ARE YOU AN IDIOT, A TRIBALIST OR A CITIZEN?

 ARE YOU AN IDIOT, A TRIBALIST OR A CITIZEN?

(A Lesson Drawn From The Ancient Greek's Classification Of People In Society)

Going back to history, I learnt that the ancient Greek sociologists classified the populace in society into three categories. They identified them as idiots, tribalist, and the citizens.

THE IDIOTS

The Greeks identified the idiots as not being mentally deficient, but rather very private people who are self-centered and selfish. The idiots always look out for their own gain and self-interest. The lack of public philosophy, knowledge, and skill is very evident to this class of people. Idiots do not have the virtue and the character to make a meaningful contribution towards the flourishing of society and community. For the idiots, it is all about their own pleasures and treasures. According to the Greeks, the idiots were no more than upgraded barbarians.

As it was in those ancient Greek times, we have the same group of idiots or barbarians within our midst in this modern era. A class of people whose primary goal is maximizing personal gain by cutting corners at every turn and overlooking ethical issues. They embezzle the national treasury in the name of development as long as it helps their bottom line.

MODERN DAY IDIOTS:

If idiots assume positions of power and leadership, they do not work for the common good of society, instead, use their power and the people’s wealth for their benefit. The idiots pretend to be advocates of the people’s cause, but in reality, they are advancing their selfish interests. They operate and motivated by greed and egocentric mentality.

In all their business dealings, whatever the scale of operation, whether big or small, they always try to evade tax by working with corrupt public officials. They conspire to bleed, dry the nation and make destitute of the people. Their sole intent is to amass personal wealth even if that often means rent-seeking and bending the law. They have no qualms about bribing public officials to turn a blind eye to their destructive activities.

As the ancient Roman adage goes: “Money is like seawater.” The more one drinks, the thirstier he becomes.” This proverb finds particular meaning with today’s brand of idiots, and particularly those in positions of power. We have leaders who unsparingly plunder and embezzle the nation’s wealth. They start out small and quickly become brazen as they recklessly rob the people on a massive scale. 

THE TRIBALISTS/ TRIBES PEOPLE

This tag is in no way a reference to the fact of belonging to a particular tribe or nationality. Tribal people, in this particular context, is a  reference to a tribalist mentality.

The Greeks identified the tribalists as a class of people who are not able to think beyond their small tribe or group. For the tribespeople, their primary and ultimate allegiance is to their tribe. Their tribe is their God, and their religion is tribalism. They are bound to their local area and very narrow-minded.

According to the ancient Greeks, tribal people are afraid and suspicious of anyone who is even a little alien to them. Driven by this sense of suspicion and intolerance, the tribalists’ dealings with people outside their tribe characterized by intimidation, force, and violence.

In those ancient Greek times, the tag warrior was a perfect fit for the class of tribalists. This warrior designation makes sense because tribal people are anti-peace and love making war. Tribal people are divisive, disrespectful, and resentful towards everything outside of their tribe.

MODERN DAY TRIBALISTS:

As coined by an American author, George Herbert Mead, society is unity in diversity. We see the beauty in our diversity as people of different origins and ethnic groups. Unfortunately, this beauty is not a truth for the tribalists. Their tribal mentality blinds them from seeing beyond their tribe and overrides reason and rational thinking.

Tribalists will take a narrow and tribal stance whenever a national problem comes up. If one of their own is in a position of power, then they will gladly rally around the leader with the firm belief that the nation is in the right hands and headed in the right direction. If on the other side, a leader from another tribe is at the helm, then they will put up a resistance and argue that the nation is in danger to justify their campaigns. A tribalist outlook drives rational thinking out of the window, and the outcome is a battle that leads to senseless wars and genocide.

The tribal elites hide behind the veil of tribalism to feed their aspirations for personal popularity and power. Politically, they take an audacious move against the core interest of their tribe. They champion and advocate for secession from the nation. In their propaganda, they follow Hitler’s line-no matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough, and the masses will regard it as truth.The inherent characteristic of tribalists is continuously spewing false propaganda.It helps them to change the rational people startlingly into their followers and believers, which is very dangerous.They are anti-unity, against peace, and the rule of law. They thrive on spreading false propaganda, division and waging wars.

Most of the time we observe elite tribalists advance their camouflaged or hidden and selfish interest in the name of their tribe. If the people of the tribe are given a chance to express their interest by referendum; their voice would be different from the idea the so-called elite vanguard of the tribe promote.

Society needs the input of every single person towards a common goal to make any real advances. Unfortunately, these self-centered tribalists have proven themselves a real enemy to progress. A nation divided against itself cannot stand. People only with tribal inclinations are, without a doubt, the enemy from within.

THE CITIZEN

There was another kind of person, and that was the ideal person, and they called this ideal person The Citizen. Citizen, in this context, does not refer to the legal or political status of a person as we understand it. Instead, the tag citizen embodies the very idea and ideals of citizenship.

“Who is the citizen?” The Greek identified the citizen as someone who is well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to live a respectable life in the realm of the public. A citizen recognizes oneself as a member of the Commonwealth. The citizen has an understanding and experience of civility, which fuels and striving for the common good of the nation or the country.

The citizen has a practical understanding of his rights in society. This class of people also recognize that with these rights and freedoms, come responsibilities. The citizen fights for his freedom with an awareness and respect for the rights of others. The citizen will make every deliberate effort to ensure that the enjoyment of his rights does not infringe upon the rights of others in any way. For citizens, it is not enough to enjoy their rights and liberties. A citizen will go further and fight for the rights of minorities and the worst of his enemies, knowing that we are all equal before the law. 

The Greeks said it is citizens who make a civilized society. Citizens settle their differences with dialogue that is backed by critical thinking, so they produce a civilized society. Society means friendship and convergence citizens bring these elements to all their interactions for the betterment of society.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the threefold distinction that the Greeks have given us of people in a society. That is the choice that each and every individual, whoever he or she may be, has to make in society. That is the choice that starkly faces us Zambians, Africa and the world today. Will we be idiots living only for ourselves, will we be tribespeople, unable to think beyond our tribes group or will we be citizens; citizens in the best sense of the word?

Today, on this historic day I want to make my choice, and I believe you will also want to make your choice. And I hope you and I will take that right choice; it is with that hope that I want to address you as my fellow Zambian Citizens.

Indeed, no sovereign can make any significant advancement when the number idiots and tribesmen far outnumber the number of citizens… take a guess at what percentage of Zambians behave as idiots, tribespeople and citizens. Do the results shock you?

Zambia is her people; If we want to see change, we have to start by being citizens of our country.

According to Maria Robinson “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Let us turn the page and write a new chapter for our dear country, continent and world.

May God bless you and may God bless our country, Zambia, continent and world.

Thank You

🆓🗣️🇿🇲

𝒮𝒾𝓇 𝒜𝒫ℳ ℒ𝓊𝓀𝓌ℯ𝓈𝒶 iii

Sir APM Lukwesa