With
minimal education and few opportunities he worked very hard at odd jobs. He
worked at a mining site, a construction site, as a cleaner at a gas station and
a janitor at a mega size office complex. His dream was to raise enough money to
open a barbing salon and make it the best and most outstanding in their Negro
neighbourhood. He believed with hard work and dedication, he would have many
branches of the salon and live the rest of his life in comfort and give his
family the best he dreamt of.
Sadly,
this was not to be as one horrible night, there was an attack on their
neighbourhood by fellow black folks who were notorious gangsters. They burnt
down his house and everything he had including all the money he had saved. This
affected him badly and after a few weeks he took ill. The sickness was so bad it
didn't appear he would recover and after a few months, his wife; broke and
tired of taking care of him abandoned him and left town never to be in touch
again.
When
he eventually recovered from his ailment he secured a job at a train station
and he began to build and save again. Suddenly out of the blues he was arrested
for stealing from his employers and he ended up in jail. He was innocent.
After
about 3 years he was released from prison, by the time he was out, he had
become very bitter, angry and negative about life.
He
was angry at life, angry at the system, angry at all those who hurt and
abandoned him and he refused to forgive and let go.
He
became very temperamental and toxic, in words, deeds and behaviour, he kept
hurting everyone who tried to be close or tried to help him. He wouldn't trust
anyone. A lady came into his life but he abused her emotionally and even hit
her over very flimsy issues; she left him. The church in the neighbourhood
tried to reach out to him but he was too nasty and caustic for their comfort,
they eventually decided to pray for him from a distance.
Because
of the very hard and bad situations he had gone through, he became destructive
to everything and everyone, including himself unfortunately.
Consequently,
after many days, one of the neighbours noticed he hadn't been sitting outside
on his porch at sunset as usual; cursing everyone and talking to himself. This
neighbour called the police and when the police arrived at his house, they
found him dead on the floor in the living room. He had been dead for a couple
of days.
The
burial at the cemetery was where the lesson was. An old woman in that same
community had died and was being buried on the same day as this man. At her
graveside were hundreds of people crying and lamenting and singing over the
death or loss of a woman that was over 80 years old. She had touched everyone
in the community with her generosity, encouragement and beautiful smile.
This
great woman's husband abandoned her when she was just 22 and he never returned,
her two sons that she spent all her time raising and invested her life moulding
had to join the army by coercion, went to the battel field and both of them
never returned, she was in her mid-forties when her two sons died at war. A few
years afterwards, she developed an ailment that confined her to a wheel chair
permanently. Despite all her predicament, disappointments and setbacks in life,
she was still full of love, care and concern for others. She wasn't bitter at
all, she was full of life and was of great inspiration to all in the community,
she had an infectious way of laughing out loud at every situation and
challenge, she was full of faith and was there for all whom she knew despite
being confined to a wheel chair.
These
two were being buried on the same day, the woman had hundreds of people at her
graveside, the man however had only the undertakers and about two state
officials conducting official duties and updating records.
Ladies
and gentlemen, my question to you this morning is this, when that sure time of
exit comes, who will bury you? If you pass on today, who will miss you?
Today,
you may be unhappy about your life, not pleased with the system, may have been
a victim of many issues and may have suffered so much loss. You may have
very good reasons to be angry, bitter and disappointed in life and with people
but more than all that, you need to love yourself enough to still give life
your best. You must do all it takes to depart this world quite satisfied and
glad you gave life your best shot.
You
see, the whole essence of our being here on earth is to give not grab. You can
never be truly happy or fulfilled if you're only consumed by yourself.
Happiness
does not come from what you get and acquire, that's why very many superstars
and rich popular people end up abusing drugs, end up depressed and some commit
suicide. A life that gathers only unto itself may end up in self-destruction.
The
escape from your disappointment, depression, anger, bitterness, heaviness of
heart and animosity is to start looking beyond you and begin to consider the
feelings and troubles of other people you know.
Shift
your mind and focus to the needs and pain of others. Assume a self-appointed
role of a care giver. Never look at people or chose to relate with people on
the account of what you can get. Always make friends from the perspective of
how you can give and make the person better and happier. That person may appear
better or luckier but believe me, looks can be very deceptive.
Giving
is not always about cash or material things, you have so much you can give if
you really search within. You can give love, care, attention, support,
presence, a voice, a listening ear, a compliment, inspiration, motivation or
just an embrace. Many people including the rich who chose to end their lives
may probable be alive today if someone cared enough to give any of these.
In
this life, money hardly make you important. Your money only makes you important
to those who benefit from it. To others, you're a “nobody”.
Look
beyond yourself this morning, look around and for once see the needs of others.
The sick, the physically challenged, the destitute, the orphan, the abused, the
violated, teenage mothers, the divorced, the heartbroken and lonely.
What
is your advocacy? What kind of people are you fighting for or advocating
support for? What injustice are you fighting against? What discrimination are
you campaigning against? Can your community of society feel you or you're too
consumed in your own need and security you don't care about other people around
you?
When
you exit who will bury you? There are different kinds of burials in this
regard, there is family burial, village burial, state burial and even global
burial. It's all about what you give and whom you touched with your kindness.
How wide is your influence of care?
Obafemi
Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Tafawa Balewa, MKO Abiola, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe,
ken saro wiwa will never be forgotten on the account of what they stood for
and the cause they fought for.
The
whole world buried Mandela and the whole world just buried Mohammed Ali. Despite
their personal problems and pains, they gave to humanity.
Ladies
and gentlemen, some of you may begin to think this morning, who am I, who knows
me, what can I do, what can I offer, how will I do it, how much can I give.
Asking these questions and finding answers is a good place to start. Make your
life count, whatever you gather and accumulate you will eventually leave
behind, it's only what you sow in the life and situations of others that would
live after you.
All
dead bodies are equal, it is their deeds when still alive that differentiates
the glory of the corpse.
Dear
friend, how will you exit?
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