..A tale of luck and choices
By Kaanti Ernen
I have been posting here and some people might have rightly or wrongly drawn conclusions about me and my stance. Let me tender an apology in advance to those that might feel disappointed by this very post today.
Our elders say that when men sit round the keg of palm wine, he whose wife is pregnant should not sit close to the keg lest he kick it and pour the liquor when he hears that his wife has a miscarriage. So please, don’t read this post if you know that you have a skeleton in your cupboard.
My grandfather was a story teller and I inherited the flare/enthusiasm for story telling especially when I feel there are lessons in such stories.
I spent good time with my grand father and my uncle who happened to be the oldest person in the entire council ward. As a child, l listened to them when they spoke and some of the witty statements they shared are still on my mind.
I remember my father once said, “A bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground.”
As a young man with African background where proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten, I think I can unmistakably relate proverbs to circumstances so I feel this proverb emphasizes the importance of making the right decisions from the start, as taking shortcuts or making hasty decisions may not lead to true progress. I hope Benue is reading this.
My uncle would always say that, “If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents.” This proverb highlights the consequences of ignoring reality or failing to make informed decisions. It suggests that not facing the truth upfront may lead to more difficult situations later on.
I always feel some compulsion to speak about the condition of Benue State which, for me, has already passed the alarming level to a fatal stage. I am a young man from Benue State. I have learned some discipline so l don’t insult people irrespective of age or status. But I don’t think l should refrain from every action and resort to crying and lamenting. However, crying is also an action especially when the cry is in an art form such as this.
It seems to me that our elders are not listening to our cries which are both coordinated and uncordinated as they keep denying us the best milk we could have as sons and daughters.
Let them give us what belongs to us. For it is questionable when it is heard that a well-fed dog ate its puppies.
We are crying that the external enemy is hiring our own children to kill us. Have we not heard that, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”?
Let me plead with my elders on behalf of my fellow young people in the state that community support and guidance is what we need. When individuals are not nurtured or guided properly, they may make choices that harm themselves and others. Our elders must be very intentional about parenting us.
Let them learn to work as a team among themselves to be our example. Are they not our elders who say, “A single bracelet does not jingle.”?
Dear elders, brothers and sisters, failing to make these right decisions can have ripple effects and lead to more challenging circumstances in the state overall.
You elders tell us that, “One cannot build a house for last year’s summer.” I think these witty words of yours underscore the need for forward-thinking and making decisions that are relevant and beneficial for the future. Haven’t you realised that failing to do so may result in having to undertake more arduous tasks later on? The time is now.
At this juncture, I feel quite compelled to share a very short story here.
Once upon a time, Dan and his younger brother Ken went to shop in the town. As they walked home, Dan saw a horseshoe lying on the ground.
“Look, Ken!” He cried. “A horseshoe! Pick it up and keep it for luck!” But Ken replied and said, “I will not!, a horseshoe is not of use to me!”
Without saying anything, Dan picked up the horseshoe and carried it in his hand. When they reached home, Dan went to a blacksmith and sold the horseshoe for several coins.
A few days later, the duo visited the grocer’s shop, the butcher’s shop and the baker’s shop where they bought all the things their parents sent them to get.
Suddenly, Dan excused Ken and quickly dashed into a little shop which sold fruit and sweets and when he came back he was carrying something in a brown paper bag.
On their way as they rushed to be at home in time for dinner, Ken became very tired and thirsty, though Dan carried heavy load, Ken couldn’t keep pace with him. As poor Ken walked slowly behind Dan, he suddenly saw a lovely ripe cherry lying on the road. He bent down, picked it up and cleaned it with handkerchief and ate it.
Ken had not gone far when he saw a second one, he bent down, picked it up, cleaned it up with handcachief and ate it. A little later he saw a third one. He bent down, picked it up, cleaned it with handcachief and ate it. In this way, Ken picked up a dozen cherries, one after the other.
When Dan reached the gate, he stopped and waited for Ken.
“Ken” he said, “You don’t know it but I played a trick on you. Those cherries you picked and ate were mine. I paid for them with the money l got for the horseshoe. I was dropping them for you. Now, did you know that if you had bent down once only to pick up the horseshoe, you would not have bent twelve times for the cherries?
Today, Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia has excused the chassuble and taken a dash to politics. Do we bend down with him once and for all for Benue to be great or we prefer to leave him today and bend a dozen times later as did Ken just for cherries?
