By SaintAugustine Adula Odey:
There are always three kinds of people in any given society. These three folds of distinction has been noted and made by notable sociologists and public intellectuals. But these three folds distinction of the three kinds of people, it was first identified and first stated by the supporters and founders of DEMOCRACY in ancient GREECE.
For the Greek people, the people who in many ways gave us the modern civilized world, the first kind of people in any society are the IDIOTS; the idiot is not necessary someone who is mentally deficient, the idiot, they say is one who is a totally private person and a totally self centred person, and a totally selfish person; they called such an idiot.
The idiot is always out for his personal gains and his personal interests. He does not have a public philosophy, has no knowledge, no skills, no character and no virtues to be able to live and to contribute in a flourishing society and community, s/he is all out for his or her personal pleasures and or personal treasures. The Greeks said the idiot is just an upgraded barbarian. The first kind of person is the idiot.
The Greeks also said there is a second kind of people in any given society and the Greeks called these people THE TRIBES PEOPLES. IT IS NOT REFERENCING TO A TRIBE WHICH IS A GOOD THING. What the Greeks meant by ‘TRIBES PEOLPLE’ ARE PEOPLE WITH A TRIBAL AND A TRIBALISTIC MENTALITY, and the GREEKS FURTHER said the tribes are those people who are not able to think beyond their small tribes or their small groups.
For the TRIBES PEOPLE their primary allegiance, there only allegiance, and their ultimate allegiance is to their tribe. Their TRIBE IS THEIR god AND THEIR REILIGION IS TRIBALISM. And the tribes people, the GREEKS said are always afraid of things that are different, that are little alien to them. They are suspicious and fearful, and they always dealt with different people and difficult situations with intimidation, with brute force and with violence and the GREEKS ALSO SAID THE IDEAL TO THE TRIBES PEOPLE IS THE WARRIOR, TRIBES PEOPLE ARE WAR MAKING PEOPLE.
THE THIRD KIND OF PEOPLE OR PERSON IS TO THE GREEKS AN IDEAL PERSON AND THE GREEKS CALLED THIS PERSON THE CITIZEN.
The citizen here is not talking about legal status or political status. We are here talking about the IDEA AND THE IDEAL OF THE CITIZENSHIP.
Who is THE CITIZEN? The citizen according to the GREEKS is someone who has the knowledge and the skills to live a public life; who is able to live a life of CIVILITY, the citizen recognizes thathe or she is a member of a common wealth and thus strives for the common good of the highest majority, that is the citizen.
The citizen knows his or her rights in the society. But he or she also knows his or her RESPONSIBILITIES to THE SOCIETY. The citizen can fight for his rights but always an awareness of and with the respect for the rights and interests of others, of their neighbors, of the smallest of minorities, and of the worst of their enemies, and the citizens the Greeks said, they make and they makeup a civilized society, a society that truly lives up to the MEANING OF THE NAME SOCIETY.
SOCIETY LITERALLY MEANS FRIENDSHIP AND FRIENDLINESS. That is the three fold distinction the GREEKS have given us, that is the best choice that each and every individual wherever he or she may be has to make in our society. It is on this note that I present to you a great citizen you already know, my Ideal citizen, my mentor, my role model, my helper barrister Stephen Odey Ph.D the Executive Chairman of CR-SUBEB and the Acting M.D CRS-Water Board Ltd. Above all a mentee of H.E Senator (Prof.) Benedit Ayade the Executive Digital Governor of Cross River State a very Distinguished Senior Citizen who has excellently mentored his son Dr. Steve well with this philosophy of life: NO RELIGION IS STRONGER THAN PROVIDING A SHOULDER FOR YOUR WEAK BROTHER TO LEAN ON – Prof AYADE.
CONGRATULATIONS SIR!
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