Seyi Ogunnaike: Conscious & Unconscious Role Models

In the world today, the craze for excessive materialism is spreading like wild fire. The pursuit of riches has put moral decadence on the rise; and even the under-aged’s line of thought is clouded by this angel-faced demon.

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to be the richest human being that ever lived, desperation must be removed from that equation. The task of instilling morality into children as they grow lies with the parents/guardian and school teachers. However, the company we keep, and society at large, have the greatest influence on what we become in the long run.

It is not enough for parents/guardians to instil discipline and morality into teenagers, they themselves have to practice what they preach. What kind of manners do we expect from a teenager who was trained to be of good conduct, when he sees his father/mother on television involved in fisticuffs with their co-workers, or sees them being paraded as corrupt individuals enmeshed in fraudulent activities? Especially when these societal ills end up having no effective punitive measures.

There’s a case of a famous celebrity whose stock in trade is to expose half, if not all of her bosom on every media platform, all in the name of making money (and she’s actually making the money).But he damage being done to the psyche of teenagers is colossal, as we now seem to glamourize the risks and minimize the consequences.

One way or the other, we are all role models to one person or the other, consciously or unconsciously. We might not have our faces on television or be involved in wide public-related activities, but there’s always that kid on your street who admires your persona and looks forward to being you or being like you as they go through phases of life. So imagine that as the days go by, that kid begins to see you come home with different girls or sees you stagger home drunk at nights or engage in street brawls, then the next morning he sees you looking all cool and out to find your daily bread. That process starts to register in his mind – that one can indulge in all the vices of this world and still be accepted by the society. Or that one can be a lady who gets picked up by different men, wears the most expensive things, without a stable income or wealthy guardians. It pollutes the mind of that young girl on your street, or even your younger sisters.

With each passing day, it is becoming more and more evident that with the examples being set by some of the current crop of adults, we just might be breeding a bunch of corrupt youths who might take vices to the next level, a jaw-dropping level, in the nearest future.

It may already be too late as some teenagers have embraced the short route to success and they boldly justify it by making references to the “success stories” of certain public figures’ who have successfully treaded the illegal route and have gone scot free. They are currently being celebrated by the society as ‘made’ men.

The shortcut to success is so widely accepted that being noble and upright is now perceived as not being ‘smart& sharp’. Noble men now attract ridicule from the society. They are always taunted with poverty & stagnation as being the outcome of their dignity. But we all must let the saying: “IF YOU TAKE SHORTCUT, YOU GET CUT SHORT” ring in our heads every day. Shortcut can only give you short term success.

At the end of the day, the chickens will come home to roost, whether in your lifetime or when you are no more. What do you want to be remembered for? What legacy do you want to leave behind? A legacy of shame or a legacy of praise?Whichever one it is, always remember the effect on your children and on your children’s children. It depends on how selfish or selfless your interest is, in your life’s journey.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime | Suzanne Tucker