Monthly Archives: November 2022

Civilisation comes with lots of advantages. Modernisation offers more ingenious ways to aid human interaction. Technology provides tools for ease of doing business but there has not been an alternative to the human factor. It is unlikely there will ever be. Social security should be taught and learnt as early as when a child begins to learn ABC. In advanced climes, an individual is given a social security number that captures all information about him to the tiniest detail. This underscores the importance of social security. In recent times, a cursory look at reported cases of suicide clearly reveals that economic problem is not the biggest problem humans are dealing with. This should redirect our thought on the need to revisit our social interactions. Money plays a big role in human existence. This explains why man unconsciously prioritise economic security, but to think that financial security can make up for laxity in social security is to reduce life to figures. Life is too complex to be solved by a mathematical equation.

Imagine a woman just diagnosed with breast cancer. If it’s within her ability, she would wish that this is not disclosed to her, but it is a conversation she must have. Or imagine a man who just lost his job. He would wish the news is about something pleasantly different but the job loss is the reality that must be talked about. It is natural for us as humans to wish for news that are positive. Our mind is wired to seek for positivity around the things we desire. Many times we do this even at our own expense when we avoid news that do not support our aspiration, just because we don’t like to have the difficult conversation. The examples I gave are extreme situations, discussion of which can no longer be avoided. This may be due to deliberate avoidance of the subject before it became an emergency. Some difficult conversations are better if you have them at the right time when you still have alternatives, to save you from difficult outcomes. Relocating abroad is one of them, popularly referred to as ‘japa’.

This is true life story. It should be about five years ago. I remember it was somewhere around Iju Ishaga in Lagos. I was alone in the car, enjoying the sweet melodies from Commander Ebenezer Obey’s collections. Imagine one of those weekend jigs when all you want to do is unwind. I just pulled out of a temporary parking on the roadside and about to do a U turn at a small opening on a dualised road. I had checked my side mirror and everything looked safe. The other side of the road was free and my mind was already at my destination. All these happened in a flash. My foot was on the accelerator, ready to move. The collision would have been heavy. It might even have been fatal because the car coming behind me was on top speed. A second look beyond my shoulder saved me what could have been a calamity. I escaped what would have been a terrible accident that never was. Looking back, all I can say is to God be the glory.