When did we stop accepting responsibility? When did we stop talking?

At some point, we have to realize that we are no longer communicating, all we are doing is data dumping. Everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong. We are divided into tribes that hate each other for no other reason than they believe in something slightly different us. We spend hours trolling each other on social media to the point that social media is no longer social.

How do you expect to find common ground if you cannot talk about simple stuff? How do you solve problems when you cannot define the problem?

At some point, we will need to work together to solve things; at some point, we have to remember we are all under the same flag, constitution, and it supposed to be equal under the law.

Reject the labels, rejected the memes, and for Pete’s sake stop deflecting bad things to innocent people!

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

The world is not going to end and the world has not changed in the way you think it has

The election is over, the people have spoken, time to get back normality. However, what is normality?

Technology has allowed voices and messages to be heard faster and broader than before; often in an anonymous way, but these voices have always been there, that is not new.  This anonymity is creating an atmosphere of uncivil behavior, and since that door has been opened, it is not going to close.

What has changed is the strong and polarizing divisions in this country, and around the world. Look at Philippines, Britain and Europe in general; the cracks are there and growing. Look at the solid political and cultural divisions between states.

Are we all aware that the conditions that exist right now (and that are developing) are similar to the way world wars have started? No, I am not saying we are going to war, I am just saying the conditions in which large wars start are here with us right now.

There are already many battles going on around the world and this country has basically been involved in wars non-stop since 2001; do not forget that.

I am not sure what the solution is, but what I do know is that there needs to be a better understanding of each other rather than the current “forget the other team” attitude. We need to listen to each other to learn, not just to respond, we need some unity (sounds corny but it is true).

Pay attention everyone, because history does have a tendency to repeat itself, so let us make sure we are all on the correct side of history.

More to come…

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

There are serious divisions that should not be dismissed: an educator’s perspective on the political situation

I love science fiction books, they take you away from reality for a while, and they can also fan the flames of your imagination. Sometimes though, science fiction books can be omens of the future.

I was recently reading a book by a well-known author written a decade ago that started getting me thinking about what is going on around me. FYI, no this is not a political article, it is simply an educated observation of the state of what is going on around us.

The country is divided, it is divided by ideals, legal system, it is divided by politics, and it is important to understand that these divisions are not divisions of extremes. These divisions are and have been the norm for a little while, we have just reached a tipping point, we have reached a point where we are noticing.

It is important that we understand that these feelings did not all of a sudden manifest themselves, these feelings have been building up for decades, these feelings are a part of the fabric of this country. And guess what? As citizens of this country, we are all entitled to our opinions: political, personal, etc. What is missing is respect for each other’s opinion (that went missing a while ago it seems).

Whoever wins this election, this divide will still exist, these feelings will not dissipate like the wind simply because it is the Wednesday after the elections; once again, like it or not, these feelings are real!

Back to the book; in it, was state of existence very similar to what we are experiencing right now, that causes a civil war in the country. It was not necessarily like the war of 1860s, but it was indeed a war, and massive change happened, with massive consequences.

I am going end here by saying, our greatest threats more often are not from the outside, but from within. We can be our own worst enemies, and in this age of social media, we are creating more enemies by how we behave towards one another (look at the comments in political posts).

It is ok to listen to each other; it is ok to disagree with each other; we can do both these things without destroying each other. 

I hope I am wrong.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam