Self-eulogy (2)

IN Matthew 19:23-25 the bible clearly stated, 23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  25When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
“Who then can be saved?” That was a good question then and it is still an insightful question today. What would the Nigerian politicians say on this question?
What would they do to be saved. How have they conducted their lives by using the opportunities God gave them to uplift the lives of the masses? Based on the situation in the country, political elites are more focused on looting the treasury for their selfish needs while the masses seethe in penury. They glaringly perpetuate sleaze to the greatest disappointment of their respective constituencies.
For instance, sometimes people shy away from confronting the reality or saying the truth or even criticizing the government for fear of disfavor or their lives. I have stated in the past that the governors, in particular should rate themselves based on how well they have improved the lives of the people since they took office. If these governors are not paying pensioners, workers, and teachers timely, they are performing poorly. If they are not creating jobs, maintaining state and local roads, providing quality education, and are not implementing people-oriented programs, they should not have been in the office in the first place. Most of these governors travel overseas often. They often leave the dilapidated healthcare system in their respective states for medical treatment overseas. In fact, they appreciate what they see and enjoy in United Kingdom, America, and other western countries.
My question is: What stops them from implementing some of the good things they enjoy abroad in their respective states? The current governors should ensure that they are truly serving the people of their states in order to leave a lasting legacy.
So, oftentimes people are engulfed in mad pursuit for wealth that they lose their sense of morality and judgment. In a quest to be “number one,” people would go to any length to acquire p0litical power and wealth; they would not mind stepping on anyone or destroying any aura of decency to accomplish their objective. Whatever that is worth!
One of the reasons people betray their ethnic group, country, or humanity, is money and associated power. In some ethnic groups, the youth are experiencing moral degeneration primarily because wealth has been determined as the only measure of success within these ethnic groups. Education, where people would acquire broad mind, analytical skills, and moral knowledge is no longer important.
As a result, most people are preoccupied with how to acquire wealth at all cost. Our repugnant and indifferent attitudes toward humanity and societal issues or values have permeated the society to the level that individualism has overtaken the virtue of collectivity.
Consequently, we are now experiencing the prevalence of cupidity in the Nigerian society. In all of these, most people are now consumed in themselves to the degree that they do not remember death or our creator until they are at the point of death.
It is my observation that everyone wants good things said about him or her in his/her funeral oration. The question is, are we living or did we live up to the funeral oration that we want? Since we are still alive, we have the opportunity to make amends of our lives to deserve a befitting eulogy. Reading and learning the Bible may help us improve on our desired life. We should redefine our individual focus in life. We should not allow wealth or power to be the centerpiece of our life.
Let our lives be driven by the mirror image of our creator. Our faith in the Supreme Being should guide all our daily activities. For me, the fulcrum of my life is Jesus. I concur with Timon (Efthymios) Roussis when he said, “The beauty of tomorrow is that you have today to create it.”
No one or community has created a beautiful tomorrow with competing selfish interests at work.  In other words, our self-interests should never be in our way to achieving a desired goal.
A self-eulogy is a moment each individual should choose periodically to reflect on his/her daily life activities and determine if he/she would deserve funeral oration devoid of dishonesty. It is also a moment when one is mentally scripting words one would like to be incorporated in one’s eulogy. It is our individual responsibility to redirect our life.
Finally, let me conclude with this powerful statement by Mahatma Gandhi that reads, “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world–that is the myth of the ‘atomic age–as in being able to remake ourselves.”
You may follow me on twitter.com/achosr