Iļatchiq – to know to do something right but failing to do it; being complacent; not caring to do what is right.
When we were younger, our parents would always tell us not to iļatchiq.
For instance, if something needed to be picked up and put in the trash can, pick it up and put it in the trash can. Or, if you see the dishes needing to be done, do them without being told. To help someone that was in need, help them, without them asking.
The teachings we received from our parents and our elders should follow us to the workforce and to our governments. If we utilize every tool that has been taught to us by our elders, we should be thriving at home and at work. To be a blessing to our people.
One way is not to iļatchiq. Do not iļatchiq when someone is doing wrong especially morally and ethically. There is another work that our elders used, it is alġaqsruq, to correct in a loving way so that there is no offense. If that alġaqsruq doesn’t work, then there is a correction that needs to happen, because it has become a choice to keep doing even though the alġaqsruq has taken place and that correction is not pretty.
We have become a people that just iļatchiq a lot. We just wait for someone to fix or correct the problem. We are complacent, we procrastinate. Is it because we are afraid of reciprocation, retaliation or being the minority to do what is right. Do we think we should stick with those who we think are popular and that we might get popular or don’t want to hurt other peoples feelings? While at the same time we know they might be doing wrong? Knowing that and doing nothing about it makes us just as guilty.
I remember elder men would get together and talk about the morality, the ethical behavior and they would come to the consensus to a plan on approaching the individual as a group of elders to fix that problem. We don’t have those people in our lives anymore.
We need to ask each of ourselves, what am I leaving my grandkids with? What about their grandkids? Your grandkids and their grandkids?