Never swear never

Life is not a stroll in the park. It might occasionally seem so, though. Only for some days. Because: most weeks, it is actually a marathon.

Life might be an empty dream but it is too full of dramatic reality. Life does not suffer fools gladly. However, that fact is no guarantee everything is straightforward. With life, nothing is.

The guilty can walk away: free or promoted. The innocent can be punished: jailed or killed. The world will only look away: helplessly or understandingly. In the full glare of blatant injustice, life rolls by like most accomplices: effortlessly, mischievously.

And man can do nothing about it. People get into power, which is the topmost echelon of life -the finest place to be- determined to make a difference, a clear difference. Alas, after four, eight, 12, 16, 20 years or even a lifetime in office, they still discover at the end of it all they had drawn blank. That they achieved nothing; in fact, that all the while they only did the things they had sworn they won’t do and vice versa.

Life is like that. It never garbages out what you garbaged in. Life offers you what it wants. Show me that one surebanker reward of hard work or such other virtues of life.

In this life, you can work hard and still fail. In this same life, you can have no work but succeed. Look around your neighbourhood, your office, and you see ready examples. Life na scam, really.

Well, I take that back. Life is not wholly scam. Only a teeny-weeny part of life is scam. The lion’s share is its sheer unpredictability. 

Life is not wired to be at anybody’s beck and call. Life is a blind judge. It doesn’t seem totally interested in evidence or reason. Life simply does what it wants, per time.

And, life takes no orders no matter who is giving them. So, never swear never or be ready to face one or two consequences. Life can make you miserable or make you look like a fool -or both. Imagine being a miserable fool: any worse fate?

Are you about to get into office and you are swearing and swearing you would do this and not that? Are you swearing your way into marriage, a relationship, an enterprise? The time to stop swearing is now; in fact, that time was yesterday. Stop swearing that over your dead body shall you do this or that. 

Life does not like people who swear never. Most of our daughters or sisters who swore they would never marry ministers of God are today cooling off in such homes. In most cases, life adds its trademark icing-on-the-cake mischief by making sure such hitherto unwilling wives are themselves now full-time ministers of God. I am afraid of those who are not afraid of life.

Furthermore, as my spiritual father, Global Ba’aba, Dr Abel Damina of Power City International, reminded the world yesterday, life can trick you so much so you arrive exactly where you swore never to. Bitter that the church maltreated his family (his father was a pastor) the last thing he wanted to become was a minister of God. But, who and what is Dr Damina today? Not only a sold-out priest but also one who tours the world to make men and woman and children God’s fishers; the same calling he swore to never answer. 

Life has such wicked sense of humour. It is not moved by what you say or do. Well, no, it can be angered by your effrontery or arrogance in which case it reacts by teaching you a bitter lesson. Never swear never, pridefully or angrily.

Whether to do with just self or another, you would in the course of life discover things you never thought possible. Be calming down, life happens. Never swear never. If you already did, and now find yourself where you never believed you would ever be, simply kneel down, make peace with life and unswear ever after. 

The only way to correct an error of arrogance is in humility. Life takes no prisoners. So, no need to dare life; please be humble. Except you like to waste time foolishly.

The essence of this entry is to advise, console or reassure you. Never swear never. If you already had, and currently find yourself in a messy cul-de-sac, simply this moment unswear. You cannot, as we say in Nigeria, come and kill yourself. 

Life has a mind of its own. It will only give what it wants to. Therefore, there’s no need to display anxiety or frustration or authority. Nobody who failed planned to, nobody who divorced planned to, nobody who lost planned to: life just happened.

Finally, whatever you do and whatever you get, take it easy and pray that life rewards your humility. However, if it doesn’t, make up your mind to enjoy the bumpy ride. Don’t be afraid, just be courageous and, above all, remain positive and faithful. That’s the mindset to possess, if life must not throw you overboard.

God bless Nigeria! 

Arsenal: In God’s name, stop joking

The battle for who carries English Premier League this campaign is going down to the wire. My team, Leaders Arsenal, have the last two Sundays shown uncharacteristic unsurefootedness. At Anfield, we went two clear in the first stanza only for hosts Liverpool to bounce back in the second to force a draw. 

Just yesterday, the scenario repeated itself at the London stadium when West Ham came from two goals down to salvage a point. Dropping points so carelessly in this nick of time when champions, Manchester City, are in hot pursuit is not funny at all. Football is like life, though: it is not a straight road.

Arteta and his boys must immediately exorcise and bury whatever is haunting us. Gooners want nothing other than the Gunners being declared champions in May. And, we can return that belief when we meet Man City in nine days’ time.

Overall, there’s no cause for alarm. The league is going to see twists upon twists with Man City having a fair share. The truth is that this is Arsenal’s season and no force can change that!