We live in a society where everything has become less; our cars are fuel-less, our phones are credit-less, our pots are foodless, our certificates are useless, our youths are manner-less and our politicians are heartless but surely we are not hopeless.
Today comes another bounty opportunity to refute the dilemma by taking it by the horns. May I say happy philosophy day to all. The World Philosophy Day was established by UNESCO in 2001, and is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of November. The theme for this year’s philosophy day is; “PHILOSOPHY AND DEATH”. Philosophy comes from two Greek words; philia (love) and Sophia (wisdom). Etymologically, philosophy is the love for wisdom. Knowledge comes from deep reflections, analysis, criticisms and rational conclusions of facts.
What is death? Simply put, death is the state of not being alive. If death is a state of being totally unreactive, then man should make every achievement he can, while he lives. This is not the case as death has cut up with the plans of so many geared towards a good life and sustainable development. Death has become too rampant that the fear of death is no longer frightening. While the corona virus has done her part as a global problem, the level of death rate in our community is far an issue not to blame corona virus alone if at all.
Our nation and especially the North West and South West Regions have registered untold misery and death as has never been recorded in the history of
Cameroon for almost five years now, yet the fear of even more deaths has kept the oppressed masses mute and the philosopher’s voice remains audibly silent. Innocent
citizens have been rendered homeless, some killed, others raped and others unjustly imprisoned. While many Cameroonians especially in the Littoral and Central Regions are waxing strong and living luxurious lives, their fellow brothers and sisters in the North and South West regions have been rendered homeless, fatherless, motherless, sister-less, brother-less, future-less. In the midst of this disparity in lifestyle, theauthorities that be cannot pretend enough to tell even a blind man that the smell of gun powder is that of roasted chicken. A once glorious admirable country has become an object of ridicule at the international auditoriums. The peace and harmony that use to characterise Cameroon has been bent to the very opposite definition of justice in which the military is glorified and the leader is deified. As Philosophers, we pretend to be ignorant, but we are not ignorantly ignorant of our ignorance.
Peace-Work-Fatherland as a motto of our country is surely a phrase now hanging naked and shivering in icy cold. Shame has caught up with her, the flag as the only dress to cover her nakedness cannot freely display in the smoky air. How can we talk of peace in the midst of numerous senseless manslaughter? How can we talk of Work with plenty of bike riders and sugar cane hawkers with degrees in their pockets? How can we talk of Fatherland when many are running in the bushes and facing the dangers of mosquitoes and snake bites and harsh weather just to fight being alive?
Someone needs to talk to someone to talk to someone who knows someone that can listen not just to the voices of the people but their hearts too. There is high need not just for a make-up dialogue, but a dialogue that will encompass representatives of the people from every local community facing the heat of this crisis. I remain the philosopher of my time, the eye-opener and force that drives the change revolution.
While so many cannot talk, write and publish critical articles like this for fear of the unknown, I am rather motivated to bring out my best. Death is the ultimate fear. I must state categorically, that I am not afraid of death, neither am I prepared to die now, but when death comes, I will welcome him like a brother.
