The Behold File

SOCIAL NETWORKING AND THE TREADMILL DYNAMIC - Reginald Bassey

holyreg — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:23:14 +0000

Okay I agree that I have almost 5000 friends on Facebook, but I can explain that easily. I am not a local champion of some sort, neither a superstar nor some self-accomplished dude with lots of fans checking me out. There are two simple reasons why I have generated this number of people to the point that Facebook has officially banned me from adding more friends and require that I create a fan page. First, I am a functional public relations officer of my Alumni association, and by that privilege, I need to connect with as many members as possible to keep information flowing. These members make up almost half the number of friends I have. The second reason is that from 2005 when I joined Facebook, I had determined that it’s either it is of use to me or I drop it. So when I began seeing its potential as a platform for connecting with positive virtue, I started leveraging its power to reaching out to people who have so far made a huge impact in my life. Only a small number of people on my list are personally unknown. But in the past months I have be appraising the inefficiencies and deficiencies in my life, especially those having to do with online relationships; those affiliations nurtured by cyber ϋber culture. Just like every other outlet of human interaction facilitated by technology, social networking has proven to be the neo-globalization that makes the economic definition trivial. I have created new friendships, reactivated old ones, facilitated strategic partnerships transcending geography and culture, promoted successful events all through social networking. And we know of course I wouldn’t be wrong if I posit that Facebook is now synonymous with the term social networking. So, most if not all of the above feathers in my social cap were awarded by Facebook. But frankly there lies this little matter that needs to be addressed, and this borders on the nature of cyber social contacts. Have they made the world more closely knit, or simply noncommittal? So much goes on these online social platforms that it is almost impossible to measure cause and effect. Beyond the basic idea of searching out old friends and connecting with new ones, is the rise of causes, ideas, projects, and initiatives that seem to rally people around a common goal. It would usually take a really committed person to join a cause around their community and work at accomplishing the set goals. But now, it is just a click away. You hit the ‘Like’ button and you automatically support the cause. Not more is demanded from you. After discovering that I had unknowingly join almost 150 groups and pages on Facebook, I had to cleanup my domain an d still found that I was still present in over a hundred whose cause I believe in. but beyond the premium I place on what they do, is that I rarely if at all visit up to ten of such pages in a week, neither do I make any concerted effort to advance their agenda. My support is at best a hearty concern. Before the opportunities to know of and get more involved with great initiatives came around, we were limited to our immediate confines of influence, which required a stronger sense of responsibility and accountability. But with the gradual migration of community resources to the online platform, I find that most people have therefore created an online personality to match through which they interact with anything on the “webosphere”. It is simply the feel good personality who joins a good cause and comment a few times on its wall then hop on another wagon with little or no measurable influence on the former. A few others have decided that it is their own opportunity to make their voices heard by forming all kinds of groups and fan pages, which by the way, a closer look will reveal a similar group, doing a similar thing, in a similar location. So beyond partnership is the desire for ownership. This is by no means a bad thing unless we check to what end. A few things to note is that first, our society is progressing in stages, and what we have now is that stage where social activism and participation is being sparked by technology. Whether it moves from there is left for social prophets or seers to prognosticate on. Second is that social networks have increase social participation that never existed. Until we had mobile phones and social platforms, our influence remained limited to work, family or our varying flirtations. But now, we can discuss serious or stupid matters with people we have never seen but have a common interest. Thirdly, many of the people who use these social platforms are lacking in knowledge of the strategic approaches to generating results through these tools. While in some countries, Social Media has already become a curriculum in schools, seeing how the future portends, Nigeria is still lacking in such proactive academic thinking. I remember going to Syracuse University sometime this year and was speaking with a German Professor who was designing a major Social Media study for the Ph.D. level students. I was impressed at the level to which she had created points of power from the concept. This is an exciting time in human history that we have become so crazily connected in scary ways. But with this comes also the issue of the connections of nothingness or naughtiness. There is an increased capacity for superfluity in transience and this makes it feel like a dangerously big bubble. People now feel that can lend their voices and not their hands, discussing passionately online and reverting to nonchalance and avoiding personal responsibility. Again it is not necessarily bad, at least we can infer from some intelligent assertions, but how erratic these forums have become with no calculable impact on society. I have worked the social platform, but I learnt never to start one without a matching tangible on-ground structure. So the onus is to take a more quantitative and qualitative approach to how we can translate our online power (potential power) into actual measurable impact. Then we leave some structure for the next generation to flag off their contributions. Connections are a necessary first step, but for social networks to really deliver on its true value, connections must become partnership. These are the amazing potentials we enjoy today and it presents us with the opportunity to move along the continuum from connections to friendships, from friendships to partners, and from partners to progress.

2010 To-Do List

john — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:56:34 +0000

Health: 1. Drink plenty of water 2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar 3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy 5. Make time for prayer 6. Play more games 7. Read more books than you did in 2008 8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day 9. Sleep for 7 hours 10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day ---- and while you walk, smile Personality: 11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 13. Don't over do ; keep your limits 14. Don't take yourself so seriously ; no one else does 15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip 16. Dream more while you are awake 17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.. 18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present 21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you 22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 23. Smile and laugh more 24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. Community: 25. Call your family often 26. Each day give something good to others 27. Forgive everyone for everything 28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6 29. Try to make at least three people smile each day 30. What other people think of you is none of your business 31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch. Life: 32. Do the right things 33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful 34. GOD heals everything 35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change 36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up 37. The best is yet to come 38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it 39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy. Last but not the least : 40. Have fun today and tell as many as you can to do the same. God loves and cares for us! HAPPY XMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR in ADVANCE.... Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enjoythemasti

Lessons on my knees

john — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:44:41 +0000

I share similar convictions with the great patriarch, Paul, who says “For I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jews first and also the Greeks.” That is the reason why once in a while, I share those thoughts that have really shaped my thinking and my pattern of information processing. I enjoy extraordinary insight and understanding of difficult sentences because of this conviction, one I humble share with one of the greatest lawyers at the time. I also strongly believe that this work of salvation mentioned here is beyond what today’s Christianity and Churchianity (as my friend and mentor put it in his work, check it out on http://calabarboy.com/) . It is the great work that transformed Paul from being just one of the great lawyers in the Mid-East at his time, to a man known to have affected millions around the world across timelines. This work has re-created many great minds in the world, enabling them to accomplish great feats, greater than they would have been able to achieve on their own. This is why I believe sufficient justice is not done in church gatherings around the world today, as the truth is not given in its totality. This is not the purpose for my discuss in this writing, but I believe that at the end of this, my position will be clear. I am of the opinion that many have substituted times of deep reflection and meditation for several activities in our activity-oriented world today. Many times we wake up with our schedule for the new day already set in our minds before the dawning of the new day. So, we really don’t have the 5-15 minutes to reflect or meditate on words that will make the day refreshing and productive. Over the years, work-rate has increased to 16-hours a day, many parents don’t have the time to give their children proper training, they are left at the mercy of nannies, who most of the time don’t know how to take care of themselves in the first place. Many of us have not realized the power in meditation; let me help you with a little perspective, if you know yoga, it works on the principle of meditation, and try to find out what people have been able to achieve just taking yoga lessons. The law of gravity, we understand to be a product of meditation; the civil right movement lead by Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and many others who have made marks in the world all started from times of deep reflection. A man I deeply respect, when asked by the press of what he does with his time; he answered, “I read and think.” He has so much to show for that today, after many years of diligently attending to reading and thinking. I took cue from history, understanding purpose and the demand of destiny; I sort for lessons in the ‘school of meditation’ to understand the times, and know what I and my country men must do at certain times to be distinguished among many. Now I know that for every glitter, a great price has been paid. You’ll only be able to understand the depth of this truth on your knees. People say it’s difficult, I can’t try it, just because they know what to do, but can’t come to terms with it. So, it’s safer to say “you can’t understand” “I’m going through a lot, just about now” This is better than say “I’ll find a solution” “I must get out of this, and I’ll do that with my head up” It’s easier to say “I can’t” than to say “I’ll equip myself to face this challenge, because I know I’ve got what it takes inside me.” Many believe that you are weak to believe that your life is controlled by a high power, and when you say it’s God, they say you’re dumb. But are fast to admit when they lose a bet, I ran out of luck or I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning; think of this why must I set an alarm to wake, can’t I be in control of my body? I guess not, because if you can, then you can command your body to sleep right now and it’ll do just that. If it won’t, then I guess it’s not wise to think that the natural is controlled by the supernatural, much more the spiritual based on scriptural truths. I learnt that life is what it is, just as it presents itself. But to face its complexities, you have to understand certain truths that can’t be learnt in movies, stories or picture. These truths are discovered in the place of deep meditation. Meditating on the words that refine, “the good news about Christ” that Paul – that blessed Patriarch mention in the passage I quoted in my opening. You meditation on this word refines the heart, enlightens the mind and empowers the brain to direct the body in the right path for development and generational impact. You can do beyond what you are doing now, you best days are yet to come; the good you have seen is not still as good as the deposit you’ve got inside of you. Get the thinking cap on, get His word, speak it as written in the Holy Scripture, believe it, reflect on it, then take appropriate action in the right direction and you’ll not be able to compare your yesterday with toady and your tomorrow will be greater than today. We have the deposit for the change the world is desperately in need of. He believes in you! And He wants to speak with you and teach you great and marvellous things....give him a place.

AJUWAYA!

john — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:21:09 +0000

03:45, Thursday, November 24, 2009 the ‘biggle’, oh, that horn had its effect on me. Not long after....., “if you are still on the bed you’re wrong......”, “HOW?!!!!!!” “Is it day-break already?”... “I still need more sleep”, but right at that time my options were limited, at least for this day. I had to stand up from my so-called mattress and get out for the drills! “KILLER” is his name, at least that’s what we know him by, a paramilitary with a God-given talent – his mouth. He made the drills fun and pain at the same time. By the way, my first lesson was GOOD MORNING SIR, even when referring to a lady. I wondered “what the heck? What difference does it make, will that make you a man?” well that’s all in my mind, and my thoughts can’t change a thing; I just had say it or say the opposite in my mind, when no one would join me in saying it. I ran into him the previous day, he was wired and had on ‘scorpion slippers’; he was the commanding officer for my first drill, “jacking the bow ... I do like this .... I do like that.... I balance well.....” Just as I said, I had the combination of fun and pain. I thought that was all and I would have some time to get back to bed, I didn’t know there was more! The military officer-in-charge had to register his presence - it was time for lesson two, “pré...pré-tion” “stand a-high” (what’s it these guys? Can’t they just complete their statements?) Parade attention, stand at ease; “why does people....” (English doesn’t just come easy). “Pre-remove-head-dress...., pom....., three heart cheers....., drums......, pre-to-replace-head-dress......., pom!” I think I missed all the commands on the first call; I guess you know what to expect for that “OTONDO!” “...what in the world is that?” I had to learn that in their world there are unpublished dictionaries; that word is one of the many words in that dictionary. After head-dress exercise, we were dismissed. Seriously, I thought that was for the day, but it wasn’t so at all; we would be having lectures! “Here too?” thank God for my roots, it’s a privilege to understand the dynamics of ‘stabbing’ the mind had already calculated the number on site, and figured out that “....no way can this hall take all these bodies....” Since I had to understand my new environment, out-right ‘stabbing’ might be suicidal, so I decided to be among the ‘unlucky lot’ who couldn’t make it into the hall. The difference is mine was a choice; good for me! I didn’t miss much as the lecture was boring – “I’m not surprised! Did anyone actually expect anything different?” Lesson 3 – stabbing is very possible, but it must be done with wisdom. HOORAY!!! I only failed Lesson 3 once, when the main actors peeped into the script of the minor actors. Seeing Lesson 3, they provided an amendment to their strategy. When it was lecture time, they blew the ‘biggle’, got us to the meeting point and marched us to the lecture hall. “Nice amendment” I thought, but it didn’t take long for the minor actors to do re-amendments. Thank goodness I was part of the few with “A¯” in dynamics of ‘stabbing’ from the roots, I only failed that Lesson once. There were better things to do than boring oneself in a lecture hall where you sleep through most of the lecture. Sleeping on the arrangement of metal rods (my mattress) would be better than sleeping on the chairs in the hall. It was my last lecture though, and some other stuff suffered the fate of stabbing, “I can’t kill myself now” at least I choose not to, since I have a choice here. Match time.......Slow match.........Quick match.......... Lesson 4, I didn’t need this, “with all the stress I’ve been through....., this again? NO!!!” thank God I didn’t get into the selection, even if I did, I’m sure I would have ‘knifed’ it. I still have a great future ahead, to have it mortgaged by stress? “….no way” God bless the guys on the matching squad, I was lifted watching you perform. Thank you. My crew was the second to get on the ropes and mine was not a funny story! As I tried to slide down the slanting rope, I tipped over – the result of my not listening to instructions; but life has a way of preserving itself. Even if you stop loving life, it will help you by starting to love itself. I knew I couldn’t fall off, and surprisingly I was composed and not scared, and could go through the remaining hurdles, scaling them successfully; that was a life time experience. I wish I have all that in pictures now. Since I didn’t heed “the leading” to sow my camera as a seed, (it was so precious to me – a special gift), I had to part with the camera the hard way. If I sown it, I would have my memory stick, but now I lost both. I’m still quite “burnt” with myself in that regard, but I learnt my lessons, Lesson 5 – always yield to the Spirit leading, this was a very important lesson I learnt in this period. “....night patrol?” “....can you imagine?” That was my duty for the day; well I had to take it, because in this case as many others from my roots, “your opinions count only in your mind.” It wasn’t a bad duty at all as I had an excuse to skip drills the next morning. Meeting people was a daily affair. On my crew, I had two colleagues from the roots, two great friends. We were mostly introduced by one of us who claims he read applied plumbing, advance masonry (not sure of this one, but I guess it’s something close), then fencing and wiring for my other friend and I. It was fun meeting people, and against the popular opinion - that people from my root are not sociable, I guess the three of us were about the most sociable guys on site. We met so many people and we got along pretty well. I had fun meeting people, and I met a number of fantastic people there. “Shoes get size...... ehn, okrika get counterfeit” “Shoes get size...... ehn, ikebe get counterfeit” all were regular tunes for jogging and drills and a good number of other tunes that skip my mind right now. “KILLER” was the main man, he just kept supplying the tunes and we had just one call - sing along. Almost forgot this, burn-fire was boring, it didn't just march the hype, I went to sleep and it didn't feel as if I'll miss a thing.... I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about the experience. The drills, the trek, jogging and meeting people had the fun side and the hard side, but it was an experience indeed. I’ll close with this, “....under the sun and under the rain....., do what you can to make a difference......, Nigeria’s ours, Nigeria we serve” God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

This is my Life!

jones — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:44:19 +0000

This is true Life – living for the ultimate reason. This is the Life I’ve come to know, this is the Life I’ve come to embrace – a life lived for Jesus; a life lived for the Kingdom. This is my faith; This is my patience; This is my hope; and This is my life! Who tells you to turn away from sin is easy? Who says to shun temptations and worldly pleasures is funny? But, this Life I’ve chosen; this Life is my discipline! Who tells you it’s simple to forgive and forget the pains inflicted on us by loved ones? Who says it’s effortless to pardon friends who turned betrayers, and not to strike back at friends who stabbed our hearts? Who says it’s amusing to love ones enemies? But, this Life is my choice; this Life is my love! Who says we don’t feel like giving up sometimes, especially when we are overwhelmed by the troubles and cares of this life? Who affirms that we don’t feel like caving in when the challenges of life become overbearing? Who says to rise again after a fall is as easy as the falling especially if you’ve fallen many times? Who says to build our lives again from the rubbles of the past and the ruins of the present is simple? But, this is the Life I have embraced; this Life is my encouragement! Is anybody saying, “Sacrificing your last is easy?” or “letting go of your only, no big deal?” Who says it’s normal or human to give out of your need with your needs starring you straight in the face? Who says to turn your back at your own will, to close your eyes to your own dreams and lay your desires on the alter of sacrifice, just to embrace His own will is easy? But, this is the Life I’ve chosen; this Life is my joy, my incentive and my reward! Who says we don’t feel weak sometimes? Who says we don’t, sometimes, feel perplexed and confused with clouds filling our hearts? Who opines that the journey’s always smooth with the skies so bright, the sun smiling and gay, and beauty all around? But, this is my life; and this is my motivation and my comfort! Who says we don’t feel fear? Who says we don’t get scared sometimes? Who is of the belief that situations and circumstances sometimes don’t frighten us? But, this life if my choice; this life is my courage! It's ok to face challenges; it's ok to cry; it's ok to be tempted...but in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us ! Alleluia!

When God Said Beauty

davidluiz — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:23:31 +0000

Father Benedict Grimm pulled aside the embroidered scarlet curtain, and stepped into Umuofia’s atmospheric weave of dust and gentle breeze – sighing as he closed the door of the confessional. His heart was weary from the weight of hearing too many of fallen man’s numerous foibles. Only midday, he was drained – cursing the day God had created the pitiful tyranny of sweat and bones he called man. Only that day, he had listened through the latticed grating to a husky man grouchily tell of how he slaughtered his wife for smiling with a younger lad, who wooingly told her jokes.
'I did it', he had said in Igbo, 'with my dinner spoon'.
Father Ben, seventy-one, could see his bloodshot eyes seething with canine rage like a Freudian cauldron of mysteries. Another woman jealously stuffed the toddling son of her husband’s senior wife with pap, triggering a deathly convulsion. The other day, in a feyly sordid re-enactment of the biblical story of vengeance, a prostitute was stoned with rocks, and left to die at the town cemetery. Why? Why this bloody coup on the conscience? Why create raging emotions in the breast of fallen angels with clipped wings? Why suffer this wretchedness? His questions weren’t rhetorical. If a God surfing in the seventh heaven did not hear him, his fading mortality did; and every day, for 24 years in the Nigerian village he made his home – far away from the port of Leith in Scotland, when he asked these questions with richer, perplexing intensity, his body ached. He was dying – with every pain in his chest, with every Trojan vein that was not there before on his trembling hands...
‘Pa! In the box eh!’
It was little Ezenwa at the room door. Father Ben had retired to his simple, hermit-like room the State of Anambra had recently built him. He was drinking from a bowl when Ezenwa had burst into the room. Father Ben was numb to excitement by now.
‘Another time, boy. Tell the visitor that I am closed...’
He paused – interrupting his own self. He saw Ezenwa’s eyes. Moments later, in a flurry of dust, rosaries and confusion, Father Ben burst into the box. Through the lattice he saw nothing. Outside Ezenwa beckoned hurriedly to the Father – pointing at the other side of the large box. Then the Father heard. With some shock, he moved round to the other side of the confessional. There, wrapped in dirty akwa was a baby, suckling and crying. Father Benedict Grimm slowly picked up the tiny thing, and stepped out of the box. Though his eyes were weary, in the distance he could make out the furtive features of someone else spying on them. He shielded his eyes for a better view. He didn’t know her, but he recognized her – even though she veiled herself. The bloody face, inflamed skin, and wild hair. The prostitute. There was silence between them as their eyes held each other. A deep silence, and then she was gone – hidden by the clusters of palm-trees.
Deep within Father Ben’s chest, his heart beat painfully against his ribcage. He closed his eyes fleetingly, opening them on the bundle of beauty in his hands. Ezenwa stared at Father and child – mystified. The Father, with a smile on his face, lifted his eyes to the blue sky. He had not found an answer - there was no booming voice in the sky, and the rosary he held around his neck did not levitate; instead of an answer, he had found a question...and a hope in the beauty and innocence of a child from a prostitute: how could something so utterly beautiful be possible in this world of tears and darkness? How could beauty be seen in the midst of dirt and evil? God, still silent, had spoken...again.

United We Stand

john — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:14:28 +0000

It was John F. Kennedy that said, “The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion” and Adlai E. Stevenson reaffirmed this same position in stating that, “freedom rings where opinions clash.” Unity is not always a function of singularity of opinions or ideology.
In this famous ancient story of the old man and his sons, after so much had been put into settling differences among his sons, this old man decided to teach his sons a lasting lesson, he got a stack of broom-sticks, handing each son one broom-stick, he instructed them to break it. Easily each one could snap it and break it up. He collected about a hundred sticks from the stack, tied it up, he handed it to each man, one after the other, instructing each one to break the stack, they all tried to break the stack of broom-sticks, but none succeeded in the attempt. As he tried to make them understand the purpose for the exercise, he was able to drive this point into the minds of this boys, ‘singly you can achieve so much as your effort can drive you, but to achieve more you’ve got to work as a team – in unity.’
Their individual opinions was not the criteria for their unity, their ideologies too didn’t have anything to do with their achieving more in unity; all that was necessary was a unity of purpose to achieve their collective goals. Thomas Carlyle – speaking on unity said, “men’s heart ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another, and all against evil only” This way there would be hope for progress on set goals.
We proceed into the journey towards the Golden Jubilee of our independence, yet we struggle to stand as a nation, other nations as old as we are, have attained greater height than we have, many of them thrive and build on things they got from our country, like Malaysia, learnt the technique of making oil from kernels from our country, today we buy oil from them. Since then, some of these nations have become part of the strongest economies in the world, building on foundation blocks they got from our nation. India, Singapore, Taiwan, through an investment into qualitative education these countries have become locations for medical tourism and cheap medical solutions. We’ve got a long way to go to get there, if we walk at this pace.
Since the civil war, we lost the sense of unity and peace needed for progress, if at all we ever had that sense. The common idea in the years of military junta was that a democratic government will bring the solution to our numerous challenges. We’ve got a democratic government for 10 years now, and we’re pretty much worse of today than we were 10 years ago. It’s been 49 years since our independence, 39 years since the war; we have not still got solutions to the fundamental reason for the war. We still dwell on the premise on which the British declared us a sovereign state; the foundation set by the amalgamation in 1914, which we understand from history to be a faulty union. The civil war was an opportunity to make the necessary correction that will make for unity and progress, but unfortunately, our story is that of betrayal and prejudice, making our nation to loose its international presence.
Too soon, we forget the pains of the war because of power, influence and money, we forget the important lessons from the wars, the unity we should have pursued was replaced with betrayal, deceit and prejudice; today just as the story of the old man an his sons, we have been able to achieve so much as individuals, corporations, communities, ethnic groups, tribes, faith-based organizations, and so little as a nation.
Some still think we are better divided than together as a nation, because of our differences, but I think differently; because if for differences Brazil also has a similar ethnic collection as we have in our nation, and they still remain a great country, breaking new grounds. So I believe we can get beyond our differences and achieve great things together.
As long as we remain divided, we cannot achieve much. As an independent student of history, I sought to find at some point in my study a place where a stronger union would be formed as a dividend of the war, instead I found more division, betrayal, lack of trust, deceit, and prejudice. I held the opinion for long that our leaders had no clue on what should be done based on their levels of education, making it nearly impossible for us to recorded significant landmarks in our nation’s history; I thought if we had educated leaders things would be better, little did I know, the nation under this so-called educated leaders was going to move from bad to worse. This reality brought to fore, a truth that I had always known ‘schooling refines only education enlightens.’ The ones I called educated had just been schooled and were not enlightened thereby lacking the understanding of what should be done to move the nation forward; hence our nation has achieved very little since independence.
As we celebrate the independence – because I believe we’ve got a reason to celebrate, we are a sovereign state – I will like to share a few thoughts, in a bid to renew our commitments to our nation in our varying capacities. From our national anthem:
“…the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain…” “…to serve with heart and might, one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity” “…in love and honesty to grow and live in just and truth…” “…Great lofty heights attain, to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign”
From the preface of the Constitution of the US:
“…to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide a common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity….”
At a time like this, I think we should move past our differences, beat the urge to base justice and truth on a federal character, which promotes prejudice and lack of professionalism. In search for a way forward, we must remember the labour of our heroes past and commit to building the nation they fought with their lives for its freedom; serve with all we can to ensure freedom, peace and unity for all. Shun every strand of disloyalty, division and betrayal; provide opportunities for love and honesty to grow. So that as a nation together we will stand, achieve more and ensure the blessings of Liberty for our posterity.
Daniel Webster says, “One country, one constitution, one destiny. We shall be great.”
In the words of John Wesley, “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” If together we try in our little ways to do give attention to this admonition, our nation will be the desire of many, and a blessing to the world.
God bless the Union of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

People With Mediocre Minds dont Retain Great Thoughts

ithink — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:25:36 +0000

Another way to say this is that weak minds don’t retain big thoughts. A mind is weak when that mind is left undeveloped. My focus in this chapter is on the potency of reading as it pertains to developing the mind and ultimately, the worth of an individual.
Heavy Weights Imagine for a moment that you are watching a game of ‘throw and catch’ between a grown man and a four year old and the object they are throwing happens to be a bag of cement. For the grown man, catching the bag of cement will be possible because he can handle the weight of the bag. However, for the four year old, it will be a different story because he cannot handle the weight of the bag of cement. If the four year old in his naivety tries to catch the bag of cement, he is most likely to get injured in the process.
Relating this to thoughts, ideas and the mind, the adult player is the person with a strong developed mind while the four year old is the person with a weak undeveloped mind and the bag of cement represents ideas. Grand ideas are everywhere. The only reason why they appear to be in short supply is because weak minds cannot retain grand ideas/thoughts. When great ideas breeze into the thoughts of people with weak undeveloped minds, it flows right through because they don’t have the capacity to retain such thoughts for their lives. This is a reason why people settle for less than they should.
The Creator of the universe is liberal with great ideas and He longs to drop them in our minds. However, as long as we remain weak in our minds big ideas will always appear weak and great thoughts will be alien to us. So how can you make a weak mind become a strong one – able to retain great thoughts and ideas? The answer is in lifting heavy weights.
Weight Lifting is designed to increases the body mass, the muscle size, and ultimately, the physical strength of a person. Likewise, weight lifting done to the mind will increase the strength of the mind. When I say weight lifting, I am referring to the quality of materials you lift into your mind.
If It Must Be, It Must Be Read!
It has been said that two things determine the difference between a person today and five years from now - the people he meets and the books he reads. Don’t let anyone deceive you: edifying books have power! One person I have come to respect and admire in my life is John C. Maxwell. I have read a number of his books and one thing I have come to observe is how often he quotes other authors. He can hardly write two pages in his books without quoting something from a book he read sometime or something he heard someone say. If you are looking for someone with a blessed mind, John C. Maxwell certainly fits the bill on every count!
In his book, The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires, Brian Tracy made a comment about the power of learning continually as it relates to having an edge over your peers. This made me realize a fundamental truth about being preferred in any field of endeavor: having a mind that has been developed makes you retain big thoughts; big thoughts birth big ideas; big ideas make you a big shot, and being a big shot makes you a person to be sought after. This is evident when organizations want to hire new hands. I have observed that the hiring process is categorized into two. One category is when there is a notice put out by the hiring company for interested and qualified applicant to submit CV’s and application letter. The other category is when the organization does what is called ‘strategic employment.’ This kind of employment is done when the company has targeted a particular individual from another company to fill the position they have an opening in. Most of the time this kind of hiring is done when the organization intends to move to another level hence they seek and individual who has what it takes to take them to that level. This individual is the preferred person and he will never have to pick up his pen to write an application letter. Why? You are right! He is a big shot! I am sure you can relate with this analogy and even mention some of these big shots yourself. One common trait they all have is that they are all passionate about books.
It is my prayer that you get sick and tired of being counted as one of the many that make up the numbers, wallowing in the class of the majority. If your mind is weak and undeveloped, this is where you stand but changing that is just a decision away – change your attitude to books and you will see how easily your worth can increase simply by reading a few books.
Now on to Brian Tracy’s comment:
“There are three keys to lifelong learning. The first key is to read in your field for at least 30 to 60 minutes each day. Reading is to the mind as exercise is to the body. Reading for an hour each day will translate into about a book per week. One book per week will translate into 50 books per year. 50 books per year will translate into 500 books over the next ten years…” this part alone made me see just how powerful our minds can get having been exposed to over 500 books in a short time of 10 years! A man having this kind of exposed mind will definitely become preferred above his peers because, continuing with Brain Tracy’s comment, “...the average adult reads less than one book per year. When you begin reading one hour per day, one book per week, this alone will give you an INCREDIBLE edge in your field. You WILL become one of the smartest, most competent, and HIGHEST PAID people in your profession by simply reading one hour a days.”
The Pain of a Nation
I was at the National Youth Service Corps camp in Umudi, Imo state last year to fellowship with Corpers under the Winners’ Corpers Fellowship where I had served as President of the fellowship during my service year. When giving my address, I asked that those who had finished reading a motivational or self-development book since they graduated to put up their hands. Less than 2% of a class of about 60 graduates put up their hands. These were the people who would take our nation to the next level. It pained my heart and I say this not to spite them but to share with you how mediocrity is thriving among the youths of the nation.
It is common place in Nigeria to believe that who you know will get you to the top. Connections and networking with people does have its advantages, if it is for the right reasons and not corrupt reasons, but even if who you know gets you to the top, at the end of the day, it is what you know that will keep you at the top!
The attitude of the average Nigerian to reading is nothing short of upsetting. The number of books authored by Nigerian that have made the Best-seller list is very few. It is not that these books are not good or well written rather it’s that the numbers of people needed to make it a best seller are not interested in the book! Hence the majority non-reading population misses out on the goldmines hidden in such books.
Highest paid people are not paid as such because they execute small, mediocre ideas. On the contrary, they are paid as such because they execute excellent ideas; excellent ideas stemming from great thoughts; great thoughts stemming from developed minds; developed minds stemming from exposure to mind-building books.
In concluding this chapter, I bring to your notice these truths that will remain as long as the earth remains:
•

Strong minds will always rule over weak minds • Strong minds will always be paid by weak minds • Excellence creates great, original thoughts that mediocre people use • What you know will keep you where who you know gets you. • Majority is fueled by mediocrity while the preferred are fueled by excellence. • You can choose where to stand.

My Country Weeps

ithink — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:08:08 +0000

My country weeps through the night My country weeps in deep fright My country weeps and prays to see the rising of the sun
For my country has its land – its own Zarephath We have our place of Refinement But we live in our land like a widow For our widowhood signifies desolation How Ironic and painful That desolation thrives in a place of Refinement
My country’s case is like a child who resides on a pasture-covered ground A ground flowing with water, milk and honey “Go on child, eat of your refinement!” But he can’t for the pasture-covered ground is covered by a steel sheet of corruption, filth and worst of all, ignorance…
This child starves and goes more hungry as the days go by The elements don’t favor him but add to his peril And standing afar off is a vulture waiting for the child to breathe his last so it can feast on its frail frame
So my country weeps My country weeps for agony of this child of promise My country weeps for the one whose life is about to fizzle away My country weeps for the rain that might never fall My country weeps for the smile that might never be seen on the face My country weeps for those who died for no just cause My country weeps for the unborn generation who may never get to enjoy pleasure that is rightfully theirs My country weeps for the long nights that refuse to turn to day My country weeps for the promises that were never fulfilled My country weeps for the waste is endures daily My country weeps for those who exploit the hungry and the needy My country weeps for this child that is about to breathe his last My country weeps for you who stands afar off and refuse to come close to save this child My country weeps…
Today you can change this if you choose Today you can put to flight that vulture that waits for the child’s waste Today you can guarantee that this child of promise keeps on breathing Today you can usher this child into its land of refinement and take away its desolation
Nigeria, it is time for you to choose Your choice can make the difference…today

Who will defend their cause?

john — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:05:28 +0000

One of the most intriguing matter in my country is that of justice, there is a lot of claim at the moment about promoting the rule of law; and for a moment the citizens were thankful that at last hope for change is alive again, little did they know that it’s just one of the propaganda that starts big and dies before it can get its footings. I’ve always respected the legal profession and its practitioners, and still do respect them, but in many ways question the system in which they operate. In a very recent incident I witness – a mobile court session, in which we had the judge, two court clerks, an interpreter and a prosecuting attorney, an a witness from the law enforcement agency on patrol that day. Over 150 individual (2% minors, 75% earning less than $1 a week, 23% with earnings less than $5 a week) were to be prosecuted for loitering during environmental sanitation periods. In this court session there was no defense attorney, to defend any of the accused, they faced the judge in 20s or 30s, with the clerk reading the charges against them, if there are not learned the interpreter interprets the charges and the judge asks “do you understand what you’re been charged for?” then allows any of the accused who has a prove to show that he/she is exempted from the sanitation exercise – on the grounds of government utility service – to show the proof, if it is valid he/she is freed, if not if the answer to the above question is yes, all the accused before the judge are sentenced to months imprisonment, with a bail option of about $20. Only 30% of the lot could get sponsors to pay off their bails, and paying the bail off their income was not an option. So about 70% had of the accused would have to face the prison sentence, without anyone to defend their cause. This is how many land in prison for such trivial matters as loitering during a sanitation curfew. As much as I respect the rule of law and will stand against any act that shows flagrant disobedience to the laws of the land, the major question that comes to mind in a situation like this is, what happened to community service, what happened to house arrest and the like, seemingly moderate penalties for offences of this nature. It’s really intriguing to know that someone could possibly face a 3 months prison sentence for crossing the road wrongly, I really can’t imagine this. As I advice that as reasonable citizens, it is our duty to obey the law at all times, I will also want to draw the attention of as many as read this to the situation in the judiciary and the effect it has in the prisons in the country. In this matter, my major concern is the manner by which the court of law deals with the case of a suspect or an accused, in the incidence I witnessed, there was no defense attorney, but because of the laws of the land, the accused had to be sentenced without a defense, ‘as long as they understood the charges leveled against them, they were sentenced to prison’, what happened to guilty or not guilty. In other situations, the suspects don’t even have the witness to confirm that they committed the crime, and no defence attorney; at the end of the day the judge remands the suspect in prison and states another date for hearings, in this new date, ‘no defense attorney, no witness’, the suspect is still remanded, with no hope for freedom, and the suspect can remain in prison without being convicted for over 15 years or more, a number of times the families of suspects are not even aware that their folks are in prison. In a recent TV show – Inside Out, the host lamented on the conditions in the prison and I got a perspective of the reality of what I consider to be injustice, in a nation I hear promotes the rule of law. Asides the deplorable conditions in the prisons, many of the prisons are over-crowded, when everyone facing a court session is consider to be going straight to the prison whether guilty or not-guilty. In one of our states, the total prison capacity is 2,700, presently there are 3,000 inmates, 300 above the limit, not too alarming; but of the 3,000 only 350 are convicted, 150 condemned and the remaining 2,500 are “Awaiting Trial.” 2,500! That means the prisons are just housing 2,500 people who should not be there if we had a functioning judiciary. The prison to the judiciary is the home for any accused; the absence of a witness and a defence attorney automatically sends the accused back to the prison, there is nothing like discharging the accused on a no-case grounds, since there is no witness to back the claims stated in the charges against the accused, instead the prison is used as a trash-can for anyone to that appears before the judge. Where the prisons should be a place for reformation; it is now a dean of lions, where once a person enters, he never comes out in a right frame of mind. Who will defend these people that can’t defend themselves, because they have very little or no knowledge of their rights as citizens; to deliver them from the claws of the unjust sentences passed by judges working in a malfunctioning judicial system. I used to think the prison was for only the convicted and condemned, and cells for the guys awaiting trials, but today the prison is the judiciary’s trash can. With no one to defend these helpless citizens, the aim for prisons – being a corrective facility can never be realized and the general public is at risk, because when the guys in the prison receive pardon somehow and get to the streets, making nothing out of the prisons, the possibilities of being a terror to the society is high. What can be done to correct this anomaly?