Prologue:
The paradox of life … You counsel others … They apply it … It works like magic … You counsel yourself … You apply it … It fails like mad … What should you do? …B
In 2016, I attended a strategy meeting during which the lead speaker asked me what I thought was the reason most human beings who bring light to others are never able to shine it on themselves. I was both amused and intrigued by the question as well as by her choice of me since I was attending the event anonymously. Well, hiders can only propose; seekers would always unpropose. I recall that this particular seeker, half laughing, half serious, had quipped: ‘The Boss, please guide us.’
I continue to guide us through that narration any moment now but, meanwhile, let’s break away for the traditional salutation. Welcome to Ask The Boss Special. That’s right, this is a special offering. Rather than our normal style of fielding questions inboxed by a member of the public, today I bend the rules and myself (over backwards) to enable a wider audience share in that Abuja hall vexed question.
There’s no denying the fact that this matter is of urgent global importance. This is one issue that touches or should touch everyone; everyone who carries light, that is. So, I ask you now: do you carry light? Have you, like me, ever whined when you couldn’t beam what you thought was your own light on yourself?
I expect that I would have a cornucopia of yeses. I know that an alarming percentage of the yeses would come from people who are neither lightcarriers nor are they willing to become; but who crave the concomitant spotlight all the same. As you very well know, light is an all-conquering, generous agent. Light doesn’t bother about being outshone.
Light is a confident complex; light is not inferior but light never flaunts the bragging rights synonymous with superiority. Light doesn’t talk. Never. Light doesn’t do words; light only does action.
Light just does the needful, anytime the need arises which almost-always is whenever darkness torments someone or somewhere that it shouldn’t. At such times, light shows up -like a warm smile- in an all-conquering victory dance of brightness; giving all of her own life to birth the only answer that eternally confounds darkness. Yes, light is a mother; the prettiest of them all. Light is beautiful, selfless and (if you excuse it) no-nonsense!
The follow-up question ensuing from the foregoing is: so, what’s light? As academics are won’t to say, here are the contextual clarifications: love, justice, peace, patience, leadership, altruism, troubleshooting, development, compassion, constitution, excellence, mentoring. Let the twelvesome suffice for now, as we make to tie up loose ends. First though, to get me in the mood, let’s panel-beat the question of the day into the Ask The Boss prototype, thus: The Boss, why do people who give light to others find it so impossible to (re)direct or supply the light to selves?
Fortunately or unfortunately, my take back then in the dawn of 2016 is still my take now in the twilight of 2019. It is a double-barrelled 24-karat classic; even if I say so myself. See, the sun which is light by day never ‘suns’ itself; ditto the light-by-night moon. It never ‘moons’ self.
Carriers cannot embezzle or misappropriate the light because they are just reflectors, not the source. Lightbearers give what they don’t have and every time they need to have or keep it for themselves, they must first go back to the One and Only Source. Most often than not, He withholds or delays their own light only so they don’t think He and they are equal, or that they have it all. That’s the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth!
As we approach the last bus stop, permit me to ask again: are you a lighter who has had issues enjoying some of the lighting? Weep not, Child. In matters of the spirit, you cannot enjoy Heaven and Earth simultaneously easily. Let that be enough consolation as you rest assured that He SHALL fix you big time, in His time if ‘thou art not weary in well-doing’.
Finally, adding here and subtracting there, one question become necessary: does Nigeria or its leadership bear light? No savvy, but I suspect lightlessness is at the centre of our empty noisiness, six decades on. The real next level therefore that our president must take us is to make this country a lightbearer. God bless Nigeria!
2) Invitation to my own witchcraft conference
Can anything be more intriguing than being a Nigerian? So, a tiny miority of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) population said they wanted to have an academic ventilation on witchcraft only for a holier-than-thou majority to arise and shout blue murder. Is such sickening hypocrisy not worse than witchcraft?
Our Creator, teach us to understand that holy indignation and the unholy way we treat our compatriots is witchcraft. Our Father, make us to love others even when they are annoyingly different. Lord, above all, intervene and change our reality seeing we are silly and helpless.
But, seriously, the only error by the UNN witchcraft event organisers was to not invite all Nigerians. It was incomplete since our lifestyle as natural witches and wizards would have afforded other nationals in attendance firsthand experience. Hence, I am holding my own witchcraft congress which all two hundred million of us must attend.
Because of the sheer number of those expected, I am thinking to make it a virtual event. As I consider date and such other finer details, I enjoin you to make plans to attend and contribute honestly and elaborately. Cut the hypocrisy -we all are witches and wizards; what with the way we relate with each other!