The Story of Lady Justice and Her Children
An age-old story that has been written time and time again. it is even the story that birthed me as a writer some years back. However, here I am again, writing yet another piece on this tale. Lets see where it take us.
Corruption (def): a: dishonest or illegal behavior by powerful people
b: inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means
c: a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct (Source: Mariam Webster Dictionary)
Transparency International defines the word as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. No matter who defines it, or what it is defined as, we can all agree that it is wrong. Right? So why then, has corruption become engrained in the seeds of the Liberian society? At every level, from the ground up, to the sky down. What is the story?
The cries of corruption in the lands now rings loudest amongst the spirits. The god of fairness, justice, and accountability is running mad. There is havoc in the lands and she is losing control. What has happened to her people? She now realizes that she has allowed them to be so far gone, that undoing the damage her lapse in judgement has caused, will require total and complete baptism. The soil must be renewed, as it has grown faulty. Nothing else now, can bear fruit in the lands. What will the gods do?
(The God of Justice wrapped in the cries of her children)
There is a clear uneasy tension and desperation between the powerful and the seemingly powerless. People are taking to the radios daily to voice their frustrations and opinions on different ills paining the nation, but the voice that remains loudest is the blatant corruption that has, and continues to engulf it. The few at the top continue, time and time again, to enrich themselves, while dragging on the lives of people who are individually working so hard to find a way out of what sometimes feels like a hole that just keeps sinking.
Leaders are elected and appointed to serve the nation and people. In carrying out those duties, it is important to lead with patriotism, work ethic, vision, honesty, fairness, and accountability. When any of those values are compromised, it creates a vacuum for there to be corruption, which is what we are seeing now in the case of Liberia.
Long ago, it started at the top, when some of those values were compromised, and like a domino effect, it has sent the the integrity of the nation crumbling down. Like an infectious disease, it is plaguing and spreading quickly, infecting anyone in its path who is desperate and vulnerable. Its in the the churches, the schools, the mosques, the market and trading places, the small and big businesses, the government, the playgrounds, and even the bedrooms. It is everywhere. Give a person the opportunity, and they will take it.
With all that happening, it might feel like nothing can be done to change that. However, that is not the case, as there are many things that can be done to ignite the renewal and cure of this epidemic. It starts, again, with these values;
- patriotism
- work ethic
- vision
- honesty
- fairness
- accountability
(Lady Justice seeking accountability , by: Meskora)
We also have to realize that to be corrupt is a choice that shows its face in the daily decisions we make. It is important that when faced with that choice, we choose to take accountability for ourselves and choose the honest route. We must remember that the people are the government, and that government has to be for the people by rethreading the integrity of the society, starting with themselves. We, as the people, also have to instill in ourselves pride and integrity, and so, when we do become the government, we already possess some of the most important ingredients in the cure of corruption from the lands.
Its just that…
The gods must first be ready to accept that they have played a major role in their children running haywire…
(The God of Justice…)
