Minding our own businesses, and still saying something, when we see something!
July 12 2019 By Abiodun Karim Giwa
Nancy Pelosi and her neighbors (Courtesy: Rolling Stone).
Nothing is wrong in being a good neighbor or to show a sense of good neighborliness.
But in a culture that is consistently becoming every one minding his or her own business, being a good neighbor or having a sense of good neighborliness is itself turning into a burden.
imagine what would happen if someone approaches a neighbor with the truth about his or her life that the neighbor does not want to hear! You sure need to have a thick skin to get into people's business uninvited.
It is a common saying in New York City or in the United States in general for anyone who sees something strange to say something for security reasons and the need to keep all safe..It is a new culture prompted by the need for public safety.
In some other climes, it is a big trouble to alert the law enforcement of anything that one may have has seen that constitutes danger to the public. Also, despite the communal resort to ask anyone who has seen something to not keep it to self, if you intervene in your friend's or a neighbor's affair without minding your own business, the result will be why are you getting into another person's business.
In a free world, people mind their own businesses.
And yet, there is the communal duty that if you see something, you are expected to say something. A reminder of the common phrase that if you are in Rome, behave like the Romans. Meaning, if you go to Nigeria, be like Nigerians for you not to get messed up as a stranger. Or if you are in India, behave like an Indian. Students are taught in Sociology classes to find out about the culture of any place they want to visit and try to be like the people of the land they are visiting to not cause embarrassment in the public.
For example, if you visit Nigeria and you see someone committing a crime and you try to call the police attention or you decide to be a witness in a case of crime, a typical Nigerian will tell you that you will end up as the criminal. Consequently, many Nigerians have learned to keep their mouth shut or to look the other way in any case that involves their law enforcement agents.
If you live in the U.S. where people can say something, when they see something or where the government asks people to say something when they see something, despite the contradiction of every one minding their businesses in private lives, and you go to Nigeria and go and say something, be ready to end up as a criminal.
The only profession that teaches its practitioners to mind other people's businesses is Journalism, in the public and humanity's interest. It is why the journalist always runs into trouble where ever he or she goes, because of his or her refusal to do as they do in Rome. However, there are also many journalists who would do as they do in Rome for the advancement of their own personal interests against the profession's dictate or ethics.
The problem with the human society today about increased population, hunger and the inability to enforce ethics in a over-crowded world has been highlighted by earlier days' philosophers, Ethics have been sidelined and trampled under the feet.. Everyone is shouting and making noise to be heard for personal political gains and not for altruism reasons.
Still, many organizations still struggle to enforce ethics telling their workers they cannot publish the company's business in a social media without a formal approval. Because without the enforcement of ethics, things will fall apart as Americans have witnessed in events in one of the country's two major political parties. Lack of ethics will naturally lead to a divided house and no nowhere it has been taught that a divided house stands the test of time.
But in a culture that is consistently becoming every one minding his or her own business, being a good neighbor or having a sense of good neighborliness is itself turning into a burden.
imagine what would happen if someone approaches a neighbor with the truth about his or her life that the neighbor does not want to hear! You sure need to have a thick skin to get into people's business uninvited.
It is a common saying in New York City or in the United States in general for anyone who sees something strange to say something for security reasons and the need to keep all safe..It is a new culture prompted by the need for public safety.
In some other climes, it is a big trouble to alert the law enforcement of anything that one may have has seen that constitutes danger to the public. Also, despite the communal resort to ask anyone who has seen something to not keep it to self, if you intervene in your friend's or a neighbor's affair without minding your own business, the result will be why are you getting into another person's business.
In a free world, people mind their own businesses.
And yet, there is the communal duty that if you see something, you are expected to say something. A reminder of the common phrase that if you are in Rome, behave like the Romans. Meaning, if you go to Nigeria, be like Nigerians for you not to get messed up as a stranger. Or if you are in India, behave like an Indian. Students are taught in Sociology classes to find out about the culture of any place they want to visit and try to be like the people of the land they are visiting to not cause embarrassment in the public.
For example, if you visit Nigeria and you see someone committing a crime and you try to call the police attention or you decide to be a witness in a case of crime, a typical Nigerian will tell you that you will end up as the criminal. Consequently, many Nigerians have learned to keep their mouth shut or to look the other way in any case that involves their law enforcement agents.
If you live in the U.S. where people can say something, when they see something or where the government asks people to say something when they see something, despite the contradiction of every one minding their businesses in private lives, and you go to Nigeria and go and say something, be ready to end up as a criminal.
The only profession that teaches its practitioners to mind other people's businesses is Journalism, in the public and humanity's interest. It is why the journalist always runs into trouble where ever he or she goes, because of his or her refusal to do as they do in Rome. However, there are also many journalists who would do as they do in Rome for the advancement of their own personal interests against the profession's dictate or ethics.
The problem with the human society today about increased population, hunger and the inability to enforce ethics in a over-crowded world has been highlighted by earlier days' philosophers, Ethics have been sidelined and trampled under the feet.. Everyone is shouting and making noise to be heard for personal political gains and not for altruism reasons.
Still, many organizations still struggle to enforce ethics telling their workers they cannot publish the company's business in a social media without a formal approval. Because without the enforcement of ethics, things will fall apart as Americans have witnessed in events in one of the country's two major political parties. Lack of ethics will naturally lead to a divided house and no nowhere it has been taught that a divided house stands the test of time.
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