By Taliila Bulbula Tulluu

Beyond rules and regulations lies something deeper—a sacred relationship that binds creation, community, and the human soul

There is a tendency in human affairs to reduce order to its simplest expression: laws, rules, and regulations. We imagine that if we can just write the right laws, enforce them with sufficient rigor, and punish those who transgress, society will function as it should.

But this understanding is incomplete—and dangerously so.

“Sirni seera ittiin walbulchan qofaa miti; karaa hariiroo Uumaa fi uumamaa waliin ittiin horataniidhas.”

Order is not merely the law by which people agree to coexist; it is also the path through which relationships with the Creator and creation are cultivated. This is a profound insight that challenges the modern tendency to reduce governance to mere administration.

The Web of Connection

When we speak of order, we are speaking of relationships. Not just the relationship between citizen and state, but the relationship between human beings and the natural world, between individuals and their communities, between generations past and generations yet to come.

“Hariiroo Uumamaa kana keessaa immoo sirni karaa ilmi namaa ittiin waltoo’atuu fi walqajeelchuudha.”

Within this relationship with creation, order is the path through which human beings find harmony and guide one another. It is the invisible thread that weaves together the fabric of society, connecting each individual to a larger whole.

This understanding recognizes that human beings are not isolated atoms but are embedded in a web of relationships. We are shaped by our connections to family, community, nature, and the divine. To disrupt these connections is to disrupt the very foundation of human flourishing.

The Consequences of Disorder

“Ummanni sirna hin qabne karaa ittiin waltoo’atus hin qabu.”

A people without order have no path to harmony. They lack the means to coordinate their efforts, to resolve their conflicts peacefully, or to pursue their common goals.

“Kana jechuun karaa ittiin jabaa ofii jabeeffatu, karaa ittiin dadhabaa tini’ifatu, karaa ittiin hamaa/dabaa ofii qajeelfatu hin qabu.”

This means there is no path for the strong to strengthen themselves (through service, not domination), no path for the weak to protect themselves, and no path for the evildoer to be guided toward goodness. Without order, each person is left to their own devices—the strong preying on the weak, the righteous abandoned, and the wicked unchecked.

“Hunduu quba wal hinqabu waan ta’eef…”

Because they do not join hands, because they lack unity and coordination, the result is fragmentation and chaos.

“Kan quufee buluuf namni hunduu quufee waan jiru se’a…”

The one who has enough to eat assumes that everyone else also has enough. The well-fed cannot see the hungry, and the comfortable cannot imagine the suffering of the destitute.

“Kan beelaan dararamaa jiru immoo isa qofatu akkas ta’e itti fakkaata…”

The one who is suffering from hunger imagines that only they are in such a state—or that everyone else must also be suffering as they are. This is the isolation of despair, where each person’s suffering becomes a solitary burden.

“Kan hataa jirus namni hunduu waan saamaa jiru itti fakkaata…”

The one who steals imagines that everyone else is also stealing. This is the rationalization of wrongdoing, where the corrupt justify their actions by assuming everyone else is equally corrupt.

“Kan dantaa dhuunfatif jecha shiraan ajjeesaa jirus yoo namni isa arguu baate Waaqni akka isa argu hin beeku…”

The one who kills for personal gain—if no one sees them, they imagine that even God does not see them. They have stepped outside the moral order, beyond the awareness of community, beyond the accountability that makes society possible.

“Dhugeeffannaa ummataa keessaa bahe waan ta’eef.”

This is the state of those who have become detached from the community. They no longer feel accountable to their neighbors, no longer bound by the bonds of solidarity that make collective life possible.

The Collapse of Accountability

“Hariiroon sarara sirnaa kan ittiin waltoo’aatani fi walqajeelchan yoo hin jiraanne hunduu akka-feeteedha!”

When the thread of order that connects people and enables them to guide one another is absent, everything falls apart. Society dissolves into chaos, and the bonds that hold communities together are severed.

“Mee haala akkasii keessatti eenyutu eenyu qulqulleessaa?”

In such a state, who can purify whom? When everyone is corrupted, when everyone is compromised, when no one is innocent—who has the moral authority to correct anyone else?

“Walborceera, walmarqeera waan ta’eef eenyutu eenyun Xaddecha dhaabaa?”

When everyone has sinned against others, when everyone has been complicit in injustice, who can stand as a judge? Who can draw the line between right and wrong? Who can separate the guilty from the innocent?

This is the tragedy of systemic breakdown: when everyone is compromised, accountability becomes impossible. The guilty can point to the guilty, and the innocent are lost in the chaos.

Naming Wrongs Is Not Enough

“Rakkoo jiru himuun, badii namoota dhuunfaa ykn gareen raawwatamu saaxiluun barbaachisaadha…”

Naming the problem, exposing the wrongs committed by individuals or groups—this is essential. Without truth-telling, without accountability, without the courage to name injustice, there can be no healing.

“Garuu isuma hojii godhachuun rakkoo ittuu hammeessa deemuu waan ta’uuf innuu mataa isaatin rakkoodha!”

But simply doing the same thing—merely complaining, merely naming wrongs without moving toward solutions—only worsens the problem. It becomes a cycle of accusation and counter-accusation, a spiral of bitterness that deepens divisions rather than healing them.

The problem itself, when approached in this way, becomes a burden that crushes those who try to address it. It becomes a trap, a cycle that consumes energy without producing change.

The Only Remedy

“Maraamartoo kana obbaafachuuf falli tokkichi jiru…”

To overcome this tangle, to escape this cycle of accusation and bitterness, there is only one remedy:

“Sirna ummataa deebisanii ijaaruu irratti akeekaa fi tarsimoo waloo tolfatanii marii fi marabbaatti dhufuu feesisa!”

We must come together in deliberation and consultation, developing shared understanding and collective strategies for rebuilding the order of the people.

This is not a call to return to some imagined golden age. It is a call to conscious, intentional reconstruction. It is an acknowledgment that the rebuilding of society requires thought, planning, dialogue, and collective effort.

The Elements of Order

What does it mean to rebuild the order of the people? It requires:

Shared Vision: A common understanding of what a just society looks like. Not imposed from above, but developed through collective dialogue and deliberation.

Collective Responsibility: An acknowledgment that we are all responsible for the well-being of our communities. Not just the leaders, not just the institutions, but every member of society.

Accountability: Mechanisms for holding each other accountable, for correcting wrongs, for ensuring that justice is served. Not based on power, but based on shared values and mutual respect.

Solidarity: A recognition that our fates are intertwined, that the suffering of one is the suffering of all, and that the flourishing of one is the flourishing of all.

Connection to the Divine: An awareness that order is not merely a human creation but is rooted in something deeper—in the relationship between creation and the Creator, in the moral fabric of the universe itself.

The Path Forward

The path forward is not easy. It requires:

Honesty: The courage to name wrongs, to acknowledge failures, to face uncomfortable truths.

Humility: The recognition that we are all part of the problem, and that none of us has all the answers.

Patience: The understanding that rebuilding takes time, that trust must be earned, that healing is a process.

Dialogue: The willingness to listen to others, to understand their perspectives, and to find common ground.

Action: The commitment to move beyond words, to translate shared understanding into concrete change.

Conclusion

“Sirni seera ittiin walbulchan qofaa miti; karaa hariiroo Uumaa fi uumamaa waliin ittiin horataniidhas.”

Order is not merely the law by which people agree to coexist; it is also the path through which relationships with the Creator and creation are cultivated.

This is the deeper truth that we must not forget. Order is not just about rules and regulations; it is about relationships—our relationship with the divine, with each other, and with the world around us.

When order breaks down, it is not just a failure of governance; it is a failure of relationship. And when we seek to rebuild order, we must rebuild these relationships.

“Maraamartoo kana obbaafachuuf falli tokkichi jiru sirna ummataa deebisanii ijaaruu irratti akeekaa fi tarsimoo waloo tolfatanii marii fi marabbaatti dhufuu feesisa!”

To overcome this tangle, there is only one remedy: we must come together in deliberation and consultation, developing shared understanding and collective strategies for rebuilding the order of the people.

The work is difficult. The path is long. But it is the only way forward.

Order is not merely law. It is relationship. It is harmony. It is the sacred bond that connects us to each other, to the world, and to the divine.

May we find the wisdom to rebuild it, the courage to sustain it, and the grace to live within it.