A difference between developed countries and others is fear. There are many developing countries in the world where the people are so afraid to try things that would make them progress, almost prompting the question: who taught them to fear?
Fear is the thing in the face of many, preventing them from doing anything beneficial for the good of their society. Usually, many are not afraid to do things of close-ended self-interest, but it is not this kind of courage that moves a society forward.
What it takes to develop a society is largely courage, from different corners and people independently, as part of their own effort to their society.
This is different from those who keep blaming the government like the government can do anything successful if everyone is still thinking selfishly.
Fear is the economic machine of developing countries. It is their politics, security, food, etc. It takes fear to take money belonging to all and embezzle. It takes fear to take bribes or give. It takes fear to be involved in corruption, any kind of fraud, etc. It takes fear to instead of aspire for development for all, to aspire to be or stay the rich of the society or believe the only way is to leave, or there is a problem with a place other than the people there.
There is always “this must not happen”, “cannot take it”, but, what if it happens, the worse or what if things go wrong and stay so?
The things to have and show, or the things to be and display are meaningless, get old and anyone anywhere can get them with or without equal status, efforts or duration.
There are people who have done everything to be in the right status – but death or something else came and it all went away. The person who didn’t have it, whom they would still have been better than if things were okay for them, or if they were still alive, continues on, and does not miss that thing others had and felt it’s the greatest.
Progress is beyond one bridge somewhere or some infrastructure, but what it takes in what everyone has to do.
This, for any society that puts fear first, or that assumes that status or to be comfortable is the right thing to do is already a miss or loss.
Fear gets transferred to the next generation, including how they ensure that what they impose is not rule of law, but how to fear what would bring progress.
Fear from everyone in a society cannot make them dare, even to the risk of death, because to many, having a thing is the meaning of life, not the purpose of good change to become to society.
[2 Samuel 23:20, And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:]
***By Nneka Okumazie
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