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This is an opportunity for soul-searching. If you are not ready to see your nakedness in the public mirror, run away now. No, don’t run: flee. This discourse is not for everyone.
Very many very good things suffer in the hands, heads and hearts of human beings. Actually, you can say that all very good things do. Man has a terrible sense of understanding and value. In fact, man chooses what to understand and value, how to understand and value it; when, where and why.
Take such virtues or values as justice, peace and philanthropy. Man continues to disrespect or dishonour these threesome, everywhere, every time. Man mouths justice all the time but it is only when it suits or favours him that you get to see some grit. Visit our communities, farmlands, hospitals or schools or follow the media and you see firsthand how criminally unjust man is.
There’s a programme, Voices from our Communities, on Comfort 95.1 FM, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state every Tuesday, 1pm. It’s sponsors, Accountability Lab Nigeria, are based in Lagos. As its name implies, the hour-long live show features in the main people from injustice-weary communities in the deep south Nigerian state. Its presenter, Rose Akai (Rozay) (I call her Prof.) is so mischievously good: she asks too many right questions.
However, I have a grouse about this very good programmme. I would want it stopped. Of what use is something that makes you cry all the time; when the authorities do absolutely nothing to address it? Why do we allow people suffer so much injustice and yet do nothing either to stop the shame or address their plight?
Last Tuesday, the programme focused on two oil-bearing communities in Ibeno local government area of the state: Upenekang and Mkpanak. The young man and young woman, who were guests, decried how oil exploration had exploited their villages and left their people empty, poorer and sick. This speaks to failure on the part of both the government and oil companies. Very little or no corporate social responsibility and no monitoring to ensure what ought to be done or what they said they have done has been done.
In particular, while the guy talked about poor delivery on projects, the girl -a student I guess at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua- narrated how she has good drinking water at school but takes ill whenever she’s back home because the water is nothing to write home about. They alluded to skin cancer, etc., as part of the deal they never bargained for. How can a natural blessing that oil is become such man-made curse and remain so for this long in this country? Shortly before the presenter rounded off the BBC-like show, she messed up the listener more with a clincher that should haunt everyone involved: “It took 20 years to have Petroleum Industry Act and two years on, no implementation; whither Nigeria”?
I don’t support militancy or any act of violence. Alas, you cannot not give justice but expect a people suffocating in the ad hoc mass unemployment, deprivation, disease, hunger, and death to not fight for the very oxygen their God gave them. The child who doesn’t allow the mother enjoy night sleep stays awake as well. Injustice is stupidly more expensive to maintain than justice!
Of course, in the foregoing, you can also contextualise or situate peace and philanthropy, or the lack of them. As we see all over the Nigeria Delta, man clears the ground for or sows acrimony and then runs around to enforce peace when harvest nears. Also, man is only a philanthropist when the cameras are on or when it suits his purpose. For instance, Nigerian governments and politicians are especially generous when elections are in the offing!
Jesus, please come quicker. We are tired of being used. We are sick and tired of people who think they are the smartest dudes ever created. Please, Jesus, please: come soon rather than later or since we can’t do it ourselves, help us kick these people out of our lives!
So, yes, we were discussing love. Nothing else is as misconstrued, mismanaged and misused. Love is not spoken. Love is done.
It’s okay though, if someone mouths love to you. Pray and watch for at least an event to prove things once and for all. Events have a way of validating or invalidating love claims. A church that excommunicates a member, no matter the offence, knows nothing about love.
A parent who disowns own child does not know love. A teacher who gives up on a student -any student- is an incomplete counsellor; they lack the fundamental ingredient of teaching called love. A mentor who quits over one or a few idiotic mentees is a minus to the business of love. A spouse who forgets (to factor in) love when the foundation of their home is threatened had been wallowing in deceit all along.
The leader who plays hide and seek with the follower(s) until it is convenient needs to do quite some love homework. The follower who is disloyal is not a lover. The boss who intentionally delays salary and promotion is a hater of love. The employee who abuses the privileges concomitant with the love of work and time is a criminal.
The elder sibling and senior colleague and older friend who suddenly stop loving their younger or junior others because of whatever disagreement are pretenders to the throne of age or rank. This however should not be misconstrued to mean that love is a function of age or rank. Younger relatives and junior colleagues or friends who by their dishonourable or disrespectful and hateful mannerisms make loving them a herculean task must realise that love can love its own way. Sometimes, love can choose to love the hard way.
Love should be honoured. Love should be loved. Love should be pampered. And, above all, love should be reciprocal.
Those who dishonour love are like those who hate love who themselves are like the many who by preferring to hurt love every time remind us of those who never return love passes. Such a shame, to toy with something as sacred and deep as love. So, what is love? And, what is love not?
Love is a constant, like a mathematical formula. Love is beautiful, like a woman. Love is long-suffering, like a patient dog. Love is love even to evil, like love can’t hurt a fly.
Love is gentle, but a force. Love is meek, almost timid. Love is a weakness, that has strength of character. Love is sweet, but endures bitter times.
Love is not judgemental. You are not into love if you judge and angrily. Love is not transactional. You don’t have to love love or be good to love for love to love you.
Love is neither a recorder nor a calculator. Love doesn’t keep a record of pains nor does it depreciate as a result. Love doesn’t explain nor tells tales. Love hasn’t any variableness of anger or darkness.
Love returns a slap for a beating: but apologises for it. Love turns the other cheek: always and always. Love is foolish: love never makes sense. Love is God’s wisdom: love confounds man.
Love is light, through and through. Love just shines on and on and on, all the way to a perfect day and beyond. Love is timeless, it never stops; it never ends. That’s why there’s only one love.
I didn’t mean to, but can I please preach briefly to you? Love is Jesus, and Jesus is love. To die to save man is a unique feat that only love can dare and do. Only Jesus Christ did it, an eternal example.
Love is sacrifice, not a business. Do you love blindly, patiently, sacrificially, sweetly and peaceably, like Jesus? Sssh, stop lying: mankind can only try, can only wish to love like Jesus. As in all other areas, man is work in progress when it comes to loving like Jesus.
May God help us all!
