By Sola Adeyegbe
A nation has been defined as a stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity, and a common culture. The concept of nation building means the efforts of newly independent countries notably the countries of Africa to transform their territories into viable nations. These new states are not nations ab initio but countries with many nations embedded! Nation building therefore becomes necessary because these countries had been carved out by colonial powers without regard to ethnic, religious, or other boundaries.
Nation-building includes the creation of national paraphernalia such as flags, anthems, national days, national stadia, national airlines and national languages. At a deeper level, national identity needs to be deliberately constructed by molding different ethnic groups into a nation. This is essential because as said earlier, the colonialists usually brought many nations together to form a country. For example, Nigeria has been described as a country comprising many nations.
Most times, these new countries or states are plagued by distrust among the member ethnic groups, conspiracy theories and destructive rivalry between the ethnic groups within the state. This sometimes results in their near-disintegration, such as the attempt by Biafra to secede from Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. In Asia, the division of British India into India and Pakistan was in part due to ethnic differences, which might have been aided by other factors like colonial mismanagement of the situation. The Rwandan genocide as well as the recurrent problems experienced by Sudan can also be related to a lack of ethnic, religious, or racial cohesion within the state. To this day, the national question remains a topical issue in Nigeria.
Obviously, the task of forming states into nations is quite an onerous task. We shall in this series examine the task of nation building using the above topic which will be treated under the following three sub-headings: The building blocks of a nation; Where lies peace and development?; and Love as the basis of nationhood. The following essays will address the above-mentioned points.
- The building blocks of a nation
Let us look at the various strata of society and their roles with regards to nation building:
The role of everyone
If you say for example that all Nigerians are corrupt, I will not argue with you. But if we must change this, then let that change start with me and you. If I change truly for the good, then most likely some of those around me who see the change in me will wish to emulate me and make a change and before you know it, we will be a good influence on our surroundings.
But how is this change to be attained? We find help in The Grail Message which tells us that the foundation for the up building of a new humanity, which we cannot and must not evade, rests in the one sentence: Keep the hearth of your thoughts pure!
And it is with this that we must begin! That is our first task which will make us what we must become. If we fulfill this, then we will receive the full measure of help that awaits us in Creation, which leads us and our country upwards to peace and progress without interruption!
The role of the woman
If we wish to build our nation to the honour of our Creator, then we need to understand the real role of the woman and tap into it.
She is not just there for child bearing or making herself the domestic servant of her family.
The woman is blessed by the Creator such that she can sense clearly the Will of the Almighty and she can ennoble her environment by influencing her people to follow this Will. Men will do all they can to be in good standing with the women in their lives be they their mother, wife, daughter or friend. Therefore, imagine if the women of this country resolve that they will shun any man who cannot explain the source of his wealth. This alone will have a great and positive effect in reducing the compulsion to corrupt practices in our land.
The role of womanhood is to be priestesses of purity wherever they are. Let us look up to our women and girls in this regard and they too will change to what we see in them and we will thereby uplift our nation!
Children and parents
Many say that they work for their children! They work so hard, make deals, and if they are in public office, resort to outright stealing so that they can provide for their children and grandchildren yet unborn!
Let us free ourselves from this unnecessary burden. Once parents have taken care of the child to the point where the child can take care of his own physical body, then anything done beyond that is a gift because the child is really an independent individual, who is just a guest of the parents who have implicitly agreed by their voluntary act of love to accept this loved one.
It is not true love to make everything easy for children. True love will allow them independence as soon as they are mature. The children, just like their parents, have a lot to do to become mature spiritually and to be materially independent; and each should be allowed to work his or her way upwards freely. This way, we curb corruption and unrest in our nation.
Now we go to the question of peace and development.
- Where lies development?
Peace will reign where we shun unhealthy rivalry and evil thoughts. This peace in turn creates the environment in which development occurs. Among other factors such as building sustainable national institutions, three things that contribute to national peace and development are: observance of the Law of Balance; the right use of the human word and the right attitude to wealth.
The Law of Balance
This Law cannot be circumvented without repercussions. We find this Law operating in the need to have balance between work and rest; between giving and taking; between breathing in and out and so on. With respect to nation building, we need to observe this Law such that what is due to each one in the polity is given to them. The workers need to be adequately compensated for what they put in as their labour and contributions. No part of the country must be made to feel that they are being cheated or taken advantage of. The non-observance of this Law leads to nothing but agitations, unrest and instability whereas its observance guarantees harmony, peace and progress.
The right use of the human word
We have been told: “Let your communication be yea or nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil!” This statement means that useless talk leads to unrest and decline! Much talk and talkative leaders lead a people to misery!
We must therefore be careful how we use the God-given ability to form words. Politicians should avoid making empty promises which they do not intend to fulfill as this breeds disquiet in the polity.
Communication between individuals is better done in love, avoiding hate-speech, mockery and harming our fellow countrymen. This is because in accordance with the Laws of Creation, a type of speech can only bring about what is similar. Hate speech will breed hatred and suspicion while the use of words of peace and love brings peace and progress.
The right attitude to wealth
The United Nations in 2015 put up a collection of 17 goals known as The Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). These are the goals that nations must meet in the years ahead. Let us mention the top four of these goals – Goal 1: No poverty; Goal 2: Zero hunger; Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; and Goal 4: Quality education
Nations need to make resources available to attain to these lofty goals. At national and individual levels, we need to consider wealth creation. This must be coupled with the right attitude. We should not seek wealth just so that we can become objects of envy to others or so that we can oppress. Rather, wealth is to be used towards development and progress.
Money on its own is not evil, but the inordinate ambition to acquire it at all costs even at the detriment of others is what is evil. We should not make the acquisition of wealth the sole purpose of our lives forgetting that we must also spiritualise our endeavours. (This is a topic for another day!)
We need to be diligent at the individual and national levels so that we can work our way out of poverty, live decent lives and be able to provide necessary healthcare and quality education for our people. We should eschew the “get rich quick” mindset, embrace diligent work and direct all our thoughts, words and deeds towards all that is good so that we can reap progress and development as reward.
Love as the basis of nationhood
Love is the fulfillment of all the Laws and the Laws promote up building and development. Therefore, to build a nation, love which is tantamount to the Laws of Creation must be made the basis and the foundation for everything that is to be done! Now, how do we apply these Laws? We must first know them. Before we examine these Laws, let us give some thought to love. Love is to give of our self to another by voluntarily giving them respect, consideration and understanding. If we do this, the other person will draw immense strength from it such that they can change for the better! This type of love at the individual and national levels will result in peaceful and progressive up building. Now to the Laws which, themselves bear love and justice: –
- The Law of Sowing and Reaping
This Law stipulates that we will reap what we have sown unconditionally and in multiples. As this Law manifests in nature, it also applies to our words, thoughts and deeds. These are seeds which in the workings of Creation bring back to us fruits of a similar kind.
Let me give you testimonies of how this Law works. I have experienced it many times when as I approach police check points and I put up a smile and nice words. The policemen simply were nice in return. Even the harshest of civil servants have cooperated with me when I speak to them in love. I then get responses such as: “because of the way you spoke, I will assist you”. In the same vein, a leader who expects the loyal following of his team needs to treat them with love and he will obtain their loyalty. Rigidity or the regular use of threats will result in forced obedience that can break down at any moment. Such a leader seats on a keg of gunpowder!
A nation will therefore be able to build itself by always acting with this Law as basis so that peace and joy can reign.
- The Law of Like Attracts Like
This Law maintains order in Creation. For the human spirit, there is an inherent ability to attract things just as a magnet will attract metals. This Law of Nature ensures that man will not attract all sorts of things to himself in a wild confusion. To maintain strict order, this Law ensures that only what is like the nature of the human spirit is attracted to it.
So, if as a nation we desire good leaders, let us change and become good people. After all, it is from us that the leaders emerge. Through the operation of this Law, we attract the leaders that are just like us.
Do you want to have dedicated and honest workers in your business? This Law can help you! Start out by being a dedicated person. Pay yourself a salary and do not dip your hands into your company’s account anyhow saying you are the company owner who can act anyhow. Come to work on time and be disciplined. You will discover to your happiness that those who will be attracted to your company will have the same attitude as you.
In the next essay, which will be the concluding part, we will consider the Law of Spiritual Gravitation and have a conclusion.
- The Law of Spiritual Gravitation
This Law ensures that the inner attitude of man determines his spiritual weight. So, the less pure a person is, the heavier he will become spiritually. On the other hand, the purer the human being is, the lighter he is spiritually. Such a soul strives for spiritual maturity and obeys the Laws of God joyfully. On earth, such a man will be blessed with true joy and happiness, and when he leaves the flesh, he rises high and higher in the beyond because of the lightness of his spirit. This will ultimately lead him to Paradise the abode of the blessed spirits who are saved from the danger of being destroyed along with the world.
In applying this Law to nation building, one needs only mention that living in some countries today is like living in hellish conditions. Insecurity, wars, unrest, and crime are the order of the day. However, if we change the way we think, speak and act and engage in only what is based on love in thought, word and deed, then through the workings of this Law, our nation will be uplifted, and our environment will become lighter. We will then soar above the present dark and heavy environment of despair!
Conclusion
It is generally accepted that men are better governed by the Rule of Law and not by the whim of individuals or institutions. We need to add that such laws that govern the people must be aligned with the Laws of our Creator mentioned earlier. This way, the executive, legislature and judiciary will work in love and justice for the benefit of the nation and its people.
Love is the basis of nation building and the love we talk about here relates to the justice expressed in the Laws of Creation. The Laws of Creation promote joy, peace and happiness. They help in our development at the individual level, the family level and at the national level.
We would recall that we discussed our topic under three subheadings:
- The building blocks of a nation
Here we noted our role as individuals. It is to keep our thoughts pure. We also said that the role of womanhood is to ennoble her environment and influence it for the good and that parents should shun the idea that they need to amass wealth for the sake of their children.
- Peace and development
Under this sub-heading, we discussed the Law of Balance which ensures harmony, how we can work with the human word for peace and progress and that wealth is not for oppression but is to be utilised for development.
- Love as the basis of nationhood
Here we spoke of the three Laws of Creation which are an expression of the Love and Justice of the Almighty and how these can be applied to nation building.
My wish is that we all resolve to live henceforth in accordance with these Laws so that we can build a blessed nation that is pleasing to God.
