The world is changing very fast, people are changing, processes,
methods, procedures, thinking, performance, results and belief systems;
everything is changing. Your ability to keep up with these changes and trends
however will determine your good growth, success and accomplishments in this
season.
Ladies and gentlemen, cultures, tradition and native
orientations today are giving way to civility, objectivity, rationality,
maturity and tolerance.
Collective interest, Collective Progress, collective prosperity
and collaboration, is the emerging orientation. With this generation, barriers
along sentimental divides of culture, tradition, ethnicity and even religion
are being broken by, especially; the educated and the exposed. Incidentally,
the educated and the exposed own and would shape the future.
Dear friend, it's time for you to become exposed. Being schooled
is different from been educated, being educated is not the same as being
exposed and being exposed does not automatically translate to being civilized.
I've met so many graduates that don't know much, I've interacted
with PhD holders with shocking beliefs and thinking, and I've met
well-traveled individuals that refuse to let go of destructive traditional
beliefs and cultures.
Because of my profession, I have daily access to hundreds of
thousands of people on social media who share their thoughts, views and
opinions on different subject matters and every now and again I'm surprised at
how irrational, subjective, and flawed many views and opinions and conclusions
are.
We are, ladies and gentlemen, at a thresh hold of that season
where your thought quality, your intelligence, your world view and judgement of
others will determine your access, success and prosperity.
If you refuse to open your mind and your heart to contemporary
thinking, new reasoning and modern day judgements, you may consequently become
a victim and a tool in the hands of those who do.
Many today in Nigeria have just refused to accept the reality
and the truth especially as it has to do with the government, our economy our
social life and the challenges on ground. They don't really pay attention to
what is being said and the truth of the matter, they consider primarily who is
saying it and they consequently judge the matter based on who said it, not the
facts on ground.
This behaviour undoubtedly will make many like these become
victims of policies, changes, restructuring and even growth. When you close
your mind to rationality and sagacity because of who said it, you may bear the
consequence of rejecting and not responding appropriately to the reality.
Dear friend, as the year unfolds, I'll like you to critically
subject every opinion and view you hold true to a test. Investigate all,
confirm and affirm if it's a fact or a ruse.
Your opinion about the government, your opinion about our
economy, your opinion about our social life, our culture, our religion, your
family life, your career, your marriage, your friendships and your future. Have
you been believing and holding on to a lie? Are you also a partaker and player
in the ‘they said, they said' information spread?
“I read it somewhere, I heard it somewhere; I heard it from a
reliable source and all that...” All these unconfirmed gist and rumour can only
but scare you, derail you and cause you to make costly mistakes.
This year, confirm, affirm and be sure. Don't act on rumours and
hearsays. There's too much happening to be trapped in rumours and lies that
will mislead you.
This season resolve to change your ways if you don't want to be
a victim. Test every tradition, test every culture, test every rumour and gist
before you judge or make your decisions.
Last year I ran into Hassan an old good friend way back, when I
used to live in kaduna. He was a student of computer science in kaduna Polytechnic.
He was then dating Aisha, a pharmacy student at ABU Zaria. These guys were
desperately in love and many people admired and wished them well. They
eventually got married and I didn't get to hear from both of them until I met
Hassan last year in Lagos and he told me a sad story.
Aisha's parents were well to do, they were rich and famous in
Kaduna. They lived in Anguwar rimi, an elitist settlement then, and had houses
all over including Malali, Barnawa, sabo tasha and Badiko, this was way back in
the 80s and 90s.
This wasn't the case for Hassan, his parents were not so rich,
his father sold wares at a local market called Kasuwar barchi and they lived
somewhere in Tudun Wada a suburb in Kaduna. His parents were struggling.
After school according to Hassan, Aisha's parents opened a very
big pharmacy shop for her in town and she began to manage it. Because Hassan
didn't secure employment in good time, Aisha advised him to join her in the
management of the pharmacy and he agreed.
The pharmacy was doing well and after a while they opened a few
other branches, but Hassan had taller dreams than running a chain of pharmacy
outlets.
He was thinking global and saw himself playing at the
international scene. He suggested international partnerships and collaboration
with the pharmacy business to his wife who frowned at it and said he wasn't
contented. After a while, Hassan became frustrated and decided to pull out from
managing the pharmacy and pursue his IT profession.
He, after a few years struck it big with IT partners based in
the US and he became very rich. He relocated to Lagos where majority of his
clients were based and bought a property in VI for an office.
Hassan's business became very prosperous, his wife's pharmacy
business was subsequently less than 10% of his own IT business in worth. He
began to travel very frequently for IT conferences, meetings, training,
presentations and international pitches. Hassan became international.
The problem is, Aisha couldn't handle it. In her opinion, her
husband had changed, He no longer wore native like he used to, he now wears
shirts and tie; He's always on the phone talking to strangers speaking IT
language. His female professional colleagues from the US and Lagos expose their
arms and legs and wear tight clothes. His business partners take alcohol and
are not religious. Aisha is not happy at all. She believes Hassan should have
been contented with the pharmacy business and not be greedy.
She's not pleased with his success or achievements because of
his new associates and relationships. Hence, their marriage is today full of
crisis.
Hassan was very sad when he told me this story last year in
Lagos. His argument is, he hails from a poor background and knows what it means
not to be able to pay bills and lack financial security. His wife on the other
hand has always known wealth, she can't relate with his ambition and
insecurity. He concluded his story making a point I subscribe to, he said, the
fact you relate and tolerate the behaviour, culture and lifestyle of other
people doesn't mean you endorse it and it doesn't mean you're going to imitate
or be like them. But in this life, we must learn to live together, and build
together and respect each other's rights and personal beliefs.
Dear friend, catch up. Don't get left behind, times are
changing, manage and take charge. Wives, don't let your husbands leave you
behind, husbands don't let your wives leave you behind, Nigerians, don't let
Nigeria leave you behind; things are changing fast. Open your heart, open your
mind; Catch up.
@FranklyAfolabi
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