Anciently, before the 21st century, life was referred to as simple. Both the historians and our great grandparents who happen to have lived and seen the glimpse of these Ancient times point out to the same fact: life was simple! If the same question was posed to a millennial today, we find that their definition of what life is like differs. Millennials warn the Gen z saying, “ life is hard, you got to give it your best.” Relatively, the Gen Z advise their Alpha friends suggesting, “ this is a generation of survival, you got to get up and do something.” Now I wonder where the definition of referring to life as simple faded? Was that definition of life buried with our ancestors? Or are we living a life different from theirs?
What could have shifted the rhythm of life? I am aware that new systems of child birthing have been introduced such as surrogacy among others, however Babies still take 9 months to mature (on average) as in the old days. Individuals of ancient time took the initiative to cater for their families and so are the family heads of today.
Only that owning cattle and farms isn’t the primary source of income as of today where modern jobs have been created. The societies in the ancient times had leaders and laws were implemented and enforced upon the people, and so is today.
Today we still have leaders in our societies, they point out regulations and the majority seem to observe them for peace. The only shift I can point out here is that today the majority of the leaders are voted for rather than being nominated. Democracy has replaced Succession. Juveniles are still being kept busy with education today as was before.
Only that the informal education is nowadays replaced with the formal education whereby these young lives are not instructed by their grandparents under shady grooves but rather by strangers (teachers) a mile or miles away from their residential areas.
The day still takes 24 hours to end. It still takes 7 days for it to be called a week. 4 weeks for it to be a month already and 365 days to be a full year.
So I wonder again, what could have shifted? We are still living on the same foundations, why would life then shift from being simply simple to one that is hard and later to one that requires survival to be able to live it? Honestly, what have we tampered with? Grounded on the same foundations as we claim, how are we living this so-called life? Could it be the modern era we are in? I wouldn’t think so, transformation has never brought harm unless the subject isn’t manifesting this transformation for the improvement of life but rather to shift long run life morality.
That’s it, morality! Is your mind flashing the same thoughts as mine when you hear the word,”morality?”
You walk around today and find out that we no longer carry the same hearts: perspectives have shifted, we have given room for modernity to not just ease lives as it was initially meant to but rather we have used it as an excuse to switch our ancestral foundations.
Grounds of improvement have been shifted to those of betterment, pride in what we become in the making has been replaced with that of comparison.
Everyone at work no longer bothers to critically think about what would increase the company’s market, rather all the employees are focused on becoming better than the other.
I am not suggesting that being at the top is a dismerit. Not at all, but placing it as the primary reason for your thrive is. Democracy has been intertwined with corruption, we do not vote for who would bring about development anymore, but for the one who is willing to provide for our mouths regardless.
Not knowing that this decision deprives the destitute, who would look after them now? Who would restructure their roads so the rains don’t sweep their households anymore? Catering for a family isn’t the same anymore, it’s no longer just about meeting their basic needs but rather seeking to dominate all other families in betterment.
Community-get-togethers are no longer about embracing our cultures but rather have turned into fields of competition. Education is no longer for self-reliance but rather a tool mistakenly taken by some to feel above others.
Now I no longer wonder why the beautiful majestic life shifted from being hard and later to a field of survival. How I wish this so- called transformation was all a dream and life was just as simple as it was in the days of our ancestors.
Where work meant doing something for a living and not misunderstood as a chapter for competition against the ones whom we should rather learn from for work-efficiency.
Where families embraced bonds rather than seeking to be the perfect family in the neighbourhood. Being educated meant equipped to support and uplift the destitute. Leadership was a field for mutual respect and improvement for all the subjects. How I miss the old days just as our great grandparents narrated it like !
“The writer is a high school graduate who is passionate about writing for her nation.
Nyariay Kic
+211924152524.”