Moral regeneration is our only hope for a better society

From left: Former Nock officials Francis Kanyiri, Mr Kiptanui Soi and former Sports PS Richard Ekai at the anti-corruption court on Monday, October 15, 2018. Kenya has witnessed endless corruption scandals, gruesome murders and endless mindless violations. PHOTO | MAUREEN KAKAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Many right-thinking Kenyans find the current deplorable state of affairs unacceptable .
  • It is time we slay this dragon of moral degradation through education in the family.
  • We shall then experience a moral regeneration and a happier and fairer society.

On August 12, while attending a church service, President Uhuru Kenyatta made some profound statements on corruption and lack of character, which impede Kenya’s development to its full potential. He stated: “Let's develop a nation that has a conscience and one that is driven by God-fearing people.” He reiterated the need to fight impunity and added that the power of change resides in us.

Then recently, while opening the Nairobi International Trade Fair, the President was visibly upset and exasperated by the cries of maize farmers who had not been paid by the National Cereals and Produce Board for their supplies yet well-connected brokers had pocketed billions of shillings for grain that they had not grown.

VIOLATIONS

He publicly swore, in God’s name, that he will deal with the perpetrators of this heinous crime against hardworking maize farmers.

Kenya has witnessed endless corruption scandals, gruesome murders and endless mindless violations. Many right-thinking Kenyans find this deplorable state of affairs unacceptable and realise that it must come to an end — lest we annihilate ourselves as a nation. We need to activate our conscience to do this.

CONSCIENCE

The word ‘conscience’, in my view, is probably one of the most important aspects of our humanity that differentiates us from other forms of animal life. We need to understand what it is, why it is important, and then take informed action towards developing the conscience of our citizens and our nation so that we can make progress towards our development goals.

The word conscience comes from the Greek word ‘suneidesis’ meaning ‘inherent knowledge’. But what is this inherent knowledge? This is knowledge on the awareness of right and wrong.

COMPASS

Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, who studied theology before becoming an artist, described conscience as being “man’s compass”. In the absence of a compass, it is easy to lose your way.

The great thinker, St Augustine of Hippo, who lived in the Third and Fourth Century AD, wrote about conscience in his autobiography, Confessions. St Augustine lamented that he was aware of his conscience “chiding” him. This suggests that a conscience reminds us when we violate it dictates.

He was of the opinion that “conscience is the voice of God, which, therefore, carries great authority and it cannot be questioned”.

POSSESSIONS

Another great man of impact, St Thomas Aquinas, suggested that human beings are endowed with intellect or reason which guides them away from evil and towards good. This is conscience, and we must act on it to retain the power of making moral decisions.

The renowned ethicist Todd Huffman, also technology entrepreneur and prolific photographer (born 1980), reflecting on the moral state of the American society, observed: “Our nation is blessed with riches and possibilities far beyond anything imagined by our ancestors, yet as a nation obsessed with money and possessions, celebrity and sport, we are not advanced morally or spiritually.

EDUCATION

“Our greatest challenge, if we are to remain a great nation, is not terrorism, and not Iraq. Our greatest challenge is to recover our national conscience.”

These reflections are important at this stage of our nation’s malaise and they should spur us to take action for a moral regeneration and education in our homes and schools.

Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, aptly suggested: “When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” He emphasised educating the conscience of our young people over and above academic and technical disciplines.

FAIRNESS

We can learn from Japan, where their Education ministry says its goal is to “cultivate students’ morality, including moral mentality, judgement, engagement, and attitude” through all the educational activities in school. This includes orderliness, mindfulness, hard work, fairness and harmony in relationships and with nature.

From the 2018 academic year, moral education, dotoku, will be a full-fledged “subject” in elementary and junior high school, instead of the ungraded school “activity” has been for years.

LEADERSHIP

It is time we slay this dragon of moral degradation through education in the family and at school and, most importantly, through visible moral champions at all levels of leadership. We shall then experience a moral regeneration and a happier and fairer society.

The words of Franklin Roosevelt are apt: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much. It’s whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

Dr Mwangi is the managing director, Centre for Personal Leadership. [email protected]. Caesar Mwangi