Specificity of instruction

Let me tell you a true story about instruction. This is my true life story. A long time ago, when I was new in elementary school, I was in primary/ elementary one or two then. I was involved in a sporting competition which as at then was called “inter-house sport”. Usually different class of pupil get grouped into “houses” of sport contestants with some teachers who will be sport coordinators over each group. Grouping was done according to age, class, height, weight and some other demography. We were hardly grouped as a result of our athletic abilities because would be determined at the end of the season which usually lasts for weeks.

I was chosen to run in a one hundred meter dash for my group/house that very year. Before you start out any race, there was brief time of pep talk from your housemasters. They encourage you to run as fast as you can. There were some three or four boys competing from other house with me that year. I was the shortest and the less sporty contestant on set for that race. I watched the tall boys jumping excitedly and getting ready to run that day. As I bent at the starting point; I heard my Aunt whispering to me to run as fast as I could. She had accompanied me to this competition because my parents were not around. I cannot remember having run ever before that time in any track event.
To edit the story, I started out following every instruction of the umpire which was given to us before the race began: “You must not cross each other’s path; you must run on your own lane all the way through, you must run to the end of the race. You must not jump off the track at any point in time, until you reach the end, you must not stop. You don’t start running off until you’ve heard the umpire’s whistle blown”. I did follow all instruction that day. Although I finished last, I concentrated on the instructions such that I forgot that I was in a real competition. I kept the instructions in my mind, preoccupied with them until I finished the race. At the end of the race, I discovered that I had been so preoccupied with those instructions that I had made them an end in themselves. I was too afraid of being punished or beaten up by the instructor. As I strictly adhered to the instructions, the other athletes outran me. They crossed each others’ lane, broke every given rules and still finished ahead of me in that race that year.

We were about four or more who ran in that race. I got to the finish line thinking that I would be chosen nonetheless. I was thinking that because I had obeyed all the instructions, I may be chosen. But it was more than mere obedience, timing was of the essence and speed was paramount. I was expecting that any of the other three athletes who crossed each other’s tracks during the race would be disqualified for me because I ran according to instruction. Although I did not have adequate speed, I tried my best. But lo! It was more than mere instruction. It also mattered when you obeyed and how you obeyed. The urgency of instruction given is one aspect of instruction that we cannot wink at.

What eventually mattered to the coordinators of the track and field competition that day was more than mere obedience. It was important that we adhere strictly through timing. This is where the law and principles of timing comes inevitable. As far as the race was concerned, it was more than mere finesse. It was important that you finish early on the track if you are to be declared a winner. It was much more than being obedient to the rules. It was important that you complete obedience through urgency and accuracy. It was important that you applied some measure of force, drive, ruggedness and character in order to win. Time is of the essence. Speed was valuable and accuracy was inevitable.

As I got to the finish line late trying to move in with the rest of the winners; I was pulled backwards fro behind by my Aunt, then I saw one of the coordinators at the finish line sorting me out of the winners of the race. Then another coordinator whipped the boys who won the race for crisscrossing the tracks while running. My Aunt tried to save me from my obvious embarrassment as she pulled me to her side while we waited and watched from the sideline the trophy presentation before we went home that day. I let them down for finishing last in the race. She did not mock me but I learnt a lesson or two from that experience. I was in a race to win. My people were watching because they expected me to win. They were cheering me on from the sideline asking me to run!!! As I scuttled as fast as my leg could carry me; I came to realize that I could not carry myself as fast as the other boys. I finished last in the race behind all others panting heavily.

As I flashback on that event, I recollect how certain things mattered most. The first is the instruction, the second: preparation, the third is speed. The fourth is accuracy; the fifth is finesse which I had embraced at the expense of all others. I will never forget how timing was the basis of final judgement at the end of the race. At the finish line, instruction became only a guide to a destination but not the destination in itself. You may ask: what is the correlation of this. What are the moral of this story? In life and business, timing and instruction are very important that you cannot assume. You cannot expect everything to wait on a standstill for you. The significance of life is imbedded in how we approach all events, how we see and take opportunities. Life is altruistically a result of the chances we take as well as the ones we loose. Opportunities will not always be there for you. Don’t believe in the fallacy that once an opportunity is lost, another one will come. They don’t always come like that. When they do come, they are extras, not precisely what you lost but what you would have gained additionally if you had taken the initial chance when it came.

King H erod understood the meaning of the wise men’s visit to Bethlehem when Jesus was born. He was the reigning king and having another king in the same kingdom means his dethronement. He did not want to take chances; he wiped out all the children within that age bracket. If the enemy was that wise to understand the importance of timing, the age range of children born in that period, the statistics and information surrounding the birthplace of Jesus; what is happening to the children of the kingdom? An impending dethronement for Herod was the motive behind the homicide. He understood that we live in a competitive world. He was not deceiving himself. He was not going to share his throne. If we are awakened to the realities surrounding us, we will maximize opportunities surrounding us. We will wipe off our tears and run steadily in other to win the prize. We will no longer fight like someone who is beating the winds; we will fight with focus and accuracy.

Some lethargic and indolent people coined such saying like: “we are not competing” it was because we don’t want to be cutting one another’s throat. In the actual sense of it, life is all about competition! Too sad to say that in the grand scheme of things we are unconsciously competing. Paul said that be careful lest no man take thy crown. There is a tendency to lose your crown. Why? Because it is competitive... the race of heaven and earth is competitive. And if you will be sincere enough, you will face it head on. Look sincerely and long enough and you will see the marks and evidence of contest in your school grades, workplace, sales’ raise, promotions, achievements, awards and more; to mention few. There must be losers and winners. And the winner takes all in this modern world. The best person you will better compete with may be truly yourself but you still have to compete to break the power of mediocrity. You must conquer the enemy within you who is called average. Yes! You can get frustrated trying to compete with other people. However, in not competing against self, we don’t just fail but we fail to reach our maximum potential. There must be that desire to be better of than where we used to be yesterday. There must be passion to grow and develop. We must keep rising, advancing continually from within! Your success will be measured by your willingness to keep on persevering. Your success does not have less to do with how lightly you handle scarce opportunities. It has more to do with speed, timing and direction

Happy Birthday to me!-Birthday reflections.

I hardly remember people’s birthday. So, I don’t expect gifts on mine. (Laughs) don’t mind me. I laugh at my self sometimes. I hope you aren’t mad at that. Yes! Today is my birthday. And I rejoice… Come to think of it. I have been so favored. I appreciate the grace that has brought me thus far. I acknowledge that I was not smarter, better or stronger. It was the Grace of God that came to me in my lowest estate. It was because there was a good God somewhere. He is the one who sees. He saw me just like Hagar the mother of Ishmael, the maid of Sarah had recalled: “the God who sees…” God saw me where I was; there I was lying down on my back, so weak and helpless. He saw my frail body dying. He saw me-a young man, He saw one nobody, one helpless man whose heart was crying for help. When He saw the “sincerity” of my struggles and the reaction of men based on their heart that is desperately wicked; He had mercy. I was struggling and He has decided to have mercy on me. I understand that this is not fair because there are some other people who have been more diligent, faithful than me. They are doing much more. I figured that It’s not in the doing but the in His Grace. I am just a product of mercy and grace. And that is the only thing that has distinguished my life from others. My joy and boast is therefore in the Lord. In points of fact, the Lord loves me in spites of me. He chose to preserve my soul to see today…And I say thank you Lord Jesus; thank you sweet Holy Spirit. I thank you Lord God. All the glory must be to you oh my Father, my friend and my God. I just wonder where I would have been without you…probably missing, dead and lost! But lo! I was found by Grace and Truth. I’ve been rescued by Truth.
I’ve been talking about my God for some time. Do I need to introduce my own God? Because I figured that there are several kinds of gods these days. And North America and Africans can boast of million gods. My God is the God of Heaven and Earth who sent Jesus to this World to die for the sins of men over 2000 years ago…As I rolled back in my mind all that I have been through and who I have come across. I remember you who are reading these lines. You are most precious to me than anyone. Why? -Because you appreciate me and my thoughts enough to read my works. Although, I may never know you intimately; I may never have been so close to you. I may not have understood your struggles. I may no longer be a part of your life; I may have fallen from among your friends, old or new. I may have been dropped from the list of your favorite friends. I may just be your acquaintance. It doesn’t matter. I appreciate the fact that you are here.
As I clocked another year today; I have decided to take an inventory of my life. In taking stock, I realized how I have really changed over the years. Some of you can confirm this. [Laughs] Somehow, some of these changes were not good enough for some people. [Oh! Me! How I can be so weird?] Sorry, they were good for me. They were changes that have come with a price. Most of them were not without tears. Somehow, the tears were not only found in my own eyes but in the eyes of my families. Although, the power of my decisions may have brought tears to the eyes of others; they have brought more than that to mine. In retrospect, it has been worth it in all. So far, I have nothing to regret... I give God all the glory for that. Even my mistakes are becoming more of miracles in guise. I have unavoidably lost good friends. I have unexpectedly found greater friends. I have been despised, I have been tolerated but I have also been more celebrated. It’s true that families have no choice. They are destined to remain as a part of you. I have realized that your true friends will still stay with you come what may… just as Ticks fall off the cattle’s back on fields; there will be some displacement of some relationships. Success and failure have a way of redefining us. For me, that has happened and it is happening daily. Successes have a way of shrinking or enlarging our circle of friends. Those who are not meant to be in your life will leave you whether you like it or not. Hmn …it’s so sad to lose people right? -Especially if you are like me, who believe in relationships…how I love to keep my friends both old and new. Most of the times, I keep them in my heart more than they can ever imagine. I hardly forget people. Not even their simple deeds. They are all in my heart more than on my lips. Somehow, I realized that some friends love to be kept on the lips through lies and flattery. Too bad, I am not good at that.
As I flipped back in my mind to my past; I think its okay to say happy birthday to me. Whew! It’s been a very long drive here. Wait. Just before you think I am trying to feel cool with myself; I have not yet arrived. But I am glad I am on the right path. Sometimes, the joy that comes from realizing that one is pursuing a right course in itself can be as satisfying as having reached the goal indeed… I am always stretching, moving, aspiring to be better than where you saw me yesterday. I daresay that i have been shaped by my family and friends. My mum has played a very great role. My wife took over from her. And she is playing her own role already. My siblings have taught me to strive so that we can all break down the limitations together. You will never believe this: that those who dislike me most have even taught me more lessons than those who love me. They taught me humility, to rethink my actions, to be more careful with my next decisions, to be focused (perhaps they may change their mind about me), they taught me to be diligent. And above all, they have taught me to chant the lines of an animated cartoon character in Lion King- Simba- “Acuna matata”.it means don’t worry for the rest of your days…So, according to that African proverb that: it takes a whole community to raise a child indeed. Although, 31st August is my birth date; I am not freaked by it. I have never been a birthday person. It’s not in my culture to celebrate my birthdays. Rather I celebrate projects. I try to paint a beautiful artwork, write a book, shoot a video, get a manuscript published or even join some other people on their projects. Let’s push it to completion. For this year’s birthday, I have chosen to simply blog this long entry.
For me, life has been in multiples. I have been writing, speaking and studying for some time. Recently I got married. I have more responsibilities. In a way, my life has been so full of activities as usual. To me; life is like living in different multiple worlds at the same time. Words are not enough to describe them all. We are juggling several balls together at the same time. If you have been there, you will realize how it can be so funny. People exit and enter into these multiple worlds like they are moving in and out of their bed to washroom or from their bedroom to their kitchen, or living room. And then they rush to school, enter their classroom from where they end up in all kinds of rooms! It’s like travelling… I understand that we often experience the same things, issues, challenges. We all aspire to be better, to become successful, and to be significant and great. We are sometimes challenged by the same things. These provocations of our souls, these doubts, these challenges are all tools with which we are shaped for greatness. I daresay that you are going to get there if you stay on course. Therefore, don’t worry concerning the confusion, or the complexities of your life. As much as you can, try to appreciate diversity, embrace tolerance, avoid factions. Just believe in the commonality of man all over the world... we are all united, divided souls…we are united by the same mystery of death, challenged by the world poverty and the imbalance of world’s wealth distribution. We are faced by the same weather and climate depending on where you live, how you feel and what you see. We're like a unity of spirit. We are alliance of one thing. At the same time, we are somewhat different. We are all unique. We are combination of more than one soul, we all merged into one. We are more than one divided souls. We are never divided but by our interests, race, culture, environment and destinations. Nevertheless, we are connected by destiny.

“I painfully waited…” (My true story)

I was waiting at the reception to see the dentist. I thought of maximizing that waiting time. So I flipped out my laptop. I was ready to go. Then, she called my name. Why I had to be there at all? Oh! I forgot to tell you that. I went to fix and fill a tooth. You’re wondering, what’s the connection between my dental appointment and you; and the topic. Great question! I got involved in a slight sporting accident while in high school. I was playing soccer. It happened that, I could see that ball up in the air. I got in line for it. Just then, another guy was coming for it with his leg. We competed in mid air. He thought it best to kick with leg. I felt it was best to use the head. We both went all out for it. I hit it with my head but then... he hit my jaw. I got my lip bruised, bloody and battered. The lower lip cracked in two. I went down on my knee. I wept. I groan. The pain was agonizing. Some of the players ran away leaving the victim and his hitter. I thought I was in another world. Blinded by pain, covered with stain, I heard apologies. It was too late to cry further.

I didn’t see any doctor since then. It was sixteen years ago. I had left it to heal itself. Rather, it did not. It died. It stayed with potential to harbor germs. It happened to you also. You refused to do what you were supposed to do. You forgot to do something important. It led to a chain reaction. You lost more than you can imagine. Has it ever happened to you? They gave me a deadline to operate that root canal, shortly after that visit sixteen years after. I had to do this in two days. The root canal had been stuffed up with something which only the dentists understand. The Surgeon warned. You must go back to the other dentist within one month or two. You can’t risk it this way over two months. Suddenly what I had been able to manage for sixteen years can’t be managed for two months. I had to seal it up. I had to finish the healing process. I had to finish the operation. The schedule was tight. Time was short. Life became busier. I can’t procrastinate. Delay may become too costly. Finally I made the call. I went back to the other dentist who refereed me to the root canal surgeon. I had gone back and forth within the same industry based on specialty of the dentists so as to fill and fix my teeth.

Meanwhile, if I had waited longer, a certain benefit would no longer be valid. I wouldn’t be covered in terms of the cost. The time may speed by pretty fast that, I would not have the chance to go fix it. The duration may elapse. If I had not gone, i would have been going over a sweet bone at lunch. It would have turned out too difficult to crack. It may slip through the dentition’s grip and hit this particular tooth so badly. It may get hurt. A chocolate may just stuck and breed bacteria. Germs may grow underneath. I may wake up one morning and lo. That tooth had not only gone. But it is now taking more teeth along with it. Then you my friend may be going through my photographs and find some lost teeth and feel I was smoking pot till i lost all my teeth. Then, the next time you want to snap a group photograph. You look here and there to make sure I was not in sight to disfigure your photograph.

I know that you may not have any problem with your teeth. There may be no decay in your gum. But you probably have a situation that has the tendency of getting complicated and even costing you more money than you can imagine.You either do it now or you regret. Taking bold steps has not been easy for everyone. With me, it took sixteen years for one tooth. Thankfully i did it.So, do it. Do your own impending assignment. Do it anyway. Just do it! Go where you ought to go. Get down right away. Don’t leave anything to chance. Don’t leave things undone. Any unfinished business may cost you much more.