Tariq A. Al-Maeena
The flooding of the last few days has once again exposed the enormity of the ineptitude, negligence and lack of adherence to ethics that flourish within our public sector. But are such traits confined only to public sector officials? Or is the general public equally at fault when it comes to the preservation and execution of their civic duties?
Civic sense is loosely defined as social ethics reflecting the positive perception, understanding and attitude toward the society or community. It also encompasses the behavior between individuals and groups, affirming the principles of society. So just by looking around, the question as to whether most of us adhere to civic sense is answered by the prevalent lack of discipline in our activities and our seeming disregard for civic law.
To cite one particular example, an individual expressed his frustrations with the enormity of the problem. In his own words, he said: “I was a lucky person when my family and I happened to move into a very nice and friendly neighborhood in Jeddah. We were even more fortunate when most of our neighbors in the homes next to us were personal friends from before or we became friends with each other. We all had something in common - young children.
“So we got together and decided that we should modestly develop the strip of small land in front of our homes with our shared personal funds and effort. We built a sand pit, bought a few swings and monkey bars for the kids, and a big trampoline. We even planted a few trees and shrubs which we watered on a daily basis. I even went to the extent of writing to the local municipality to ask permission to build speed bumps on the street as I saw a few cars zip by and I was extremely worried about accidents. I was able to get the go-ahead and at my own expense, the speed bumps were laid out. I also made signs for the motorists indicating: 'Children at play, please slow down'.
“All was well for a few years and the location became a popular location for children. Even friends from outside the neighborhood sent their kids to play. We also added a very small basketball court with a single hoop.
“But after a while I noticed that in the evening an older crowd of teenagers were showing up (especially during the summer months when all our families were traveling) and just hanging out. I saw no harm in this even though a few of them started to play basketball till the very early hours of the morning. Then another type of crowd started showing up from outside the neighborhood. Again I saw no harm until I realized that they just had no respect for the place; they destroyed the swings and burnt the trampoline with their cigarettes and made it unusable. They littered the area with empty cans, waste paper and the like. When I made a comment or two, they just shrugged me off, and at times looked aggressive.
“After every summer, we made an attempt to clean up and fix the area, but the same occurred again and again. We just simply gave up as it was getting frustrating and expensive. However, the question here is: Why?
“Why do people have no respect for a place that they seem to like to hang out in? Would they do this if they were abroad? It shows no self-respect, no self-pride, and no respect for others. What a shame! If this is the future, then God help us! Kids and especially teenagers should learn at an early age that they have an obligation toward the community and the location they live in. It is after all in the teachings of Islam.”
The words of this individual express the feelings of many of us who despair at the lack of civic sense around us. Good practices are taught initially at home. It is not society nor the government that is expected to teach us to respect our environment and those living in it. These lessons have to be taught at a very early age.
This respect should not be confined to the physical environment we live in but should also be extended to all living souls around us who share our space.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
