is in our elders who can easily be assumed,by virtue of
their years to have "Insight" and "Experience",in short,the
things we may not be able to read out of a book.It is also true to tread
carefully as not all elderly people may be said to be wise.
Owing
to their understanding and common sense, most elders will not volunteer their
wisdom but will freely provide it to those that seek it.The responsibility
therefore rests with those of us seeking wisdom to be ever ready to notice
avenues from whence we may access this wisdom and seize it.
Driving
back to Lusaka, having attended the funeral mass and burial of the late,
His Grace,The Most Reverend Archbishop James Mwewa Spaita(MHSRIEP),I could
hardly shake the sense of major loss that had overcome me.I felt, as I still
do today, that this great opportunity to sit down and interact with this
great man was no more. The expanse of his years on earth,52 of which as a
priest gave him a rare and great perspective on which to hinge his profound
wisdom.
The
question lingers;When was the last time we seized the opportunity to have a
chat with our elders? Its a question we must avoid having the need to ask
ourselves by improving our interactions with our elders and thereby receive the
wisdom of the ages.
At
the end of it all,what wisdom shall you give your children if you do not have
any? Old age is no guarantee of wisdom,seize the opportunity now.“The fool doth think he is wise, but
the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
― William Shakespeare, As You Like It
― William Shakespeare, As You Like It