Before people take the bold steps to tie the nuptial knot, they have subconsciously put their signature against an unwritten law that makes them accountable to the physical and material well-being of the offspring they intend to bring into the world.

Of course, couples initiate the reproductive process without the consent of the offspring, who otherwise would have had no business with existence prior to the exchange of genes between the two reproductive parties. Therefore, the onus is on this productive parents to assent to their comfort by all means possible.

Such processes begin from the first day there's a disentanglement of the umbilical cord, to the period where the now grown up man is ready to paddle away from the safety of his parents coffers; armed with the amounts of knowledge he could afford, as well as skills and experience gathered over the years - formally and informally.

And this is also the point where expectations are rife.

In the western setting, parents and the government jointly provide all the conditions required for their youths to excel. For instance, a child could grow up to take after the family business; an apartment and a ride is already in place for him. Or he might choose to pursue a career or further his studies, in that whatever choices he takes, the parents and society has his back, that is why many western youths can drop out of school to pursue their choice careers, no matter how intangible it seems. The result is skill diversity and a wide range of jobs, leading to the all round development of the society.

Moreover, the parents are financially independent. They do not expect much financial assistance from their children or or expect their children to wrought a spontaneous positive change in their income profile, because they have been living comfortably by themselves. Therefore, leaving the children to concentrate on their immediate responsibilities.

The scenario above paints a society where there is no pressure on the young person to either make a breakthrough in life, or be labelled a failure.

The African society on the other hand is a farcry from this. The African child is like a capital investment, he is expected to blossom over time and rain prosperity on the parents. His sole purpose of existence is to cater for his parents, same way he was catered for, as if he's paying back the favour and privilege of being brought into existence. So the African child eventually becomes the parent of his parents. This is even worse when you're the first born.

The consequences of this is a society full of pressurised youths, who continually live with the fear of failing to meet the expectations of their parents, and society at large. This is also one of the reasons many vices are thriving, because after all, if we no make money, wetin we gain?

We need to re-evaluate our motives for bringing a life into the world. Our children should be companions, not long term investments, with the crooked expectations of future profit returns. That is the worst form of selfishness.

Even lower animals understand better.

Good day.


Cc lalasticlala

Kinda