In 2013, let’s learn to queue, learn to drive, cut the govt some slack

If you are reading this, congratulations. It means that the world hasn’t ended. Someone got hold of an ancient Mayan calendar and decided that because it didn’t extend beyond 2012, it surely meant the end was nigh.

So we got to enjoy a little pre-Columbian inspiration for our apocalyptic obsession, thanks to some amateurs dabbling in mysticism that they don’t understand. As much fun as it is to speculate about the Big Finish, I am heartened by the fact that the panic-peddlers got it wrong. Again.

Predictors of Doom have an even worse track record than the Tanzania Meteorological Association — no small achievement. We should award them for their admirable consistency in failure, since consistency of any sort should be appreciated.

We’re a queer lot, aren’t we, to be so fascinated by our eventual demise. It was barely a decade ago that we wrapped ourselves around the Year 2000 Scare (better known by it’s street name Y2K) just because we were about to enter the second millennium of the current version of the Gregorian calendar.

Any excuse to panic seems to give us a thrill, which says something about our psychology as a species. Nonetheless here we are, stubbornly alive and well enough to annoy each other until Kingdom Come. The only thing to do with this unexpected reprieve is make New Year resolutions.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do group resolutions for the health of the collective? You know, some good old communitarian decisions in keeping with our so-called African tradition of doing things together.

Sure, we have a number of other mechanisms that purport to do this, such as the Constitution and various laws. But since we’re not exactly a law-abiding country yet, these mechanisms can only go so far. Actually, the very first resolution that we could make would be to become a law-abiding country.

Caution

Of course, one must be specific and reasoned even in an effort to be law abiding. We are burdened by a number of legalities that make so little sense, they call into question the whole legal profession.

And let us not forget that parliamentarians are in the law-making business too, which demands that all Tanzanian laws be approached with caution.

Even with those considerations in mind, any pragmatist can appreciate the fact that a little bit of order goes a long way. To keep things simple, may I suggest just three things to improve in the coming year?

First, we could try and form orderly queues as a matter of course. At the bank, at the mobile phone operator office and anywhere else that requires some patience.

Queuing is a small but useful habit to cultivate, and its benefits are great. There’s the discipline that it requires of us, the ability to play well with others.

It demands an adherence to principles such as egalitarianism and democracy and the concept of fair play. There are ethics involved, and caveats.

Pregnant women, the elderly and the ailing for example, can be offered special treatment. We should probably judge our politicians’ worthiness for public office by their ability to stand in line and stay the course.