We need one another

A simple adage has it that “no one is an island.” A deep reflection on that maxim reveals how deep it actually can be.

Indeed, there is uniqueness in all God’s creations especially when it comes to us humans.

If the people we often call “ordinary” are withdrawn from circulation, life will definitely lose its taste.

I buttress the foregoing by recalling how my day was saved while I was once driving to Lagos Island from the mainland and missed my way. At some point chaos ensued; it took a supposedly mad man stopping other vehicles for me to navigate my way out of the traffic maze.

It was amazing that a mentally-deranged man in filthy rags saved the day for me.  Everyone one regarded him as a comprehensive mad man. But on that occasion, he was God’s vessel used to see me through.

Now, we need to note that what is called “ordinary” does not necessarily translate to invaluable; after all, one of the cheapest things out there is water. As lowly as it is priced, one is yet to know what can take the place of water in life. Yet it is “ordinary.”

Interestingly, some people describe fellow humans as “ordinary.” Meanwhile those everyday people referred to as “ordinary” are so useful and valuable in everyone’s life. No one, not even the accomplished ones can do without them.

The question now is: who are this class of people referred to as “ordinary?” They are the ones that cannot be regarded as executives in their own way. They are not our everyday men in well-tailored suits; they are not women in corporate wear.

Rather, “ordinary” people are men and women who probably could not attain great heights. They didn’t have the benefit of formal education either; they are not successful in their chosen fields, nor are they prominent in our society. Yet, they are not irresponsible as many would think they are. They are invaluable.

Funny enough, those “ordinary” people have saved lives and have in their own way, equally caused some havoc too.

There was a roadside restaurateur one knows, who at some time, saved the life of a lawyer whose marriage crashed. She kept supplying him food while his ordeal lasted until he was able to find his balance.

But not once, not twice have the police arrested “ordinary people” because they were the primary suspects at a crime scene.

Now, listen to the magic of an “ordinary” girl, a domestic staff who once saved Madam’s children. Uzoaku is her name.

Uzoaku, as a domestic worker, worked with the Ogaranye family. While the couple enjoyed their bliss, the onus of feeding their children who dreaded food lay on her. Before then, it was a rare challenge that saw the couple visiting different pediatricians for solutions. None came until Uzoaku discovered the magic wand. It was the magic of an “ordinary” house help.

Uzo, as she was fondly called, had become the girl with the magic wand.

As she watched her madam struggle with feeding her children, she figured a way out.

Recall that some young children refuse food from their mothers. But ironically, they welcome someone else other than their biological mothers. Amazingly, they allow ‘strangers” to feed them. 

In the case of Uzo, what was the magic? She simply got a light cane close to her. She would issue a joking threat and allow the cane to touch the kids, a prank their mother never thought would work.

At mealtime, she would signal her Madam to step away. Then she would arrange the girls, set their food and water before them and sit in the opposite direction armed with her cane.

Once the kids sat down, she would bark her orders. ‘Start! Then the kids would get down to business. Uzo would watch them eat to their fill and stop.

Then she would mandate them to drink water, and they would obey her. She would give them a few minutes of grace to allow their food and water to settle. Then she would tell them “start again.”

All of Uzo’s instructions must be fully obeyed. Under her watch, the children would leave nothing uneaten – including beans which most children dread to eat.

That was how Uzo’s way became part of the feeding style without headache for the Ogaranye children. The couple could not contain their joy at seeing the effect of Uzo’s novelty on their children.

It was learnt that especially, at dinner time, her Madam would hide behind the staircase until dinner was over. Then she would show up. It took an “ordinary girl’s” discipline and ingenuity to change the narrative.

With the said technique, the Ogaranye children were transformed. They began to gain their appropriate weight. They became healthier. That was the magic of the “ordinary” domestic servant. It added more life to the life of the family’s three children. That also gave their parents a relaxed mind; joy became part of their lives once again.

This homily of a certain Rev Fr Francis Sohe further drives the lesson home. The cleric had visited St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Ejigbo, Lagos. On that occasion, he told the congregation a story of a professor of Mathematics and a canoe paddler who got involved in a heated argument aboard a canoe.

The professor had earlier won an algebraic argument. Thereafter, both of them got into the canoe to cross a river on their way to some place.

Midway, there was this gale that began to blow. The canoe was being badly rocked and about to capsize. Then the Prof began to scream, begging the paddler for help else he would perish.

Just then, the canoe paddler said: “We will arrest the situation with Maths and Algebra.”

Canoe paddling was not Prof’s forth. At that point, he was being ripped apart by fear – fear that he was about to drown.  Meanwhile, the canoe paddler was having the best of times. He knew what to do if the worst happened, but not the Prof who was already frozen stiff. He was already almost counting it over.

At that point, it had become clear that Prof could not paddle a canoe. He didn’t know how to swim either. It then dawned on him that everyone is important in their own way –  pilot, cleaner, meat seller, fashion designer, car-wash operator, petrol attendant, cook, hotel manager, mortuary attendant and many more.

Even during low moments, the bereaved needs others’ support to stand and survive.

A teacher needs the beverage seller; a petroleum attendant needs a tailor; a journalist needs a medical doctor; a shoe repairer needs a hairdresser; a politician needs a cook. Even sportsmen/women need their supporters. Similarly, a driver needs a teacher; students need others. A mechanic needs a plumber. No man can live and provide all the services they need all by themselves. This is the reason people should respect others. It is the essence of living.

Even when the Super Eagles lost their bid to win the prized African male football trophy in Morocco, they still needed a pat on the back from others.

In various homes, especially in the cities, many people do not live with their family members. When there are sudden health challenges, armed robbery attacks, fire outbreaks, it will require the intervention of neighbours who are not family members.

Many neighbours have gradually become families; they share close family ties due to association and close bonding.

Even in offices, staff members may develop sudden health challenges. It is their fellow staff that will rise to the challenge. They turn out to be one another’s guardian angel before family members kick in.

Interestingly, life is wired in such a manner that everyone needs the other, not minding the state of one’s life. We need one another to survive.

A leader might not know it all. But with a cooperative team, they will always excel.

In life, if one treats “ordinary” people in one lives as garbage, one might die with their challenge.

Neman in the holy book comes handy as a witness to all. How? It was a house girl who compelled him to seek cure for his leprosy. That goes to show how much we really need one another in this life.

Now, let it be said that those who tag others “ordinary” miss the point. They do not know that life is a bank account in God’s hands. Nobody knows the balance of their days. Only keep depositing forgiveness, respect, love, pure heart, prayer and obedience. Above all, in this New Year, be good and always do good. For indeed, no one is “ordinary!”