
Sunday with Eden | Feb 25,2023
Aug 31 , 2019
By Eden Sahle ( Eden Sahle is founder and CEO of Yada Technology Plc. She has studied law with a focus on international economic law. She can be reached at edensah2000@gmail.com. )
I sometimes struggle with how to respond to people who believe it is their right to mistreat and disrespect others. While walking on the street or sitting in a hotel lobby or restaurant alone, oftentimes, I get beleaguered by complete strangers. It seems there is an epidemic of disrespect going around, especially in the capital.
Most of us have been verbally abused and mistreated by people we do not even know and will never see again. Recently, I was leaving my dentist’s office when a stranger pulled me by my hair. As I was not expecting his inappropriate action, I accidentally dropped my phone on the floor and smashed the screen. Suddenly, the man turned apologetic, asking me to allow him to fix my phone. At the moment, all I could say was to ask him what he wants and why he had to pull my hair. He replied that he did not know he was pulling natural hair, since women these days often wear long human hair. I was very confused by his reply and got away from him as quickly as I could.
Unfortunately, he is not the only one. Over the years, several men and some women on the streets told me to work and do something better in my life instead of putting so much human hair on my head. What is strange is why I go through such an endless verbal abuse for styling my natural hair. It’s unfortunate how abusive people can be to those they do not even know. Whenever I encounter such persons, I feel sorry for people who live with them as I can imagine how painful it must be.
I have nothing against women wearing human hair; neither should anyone. We should know people have the right to choose anything they want. In the era of human hair, its sad people forget some have their own natural hair too, to style in any way they please. To put an end to this verbal abuse, I started to pull my hair up and tie it. Not surprisingly, the abuse regarding my hair stopped. In Ethiopia, I do not remember a time when passers by or people in general, allowed others to be whatever they want. This is one of the great things I enjoy whenever I travel abroad. I love how people mind their own business and allow others to be themselves.
In Ethiopia, most people want everyone to fit into their worldview. When they focus on human hair, they forget there is long natural hair. When they believe in one political view, they forget there is the other side which disagrees. When they follow a certain religion, they forget others have a different approach. I believe this is an epidemic of disaster flourishing at every corner now.
When we see the bigger picture, it has to do with the lack of ethics, integrity and not having many role models. It’s common to see parents bad mouth each other, politicians disgrace themselves by belittling opposing views and society tolerating unethical characters.
Whether we like it or not, everything starts at home and the schools we attend. These define our moral values and life principles early on. In the school I went to, Lideta Catholic Cathedral School, we had rules and regulations we had to abide by. On top of the list was having ethics and high regard for all people. Aside from my family, my school shaped me into respecting and being compassionate to others. I recently heard that higher institutions in Ethiopia are going to start giving courses in ethics. Although this is a highly commendable act, it should begin early in childhood, not when people have already shaped their personalities.
It’s great that the country realises a lack of ethics and integrity has a severe adverse impact on society. People in Ethiopia seem to have erased their ancient good values of ethics and respect, which used to be the cultural norm.
Societal harmonious existence involves trust, respect for others and cooperation, not to badmouthing and disrespect. In the postmodern world, ethics is perceived as something relative, but I would argue it is absolute. Ethics comprises the principles, values and standards to guide our behaviour as humans.
In an ever-changing Ethiopia, where ethnicity and politics fiercely collide, integrity and ethics are being eroded. People carry out unethical activities without any guilt. For what it is worth, being unethical is more complicated than otherwise, because our morals are already given to us naturally. We just need to activate it and use it effectively to make it a habit. The pattern of unethical behaviours can only hurt us even more while providing little benefit. While the law is there to govern public conduct, ethics is there as a self-governing system to create a balance between self-interest and the good of society.
Good things are contagious as much as bad things are. The more we practice decent behaviour, the more it becomes our societal norm. Integrity and respect are the most essential values in any society, for the simple reason that without that, society does not function properly.
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 31,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1009]
Sunday with Eden | Feb 25,2023
Life Matters | Nov 27,2018
Radar |
Viewpoints | May 29,2021
View From Arada | Feb 01,2019
Radar | Aug 20,2022
View From Arada | Dec 19,2020
Life Matters | Dec 17,2022
Editorial | Aug 20,2022
Fortune News | Mar 25,2023
Photo Gallery | 69189 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 61058 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 52960 Views | Jul 18,2020
Fortune News | 52738 Views | Sep 01,2021
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
May 27 , 2023
Tauted as a somnolent giant, Ethiopia's financial scene now stirs, roused by favourab...
May 20 , 2023
The pungent irony wafting from Pretoria last week was hard to miss. Cyril Ramaphosa,...
May 13 , 2023
In March this year, Kamala Harris, the United States Vice President, visited Ghana, T...
May 6 , 2023
The history of the Ethiopian labour movement dates back to the 1940s, marked by perio...
Jun 3 , 2023 . By BEMNET TAFESSE
Officials hope to mitigate the impacts of drought on the wide livestock population of...
May 27 , 2023
In a triumph over the trials of the pandemic, a rising tide of construction costs and inflation, Zemen Bank has opened a stunning 32-storey...
May 27 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Meqelle is in an animated bid to reclaim control of the management of companies under the Endowment Fund...
May 29 , 2023
Officials at the Addis Abeba City Administration have recently changed the title transfer fees following...