In the midst of covering news and often speaking to political figures, I couldn't help but notice the rampant self-righteous attitude that plagues many of them (also known as 'the self-righteousness syndrome').
Taking a closer look around I also noticed people's readiness to praise those in power and senior level positions (as they too are looking for favours in return that can bring them praise of their own).
Granted it is a human nature for people to like being praised and adored but the psychological impact this creates is the feeling of superiority to the point where those being praised feel above average people and only willing to accept further praise and admiration from them. They become less inclined to take advice and constructive criticism and thus truth becomes lost, morality will be destroyed and a pavement to a corrupt society is formed.
This is the syndrome that unfortunately many African intellectuals suffer from.
It baffles me however as I always believed that knowledge brings enlightenment and therefore broadens the minds of those seeking knowledge. In today's age it seems there is a cap on the amount of knowledge one attains in the sense that once the seeker of knowledge acquires a certain level of knowledge that brings him praise from society, he feels accomplished already and gradually transitions from being a knowledge-seeking individual to a praised intellectual who falls in the pit of the self-righteousness syndrome.
Humility is a dying characteric amongst today's people.
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