In a country with so much diversity, we have managed to become antagonist of each other through cultural, political or religious differences. A lot of these conflicts arise from the fact that we have never taken the time to get to know our kinsmen from other tribes, cultures or parties.
We did try to bridge this gap by introducing the National Youth Service Corps program, (NYSC) While the goal of the program itself is laudable, we’ve allowed our individual differences and national issues to get the better of us. However, this post isn’t about the failures of the system, cos that’s going to be a very long post; but to bring to our consciousness as a people that we are fast losing the very essence that makes us a very unique nation. Our diversity!
Now to why I am even writing this. It’s known well over that travelling is a good form of education. The question is why? Well, that’s easy! The world doesn’t revolve around you. Travel exposes us to a form of experiential learning. Like they say, experience is the best teacher and I quite agree. We learn better from situations we have first hand knowledge of. In this case, travelling would expose you to different lifestyles, cultures, food etc. It gives you a different perspective to life that you’ll likely not see while stuck in your immediate environment. With this you have a unique opportunity to learn from different people, places and cultures. It helps you understand your environment and its challenges. As your knowledge broadens, so does your understanding. You find yourself in a unique position to explore opportunities you never thought possible and navigate difficult slopes in your interpersonal relationships.
For a while now I have had this inkling feeling to just get on the road and drive across my country. Sometimes we get stuck in our daily routines and forget to take time out to live or best lives. As an Automattician, one of the unique perks of my job is that I can be anywhere I want to be without worrying too much about my job cos I can take it with me.
For me, taking some time to drive from one state to another ane live a couple of weeks, would be an extremely rewarding experience. From the southern rainforest to the hills of Ekiti, from the luxury of Abuja to the bustling of Lagos, there is a chance to learn something new and gain a different perspective. An opportunity to see solutions and develop ideas.
Taking such a journey would require a lot of planning and can even be stressful. But for the fact that it helps to open my mind to possibilities is surely a great reward. So maybe someday when the time is right, I’ll finally pack my bags and take the trip of a lifetime.
Anyways, back to the issue at hand! I really feel like government policy should be focused more on how to integrate the society further. Leaving it till NYSC before allowing youths learn about other cultures is for me a tad bit too late. These needs to be done in the formative years. Where opinions are still being shaped, when young people are still very much flexible with their perspectives. This gives us a unique perspective to be exposed early enough to the intricacies of other cultures. Even if we cannot find a way to build a travel curriculum into the educational system, we should place more emphasis on learning about other cultures.
When a teen from the North, learns more about the way of life of a certain people via structured and informative content in the classroom, it’s much easier to help them see the bright side of others. Reduces the tendency to develop hatred towards another and gives them a tool to fight against misinformation. With this built into the curriculum early enough, we would be setting a solid platform for the NYSC program to thrive. Because at the stage where they actually experience things, they’ll be more ready to be part of whatever society they find themselves.
Hopefully, I get to take that journey when I have some time, and have lots of pictures to share. Till then, keep keeping an open mind, you never can tell what new insights you might gain!!