Learn to draw the line

Life is an empty dream with a span. Too many expend their lifespan or go through life without life going through them. They internalise or swallow whatever is flung at them without as much as lifting a finger. They want to be seen as good boys or good girls or good men or good women.

It is all right to approach life that way. I mean, it is okay to remain peaceable and positive no matter the hazards. However, it is all wrong to pose like that in public only to break down in private and weep or grumble. It is not all right to permanently suffer and smile or as we say in Nigeria, to forever suffer in silence.

Nigerians need to learn how and when to draw the line. Especially with politics having dealt us blows from which we may never recover. To the extent that we have now normalised what we call stomach infrastructure. For non-initiates, stomach infrastructure is the idea that government can forgo public development so long as it handles private comfort of a few.

Stomach infrastructure is now a Nigerian political ideology. Patronise us, dear government, and we shall support you even if you are so glaringly unsupportable. Stop pointing the finger: everyone is guilty; the big, the small; the male, the female; the poor, the rich; those in government and the opposition. We are now a cash-and-carry people.

What is worse? People are keeping quiet in the full glare of blatant injustice and utter nonsense because of anticipatory stomach infrastructure; that is, in hope that the evil masters in charge would judge them good and loyal servants and send them something. How on earth do they sleep at night, these people? How do their spouses and children and inner circle see them, when they frequently resort in private to making those hush-hush lamentations against the very system they applaud or side in public?

This entry is not a preachment against humility and interest and loyalty and patience and patriotism. Rather, this seeks to encourage Nigerians to show some class, some contentment, some dignity, some restraint, some tact. Of what use is stomach infrastructure if, to benefit, they first dehumanised or humiliated you? You mean, you swallowed all the rubbish done and said to you just so they keep inviting you to meetings or just so you keep sitting on the head table or just so they keep awarding you one of those contracts or political advantages from which proceeds you may buy a big house, a big car or become the next richest big man in your locality?

Is that all there is to you, a whole you? Is that all there is to your life, given free and in trust by our very loving God? Car, house, wealth. Wow!

Well, understanding how biting the economy is, it will be unreasonable to say that you cannot play the politics of zero integrity once in a while, if you belong down there. After all, our society expects you to do whatever is lawful and moral to feed your family. Yes but no, never in the process forget to learn the rule of knowing how and when to draw the line. In this age of mental health emergency, nobody should die because they could not face the silent shame that so-called political leaders visited on them over time.

Therefore, I tell you and I mean it, learn; know how and when to draw the line. You cannot destroy your life to better the life of another who -really speaking- does not care a hoot about you. You must not have a price tag; not every one must. You should not swallow lies and ridicule in the name of loyalty, not every one should.

If you are a political aide or supporter or an economic lieutenant, sssh, be calming down. Keep going but learn to know how and when to draw the line. In politics Nigeriana, you need to draw the line, and fast too. God did not send you to the earth to eat all sh-t thrown at you.

Listen, mentor is teaching. Eat a tiny percentage of rubbish you cannot evade but for the alarming majority, reject and in some cases send them back to sender. You did not come to this world to play second fiddle, from start to finish. Life has a time to take first and another to second the motion.

Understand your times and seasons. Sometimes, good shall fail. Sometimes, evil shall triumph. Sometimes, you have to draw the line in courage and in faith, meaning: you have to stand up and fight for your rights and those of the human race against the run of play.

For people who want you to sit down and do nothing while waiting for God to contend with those who contend with your people or you, well, even if you cannot, get someone to tell them that God does not fight battles you can or should fight by yourself. David had to face Goliath for Israel to be free. God Himself had to become a man to die for man to earn salvation. Dear man, know thyself and with that plus how and when to draw the line.

Stop pretending outwardly while rotting away inwardly. You are dying away slowly and all can see it. Sometimes, let your emotions show. That is about the only way your life and soul can breathe.

Do not bottle up everything, every time. Sometimes, explode so you do not implode. You can control explosion but you cannot implosion. Normalise being human, normalise feeling human, normalise reacting human, because that is exactly what you are.

At this juncture, the question is: how and when do you draw the line? Here you are: one, when someone or people play God unrepentantly in your life, quietly -by walking away- show them that you recognise only one God: the One and Only. Two, when someone or people vehemently make you sick in your body and mind and soul via the words they say to you, the way they take advantage of you, deploy formula one above. Three, when someone or people are consistently mean and petty to you; eg. the boss who fleeces or disparages you per time, again formula one to the rescue.

Four, normalise drawing the line when someone or people betray you serially by remembering that formula one never fails. Five, when someone or people perpetually think you stupid or usable or used-and-dumpable, never forget formula one -it never fails. Six, when someone or people show that they cannot help themselves about being deceitful; hello, formula one. Seven, when someone or people are fond of using the Name or title of God in vain over you; hi, formula one.

Just a moment, do not get it twisted. There is a place in relationship for patience and for understanding but there is no place in it for foolishness, for naïveté, for allowing yourself to be kicked around like a ball. Once patience and understanding become seen by the other person(s) as synonyms for foolishness, or for over-love (whatever that means) or for weakness, draw the line; walk away with your dignity or start playing them as as they do you after all, it takes two to tango. Remember though, when the other person returns patience for patience, understanding for understanding, over-love for over-love, what you do is enjoy the flow -not draw the line.

Eight, only draw the line with foes and pseudo friends. You do not draw the line with people who are genuine to you, even if they occasionally fall short of expectation. Nine, furthermore, drawing the line does not care whether you are dealing with family or friends, or with someone older, powerful, rich. Old, powerful, rich people who act foolishly must collect the reward of foolishness not the one reserved for age, power and wealth.

You get the point now. Normalise drawing the line or quit grumbling; quit dying in silence. And, in case you missed the deliberate emphasis all long, ten, drawing the line entails walking away or declaring where you stand going forward. Formula one is talismanic medicine!

When you walk away or declare that you can no longer endure crass deceit and untold ingratitude and public dishonour and public humiliation and public mistreatment, you do something to your spirit man that no other man, no money, no position can. At the same time, you deal that frenemy a technical knockout that pleases God. Yes, because God is always waiting with an eternal loaf for His children who are courageous enough to walk away from Satan’s tantalising half bread. One of the truest truths of this life is that anyone with the audacity of faith in God, and the temerity to draw the line with Satan, can never die in want.

Yet, Satan always threatens and taunts and convinces man with stomach infrastructure. That is because man being the world’s most selfish creature is easily swayed by self-aggrandisement. Man goes to war against or even kills another because of what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. The winning man therefore is he who draws the line not only with another or Satan but also with self (that is, own appetite).

The dawn of a new year such as now is a golden opportunity to reflect on the choices before us. If you perish, you perish. Imagine perishing after having eaten all that sh-t. Draw the line: chances are you will not perish but if you do, you would go down like the man you are -even as a woman.

God bless Nigeria!