BETWEEN AMNESTY AND AMNESIA

Amnesty, as a terminology, is mostly used in the world of politics and there, it is defined as the obtaining of a general pardon, especially for someone who’s committed a political crime. It can also be said to be a period during which crimes can be admitted or illegal weapons handed in- without getting prosecuted!

This is closely, yet aloofly related to amnesia, a medical case in which there is a definitive loss of memory, as a result of shock, injury, psychological disturbance and it could also be a pointer to a medical disorder.

It is worthy of note, that these two terms are derived from the same Greek root, and so, are quite related.

In fact, I think, in spite of the fact that amnesty has to be justifiable and though amnesia could be a pain-numbing exercise in which one could engage in- sort of like a personal dream land; amnesia could indeed be the first step towards ‘healthy’ amnesty.

However, from my point of view, there are times when one has to wisely ‘climb out of the pit’ of amnesia, even when granting amnesty. Thus, wisdom is highly valuable as it helps censure one’s moves in such an amnesty-ic occasion.

The crux of the matter, is that, paraphrasing the words of Prof. Wole Soyinka, the chronic concession of amnesty cannot extend that far, not even in an individual with self-censured memory!

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DOKITA

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