WHEN A SOCIETY KILLS ITSELF

                   There are so many ways in which a society kills itself. Some of these ways are direct. Others happen indirectly. But the common denominator is: the society remains the victim. How many ills happen amidst us? Do they just happen by their own? I think in every issue passing across us, there must be an actor. To interrogate this matter let's turn to the  Bible.

                   An excerpt from the book of Luke 13:10-16 goes ".....And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"(KJV).

   
                 Here we are told of a sickly woman, Jesus Christ, ruler/leader of the synagogue, the sabbath day and the six days of work.  As was tradition according to law the woman wasn't supposed to be attended to on the sabbath day. Therefore Jesus is said to have "gone against the law" by healing the woman on the day of sabbath. But in response Jesus questioned their fidelity to this law. He questioned its applicability and the result it brings in the society.

                  From this excerpt we are made to understand of a people whose way of life was strictly based on some set of laws. Besides,it is evidently clear that these laws were to be strictly observed no matter what. What is of interest is the step man took to delegate his moral responsibility to a set of laws. Looking at this, several questions pop up; are laws meant to advance  social goodwill or curtail them? Is man devoid of his conscience?

                  From Jesus' responses it is quite clear that human conscience reigns supreme. That human decisions should be based on the correctness of the conscience. That human conscience always knows truth and stands for truth. That to stick to the law is foolhardy and is a betrayal of our conscience. 

                  And this takes me to the decisions we make daily; do we really need laws to compel us not to travel in overloaded buses? Do we need an armed faceless chap in our neighborhood for us to stay in peace? I think we've disregarded  the instructions of our conscience. We have reduced ourselves to the level of cows and donkeys. That unless we are supervised we can't do anything right. Even that which involves our lives! This way we kill ourselves and to an extension,the society.

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My condolences to friends and relatives of the Mwingi Bus accident victims. May God rest the souls of the departed in eternal peace.