MERRY XMAS TO YOU ALL

Its the much lauded season again and as usual, the Gbam! Gbam! sounds of knockout cn be heared. I just want to say, Happy Xmas to you all. May the season brings good tidings and much needed love and happiness our ways. To my readers, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year in advance.

MARKING XMAS: OUR AGE- LONG TRADITION

Towards the end of every year, everyone seem to have been wired to prepare for the holidays/celebration. Regardless of the religion or the affiliation, the season seems to permeate everyone's  agenda and thought and we just about run or do something different for that day. December 25, a day set aside for the commemmoration of the birth of the Christian Lord is actually celebrated by all.

 This year again, like other years, we are all preparing for the celebration of that popularly called Christmas. Growing up it used to be the day Chicken will be killed and we all await our share of the carcass accompanying the loud mound of pounded yam or the generous portion of rice in our plates. Happy children with newly sewn clothes for church and special parties will flood everywhere. Family members that either live or work faraway will come home to celebrate. Gifts will be packaged and exchanged between lovers, families and friends. Many programmes will be held on the radio stations on that day and carols will be rolled out on the TV stations. The most popular songs then were "We wish you a merry xmas...(3x) and a happy new year" and "Jingle Bells" also "Mary's Boy Child."  Santa (Father xmas) will be seen in his ever red and white attire, and so on.
 
Interestingly enough, these stuffs are still in vogue. Any xmas without those activities and songs will just not be felt that much. Even when we claim to have grown too old to celebrate xmas, we still have one thing or the other in our activities pointing to the fact that xmas is the air.

The question now is, will the human race ever get tired of celebrating xmas? Or okay, as much as we love new things, why is it that we have never grown tired of this one day, one season, one event that seems to have been glued to every calendar we buy? Well, maybe there is actually something really wonderful about this tradition than meets the eye because while we have move in other aspects like technology, fashion, music, interest, movies, age, e.t.c. we have never been able to shake off xmas and its effects.

So, since we are still celebrating xmas, let me say, Happy xmas in advance.

AND THE END OF THE WORLD...2

Waking up to the noise of bells ringing and an indistinct voice of a man yelling outside. Even though he is too hazy to make any distinctive sound out of the voice, he already knows what the noise is all about.
"All this early morning preachers...they just will not let someone wake at his own time."
He tried to change his sleeping position by lying on his chest amid stretchings. He suddenly became aware of the dry cold harmattan weather that seems to have started suddenly. Tugging at his multi-coloured huge and thick blanket, he drags the huge mass on top pf himself making sure to cover his feet and head. Then his phone rang.

Wale stretched his hand to the direction of the sound and picking up his phone, he checked the time before clicking on the read message button. But immediately he wished he did not check the message. He tried to call back the sender, only to remember he had exhausted his airtime in the night while checking goal.com for the results of the matches played the day before. He tried to sleep but couldn't as the heartbeat noise coming from his chest is deafening.
"OMG! What is all this?!"
"Why will Pastor send this kind of message to me early in the morning?!"
It was at this point that he could now pick the voice of the preacher outside.
"It has been confirmed, God has decided to let us know, will you still not give your life to him?!"
Curious, Wale wanted to hear more and he stopped moving on the bed and arched his ear in the direction of the sound.
"The world will end tomorrow! This may be the last chance to for you! You know that the pandemonium in the daytime may not let you have the chance to pray, and the many requests on the Lord's table may too many to get to yours before he finally comes. Let us wake the morning with our voice and surrender to him now!"
Then he started hearing noises from outside, people weeping and praying.  His heartbeat raged faster and the sleep he was struggling with seemed to have vanished and he sprinted out of the bed, ran to the sitting room and checked outside from his window, what he saw made blew him away.

"Could this be true?!" He remembered the text message his pastor sent to him. He ran back to the room and rummaged his bed for his phone. The phone seemed to be playing hide and seek with him. Threw the pillow to one side lifted the blanket to the other, picked up the pillow again, casted a glance at his table but remembered it should be on the bed. Decided to calm a bit through his racing heartbeat and search. Then another message came in and he found that the phone was right in front of him face down.
He checked the message and it was from his mother. The message reads:

"I hope u already knw dat God has decided to let us knw dat 2mrw d world will end. Pls I want 2 see u in paradise. Pls surrender ur life 2 Jesus now. Ur oda siblings ve done same and ur daddy 2 afta d pastor confamd it."

At the completion of the message, the voice of the early morning preacher trailed in from outside again,

"The time is now! Dont wait till tomorrow o, Infact there will be no tomorrow!..."

A million thoughts rushed through his head. He remembered his girlfriend, Jane, and his best friend, Segun. "Is the world really ending?" He started trying to remember all his offences but none could come to the fore. They seem to be too many and the door of his mind too narrow to allow them come through.

He heard a knock on his door and ran back to the sitting room.
"Who is that?!" He yelled
"Walex It is me!" He could pick Segun's distinctive voice. Trying to sound calm as he makes for the door,
"Shigo baba! How far now?" He unlocked the door only to be met with a sweating Segun. Until then, he never knew that he was sweating too. He became aware of the fact that he too was streaming water from his neck to his hairy chest.

"Shigo whats up? Are you okay?!"
Segun, fighting back the tears at the back of his eyes and with a trembling voice replied,
"Walex, it is true o. the world is ending tomorrow!" He added, "You don't want to go outside now, everywhere is scattered and people are praying everywhere!"

Wale, further disturbed asked, "But how come everyone is sure that it is tomorrow? Is it written somewhere?!" Segun smiled and said, "So you are the only person that have not known! Try and google 'the end of the world' and see what it will bring up for you." Segun continued, "I gave my life to Christ this morning and I will like to see you in paradise so that we can continue this friendship that was why I came here. I was even expecting that you would have done same. Wale, this time it is real the world as we know it is coming to an end!"

...to be continued

AND THE END OF THE WORLD...1

Popularly prophesied by the Christians, supported by the Muslims, modified by the Jehovah Witness, 'predicted' by the Mayans, un-understood by the Scientists and creating a tiny wave of fear in the common man; The END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. When in 2010 while in the Northern part of the country I saw that movie, 2012 directed by Roland Emmerich, I asked myself if the world will actually end. The movie, borrowing from the Mayan belief, kind of portrayed the earth renewing itself and not actually ending but with humans surviving the apocalyptic event that changed the course of life and ended civilization. You know just like a new beginning kind of thing. And behold, in the year 2012 itself, the prediction was louded. Yesterday, 21 12 2012 was supposed to be the said end of the world.

But come to think of it, with the many predictions that have been made and failed to click, does this mean that the world may actually never end? Or like one of my friends will say, 'at least not now'. Does this failed appointments with the various predictors mean that we should now relax and enjoy? Or could what Comedian Elenu said on twitter be true? He said: "The end of the world have been postponed, God wants to watch Manchester United vs Real Madrid." lol. Well, trust Nigerian comedians, they will already have made several jokes out of the event... But the question is "Will the world actually end?" Okay, if it does, what will be our fate?

The Jehovah Witnesses claim that we will all be on earth to see the new world. The Muslims say that we will be shared to either the good part of afterlife or the bad and in the Christian view, we see stuffs like the heaven and hell divisions. Whereas some people still claim that the world will never end. So what should we believe? Or rather, what do you believe? Scientists claim that the world will renew itself and that when the ozone layer have depleted to a very bad state, the end will be engulfed in smoke and disasters, just as in the movie, will enwrap the earth. Now once again, which of these do you believe? or do you still think that the earth will not 'pass away'?

One thing is certain, or let me say, that much I believe, THE WORLD WILL END AT SOME TIME but how I may not know. So that I do not get carried away like the Jews awaiting a Messiah in the bible and expecting him in a certain way. But the Messiah rather came in another way, defying class and status. The Jews that have spent all their lives waiting for the Messiah turned on him and did their best to kill him. So, if you accept that the end of the world will come, do not just start expecting it in a particular way, prepare for it in your own way.

So, sorry Mayans, and the end of the world did not just come when you predicted. But never mind, I support you on that the end of the world will eventually come someday.

Cheers

BREAKING ADDICTIONS

"I don't want this again!"
"When will I be free from this hold?"
The invisible hands of our desires, gently pulling and dragging at our skirts. Robbing us of that inner joy and peace. In moments when we would have turned right not left, their soft fierce call will bend our most resolute decisions. We derive that little pleasure, momentary and often short, but most times we feel the heaviness of going back that same way. Addictions are like this sometimes.

Pastors, Counselors, Parents and even friends may try and fail to rip us away from the clutch of that insane habit. Even our own utmost resolutions attimes bend to the calling of that beautiful and attractive desire. The hold is so strong that we just want to say, "NEVER HAVE ANY ADDICTION!"

Is there any way to break this ring? Is there any short-cut to the end of the line? Many attimes we break down and think, "NOT AGAIN!" And when we sit to ask we wonder,'Is this addiction that strong?' 'I never even saw the thing but it just keeps pulling me into this mess!' It sometimes is as if there is no way out.

Motivational speakers will say that we should subject ourselves to rigorous living to put an end to it, others will say that we should just accept it and live with it as part of our personality. But honestly, must we really put up with something unpleasant and punish our conscience thereby? If you know it is wrong and you wouldn't want to encourage another person to go into it then it is not yet time to give up on yourself.

Of course addictions can be broken and in many ways. That you found it a bit hard to stop never means that you should just throw in the towel over it. Just make up your mind to overcome it. It is all in the mind. Just find an alternative thing or activity to lavish your attention on and you will find that you are on the way to ripping off that unseen hand pulling you in the unwanted direction all the time.

Now, don't always expect it to work like magic, it may be a gradual process so never be frustrated by the fact you try and you are not yet there at some point. In other words, never lose the will to get better. You can chose not to fight it anymore and you can chose to live above it. Remember that a lifeless thing can never be more powerful than you a living entity.

Also remember that your consistent visiting of such habit made it an addiction. You made it and you can break it. Addiction is made up of 'add' and 'diction'. 'Add' means 'to unite or combine things' while 'diction' means 'CHOICE of words to fit their context'. My definition of addiction then is "an habit that I chose to combine with myself or unite with my living because I think it fits my context of living." So addictions are built by choice and by choice, they will often be broken.

What is that habit that just will not go away? Don't hide under some flimsy temperament thingy. You should live a good life. In fact nothing stops you from living the best way that yo can. At least we only got one chance at this world so why put up with some avoidable disaster? Especially when all it takes is a choice and the acceptance of that choice.

So Choose to break that unnecessary habit and live a better and must peaceful life. Remember that your inner peace is most important for your healthy and happy living. This peace is worth going the length for.

DO NOT GIVE UP YET TILL YOU BREAK IT!

Echoes from 2012 conference

TO THE DYING EMBERS OF OUR SONS

You were the reason the sun came up on our lands. At least you are what we have to show for their years of rape and looting. Yes they came to rape and loot, but you were the good in them that we never had before they came. And now that they are gone at least at arm's length, you are the sun that shines above us. So do not wothold your light and truth in your illumination never hold back from us.

Remember how your fathers died like fowls in the fields, and perished like crabs in the oceans just because you needed to be a sun. Remember how at first in order to have you show us the way we slaved and toiled collectively to earn you a visa to the sun to become a sun for us. So we plead that now that you are old and mature, now that you are grown and your legs are strong, shine for us. Remember we have to sit at our doors every evenings and watch the day go dark in anticipation that one day you would come back. Remember that we had to double our labours in order to pay off the debts that we incurred in order to have you become our sun. So please shine for us, as their sun shines for them.

We understand that they travelled down here and they have to loot and rape us for us to see. Their cargoes being the gift they brought from their voyages to their waiting families and Governments. We understand this with them. We understand that a man cannot love another man than himself, we understand that a person must love his own home above others. At least even we say that if one is trapped in fire together with the son, we would first save ourselves before anyone else. So for them, their looting of our natural treasuries and blood banks, we understand. But how about you who we birthed and painted beautiful with our blood? How about you who crowned you with the silvery beads of our sweat? Should you not shine loyally upon us?

O! maybe you were thought to shine your best for your homeland and you watched them do same for their own lands so you want to follow suit...well you have too just open your eyes. there is a point for the termination of the example and the beginning of the class work in your arithmetic book. So do your learning like one who had any residue of knowledge in him and identify your true home from the market shed from where you were trained.

Let your sun shine dear son, let our barns revel in your light...remember we paid dearly to have you decorated, so do please illuminate our darkness with your crowns. Don't reap our treasures ito their barns because even if you own it, their soil will drink from its fertility. And why join them to beat and rape us? Remember that your blood and theirs never sourced from the same fountain. Dear son of our soil  shine upon us the light of your knowledge.

What beauty is there to siy and stare with wonder at the rays of their shining? Of what use is there to smile at everything they hand down to us when we have you a sun as our sun? Why wonder why they never fall into the same ditch we fall into when we have you as our eyes and light? Remember that joining their cluster of stars will not make your star any different from when it was not there. So why not shiine for us when your luminescence can be better felt against the tablet of our dark sky? My son if you and your brothers can shine for us, your combination will be far glorious than their clusters. Do not shy away from your responsibility dear son, remember that we are the strength that propel their engines.

Dear Sun awake! Dear offspring of our fathers. Son of the warriors who killed tigers without a gun, gorillas without a bullet, conquered nations without a bomb, and tamed the lion with the tongue. Son of the Deep green forests of our caste. Natural and strong, living longer than their fathers. Use your education and light us to freedom, glory and honour. We await you!

WELCOME TO MY WORLD

We do not know the tribal mark that tomorrow is adorned with neither do we understand the patterns on today's palms, yet we have to kiss each day the best way. When the lights appear in the clouds, and our around becames illuminated, when we from our rested planes rise and the hills of everyday's duties begin to climb, one thing that we must never lose is the will to kiss our daily visitor the best way.

No single person knows the geography of the days. No one understands the territory of her origins, yet from the point of our canvas view, each day must be jointly drawn to have a full view of the beauty we need to daily kiss. Like the tale of the six blind men that went to see the elephant, I may touch the trunk, while you touch the body, he may touch the ear, while the other may touch the tusk and another the leg. When we bring together the pieces of our view, you know, we may have the elephant.

Welcome to my world where we together make life worth the while. Laughter, truths and life we will together encounter.
WELCOME