By numero unoma
Today we Christians begin the fasting period of Lent, and then in a month from now, our Muslim sisters and brothers will join in, as they begin the month of Ramadan.
That’s 40 and 30 days of fasting each, respectively. Both Lent and Ramadan are periods for purification and spiritual reflection, and also for atonement. We believe that there are spiritual rewards for fasting, praying and the giving of alms.
It got me thinking about forfeit, and how it affects us. Stripped of any religious interpretations, what meaning or relevance can such practice have, if any, in a secular context?
In a recent conversation with my brother, he reminded me about the marshmallow test, originally performed experimentally at Stanford University in the 1960s with young children. A young scientist successfully predicted that the ability to forfeit, or at least to delay gratification, would lead to later success in life.
“Pioneered in the 1960s by a young Stanford psychology professor named Walter Mischel, the marshmallow test left a child between the ages of 3 and 5 alone in a room with two identical plates, each containing different quantities of marshmallows, pretzels, cookies or another delicious treat.
Before leaving the room “to do some work,” the adult researcher instructed the child that the single treat on one plate could be eaten at any time. But if the child could wait for him to return before eating it, the researcher added, she could have the second, bigger treat instead.
After the experimenter closed the door on the subject, researchers on the other side of a two-way mirror monitored the child’s bout with temptation and recorded how long he or she could hold out before licking or eating the treat.
Replicated many times and followed up by a wide range of researchers, the marshmallow test has earned recognition as a powerful predictor of future performance. Compared to kids who longed for the early reward, those who held out for a bigger prize did better in school, got higher SAT scores, had higher self-esteem and better emotional coping skills, and were less likely to abuse drugs.
Other studies found that children unable to defer gratification were more likely to become overweight or obese 30 years later and were in worse general health in adulthood.”
The excerpt is taken from a 2018 article Los Angeles Times in which the writer strung together findings from subsequent and more recent marshmallow tests conducted by a much older Mischel, this time at Columbia University, as well as others done by psychologists at the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington in Seattle.
The takeaway from this research, and the real developments in the lives of the subjects, is that self-control plays an important role in life outcomes. One significant finding is that America’s youth are doing consistently better at the marshmallow test as children, as well as in their later lives than their parents and grandparents had done.
Another thing that stood out in the studies was that children’s ability to exercise self-control, delay gratification and hold out for the greater reward, was affected by their socio-economic circumstances. It is almost a no-brainer that the better and more affluent the children’s background, the better they performed in the tests.
How does all this have anything to do with Nigeria? Well, one asks oneself what is happening in our society, when our young are resorting cold-bloodedly to ritual killings of each other for financial gain.
Clearly, there is a lack of self-control and mental discipline, when a teenager takes a shortcut so gruesome as to murder and decapitate his lover, in the illogical hope of making a heap of money by this means. Just a few years ago, it was the soiled underpants of women that constituted a similar currency.
Those who collected the panties sold them to people involved in fetish rituals for monetary gain, while the ladies and girls from whom they were robbed, lived in fear of losing their fertility to the powers of the demonic. At one point, women would not dare to venture out wearing panties at all, so as not to be robbed of them. The incredulous response of the panty robbers was to carry a supply of panties around with them and force girls and women to put them on and then subsequently give them up.
I have sat in many a discussion on the subject of the stronghold that fetish practices have on us. Often, not-so-young Nigerians recount stories of how these practices have always been a part of our lives and therefore conclude that we should not be surprised at their continued existence.
While I agree that in younger years we always heard different versions of the stories at different times, I feel we should have developed past all this by now, for a number of reasons. Between the 1970s and the 1990s, there were accounts of children kidnapped to be placed in a wardrobe, holding a basin on their heads. Apparently, once the child was called by name, money would flow out of the basin.
Then there was the other rather more hilarious story, that after men shook hands with certain people, their genitals would vanish. The most gruesome one I have heard was the couple who pounded their newborn in a mortar, to prepare a meal with, all for the sake of money.
It would be interesting to do culturally appropriate studies in behavioural psychology similar to the marshmallow test, to get some understanding of the genesis of these awful manifestations of human nature. What are the factors that drive such behaviours?
Nigerians are not by nature lazy people, yet these are the laziest of narratives. These are primitive practices underscored by abject ignorance.
I think we can all agree that most of the ills in our country today can be linked to the countless and astronomical ways in which our leaders have let us down.
Else, how could we, in the age of algorithms and artificial intelligence, when so many youths have an appetite for technology, and access to it too, albeit often indirectly through a friend’s phone or an internet café, how could we have bred young vibrant minds that fall back on savage practices, such as we cannot necessarily even trace back to our own ancient societies.
While there were some questionable practices in our histories, in the main, ancient Nigerian and African societies fostered the well-being, progress and prosperity of their citizens. Besides, questionable practices are not peculiar to us by the way, there have been numerous past brutalities in cultures that today claim to be more civilised than we are. So what is our problem?
Why can we not just resist the allure of slogans like ‘get rich or die trying’? Why do our youth feel entitled to a fast track to what is being bandied about as young money? Why do we lack the self-discipline to delay gratification, and work diligently instead, toward ultimate success? I don’t think the corruption of our leaders and politicians is helping to groom a good frame of mind.
I am also appalled at the prosperity preaching so many churches employ to exploit desperation, and also to cash in on hope. Furthermore, I do not think female afrobeats stars singing about sharing the national cake, wanting to buy Bugattis or liaising with politicians is helping, either.
Is an underprivileged youth out there on the streets of Nigeria even able to comprehend that the lyrics might just be tongue-in-cheek? The lack of quality education and the huge lack of opportunities leaves too many youngsters vulnerable and open to exploitation or suggestion.
They derive an informal supplementary education from the often sensationalist Nollywood, and even from the brainwashing of too many upstart churches with their unqualified clergy. And of course, there is social media.
The result is that intellectually, undereducated youth are not adequately equipped to process their reality or to see any practicable way out of the financial mire. Too many do not understand that Davido, Tiwa Savage and all the rest of their idols, have worked hard and long before they finally came to their own. And continue to do so.
Nor do they understand that their lyrics are art and not reality. Just like Nollywood is too. Now, before I am accused of prescribing fasting and praying as a solution to one’s aspirations or issues, let’s be clear that what I really think we could all do with a bit more of, is self-discipline and self-control.
Let’s start with our leaders leading the way, and living by example. When guiding young people, we all know that actions speak louder than words. So I challenge all you leaders of Nigeria, present and future, will you please show us what modesty and delayed gratification look like in real life?