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It never ceases to amaze me how inattentive we are as a
nation and as a people to the small details; as
someone I met recently put it, almost good enough is
just fine by us. This, as far as I am concerned, is
unacceptable. I am always complaining about this
truth in my daily life, but something that I noticed
one morning this week really was the "straw that
broke the camel's back".
I was driving on the new "Gotera" interchange, named after
the nations and nationalities of the country, when I
noticed signs that read "Mesket Square" instead of
Meskel Square. I thought maybe there was a mistake
on just one of the signs, but no, it seemed to be
the preferred spelling of choice for whatever copy
editor did a wonderful job of screening the final
product.
For pity's sake, have we become so passive and complacent
that we are making simple and almost ignorant
mistakes on roads signs? Does it get any worse?
Another fine example that has been working my nerves for
quite a bit of time is the FM station - 93.1, run by
the city administration. I am not sure if the
programme managers and the heads of the station have
noticed that they are transmitting static most of
the time.
About two months ago, as I was flipping through stations, I
noticed that the station was not clear, and that the
automatic search button on my radio could not find
it. I thought maybe it was a technical issue that
would be solved in a few days, as of course, being
in the fifth world we could not expect something to
be done within 24 hours. Day after day, there was
not a single change; days turned into weeks and here
we have the weeks turning into months, and yet there
is nothing in the way of bringing about a clear
transmission.
Now I know the DJs go to work and get paid, and I know that
the station is supposedly on the air for 18 hours a
day. But, if the audience that they are supposed to
be reaching is not hearing the programming that they
are transmitting, then what is the point.
Is this really a detail that the station should not be
paying attention to? What is the point of being a
radio station?
This is something that is not exclusive to radio stations
or road signs. Pictures are hung crooked on walls
that are supposedly there for public consumption,
this is a fact of life. It does not matter if you go
to the dingiest of places or the most luxurious
eatery that the city has to offer. Lampshades hang
to one side in hotel rooms, restaurants, lounges.
Sometimes, the lamps do not even work. Tablecloths
are dirty in restaurants, cafes and hotels yet
employees do nothing to change this when customers
arrive.
It is clear we do not pay attention. Fixing a spelling
mistake or straightening a crooked picture is the
simplest of things. It does not take time out of the
day and enhances the perfection of the thing that
you are trying to present.
All this portrays to me is unbeatable laziness. We are too
lazy to perfect the thing that we are doing and too
slothful to make the effort to do things the right
way. We are alien to the axiom that the "devil is in
the details".
Imagine the consequences if we do not pay attention to the
small things that make up the bigger whole. I
suppose this could be a lot to ask of Ethiopia and
Ethiopians, but if we do not start now and while
things are still relatively simple, then we are
going to be stuck fixing our very outlandish
mistakes for generations and generations to come. I
for one do not want to be in that boat.
Because close enough is just not good enough; and because
it should not be thought of as such, we have to
begin, as a nation, as citizens and as individuals
to pay attention to the little things that make up
the whole.
I am afraid we are going to be stuck where we are for a
very long time. |
