WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER BE?

“To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival”…Wendell Berry

Too ‘Legit’?

Apparently, I am of an unwavering opinion that we all have been largely hoodwinked, massively conned and unequivocally brushed to the sidelines, by whom exactly? The past generations of course, but how, and evidently for what, right?

Unfortunately though, no matter whichever direction you view it from, for whatever reasons ranging from lack of adequate exposure to insecurity, bearing characteristics of fear and consequent impatience, they didn’t benefit of it either, perhaps because even they were plain as the nose is on our various faces, unaware of direction and the potentials embedded within us all, with due respect to them of course, their mistakes have served as our experience, the greatest leverage ever known to man.

“Who do you think you are? Mr. Big stuff, you’re never gonna get my love. Now because you wear all those fancy clothes. You think you’re higher than every star above”…Jean Knight

Mr. Big Stuff

I’m definitely an ardent fan of movies and of course music as well as they go very well together, which by the way influences my judgment in terms of analogies which encourages a line of interest, so here we go again.

Ever heard the funk, soul song ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ by American female singer Jean Knight released in 1971?

The song basically talks about a guy that thought he could buy a lady’s love with his money and fancy car after breaking the hearts of other younger girls and making them cry. The catch for me about the song is that it is a reflective scenario; the song has such simple yet powerful content which reminds us of the fake image we try to project, having in mind an ulterior motive to deceive someone or people.

“Those who claim to be intelligent and you as fool, forget the basic anatomy, a fool does not figure out the result, whereas the so called intellect wrestles himself to get the result, now tell me who is at peace?...Ramana Pemmaraju

Phony

Have you ever tried completely imitating someone? In as much as we all learn by copying people in different capacities and levels, impersonation in itself tends to limit our potentials. Look around you; the most respected people are the ones that decide to be the original version of themselves.

The most important nations are the ones that are known for some unique and creative idea, as we all know that a brand possesses an element of a promise and integrity, but we also really need to bear in mind the imperatives of originality.

The world has always been changing, but as the world population explodes even more, the world revolutionizes even faster, by implication creating room for the inclusion of negative change along with the positive aspect.

“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship”…Benjamin Franklin

Financial Angle

Technically, originality strategically translates into excellent cash flow which adds to the bottom line of any nation. For instance Japan has a longstanding reputation for manufacturing quality electronics, Germany is respected for producing premium, though high end technology that help build cars, trains etc, the British are good managers of sports, events, tax systems etc, India is good at Information Technology and Medicine which has accounted for massive brain drain to the western world.

Originality also creates a strong sense of belonging which you can see in the lighted up faces of the nationals of the country concerned, and it spurs patriotism and loyalty.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you”…Dr. Seuss

Naija Perspective

Nigerians will understand why it is not quite an easy task to do justice to this article due to the peculiarity of the Nigerian system and way of life. Well, here goes.

Most of the stuff you hear about Nigeria is probably true, ranging from the fact that Nigeria is one of the highest producers of oil, having the highest population of black people, having massive deposits of untapped mineral resources, having hundreds of tribes and languages and lots more.

Now the question is, as interesting as it all seems, what has Nigeria done with the above information and visible endowments? Being that it is one thing to have information, and it is another to use it.

Nigeria has faced decades of hardship apparently inclined towards her leadership failure, with several military rule tenures taking a substantial part of her leadership history, creating an unbalanced policy which has negatively affected the psyche and the futures of the citizenry.

Over the years, the Nigerian people have become more aware of both their environment and the world as a global village. This has made them relatively difficult to enslave, and has brought the truth of past exploitation to the fore.

Let us look at it through an economic eye. Non-producing nations slowly die economically and the citizens lose their sense of belonging because if you only consume from people with nothing to offer them, you become a liability to yourself because the entire world will have one goal, to exploit you.

Think about it, for every car, truck, electronic device, phone, apparel, Italian shoe, Swiss watch, pin, toothpick imported into Nigeria, multiplied by the massive population, that and so much more is how much money that leaves the economy as often as possible, coupled with unchecked corruption whereby loads of funds are stolen and untraceable, implicating the economy, and putting the country in bad light internationally.

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious”…Albert Einsten

What do you ‘wanna’ be?

It might as well all be a situation that arose due to our infinite dependency on the western lifestyle, which has made us forget our tradition and culture. We have caused our youths to have identity crisis because they want to be like American gangsters, using expensive stuff which they cannot actually afford.

Even I am a victim, growing up, I had embedded in my brain the stereotype that if a Nigerian lizard was imported to America, it could grow up to be an alligator, meaning Americans were better versions of us, how absurd right? But seriously, virtually every Nigerian youth would have an inclination of thought drifting towards that sorry direction because Nigeria is largely viewed as a country with limited opportunities, and that dwelling therein may just diminish the tendencies of success and even survival unless you are corrupt or connected to corrupt people.

Truthfully, while growing up I didn’t know what I wanted to be, despite the fact that the question kept coming, perhaps I was confused or maybe there was no visible role model to emulate. Guess what, even now I cannot actually pin point what I have actually turned out to be, as I struggle to manage the various identities that I have become, and same thing secretly applies to countless people out there.

I know people that wanted to be Doctors but out of desperation to get into higher Institution on time they just settled for the courses they were offered, same thing applied to those that wanted to be athletes but fell off along the way because they couldn’t meet up with clandestine financial obligations and so on, yet we compare ourselves to the western world.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world”…Harriet Tubman

I think we need more heart, we should genuinely love ourselves as we are and focus more on being the better versions of ourselves, perhaps through healthy association and counseling and mentoring of our youths. Now the onus rests on every single one of us, the buck passing stops here, we need to accept ourselves for who we are, be you an ant or an eagle, a fly or a lion, let us stand up tall and look the world in face and exude the aura of confidence we were born with.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@yahoo.com)

Sources:

Google

Wikipedia

Goodreads

Brainy Quote

Financial Times

Inc. Must Reads

IT’S OPEN SEASON…AGAIN!

“It is when you’re ill that you appreciate the value of good health”…Yoruba Proverb

Obscure Freedom

Have you ever truly known how it feels like to be free? Well…If you’ve never been in jail, a hostage or confined to other forms of detention, perhaps you’re not even close to knowing the half of it.

When I saw the animated movie “Open Season” which featured the voices of popular American comedian Martin Laurence as Boog, a domesticated 900IB Grizzly Bear and prankster Ashton Kutcher as a Buck or so back in 2006, I honestly didn’t quite feel the depth of the content of the message. Even now, it is imperative to carefully gather one’s thoughts concerning the relativity of paradigms relating to the unique perspectives which we are bound to share and react to especially in this fast paced and developing world so that we don’t lose our minds.

Freedom has many difficulties, and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in”…J F Kennedy (35^th President of The United States of America)

Down To Earth

Remember me talking about knowing what it is like to be free in the first paragraph of this blog post? Never mind me much, I’m neither an ex convict nor have I been kidnapped (And hopefully I won’t be), but you pretty much get the idea right?

The point basically is that at some point we all are apparently clueless and we helplessly need to be smacked back to reality. The world as we know it is filled with ups and downs in varying facets so much that being a specialist in problem solving sure comes with loads of perks.

The best things in life are free they say, from the air we breathe to the beauty to behold of the sun, moon and the clouds, it’s an awesome world of limitless freedom to broaden the horizons of countless opportunities, but what are we really doing about it?

I personally would assume that God is impressed so far with the way man has developed the Earth, but I also think He’d be massively disappointed that we are also trying to destroy it.

Come to think of it, like the optimist’s creed, we have lived up to survival by creatively making the world more comfortable even through harsh weather conditions.
On the other hand, we have also been out rightly complacent so much that we have become terrorists to ourselves, just like throwing a stone at the market only to hurt our relatives and by implication, our very selves.

Like A Movie

“I look like a Bear, I talk like a Bear, but I can’t fish. I can’t even go into the woods”…Boog (Open Season: The Movie)

Most of us live our lives just like what we watch in the movies. We talk, act, dress and even look just like the actors, which is why they have become incredibly popular and influential over our lives. One thing we need to realize however is that in as much as lots of the things portrayed in movies do actually happen, most of them are actually designed to entertain us. Lots of effects are being doctored to show representations that we can relate to, thus influencing our judgment in an emotional way.

Open For Business

“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins, cash and experience. Take the experience first, the cash will come later”…Harold S. Geneen

Where do I start without totally digressing from the main point? Depending on who you are, where you are and what you do, there is always an opportunity in sight, and it might as well be a business opportunity, its just that it’s up to you how you can best exploit the situation.

In the prison for instance, it’s always an open season for the stronger set of people. During the great migration of the wilder beasts when they have to cross the river, the crocodiles will surely have a filled day, same thing applies to when an antelope crosses the lion’s territory.

Now let us gently narrow it down to the Nigerian perspective. With the recent discoveries of stolen monies from our treasury and our economy in general, it is apparently safe to say that it’s been open season for as long as we can remember, that’s if we actually knew all about, which we faintly do by the way, as we all are corrupt in one way or another, not because we want to, but technically we were born into it.

“Whenever you find yourself in the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect”…Mark Twain

The point basically is that there has been a massive exploitation of both the system and the citizenry. The extremists have bloodily terrorized our land, the politicians have looted our treasury, the business men have imported sub-standard products, the government officials have connived with the contractors to provide poor services and infrastructure all to our very detriment, which appears to be the very vicious cycle which constantly haunts and hurts us.

And now that the Nigerian government is restructuring and re-strategizing the economy and how it can all be better, which includes reintegrating foreign partnerships and participation, it is open season again, but this time round, if the information of the change mantra is anything to go buy, perhaps we might be the ones taking advantage of the foreign world, or we wish, maybe they will exploit us instead, as usual.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@yahoo.com)

SOURCES:

Google

Wikipedia

Good Reads

Brainy Quote

Open Season (The Movie)

American Congressional Record House

IS THE STREET TAKING OVER?

“Just don’t let the streets get the best of you”…R. Kelly & Jay Z (The Streets: Best of Both Worlds)

Beyond a Path

Back where I come from, unending negativity is attributed to the streets, so much that when older folks talk, they make reference to the streets like there is  always a lurking danger around the corner patiently waiting to pounce on you at your earliest vulnerability, a thought which virtually keeps you psychologically glued to your home like it’s the apparent safe haven you’ve got, but is it all true though?

With time, as the world becomes more of a global village to us individually and there is an increase in our understanding and exposure, we realize that the apparent dark side of the street is relatively stereotypical, as you will mostly find that the kids that linger on the streets are usually homeless, orphaned, lost, confused or imprisoned children that simply long to be free physically and not surprisingly, also in spirit.   

 

“Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put up a fence to keep our people in”…J.F. Kennedy (35^th President of the United States)

What’s in the streets?

I strongly believe that the street is a relative term or place depending on your experience which ultimately influences your opinion. To a well groomed kid, the street is a scary place, but to the homeless kid, the street is more of a sanctuary. Ironically though, perhaps if only the street could talk, it’d simply say it’s a level playing field which gives everyone a free opportunity to taste, exploit and explore it.

The street has to be our reality, because whatever you do, wherever you go to, you must pass through the streets and experience what it has to offer at any given point in time.

It’s also good to realize that as a matter of principle it is good and probably also imperative to take advantage of the street in order to learn from the experiences that other people have deposited on it, as the street is like a market that respects no one even considering the fact that it doesn’t discriminate tribe nor gender.

For example, you like super stars right? Well they had to pay their dues to the streets in order to be skillful in their craft and ultimately celebrated by fans such as you.

“And I remember going to the studio and there was a park across the street and I’d see all the children playing and I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead”…Michael Jackson

A Playground and a Battleground

The street is like an oxymoron, but I doubt if it’s a moron though. We’ve heard valid stories of people losing their wealth and even lives to and on the streets, on the other hand we’ve also seen folks that made their fortunes on the streets like it bore them, the bottom line however is that whatever harm which befalls us on the street will only make us stronger so far it doesn’t kill us.

 

Let us look at it this way, of all the truly great people you know ranging from those that inspire you to the ones that through their act of perseverance and dexterity made a huge impact on the world in whatever sector, how many of them do you think or know actually were born with silver spoons?

It gets tricky here because ‘riches’ is a relative term; some people are actually so poor that all they have is money. Being rich is way beyond having lots of money and material wealth, true riches lie in our hearts, it has a lot to do with our emotional intelligence and how we use it to touch lives, especially by helping others find their voices and inspiring the whole world with our talents, time and treasures.

Now tell me where you can hone such craft with limitless boundaries, the street of course. Don’t get me wrong, the family definitely has a huge impact on our lives, it’s just that there is always this virtual string called the safety mode which kind of restricts the true potential of an amazing kid just desiring to fly.

“Who’s the new Ramones, who’s the new Guns ‘N Roses, who’s the new Motley Crue, who’s the new Black Sabbath? They’re coming, they are on the street, they’re 16, 17 years old”…Nikki Six

Behold the future

Back in Nigeria where I come from, there is an unbelievable abundance of raw and human resources, so much that the western world are taking more advantage of it better than Nigerians themselves.

The situation is so conspicuous to the extent that Nigerians have failed to appreciate the value of their resources, their cultures and even themselves as a unique set of people.

Africa generally has been plagued by illiteracy, poverty and greed for so long that it has been difficult for them to believe in themselves for as long as I can remember.

However, with new discoveries of the massive greed that has led past leaders of Nigeria to stash staggering national wealth abroad without impunity, and that has led to mass down-sizing of companies, wealth is having a new face. Youths have found out that the more they believe in themselves and become confident and virtuous with their talents and creativity, survival is just the beginning.

Now Nigerians are not only passionate with the arts such as singing, writing and performing, they are also aggressive about it, surprisingly adding considerably to the economic bottom line of the country.

Now tailors are more innovative with African design, singers coin genuine lyrics with African stories, typical blueprint for deep rooted African interior is taking the centre stage while local content is currently appreciated globally.

See? The future is here and now, and here we are, apparently understanding the reason to be ready to make a huge difference in the change oriented world.

Is the street taking over, “Hell Yeah!” like my American folks would reiterate passionately. By tomorrow, the way things are going, only those who are street smart will be able to eat at all.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@yahoo.com)

SOURCE:

Google

Wikipedia

Yahoo

Brainy Quote

The Punch

ARE YOU RICH...OR POOR?

“Do not waste your time on social questions. What is the matter with the poor is poverty, what is the matter with the rich is uselessness”…George Bernard Shaw

Does it even matter?

A young lad after a struggling and seemingly hopeless living decided to visit a sooth-sayer to see if his future held any promises of riches and fortune. The sooth-sayer wasted no time in revealing the poor lad’s future after a brisk scanning of his left palm. “You will be extremely poor… until you are forty” he said calmly and with an assuring gesture.

With an expression of great worry on the poor lad’s face, he first paused in bewilderment, and then asked desperately as if his soul was in his mouth. 

“What about when I’m forty, what happens next?”He asked.

With a casual glance, the sooth-sayer simply replied.”Don’t worry lad, by then you’ll be used to it.

How relative can riches be? Apparently our thoughts and perceptions in proportion to the systematic pressures, expectations and the judgmental inclinations of the society are massively whopped if not entirely flawed. We can choose to be rich in love, rich in content, and rich in quality and not to make little, but the stereotypical concept of riches definitely draws a virtual line that distances us from ourselves on unhealthy grounds that breed lust, hatred, envy, complex and many more unnecessary conditions.

“When she tried to seduce me, I got suspicious, thinking she was just after my massive fortune. Then I relaxed, when I remembered I’m poor”…Jarod Kintz

Character

There is a saying in Nigeria which goes like this: You don’t know your true self when you are poor, whom you really are, unfolds just as you become successful. A school of thought claims that there is perhaps a justification for some peoples despicable attitude when they become wealthy, displaying arrogance and lordship over the less privileged.

It is said that man naturally has the tendency to dominate territories as a show of influence and superiority, and that it only takes patience, seduction and emotional intelligence to hesitate and be self disciplined in order not to override people’s rights, interests and fragile emotions.

A quick one by the way, in your vivid opinion, would you consider anyone a rich person in Nigeria? Wait, before you question my saneness and refer to my perception as shallow, especially after the vague and transient show of exuberance of the stereo-typically rich gets in the way of your judgment.

Well, I’ll comfortably give my answer as an absolute no. 

Why you ask?

In as much as I’m a Nigerian, I might as well do a truthful assessment from a general perspective. We have a massive attitude problem. Yes we constantly claim to be poor, but we fail to address the more worrisome form of poverty which is of the mind. We do not love ourselves as we loot treasuries and cheat innocent people of their finances, only to ignorantly alter the psychology of our living which by principle makes our wealth and our hearts toxic, transforming us into beautiful monsters, constantly famished for blood monies that caused accidents on the roads and bridges we have failed to construct, and many more undone or unfinished projects that were meant to be infrastructures that would support our lives.

 

You think you’re rich? Then explain to me how you get power if you haven’t spent through your nose to maintain a generator, or how much did it cost your neighbour to treat himself at the hospital after the petrol explosion happened in his kitchen, why did he have to store petrol in his house just to have alternative power supply in the 21^st century anyway?

You think you’re rich, have you ever called the emergency line for medical and security reasons and got a reliable response.

If you think you’re rich, then what is the value you get for your money when you buy fuel when you know the metre has been tampered with, don’t you feel like crying when you pay your kids’ school fees and then you hear their class teacher make a grammatical error?

Aren’t you scared or ashamed to buy made in Nigeria goods and even clothes for you and your kids because you know they are sub-standard and the standard organizations are probably compromised due to the obvious corruption?

And with the present rate at which the fluctuation of Dollar value has greatly affected the prices of our commodities especially due to our lack of manufacturing and total dependence on oil and imported products, my friends, without prejudice, we are as poor as can be.

“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich”…John F. Kennedy

Who are the elites?

Yes, from time immemorial, there have always the cream of the crop of society recognized as the most influential, even respected by kings. History teaches us the elites of old were men and women of integrity and unquestionable character; they were philanthropists that added colour to the lives of ordinary people.

Fast forward several centuries into the future which gracefully represents our present day, when moral values and standards have greatly depleted, and as glaring as it is we might as well use Nigeria as a case study, elites have indeed become a negative word in this part of the world.

Currently in Nigeria, being rich is synonymous with being a greedy thief who is wicked, blatantly shrewd, and an exploitative sabotage of government who cares less about the welfare of the voiceless and less privileged people crawling at his feet, which reminds of the saying that

“Some people are so poor that all they have is money”.

With the present anti-corruption campaign moving like a train in Nigeria and the unbelievable thieving in high places that has been discovered, it is obvious to the world how wicked and insensitive we are to ourselves even in the midst of fast declining infrastructure which is imperative for our sustenance. And unknown to them, all these ill gotten wealth are toxic to their souls and by implication materializes in their bodies.

“I have rubbed shoulders with the rich, the powerful and the armless. It’s how to network when handshakes aren’t an option”…Jarod Kintz

Handshake

Handshakes are really underrated in our present day. In the times of old, handshakes were a bond signifying trust, loyalty, friendship and a promise. These days we just shake for familiarity or for just the sake of formality.

Rubbing shoulders with people however does make a larger statement. Imagine a king requesting you accompany him to an event, how honoured would you be?

Groups and associations are being accorded respect to the degree of the intellect of their members and who they relate with. In the light of this, it is gravely important to have healthy relationships with great people, great not necessarily by face value, but great in character and emotional intelligence, and in that my dear lays true riches.

So are we rich or poor? Indeed the entirety of life is relative after all, it seems so shallow a question to answer, yet how deep it is when you make to ponder.

Eventually, depending on the extent of a discerning mind, it is found that so far you have hands working in the right direction and a good heart pounding well in the right sections, if riches do matter at all, it is all in your mind just the way you require it.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@yahoo.com)

SOURCES:

Google

Wikipedia

History

Goodreads

BBC

Brainy Quote

Time