Challenge for Africa: Reading Post 3

One of my favorite phrases from the reading was about the 3 legs of stability. In the book, Wangari Maathai says that 3 important components of a stable society, or the 3 legs of stability, were a sustainable environmental management, democratic governance, and a culture of peace. I find this to be true for not just developing countries, but also developed countries.

Sustainable Environmental Management

I believe that while our generation might not get severely affected by the negative impacts we create on the environment, it is still very important to try to live as sustainably as possible. After all, we do not want our future generations to inherit an earth filled with problems. By acting today and keeping a conscious effort to remind ourselves, we create good habits that will be passed on to the future generations as well.

Democratic Governance

This is extremely important in underdeveloped nations because we want the government, who are the chosen leaders, to continually spend their time trying to improve the country instead of stifling its progress. If governments continue to accept bribes, their citizens will continue to suffer. This is also important in developed countries, and we must always be vigilant by not taking things for granted. By remaining as democratic as possible, the country will have great equality among its citizens.

Culture of Peace

I believe the culture of peace is something many of us take for granted. While there might certainly be “order” in many developed countries, it is hard to say that there is mutual peace among the citizens. By having peace with one another, we are more inclined to help one another instead of just standing by when bad things happen. Take Singapore for example. It is one of the safest countries in the world, but I don’t think the citizens are at peace with one another. Many times, I’ve seen arguments or even accidents happen while passerby’s just stand idle as the victim suffers. It is only when the authorities come by do Singaporeans try to “help”. Looking out for one another is certainly much better than looking over your shoulder. I hope that one day, Singapore would be a country where there is great culture of peace.