EVERYDAY MIRACLES...

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Eintstein.

MIRACLES

Yes, miracles are a very welcome extraordinary events that is thought to be the work of God. Being the work of God, it is therefore a positive thing which most definitely comes in the nick of time, refreshing the soul, and how we all love and even anticipate it. But what are miracles really?

Of course majority of us are fully wrapped up in the stereotype that only when very obvious and extra-ordinary things do occur has a miracle been performed. For instance, we are aware of the Biblical chronicles which recorded the great deeds of Jesus, wherein he turned water into wine at an event, fed an amazing multitude of five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fishes with an unbelievable twelve baskets of remnants, he helped the blind regain sight and blew our minds by raising the dead. I wouldn't necessarily say he did all that to get attention, rather we were made to understand that was just who he was. 

A FINE STORY

I was privileged to come by an interesting story some years ago, and it's however a great honour having to share it with you;

There was this young lad who apparently was quite fashionable, having style and what young ones of this generation generally refer to as swag. One day when the lad was about to go out to an event, he discovered that he had no matching shoes. This made him feel very sad, eventually he reluctantly managed to put on a pair of shoes that he didn't quite like. On his way to the event, something interesting happened. As he walked briskly past the railway crossing, he incidentally glanced around, as if to be momentarily distracted from his worry, and behold, sitting on the ground were a large number of beggars, they were so impoverished and begging for alms so much that they failed to realize or take notice of the fact that they had no feet, talk less of shoes. 

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see". - C.S.Lewis 

APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS

I like the text which says that the best things in life are free. Common and think about it, all our lives we look for happiness and fulfillment in money and several other material things. But sadly, we forget to appreciate the sunlight, we fail to let fresh air clear our breath, we don't take notice of the kisses and hugs from family and friends, and most of all, we underestimate life itself. There are people who struggle to eat each day, health conditions have ridden people of joys so much that they can't help but brew jealousy for you and me. They actually don't long for fancy dresses and fast cars, rather they want to be loved, want to breathe easily, want to be assured they won't pass away tonight so that they can be taken for a walk by the park tomorrow in other to smell and feel the freshness of the rose.

Without prejudice; I feel worry and utter disappointment sometimes at the paradigm of various African settings when it comes to vital issues pertaining to life which they unequivocally take with obvious levity. Yes, if you spare the rod you'll eventually spoil the child, but that doesn't mean 'kill the child'. In a sheer quest to enthusiastically build up children, many a African publicly curse, beat and humiliate children in many ways possible, making them seem inhuman and allowing people to think the children are slaves that you don't appreciate from God, therefore blind to the miracles before their very eyes.

"I am realistic. I expect miracles." - Wayne. W. Dyer

RELAX, OBSERVE AND SEE

For instance, a young kid of fifteen years of age got pregnant, and as you'd expect, all hell was virtually let loose on her by her parents, naturally, by her father especially. Don't get me wrong, i'm not justifying her actions, but whichever way you look at it, pregnancy is a miracle that millions of people have yet to experience, its just the timing and the attitudes of the young girl's parents that'll determine if they'll be blind to it or not.

It gets better though, especially when you get to the hospital, perhaps to visit someone or to treat a minor ailment and you see people in much worse condition than you, especially those that find it hard to breathe, eat or even use the bathroom. So i hereby implore to please continually smile and have a positive mental attitude in every facet of your life, you never can tell, you might be the miracle someone anticipates. And again, trust me, you even reading this piece is one heaven of a miracle, go ask somebody.

   

Thank you,

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)

SOURCES:  Google

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A STONE AT THE MARKET...

"He who throws a stone in the market will hit his relative"...Yoruba Proverb.

STONES & MONEY, DIFFERENT...SIMILAR YET.

Apparently there has been an age long culture of the Nigerian people to spray Naira (Official Nigerian currency) bills on people, such as celebrants of events and musical performers. It's not necessarily a show of wealth, and due to recent developments and exposures i wouldn't proudly accept it as a culture which has come to stay, rather i'd say it just happened to be a stereotypical alibi perhaps birthed by peer pressure which gives a vague notion and outward appearance of probable comfort-ability of the relatively conservative and secretive Nigerian citizenry.

My point? As the topic implies "A Stone at the Market" this could imply precious stones, and this could as well take the place of money, and an average Nigerian might not actually mind if you slapped him, so far you do it with money. So just imagine what'll happen if one sprays hundreds of bills of money in a market, free for all right? so i thought.

BEYOND STONES & MONEY.

Have you ever visited a market? well, that probably sounded like an odd question, pardon me then, but seriously, i'm sure that the worst case scenario would be that at least you can feign a simulation of the feel of a market. Now imagine that while you are busy haggling the price of a particular commodity right in the core of a crowded market, then all of a sudden someone releases a missile right into the heart of the market, and God forbid, you become a victim of the hazard. When you snapped out of your coma in the hospital, news gets to you that your cousin knew about the missile, what would you do?

"To persecute the unfortunate is like throwing stones at someone that has fallen into a well"...Chinese Proverb.

STONES & CORRUPTION.

We all practically throw stones everywhere we go, not just in the market It just so happens that the individuals occupying exalted offices under the guise of 'feigned' commitment to serve, do throw missiles constantly as if they do not have conscience or they are grossly ignorant of the aura which encapsulates them.

The world, depending on which perspective you view it from and the serenity of your state of mind can be either complicated like a Rubik's cube or as simple as 'A, B, C... Ranging from the initiatives of man to adapt to the Earth environment by inventing gadgets and making awesome discoveries through research that helps make life better.

From generation to generation, and on a platform of long term continuity, organized intellectuals and government come together to make laws that help retain the sanity of the society, although undertones depict several propaganda and conspiracies that proves that some policies are designed to profit a few privileged.

A school of thought for instance depicts that Africa is like a cooking pot resting on three stones. The stones however represent Ethnicity, Economy and Religion. A drive for contentment and activities to fill up the vacuum of the naturally inquisitive minds of Africans is a justification for Africans to chase the cause behind each stone to the highest possible level, hence extremism and fanaticism.

Africa also has a reputation for their leaders holding on to power for longer than their tenure should be, amassing enormous wealth at the expense of the deprived citizenry. Budgets are ridiculously over-bloated and passed through the house successfully due to corruption, robbing everyone on the trail of their credibility, that is if they had any in the first place.

The massive and ill-gotten wealth is then taken abroad to acquire material things that are not all that necessary, only a reversal psychological strategical effect used by the western world to rid Africans of their wealth (Not the Westerners' fault though).

The aftermath reverberates sternly as there are no roads, schools, hospitals, education, security and above all, integrity.

Corruption has made laws in Africa mere child's play because foreign investors know that they can ride the law like an ass and only pay a few million Dollars to corrupt officials and they are good to go. The Niger-Delta in Nigeria for instance habours a bunch of oil companies that have rendered the area virtually useless due to the series of intense environmental degradation they have caused, yet no one is doing anything worthwhile about it. The effect of this is death, diseases, unemployment, fear, uncertainty and expensive re-integration of the so called violent militants. Then to add salt to injury, Nations that have yet to find their feet are the advocates that send young troop to unknown terrains with high tendencies of dying with little or no benefits for their poor families. I wonder what bigger stone could be thrown at the market.

"You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks." Winston Churchill

DON'T BE STONED.

I remember a funny story about a hungry lad marooned on an Island, his face lit up with joy when he saw another small Island from where he was and it had a coconut tree on it, but the tree had a guardian, a Gorilla.

After much thought, he came up with an idea of how to get a piece of the coconut booty. What he did was simple, he threw a stone at the Gorilla, and it hit the poor ape right on the head. Out of annoyance and quest for revenge, the Gorilla simply plucked some coconuts and threw them at the lad. For the lad, its mission accomplished.

There have lived a number of good men that will continue be great role models even as i posthumously dedicate this article to them, even when it comes to still being good to the people that throw stones at you. Examples are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr, Malcom X, Fela.

These were great men that resisted oppression with love, they were never violent to the enemies of the people that tried to break their bones with sticks and stones, rather they were creative with there message of love, though seeking justice, but more of peace, equality and above all, forgiveness.

Thank you,

Akin Abimbola (akinzogee@gmail.com)

SOURCES: Google

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