THE BLAME GAME (giving back a token out of the little available)

Remember the woman with the jar of oil?

The “blame game” is a virus-like anecdote that has evaded our thought pattern in an unimaginable way in this part of the world; everyone wants to blame someone for their misfortune, unfortunately only a handful prefers to take responsibility for his or her actions. This is quite prevalent among our leaders and is quietly creeping towards the general populace; we all blame the government for our woes.

 

It is not new that Nigeria is a place where nothing works and corruption thrives like pure water among our not so honorable leaders. Since the government and its cohorts have decided not to give a damn about its citizen why can’t we give a damn about ourselves; why can’t we support and learn to trust each other instead hostility prevails among us. We drape on the toga of selfishness hence we forget our neighbours and the less privileged among us. We craved for utopia while isolating ourselves but unfortunately no man thrives in isolation and utopia is better imagined.

 

How many of us have considered helping our less privileged neighbours and how many have we actually helped… It’s a food for thought.

Someone said, “Take a child off the street, you have saved a family/a generation”

Brethren, it is time to go back to the fundamentals of the good book that said; Love thy neighbour as thyself… it is the golden rule for a fulfilled living and it will change our lives forever as individuals, as a nation.

 

A lot of us will complain about not having or earning enough, the truth is that it can never be enough but the token we give back out of the little we have brings fulfillment. It is pertinent for us to understand that giving transcends money, it is our conscious effort and commitment towards bringing out the best in others that matters; everyone have something to offer. We must do away with the assumption that one needs to have money to be able to help others; it is not so. We can teach or mentor others using our skills; we can do community service or start an NGO. What is important is our sincerity and commitment.

 

When we did a survey on what make industrialized nations what they are today our conclusion was quite simple; it is the people. They learn to value human lives and they invested heavily in the development of human minds, hence the privileged amongst them made sure that they create an environment that will encourage the less privilege to succeed by creating foundations that provides numerous scholarship and grants.

 

We must ask ourselves this question; in our pursuit of wealth and happiness, in what positive way/ways have we impacted our society, what legacy are we leaving behind for others to emulate?

Alfred Nobel invented the gun powder and changed the face of warfare forever but before he died he invested his fortune into a foundation that outlives him. His name is synonymous with the most coveted award in the world today; the Nobel Prize. And there are several others like the Ford foundation, the Rockefellers, Carniege etc… they left a lasting legacy.

As Africans, we can do likewise if only we can realign our minds towards making a difference in our lives and the lives of others. We can start in our own little ways and by helping others we are blessing ourselves; the good book buttress this when it said, if you give unto the poor you are giving unto the Lord.

Lets stop the blame game and focus on developing our minds, by doing so we can develop others, then we can build a better and prosperous society that we all can be proud of…

 

QUOTE

“Governments don’t create wealth, they merely transfer it. The real creation comes from individuals and business centers. If you really want to help people you can apply entrepreneurial zeal and business thinking to a lot of social issues; so you solve the problem not perpetuates it.