Nigeria, what time is it?

In the wake of the Chibok kidnapping and the other atrocities that have since happened, the Nigerian government has caught a lot of flak, severe mockery and tongue-lashing from everybody, qualified to do so or not. The totally uninformative and overly defensive interviews given by our top ranking government officials on CNN sealed our fate. Where there was uncertainty before and we might have been persuaded to give the benefit of doubt, things became crystal clear- not only were we not looking for the girls, we had no clue how to begin to search for them, or how to deal with a whole host of national issues for that matter.
Now that in itself is not a crime, the crime is remaining complacent instead of seeking direction.

It is now four weeks after. Life is slowly returning to normal for most people. The Social Media furore is dying down and the protest marches are dwindling. I understand that the vagaries of day to day survival have not gone away because the girls were kidnapped, or another batch kidnapped a few weeks after, but I wonder...
I wonder if the girls are now accustomed to their new existence and its now the new 'normal' for them
I wonder if they now greet each new dawn with the usual enthusiasm of most young girls
I wonder if they now view their captors as their family and have no hatred in their hearts towards them
I wonder if they miss their mums and dads and siblings and cousins and friends less now
I wonder if their mums and dads and siblings and cousins and friends miss them less now
I wonder if a moment passes when they don't think about them and wish they were back in their arms
I wonder if life has returned to 'normal' for them and their tears have dried up
I wonder if when they think of their girls they can shrug their shoulders and say 'c'est la vie!'

I wonder, and the answer is no. Life will never return to 'normal' for those girls and their families. Sadly, not even if and when they are found.
The horror of this atrocity will always live with them. The memories may thankfully fade over time, but they will never be erased.
So is it too much to ask that we keep the watch? Can we do better than Jesus' disciples and not fall asleep on the watch? Can we continue to watch and pray until they are found? Can we think of practical ways in which we can help the families now and after the girls are found, and set the ball rolling now?

This kidnapping and other events are signs and symptoms of a greater evil in our land. We have become so self-centered we would never consider the notion of not looking out for numero uno first. We have been battered with so much bad news we have become inured to it. Our milk of human compassion is drying up. We can't become riled up enough to take any serious action if it doesn't affect us directly- but there's the danger, it does affect us. Even though Esther was in the King's palace Mordecai assured her that the annihilation of the Jews would affect her one way or the other: she would either be killed alongside them or somebody else would save them and then she would become persona-non-grata before the Jews and possibly the rest of the world, ever so ready to castigate.

We know now that our government doesn't know. They have feet of clay just like us. Knowledge is power, let's use that power. Let that knowledge spur us to personal responsibility. Let that knowledge spur us to vote, to vote wisely, and to keep our leaders accountable from day 1, to take an active interest in what they do and don't do right from the start.
Instead of posting and reposting the admittedly shameful videos of our leaders showing ineptitude, let's write inspiring posts, comforting poetry. Let's make videos educating people about positive things they can do to help the victims all around the country, about steps to personal responsibility.

As for me I refuse to propagate our shame, I refuse to repost any video, I refuse to post any photos that are not positive or geared towards keeping the girls and families that have been thrown into desolation in our thoughts and prayers.

We are told in Ecclesiastes that
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

 

What time is it now? What season are we in in our nation? Let's figure that out and respond appropriately.