• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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It’s nothing without character

business-character

Sadly, we seem to repeatedly make the mistake in these climes of thinking that the mere attainment of a sound and solid educational background will automatically translate to having a good, just, well managed and well adjusted society. Recognition of a similar erroneous notion might have led the late and highly revered Martin Luther King Jr. to say:
“Intelligence plus Character, that is the goal of true education.”

Our society is one that still parades an enormous number of illiterates amongst its population but if truth be told, our political class, public service and private sector have for long been led by highly educated individuals, by any standard; some have acquired a list of degrees and post graduate degrees and even post-post-graduate degrees (if there is such a thing) as long as your arm! So it makes one wonder why our society is the way it is? Could you conclude that despite all the “book” there is something still missing in their education? “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society” – Theodore Roosevelt

My observation is, in this society, more often than not, we make the vital error of mistaking credentials for character; and here lies our undoing. There is a huge difference between the two. No matter your academic achievement, titles or financial wherewithal, you cannot substitute credentials for basic morals and integrity. The difference between credentials and character was broken down perfectly in one of John Maxwell’s books and it went like this:
“Credentials are transient where Character is permanent. Credentials turn the focus on rights but Character focuses on responsibilities. Credentials add value to only one person when Character adds value to many people. Credentials look to past accomplishments but Character is concerned about building a legacy for the future. Credentials sometimes evoke jealousy in others where Character generates respect. Sure, Credentials can get you through the door but only Character can keep you there.”

In my humble opinion, we as a people place an unhealthy and equally unhelpful emphasis on credentials without doing nearly enough to build enduring content and character in our adolescents. Our political class are a fine example of this malaise but it is by no means limited to them. It’s the failure of character that has led to exam malpractices becoming the order of the day; the winning at all cost culture. It’s the absence of character that permits some of our female university students to use what they have to get what they want; the certificates we prize so highly. An acute lack of character permits a Public Official, despite his education, to fiendishly steal the country dry, knowing fully well that his selfish actions will most certainly bring untold misery to millions or at best, is oblivious to that fact. Unfortunately, that all too familiar character flaw motivates those who should know better to hail him. Lamentably, the same character deficiency causes some churches to reserve special seats for these rogues. A case in point is the hero’s welcome so unashamedly given to a former Governor as he returned from “conquering” her Majesty’s prison in the UK. He held a Thanksgiving service to offer his gratitude to God for granting him victory over his enemies and for his safe passage back to his people. Amidst the numerous eulogies extolling the many virtues of this valiant and honourable “hero”, I was disappointedly hard pressed to find anywhere during the course of the entire service where the man of God told him any of the home truths, he so desperately needs to hear.

There is a saying, and I paraphrase heavily, that your journey to wisdom only begins from the day you realise how dumb you actually are. The day you finally acknowledge that upon all your academic laurels, what you don’t know is infinitely more than what you do know, your journey to wisdom begins in earnest.

Getting an education is just the starting point. As much as ignorance is a very deep pit for the illiterate to climb out of, there is an equally dangerous point which one can get to, where one’s education, achievements and the attendant pride can become a major hurdle to acquiring wisdom. Otherwise how do you explain why a Nigerian Big Man who’s supposedly so concerned about his safety would hire a battalion of policemen to escort him wherever he goes, “blowing” siren to alert the whole world that he’s coming? Abraham Lincoln once said, ”Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Correct me if I’m wrong but would it not make more sense to remain incognito? Am I missing something here? I have an uncle, who until recently was far from being what you would describe as a household name. Until then, few had heard of him except for other big men who’ve always known his worth. While chatting over drinks in his garden some years ago, I asked him why he wasn’t at the commissioning of one of his projects which was to be commissioned by the President at the time, and I was stupefied by his response. He said he could do without the publicity so he gave his foreign partners the go ahead to represent him. He was happy to present them as the face of the company. Is this man really a Nigerian I wondered? This man has been so successful at keeping his face out of public glare till date that despite his tremendous fame and fortune, not many would recognise him if he was to stand right in front of them. He went further to say it’s this desire to remain incognito and be allowed to live a relatively simple life that informed his decision not to herald his presence by blaring sirens wherever he went. His whole lifestyle and outlook on life remains at total variance to what most Nigerians believe speaks of Success. There was a time he told me that whenever the thought crosses his mind to purchase what in Nigeria has become the ultimate symbol of success, a private jet, as soon as he considers how many lives he can touch with the huge sums of money required to maintain the aircraft, his conscience pricks him and he summarily dismisses the idea. Needless to say, his unquenchable appetite to help others and uncommon humility can only be described as tales of legend. Hundreds of such beneficiaries he has never met and very likely never will. The foolish rich man in Jesus’s parable(Luke 12:13-21) who opted to accumulate his wealth rather than use it to bless others could have learned a lesson or two from this. Without warning or further opportunity to repent, God summoned his soul and immediately all his plans came to nothing.

My wife and I have been privileged in the last few years to become much closer to some people who we’ve actually known
for several years; people who themselves possess in abundance these same Christlike qualities and through our association with them I’ve come to realise just how far behind I’m lagging in my own Christian race. These people really do walk the talk and I honestly believe that’s why God has been blessing them exceedingly with good success.

In my opinion, our young ones need an entirely new set of people to look up to. New and more deserving role models. Individuals who government should deliberately parade as embodiments of Integrity and Success. It’s not just about education nor is it just about money, it’s about Character. To shift the mindset of Nigerians is indeed a herculean task which requires all to buy into for it to succeed but it’s possible. So I end with this quote:
“Individual commitment to a group effort; that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a
civilization work ”
– Vince Lombardi.

 

Dapo Akande