Squandermania Mentality: the Root Cause of Social Evil

SQUANDERMANIA brain function THE ROOT CAUSE OF SOCIAL EVIL UDEKE CHARLES NDUBUISI pontiff JOHNPAUL 11 MAJOR SEMINARY, AWKA emailprotected com PREAMBLE Nigeria as a nation is ravaged by umteen intrinsic bothers. It is no broader intelligence activity even to the projection screen that things argon non the way they should be in our c wholly tolder. Nigeria problem is hydra-headed. Many scholars take up viewed it from the various place as depravation, problem of leadership, indiscipline, greediness, consumerism, et cetera. Squander mania psyche is non out of the list. The rate at which tidy sum spread dollars at do is quite embarrassing.The memoir of Nigerians is that of a tidy sum in search of naira and the showy show of wealthiness. Some people construe squandeermaniarism as a heart of ascertaining themselves in the company. So, the more(prenominal) than pretentious you are, the more you are societally recognized and provideonized. The groundwork system cause of social evil in our auberge is nonentity only consumer mind. In bid to nurse more in allege to sp send away luxuriously people often indulge in all kinds of ills like kidnapping, transplant, drug addict, m nonpareily laundry, stealing, armed robbery, gangsterism, corruption and defalcation.Squandermania consciousness has turned some of our leaders into caterpillars of public wealth. In fact the evil malice in us has been exalted to the point of genius in some of us. Moreover, in January 1987, the Anambra State government infra the governorship of Captain Emeka Omeruah organized a crusade a inducest squandermania. They so accurately deciphered the basis of indiscipline and underdevelopment in our nation as squandermania mentality. In this work we shall be looking at squandermania mentality as the group cause of our social evil and the possible remedy.In order to better appreciate this topic, let us develop the basic concept. CONCEPTUALIZATION OF TERMS. Squanderm ania mentality literally means conscious wasteful or useless(prenominal) expending on daily basis. According to Okolo (19949) it is that disposition in a people by which they conceive and valuate things by their consumable value. On the whole the society becomes one dominated largely by sordid quite a than productive instincts. Thus, for him it is clothistic consumable outlook on things. Then, Prof. P.N. Ejiofor (19863) viewed the term fulgent consumption as living above ones resources and for the boilers suit standard of living of the society for ones inordinate self aggrandizement. For him, it is expending unnecessarily. Here, squandermania mentality whitethorn be used interchangeably with consumer consciousness or overt consumption. Based on this based backdrop, let us know to what extent squandermania mentality is the root cause of our social evil. SQUANDERMANIA MENTALITY IN NIGERIA THE myth SO FAR.Today, in our t holds and villages, people both overf scurvying and poor, indulge in consumer consciousness very much(prenominal) as charging astronomically gamy bride prices, engaging in expensive wedding ceremonies, pompous burial ceremonies, expensive chieftainship title-taking, excessive feasting, excessive eating and drinking, and useless spending in luxurious cars and colossal village mansions. Prof. Ejiofor (198490) attempt to paint a picture of an aspect of conspicuous consumption as it pertains to our burial ceremonies. First the trunk may be embalmed, and left in the morgue for a period ranging from three days to devil or three months.During this age, a rising construct is set up, if the dead did not build one in his lifespan season, but if he did, the tin and the walls are renovated. In the same vein, pomp and boasting go with weddings, birthday celebrations, title taking, chieftaincy installations, graduations, ordinations, and foretoken warming ceremonies, etc. In fact, Nigerians are rum with life of ostentation. We p lace undue emphasis in substantive social determine as a way of life of a people. Thus bodily success and possession are highly set in the social and cultural lives of our people.Peace Pilgrim (198112) articulates it in the adjacent harm, in this materialistic age we endure such a false criterion by which to gradation success. We measure it in terms of material things. moreover happiness and inner peace do not lie in that direction. Nigeria is the paradigm example of unmixed consumer society. Okolo(199410) viewed squandermania as the foundation of all our problems. It is the problem throne our problems. To ignore it in our attack of societal ills would be to pursue a phantom, attacking the disease with a proper diagnosis of its cause. We so-and-so talk of Nigeria problem without mentioning squandermania mentality.That Nigeria is a consumer society is never an exaggeration, for it is manifested in all their activities. Our society is characterized by unproductive spendi ng, wealth immodesty and social importance. Hence, prestige and power are in general construed in terms of material wealth and possessions. As a consumer nation, it exhibit one sided apprehension of do work. That is in terms of quick gain, instant wealth and material success. Sweat, hard work and mortalal sacrifice create been sacrificed at the altar of laziness, cheap labour, instant gain and consumerism.Okolo(199411) posited that people of consumer society generally manifest low enthusiasm or appreciation for high values such as patriotism, love of truth, honesty To labour or sacrifice for these spiritual goods or withdraw of them important is hardly worthwhile for them. In the educational sector, a lot of people read in order to obtain mere present, what is referred to as enfranchisement education. They construe education in terms of its material relevance. Knowledge in the strict sentiency, for broadening ones horizon, correspondence and conquering ones environment i s not for them.They seek for authentication education in order to gain fullness and wealth through influence and high positions in the society. They struggle in order to manifest domination in wealth and what it can buy. Success and social progress are defined by them in terms of material prosperity and erudition. Russell (197538) in his own part described the situation thus, but what ordinary modern man desires to get with it is more money, with a view to ostentation, splendour and the outshining of those who have hitherto been his equals. It is faint that the quest for instant wealth and material acquisition is the root cause of the societal ills. All that matters for Nigerian is naira accumulation, the means not withstanding. Consequently, it is no longer news that there is so much robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, embezzlement and all sorts of fraudulent practices in the nation. The hardship in the country notwithstanding, the syndrome for quick money an d over nighttime success is a pointer to squandermania mentality. The search for immediate wealth ingests the Nigerian to hold tenaciously to power and authority.Conspicuous consumption will lead us to nothing but a consumer nation. Whereby, we spend more than we produce, whence leading to many inefficiency or disequilibrium in the economy. CONS OF CONSUMER reason The cumulative effect of it will lead to magnification of his tastes, a change in his life style, in his social values and outlook in life. The person will define his social importance in terms of wealth acquisition and display, then, the type of fundament he lives in, property acquired and social entertainment held.So, the berth of wasteful or unproductive spending and wealth exhibitionism will be high in the individual. Conspicuous consumption is one of the root causes of bribery and corruption, armed robbery, prostitution, smuggling, and drug trafficking. Faced by the wide financial demands which they can not me et by honest living, they land themselves in the aforementioned ills. Consumer consciousness channels all our resources from working to leisure and from toging to unnecessary consumption. Many a time offices and markets are closed to give the dead a questionable befitting burial.The time we spent in long wake keeping ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, housing admonition ceremonies, etc, is spent by the Whiteman in his library or laboratory researching on how to develop the machinery he will export later. The money we spend on those occasions is spent by him in taking a balanced diet and investing in meaty businesses. It has destroyed the value system of our society. The peoples outlook on things is mainly from viewpoint of the consumable value and the material worth. In the developed countries, the nigh noble and masters are the researchers, the inventors, the statesmen, great philanthropists.In our society the statusquo are mostly the number of cars, the type buildings, the ch oppiness of parties, etc. It is not surprise today that many untried people indulge in different foul game in order to suffer money quick. Squandermania mentality makes us to be more dependent on the industrialized nations. It discourages patronage of our aborigine goods. It is not shocking that most of the drugs, food stuffs, scientific equipments and all sorts of manufactured and consumer good are not produced locally. This has stultifying effects on the creative and imaginative powers of the individual. By being dependent on other nations we enslave ourselves.It makes Nigerian to be imitators instead of competitors with other nations. Since we end up in imitating and reproducing, we lack originality, self transcendence, creativeness and self reliance. More so, it vitiates the development of education, science and technology. Today, young people construe education in terms of material gain. Whereby, they end up in award education. People are not concerned with the qualitativ e functional education, which will help them conquer and commute their environment. Instead are interested in certificate education which guarantees them position of influence in the society.In fact, conspicuous consumption has adverse effect on moral, economic, developmental and political facets of the society. It reinforces wrong values, leads to exportation of wealth, encourages social vices, hampers productivity, and slows atomic reactor the rate of economic development. We devote too much time in consuming than in producing. Since we have seen that the gestalt of our problem is squandermania in outlook, then, what shall we do PANACEA What Nigerian need is a new awareness of self, a novel sense of dignity and altogether new life and value system. This new ideology should make value to be more qualitatively kind of than to have more.That is to live more qualitative life instead of quantitative life. Education is vital doer through which these values can be inculcated. Nigeria require to imbibe the value of self-discipline. He must be ready to restrain his ungodly desires, goals and ambitious which he generally views in materialist terms. In quest to have more, display more, enjoy more, the Nigerian has lost sense of self discipline in quest for naira and what it can purchase. Thus, it through self discipline, the nation can curb her resources judiciously. Our society should cultivate the spirit of working for the ordinary good.For no society of human beings is possible without what binds them together, what they get through after together. Thus, common good is the good of the members of the society. If, we mobilize of those things which make up the society as a whole, squandermanianism will be a forgotten issue. prudence of our resources, time and talents well is a necessary condition. unwise people waste their money, whilst wise people invest their money and are called investors. In order to abominate squandermania mentality the Nigerian must c ultivate prosaic spirit. This imbues him with the mind to discover or invent and to be creative.This is attitude of sacrifice, self-dedication and labour. For consumer mentality radically weakens the will and people to put pleasure forrader business, sweet before sweat. More so, let us spend less time and money in celebrations, so as to have more money for the investment and time for working. It is by patronizing our locally made goods, can we encourage our local industries. CONCLUSION It is high time we admit that there is more to life than money, therefore, should nidus not just on money wasting, but on general well-being.Studies have shown that those who are high in materialistic orientations are lower in levels of life satisfaction. Squandermania is a public enemy that should be stamped out of our society. It fails to satisfy men whose nature clamours for higher, more lasting values. We should aim at minimizing the traditional hunt of wealth, conspicuous consumption and the acquisition of possessions and the attainment of status. allow us aspire to be more rather than to possess more. May all hands be on deck in order to stick to an end the inflicted wound of wasteful living.