'Your Life is a Book'

"Your life is a book for others to read, what kind of book is your life? Rustic graphics or a book of life? Remember that your way of life and all that you do, some strive to excel”. This extract from Sola Owonibi`s poem, `Watch out` is very heart-touching and needs total meditation. Many people on the land of the living live their lives without moderation; forgetting that they are being emulated by someone. They fail to realize that their lives are books for others to make reference. They fail to realize that living by example is the best, perhaps, examples are better than precepts. Pathetic enough, Nigerian leaders, no doubt, live contrary to this; they live as if they will die in that position, forgetting that everything that has a beginning has an ending. They disagree with Williams Shakespeare that life is a stage that has the door of entry and exit. They use their ways of life to poison the good morals of the upcoming generation; they live extravagant lives at the expense of the suffering masses; they corrupt themselves in power by embezzling money meant for the good of the people and become billionaire overnight. Thus, Nigerian youth now see leadership position as a veritable platform to amaze wealth servicing humanity. Dramatically, religious leaders-Christian and Muslim are not left out in this mess. They are supposed to be custodians of good behaviour and moral uprightness, but their ways of lives do more harm than good the society. In the holy Bible for instance, Jesus Christ describes Christians as the light of the world expected to illuminate the world with their exemplary live styles. Sardonically, they have shed the toga of this responsibility and opted to be darkness and poison of the world. What a pity! Besides, Muslim leaders are also toeing the path of their Christian counterparts. Many of them impregnate their members, they embezzle money meant for their mosques, and they are so much enmeshed in immoral acts capable of derailing their followers who look up to them. Thus, many of their followers have resolved to worshiping in their various homes rather than worshiping under these 'devil`s instrument'. However, we still have some of them who refuse to be caught in the web of immorality. Equally disheartening, lecturers in our ivory towers today fail to inculcate morals in their students. Instead, they contribute immensely to the moral degeneration in our society. `What shall profit a lecturer who threatens to fail a female student for denying him sex? Oh! what a shame! Conflicting enough, most of these lecturers have their own daughters. What moral will they implant in their daughters? We have seen a lecturer who promised to award good mark for a female student, provided such a student could offer him her God-giving bottom. And you know, devil doesn’t give out anything for free. So, the lecturer in question proposed a sexual affair to this young lady. Reluctantly, the lady agreed to this proposal. They headed for a hotel and played the game. Criminally enough, in the long run, this lecturer still opted to fail the lady. To be objective, what morals can such a lecturer impart on the entire students or even his children? Are you a political leader, a religious leader, a lecturer or teacher, a preacher, a man or a woman? How long shall you continue to disappoint your teaming readers? Many people are using the library of your life for research purpose to bring about innovation in their own lives; and also using it as an amending tool for their lives. How long shall you keep on causing psychological trauma for those looking up to you for good morals? The time to make amend is now. Erase poisonous sentences from your book. Always remember that you may be the only holy creed some people will ever read. Shola Owonibi continues to say that we live in a global village suffering form cultural spillage. He asks: “what parts of the culture do you, in appearance nurture?” The simple answer to this question is that sharpening yourself internally is sharpening the society; and in turn, correcting some rustic graphics in the book of your life. Those who are doing good should endeavour to continue; and those who are contributing tremendously to the moral decadence in our society should also endeavour to increase its tempo. Like a Yoruba proverb, “it is the calabash that will design where to put rope in its neck. Each individual will write the contents of his/her book; either the contents that will help other in turning a new leaf or the ones that poison. Watch out! “Like the crocodile’s assent, do not change the dignifying movement of your forefathers, even when the forest burns to ember”. Remember, posterity will judge you!