What Our Fathers Did Not Teach Us

In this part of the divide, there are so many who still believe cultures and traditions need to be upheld no matter what.

On issues bordering on morals and values, they tend to kick in with; "in the days of our fathers..." not only to score points but to box you in a corner of guilt because respecting elders is a core value.

During discussions on bride price, for example, so many still uphold the believe that paying bride price for a wife should remain sacred. Many men have however taken these issues rather far to the point that the woman is seen as a possession or an item that was bought at market price.

Arguments and counter-arguments have been flying all over the place in a bid to make points. On a certain platform last year, I remember making a post on how I won't be paying bride price to my father-in-law when I am getting married. So many almost had my head for dinner and they kept playing the music of traditions and cultures.

While going above inherent cultures takes time, people are beginning to embrace some so called "new school" manner of thinking as opposed to what our Fathers believed in. It is simple. There are so many things our Fathers did not teach us, not because they had such information and refused to share, but they only had knowledge of what existed during their time. They could not see the future, perhaps they would have reconsidering some of their stance on issues.

Hence, it is only logical to embrace the current trends. While it is pertinent to err on the side of caution as liberalism, sometimes is taken too far, we must always remember that there are so many things our Fathers did not teach us and there are so many other things we can embrace and still keep our morals and values in check.

Our Fathers never used laptops or smartphones, perhaps they may have communicated better. Just maybe their belief system would have changed. Maybe!