By Hauwa B. Gana
Decency is a total moral act of an individual’s life. The concept subsumes a great many virtues which are necessary to practise for a good and successful life for oneself and others. It is mostly considered honesty and good manners towards others that incorporate a strong sense of knowing and obeying rights and wrongs. Decency is drawing a red line in our habits to our culture and values for the satisfaction of the society we live in. There may be conflicts between the minds of two or more sections; take a balancing view as individuals’ aspirations are numerous, but to adjust our lifestyle is paramount to the satisfaction of the people around us if that does not against one’s faith. Though many religions teach a sense of humility, honesty, charity, generosity, and the like, if society adheres to the rules of its regions, high standards of decency could be obtained.
Let us not forget that decency is not just another word for empathy which is the recognition of others’ emotions and understanding of their perspectives; decency involves conforming to one’s behaviour to the accepted norms of morality and respect.
Moreover, decency is an important trait for people in everyday life. It establishes accepted morals and the social code by which we live.
Coming to the impact of decency among the students. How we behave towards our teachers and fellow students in the learning environment; classrooms, hostels, and offices set a tone that has profound effects on what we witness now in our societies. You need not be told to observe whether a society, organisation, or group maintains decency, through staff/staff relationships (academic and non-academic staff), the way rules are made, and the way work is done at every level. In a nutshell, if society had put in place a high level of decency, we wouldn’t have gotten into the present chaotic situation. Students are no longer learning to acquire the right knowledge or for the betterment of their society, some leaders lead without a good legacy. Selfishness has subdued everyone. So, collectively these and other factors contributed immensely to the failures in our society. It becomes necessary to inculcate decency in society to obtain upright citizenry for better societal development.
Hauwa B. Gana is of Government Girls’ College Maiduguri, Borno State
