Be A Light At Midnight -By Promise Eze

It’s midnight in our world today, we are experiencing a darkness so deep because the lights of many have been extinguished.

Our world is soaked in so much darkness, so deep than we can ever imagine. Midnight is a time when all colours lose their distinctiveness and becomes merely a dirty shade of grey. Midnight is a time when morality is seen as outdated. Midnight is a time when people do not know which way to go. They are blind and confused but sadly they think they are right.

It’s midnight in the moral order. For so many people nothing is absolutely right, nothing is absolutely wrong and the crowd is always right. In midnight it doesn’t matter whether you are married or not the practice is to sleep with whosoever you find but don’t get caught. The practice is to fondle any underaged girl you find but try not to get caught. In this midnight it’s alright to fornicate but call it love. It’s alright to cheat on your wife or husband but don’t get caught. It’s alright to lie but don’t get caught.  All you need to do is lie with a bit of finesse according to this tragic philosophy. It’s alright to cheat but don’t get caught. It’s alright to misuse government funds but try not to get caught. In this midnight the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught.

Our education system is wallowing in darkness. Our secondary schools have been caught up in the chains of moral laxity. In our secondary schools students don’t write WAEC any longer. They simply use exhibits provided by their teachers. Students don’t read their books but at the end of the day earn good grades in external examinations. Nobody wants to work hard, no one wants to climb the ladder of perseverance but everyone wants to succeed and the teachers who are the bearers of light have been caught up in darkness. Sadly, parents now encourage their children to do evil. These corrupt parents register their children in “miracle” centres so that they’ll pass without sweat and “with the help of the lord.” No wonder ignorance rules in Nigeria despite the number of schools in existence. Students are not interested in learning. They now chase certificates. Its no longer the survival of the fittest but the survival of the slickest. All of these is indicative of the fact that it’s midnight.

It’s midnight in our religious system. Some young people go to church every Sunday but rest their tents in clubs on Friday. They are garbed with hypocrisy. Some people claim to be pious Muslims but are stinky inside. They do in secret things that shock the devil even inside their dark hijabs. In this midnight religion has been separated from spirituality and godliness. It’s alright to pray but it’s not wrong to play with sin. It’s alright to sing for the choir but it’s not wrong to have a romantic boyfriend in the university. It’s alright to cram the Koran but it’s not wrong to mingle with bad companies. It’s midnight and this midnight is deep.

But at midnight the stars shine brighter. It is at midnight the beauty of the galaxies is known. Even at the midnight of corruption and moral laxity you can be the light of the world. That everyone is doing something does not mean it is right. That everyone is cheating to pass, to succeed, does not mean it is right. That everyone is cutting corners does not mean it’s the right thing to do. You don’t need to join others to be sexual immoral. People may choose to become useless in the university by mingling with all sorts of friends but be a light at midnight. Your mates may chose to wear the garments of hypocrisy but be a light at midnight.

Be a light at midnight so that you can show the world and generations to come the right way to go. Don’t let your lights be extinguished by the wind of corruption and hypocrisy. We can’t keep having students who don’t read but love to cheat. We can’t keep having government officials who siphon public funds. We can’t keep having christians who make the devil smile and that’s why you must be a light in the darkness that has enveloped the world.