Welfare mentality and how it impacts our society

Rev Dr Kadimna Gangmei *

For many years, many of our people are under the illusion that their respective MLAs/Ministers would do for them something substantive for their livelihood, if their respective MLAs are elected. They have high hope on the government and its welfare schemes.

There is nothing wrong to have hope, but our hope should be well-informed. Having hope for something which is not real is very unfortunate.

It is not only the people who should be blamed for having such false hope, the politicians are to be equally blamed for giving false promises which they do not deliver or cannot deliver.

We need to grab our people out of this pit and make them aware that, instead of hankering for some pieces of fish, it is better to learn how to fish. The government, MLAs, Ministers do give some pieces of fish, which did help the people temporarily, and I do appreciate the effort of the government.

However, to live under welfare schemes permanently without trying to come out of it is not a desired situation. Our people need to come out of it by working hard in whatever profession to be self-reliant.

We should learn how to fish than to depend on some pieces of fish which is helpful only momentarily. When we know how to fish, we can go for fishing where there are more fishes.

This article is not intended to attack anyone or bring disgrace to anyone, but to change the mindset of our people, so that our people can also grow to the potential that God has given to them.

Depending too much on MLAs, Ministers and the government schemes develop welfare mentality, and dependence mentality, which enslaved our people, unable to come out of it.

They cannot see beyond the horizon that there is something good out there, to live a life of economic freedom.

Every human being is intended by God to work for their living, and we should work for our livelihood.

The government may only add value to our lives, and we should not expect everything from the government for our livelihood.

The false hope created by the politicians to draw people to them and the people who believed their false promises are under the illusion that, if their candidate is elected, something substantial will come to them without realizing the limitation of the MLAs, Ministers and the government.

Such situation has rendered many of our people in sorry state of affairs. I am not against welfare schemes, or any help from the government, but it should not be our sole source of income.

It is my humble prayer that our people can understand the seriousness of this problem and come out of it by freeing themselves from the bondage of welfare schemes.