PRESENT DAY DIFFICULTIES, ANY LESSONS TO LEARN?

By Nnabugwu Chizoba

Generally speaking, things are tough, indeed very tough, for many individuals and families, world over. 

The living, today, is faced with numerous challenges, tempting options, stunning preferences, stiff competitions, flashy and pretentious lifestyles, and ostentatious tastes, attractive fashion, including enticing proposals, stifling ambitions, conflicting opportunities, and other demands; from self, relatives, friends and dependents.

The difficulties posed by the preceding developments, to the individuals and family units get complicated on daily basis. To address the challenges, opinion leaders and economic gurus have expressed concerns and proffered different solutions, to what is almost looking like unresponsive world economy – story for another day. 

It is here identified that the tension generated by the challenges of the foregoing, has been heightened, systematically compounded, literarily aggravated, lightly spiced, tastefully garnished, and massively driven and supported, one way or another, by over-information, misinformation, disinformation and/or inadequate information. 

The inseparable nature of information towards resolving any challenge, brings to mind, the dilemma associated with either information overload, distortions or even the inadequacy of it. The consequence includes increased burden, no doubt. 

Basic challenges of individuals and families, comprise of paucity/scarcity of money and other financial resources, increasing debt profile, and rising prices of goods and services. These are vigorously reinforced by ostentatious and pressure driven demands, eye popping designs, un-put-down-able products and services.

The burden is aggravated, when considered alongside over orchestrated internal and external forces, sometimes motivated by real challenges of life, and at other times by the desire to belong. 

In some cases too, it is ignited by the desire to engage in what some people have identified as the joy of fooling around. The critical minded, have represented this as self-destructive tendencies. 

However, I prefer to call it sensible non-sense. I am talking about those moments, when individuals or families embark on spending based on padded hope of what is to come. Another situation is when expenditure, is spurred or determined by chance events.

The combined effects of the above, in the face of daunting challenges confronting individuals, and families can be imagined. To many, the unfolding events and the spate of occurrence have taken them out of focus.

Many individuals and families, today, cannot, in clear terms, explain what success, survival and sustainable living, truly entail. Their definition and understanding of life, in terms of what to consider, what to embrace, or neglect has become a subject of concern. They have been systematically, technically, structurally, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually disoriented, disfigured, dislocated, disillusioned and economically mutilated. 

In a developing economy like Nigeria, the situation is worsened by the fact that the society, has elevated to the high heavens the concept of western knowledge and orientation, without consideration for the values, Morales and rich culture of Africa. This warped mentality, has distorted people’s perception of life”. 

To crown it all, these unhealthy developments are happening at a time when many people are battling with very poor savings culture, ghoulish and unproductive family relationships that have weakened the structures and linkages that over time have united, enlivened and strengthened the African family unit and setting.

There is no denying the fact that there is today over-flow of information in the world. There is also no argument, that there is massive distortion and misrepresentation of facts, as well as negative outpouring of emotions, with the intended and unintended effects and consequences, actively playing out, in many ways and instances.

The distortions have affected the society fundamentally. It has also, exposed the inefficiency of citizens, and uncovered the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the presently held knowledge, in the area of financial literacy. 

To conclude that the preceding scenario has given rise to very poor understanding, inappropriate application and mismanagement of information and knowledge, and in some cases negated the benefits that ordinarily should accrue from what is regarded in some quarters as generosity and benevolence of the present day information super stars, is stating the obvious. 

A critical factor, though not noticed by many people, but contributes to the pressure discussed in this piece, is that created and sustained through information overload and distortions, but continually induced and systematically exploited by product promoters and advertisers. Consider the number of products in the market: sizes, colours, shapes, packaging, branding and method of presentation, to the public. This is in addition to the several services competing for attention. 

The realization that the driving force behind most promotions and advertisements, is profit making, explains the situation better, especially, where controls, monitoring and standard mechanism are weak.