World of ‘Survival of the fittest’
According to Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the US, ‘the world is all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizon.
The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave’.
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Ronald Reagan’s assertion denote that the world is built on the notion of ‘survival of the fittest’ that indicates whoever is stronger devours the neighbour as with all formations.
The hawks control the birds in the air, Sharks control the fishes in the seas, lions, the kings of the forest, control the animals in the bushes, the huge trees prevent little ones from enjoying proper photosynthesis to their peril, nonetheless, humans control and devour their fellow human beings through bravery.
Therefore, conclusively, the world belongs to the daring and he who is strong takes dominion over the weak, an act of creation.
There was an Ewe story based on this philosophy titled ‘asiwo tsi naka’ meaning survival of the fittest literarily implying ‘if your hand is strong, you chop’, written by one Obianim, that I read when I was a young middle school boy in the Volta Region .
There was an old rustic farmer in a village who had many children he could not cater for.
He would usually prepare food and call the children to join him together for a meal by shouting, ‘deviwo miva mi dunu loo’ meaning children come and let us eat.
The meal was normally placed on the ground where the children would form a ring around the bowl in squatting mode.
The old man had a little stool which he sat on among the children with due fatherly respect accorded him.
Any time consumption began, the children were able to devour most part of the food because they were young and niftier.
At the end of the chomping, the old man would feel hungry, counting the ceiling while in bed.
He prodded his mind, thought deeply as to the best method he could employ to outwit his children in order to eat to his fill.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to him to eat the food on fire because the children’s hands were not mature enough to operate freely from the hot pot.
That method he adopted and when the food was being cooked on fire, he would invite his children for the meal.
Because the food was hot, the children could not eat to their satisfaction.
The old man, therefore, had enough to satisfy his want and thereby hooked to that method making his children to suffer from hunger and kwashiorkor.
All he wanted was his own satisfaction which he achieved and didn’t care a hoot about the welfare of his own children.
That is exactly the world we live in today.
This survival visceral prevails among nations, races, rulers, aristocrats and commoners that has been the concept of the world since formation.
This phenomenon was concretised by the Spartan exercise, called the Agoge system, for young Spartan males among the Greeks during 7th and 6th centuries BC.
It was a rigorous training programme mandated for all male Spartan citizens, except for the firstborn son in the ruling houses.
The Agoge system formed the premiere formal educational system when young kids were boarded and taught stealth and above all bravery to be combative to fight the common enemies is what is prevalent in our modern day educational system inherited from the Athenian model.
In our modern day educational system, we are taught to be cunning to outwit others who are less privileged educationally, the reason why most of the affluent in the world today are the educated. The more educated, the better the circumstance.
Historically, majority of luminaries and countries we celebrate and honour in the world today are the fearless.
Monarchs and Kings that live above Lordship belong to families whose forebears were the bravest.
Political rulers who are remembered were those who ruled with iron paws conquering their neighbours expanding their geopolitical horizons.
The intellectuals and talent achievers, who are recognised, are those who go beyond the norms, toiling to the paramount and are primed to take risks.
In Africa, for instance, Kings and Chiefs were ordained due to their personal valor, strength, and bravery who led their kinsmen in time of war to victory.
Countries that rule the world currently are those that subjugated their fellow humans through slavery, colonisation, imperialism and conquest.
This ‘survival of the fittest’ concept blacks have misread to their dingy, trusting on unknown spirits for classism and supremacy that have eluded their search.
Because the whites are more vibrant and adventurous broadening their vista, they dominate the world possessing air, space, land and sea powers.
Those of the powerful class remain resilient to achieving greatness leaving indelible marks for their posterity.
That is the main reason why great celebrities in modern life who adapt to risk taking, control history.
On the contrary, this success secret has remained hidden to blacks who continue to chase demi-semi bordering that has remained us acquiescent to other races who regard us as non-achievers and discards.
However, few blacks who understand this philosophy control and dominate others.
The writer is an Ethnomusicologist. Email:[email protected] Tel. 0549683307
