Nationalism and traffic lights

NOTE: This is a translation of a Dhivehi opinion article titled “Don’t read this: Nationalism and traffic lights” which I published on “Adhives” online magazine on 14 February 2024. The Dhivehi article can be accessed at this link: https://adhives.mv/52282

Are we ignorant about nationalism because we don’t know how to employ our critical faculties?

I will take a look at an incident one of my relatives related to me. The event occurred at a time when traffic lights were used inside Malé, the capital island of Maldives.

One day, just as my relative was about to cross a green light, it turned yellow – meaning that within a fraction of a second the light would turn red.

A man who came abreast with my relative raised his gear in order to cross the red light. However, the passenger on his ride, his young son, hit his father’s thigh suddenly a few times and said in quick succession: “Dad! Dad! It’s going to turn red! Stop! Stop!”

The father said something to his son which was inaudible to my relative. The traffic light turned red but the father ignored it and went his way, not giving a care what may happen to his son.

What kind of lesson did he give to his young son? What kind of bad lesson will the son learn by his father breaking the law?

What kind of message are parents and others giving to children as Maldives is teaching “nationalism” as a subject to students of grade 4? Would these children grow up to be law abiding citizens?

The father in question who crossed the red light while not caring for the safety of his son is a famous hafiz in Maldives – hafiz been a person who has memorized the whole holy scripture of Islam, the Quran. We cannot say that he is an unlearned person. Even now he continues to be involved in the frontline of social projects in Maldives. 

However much nationalism is being taught in Maldives, will there be any positive change in such a society like ours? Can we say that this particular hafiz is someone gone astray because he was not taught nationalism from a tender age? Is he someone gone insane? What does it say when he does not believe that he has to set an example to his children?

NOTE: A person identifying himself as “Latheef” left this comment to my article, and I quote: “The problem involves a misperception about religion by some Maldivians. They are of the view that being pious involves only acts of worship; ethics not been a part of it. Hence, however much some Maldivians become religious, we cannot see any moral behavior on their part”.