On my way home yesterday, I just wonder what could be the reason for the wide divergence between the haves and the have-nots. I was searching for a reason for the co-habitation of affluence and abject poverty. My mind was hovering to find the plausible reason for ‘stagnation’ and speedy movement.
And suddenly, I heard a word.
Life does not take excuses.
How? I prodded further as if I was speaking to anyone in particular..
And right there in my inner eyes were streams of answers in clear, vivid, and coloured pictures being rolled after one another like in a cinema.
Why will 2 people who were best of friends and who read the same course in the same University have different end in life?
It depends on their choices?
Why?
...Apparently asking the air!
Why will a child, a toddler put her hands in live electric socket and she gets electrocuted?
Can’t the electricity see that she is just but a toddler and not knowing anything?
Again, I heard the answer –
Because Life does not take excuses.
Why will one person struggle in life and with just one mistake, makes nonsense of everything he has worked for?
Because Life does not take excuses….
Life is a personality. It rewards just as it is deemed fit.
But can’t Life see that it is not the fault of someone who is from a poor background, with no education and no one to help to further his studies…can’t Life reward that person?
And I heard again, Life does not take excuses.
But Mr. Life, this is not fair.
You should at least assist the one who lost her parents when she was young and she had to make ends meet by selling her body from where she was infected with AIDS and now she is dying..
Again, I heard in the deep recesses of my heart that…
Life does not take excuses.
But what of that guy that was sent out by his father because of his truancy and he joined himself together with the gang of robbers. At least, he was pushed out by his father and it is not his own making.
Life hears but does not take excuses.
And then like a thunderbolt, I heard in my ears - Will a man plant corn and reap Cassava?
My mouth quivered and murmured a ‘No’
Then followed by a barrage of questions:
Will a man wear a colour yellow shirt and want to be told that he is wearing black shirt?
Will a traveller on a journey to the North pole but facing the south pole ever get to his destination?
Will a boiled seed ever grow?
Will an object in darkness ever give shadows?
Will a man put a coal of fire in his hand and not be burned?
I paused. Asking what is the essence of these questions…
Life said to me – It is my turn to ask you questions!
Why will someone who desires to be rich do those things that brings poverty?
Why will a man praying for peaceful marriage be involved in the antithesis to peace in home?
Why will he who wants to make plenty of money be the senior advocate of poverty?
Why will a student desirous to be successful always be playing the game of failure?
Why will a man set on attaining business success be found in the valley of cheats and indolence?
Why will a priest eager to increase in holiness and power be a stranger to Scriptures and intense meditation?
Life does not take excuses.
“Ok. Ok. Ok” I muttered
What if a man is born blind. I asked in a defensive mode. Why will a man be born blind and is that person not destined for below-par life?
No. Even the infirmed can be very great if they choose right.
Oh, I beg you pardon. Choose right?
Is it their choice to be blind?
Obviously No.
So?
You choose what you become; was the gentle response
You choose what you become?
I choose what I become?
Humm mmm.
Aliko Dangote (Africa's richest man) chose to become rich – rich is he!
Steve Wonder, a black blind artiste was 11 when he had his first commercial sign on!
Bill Gates did not stumble on wealth. He chose the path of abundance.
There are legion of examples.
Jesus Christ, at the most critical time of his life, could have chosen not to die (read: not to fulfil his destiny) but He went ahead to lay down His life...
You get what you do.
Simple
If you are lazy. You eat the fruits of laziness
If you are diligent, even if you are not seeing results now, just continue because the only offspring diligence produces is wealth..
The correlation coefficient of laziness and poverty is positively high...
You are where you are because of where you are...
Therefore, if where you are is not where you want to be, then change where you are so that you can get to where you want to be.
The process is as follows…
You make a choice….at times, you are not aware of those choices especially if they have been ingrained in your subconscious.
Life takes what you communicated by your choices and begins a search for a response
Then you get a response...
If it is negative, then you complain that ‘why is this happening to me’
A student that chose to play away his time is only burning away his years.
You don't need a soothsayer to tell you where that student will end up!
A farmer that chose to sleep (read: merry, having fun) when others are planting will only harvest poverty...and in abundance
A king that chose to run away from taking tough decisions will have shame as his crown and rebuke as his sandals. At best, he will become the royalty of poverty
Nothing just happens...
You make things happen.
Either for good or for bad.
Life does not take excuses.
Being random thoughts by Bisi ONI