My reply to the reply...
{And when Yemisi replied me (and I won't post her reply) this was my reply...here goes}
You were supposed to open the mail over the weekend....
My point is this:- different geogaphical regions and systems and cultures have the WAY THEY LIVE THEIR LIVES. And it is no one's business. You should not walk up to the bushmen of the Kalahari desert and tell them that their political sytstem and culture in general is WRONG. I mean, who set the standard for anything? What culture sets the standard for the rest of the other cultures? NONE! That's my point. The West, through their media,always want to push their systems on other smaller systems. I think the only time that should be done is when they have manged to perfect it. Which u'll agree is impossible.
I do not understand why you would think they are both barbaric and wrong afterall in every system justice has to be served and crime stopped. And both systems have decided this is how they go about it. Which is OK. They will both make foolish mistakes and learn over the course of time. It will cost lives and a lot of sacrifice but that is the only way forward.
The issue is not about who gives a man the "right to punish another man for their wrongdoing?". Are u suggesting that there should not be a judicial system in nations and cultures? God forbid! You know the result is lawlessness.
There is absolutely nothing pointless about this oh! Cos I am beginning to understand that Nigerians are far from an enlightened bunch of people. They do not put much thought into their political theories and systems. They just want "copy and paste" system. I mean do u think, the Europeans and Westerners arrived where they are in one day? There were thinkers, critics, theorists, reformers and hosts of revolts b4 they reached where they are today. It did not come easy. People perished and sacrificed a lot of things to get to this point.
Nigerians always want the easy way out. And I am really a sucker for doing things the hard way. I think that's my problem (which is not a bad thing at all by the way).
My point is this "so an innocent man's hand is chopped off"...so an innocent man in the US is electrocuted (mind you I have found out that about 40% of those given the death penalty here in the US are actually innocent). So which system is correct? Which system is right? Which system is barbaric or not barbaric? What I am saying is this:- every system is grossly flawed in some fundamental way or the other...there is no perfect system, no right way. You made a good point saying that "the society defines what barbaric is". Good. They should keep their definitions to themselves and stop shoving their ideologies in other people's faces... So let the different peoples of the world live their lives the different ways they choose to...given that is how they want to live. If they are making mistakes in what they are doing, fine! they learn from it and move on. You need to see the mundane way people thought a mere 100 or 200 years ago, but without those lines of thinking the west would not be what it is today.
You also said sth about your basis of right and wrong. Good! But do remember that is you and as much as cultural and political systems evolve from the personal ideologies of the individuals within that system, we are talking about a people as diverse (I am arguing that they are the most diverse in the world) culturally, poltically, and religiously as Nigeria.
Finally, in answer to your question in your mail, I say let Northerners in Nigeria be. First, it's a cultural as well as a religious thing for them. Second, that is what they want. The only problem is if they indeed want sth different.
I curse those Greeks that coined that word "barbaric"!
Goodbye.
P.S>>>Finally almost thru with a turbulent weekend. Still one speech to go and that's tomorrow. I intend to talk about how the multi-faceted impact of slavery is one of the reasons why Africa is underdeveloped today. Haven't even done anything about it yet. Will have to get to work.
You were supposed to open the mail over the weekend....
My point is this:- different geogaphical regions and systems and cultures have the WAY THEY LIVE THEIR LIVES. And it is no one's business. You should not walk up to the bushmen of the Kalahari desert and tell them that their political sytstem and culture in general is WRONG. I mean, who set the standard for anything? What culture sets the standard for the rest of the other cultures? NONE! That's my point. The West, through their media,always want to push their systems on other smaller systems. I think the only time that should be done is when they have manged to perfect it. Which u'll agree is impossible.
I do not understand why you would think they are both barbaric and wrong afterall in every system justice has to be served and crime stopped. And both systems have decided this is how they go about it. Which is OK. They will both make foolish mistakes and learn over the course of time. It will cost lives and a lot of sacrifice but that is the only way forward.
The issue is not about who gives a man the "right to punish another man for their wrongdoing?". Are u suggesting that there should not be a judicial system in nations and cultures? God forbid! You know the result is lawlessness.
There is absolutely nothing pointless about this oh! Cos I am beginning to understand that Nigerians are far from an enlightened bunch of people. They do not put much thought into their political theories and systems. They just want "copy and paste" system. I mean do u think, the Europeans and Westerners arrived where they are in one day? There were thinkers, critics, theorists, reformers and hosts of revolts b4 they reached where they are today. It did not come easy. People perished and sacrificed a lot of things to get to this point.
Nigerians always want the easy way out. And I am really a sucker for doing things the hard way. I think that's my problem (which is not a bad thing at all by the way).
My point is this "so an innocent man's hand is chopped off"...so an innocent man in the US is electrocuted (mind you I have found out that about 40% of those given the death penalty here in the US are actually innocent). So which system is correct? Which system is right? Which system is barbaric or not barbaric? What I am saying is this:- every system is grossly flawed in some fundamental way or the other...there is no perfect system, no right way. You made a good point saying that "the society defines what barbaric is". Good. They should keep their definitions to themselves and stop shoving their ideologies in other people's faces... So let the different peoples of the world live their lives the different ways they choose to...given that is how they want to live. If they are making mistakes in what they are doing, fine! they learn from it and move on. You need to see the mundane way people thought a mere 100 or 200 years ago, but without those lines of thinking the west would not be what it is today.
You also said sth about your basis of right and wrong. Good! But do remember that is you and as much as cultural and political systems evolve from the personal ideologies of the individuals within that system, we are talking about a people as diverse (I am arguing that they are the most diverse in the world) culturally, poltically, and religiously as Nigeria.
Finally, in answer to your question in your mail, I say let Northerners in Nigeria be. First, it's a cultural as well as a religious thing for them. Second, that is what they want. The only problem is if they indeed want sth different.
I curse those Greeks that coined that word "barbaric"!
Goodbye.
P.S>>>Finally almost thru with a turbulent weekend. Still one speech to go and that's tomorrow. I intend to talk about how the multi-faceted impact of slavery is one of the reasons why Africa is underdeveloped today. Haven't even done anything about it yet. Will have to get to work.