The disregards for social norms and cultural values and the rise of crimes in our society

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By Furera Bagel, PhD 

The rise of crime in our society says a lot about us as people and our values.

I remember When we were children, people generally had fewer clothes and most families only eat rice on special occasions, few people owned television and fewer people owned cars yet they were mostly contented

There could be just one person who owned a car in a whole area but would not be too proud and no one would be envious of him. Children would troop to their neighbour’s house just to watch Tv and one would mock, not even the kids that house because children were well brought up.

The rich open their doors to poor neighborhood children to play with their kids, eat their food and allow their own to go to the poor houses and sample their own dishes. Some of those children ended up becoming lifetime friends and some parents assumed responsibilities for some of those children by sponsoring their education or mentoring them in trade or other professions.

People then were contented with their situations, and even if they were striving to change it in their various endeavors they were never in competition with their friends or neighbors. Therefore they weren’t under any pressure to acquire what they couldn’t afford or didn’t need just to impress (or oppress) their friends or neighbors.

There were fewer crimes then because people haven’t been bitten with the get-rich-quick syndrome bug that has become fashionable these days.

Sadly today we have found ourselves in situations where people only befriend people from the same social class and the result is that most of the rich would not tolerate any relationship with the less privileged unless it’s a subservient one.

A young lady who is still in school and whose parents could hardly afford a 3 square meal is flaunting the latest phone under the watchful eyes of her parents who are too afraid to ask her where she gets the money.

We have seen reports of teenage boys committing atrocities like robbery, kidnapping, and even murder just to buy the latest phone or spend it on loose women. Most of them just want to copy the lifestyle of rich kids when neither they or their parents are rich.

We have people aiding the same monsters destroying their communities and killing their people through selling them weapons, foodstuffs, fuel, sex, and information. Most of them when arrested usually blame poverty.

How come then people were then contented with not having more and many are now willing to commit crimes just to have an easy life?

I think the only explanation is that we don’t have norms and values anymore. Most of us are just living without any guidelines to ourselves or our children about what is right or what is wrong, and in such a society anything goes.

Time to bring them back.

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