A new article written by Charles Oputa. Enjoy below...
Right about now, some of the
readers will question the sense in capturing and casting this type of crazy
captions for my articles. I only write for those who are patient enough to
understand the creative beauty of my mind. I write for those who have depth
enough to see beyond what they see, those who have a discerning mind.
However, if your curiosity has
gotten the better of you, then read on.
I am about to take up a subject
no one really wants any part of, but that's alright, this is where our
imagination runs apart. For a brief second, imagine this: if your life were to
end today, what would your obituary read? Come on; don't get frightened,
thinking about your obituary will not kill you. Nothing escapes the Creator's
cycle; not plants, not animals, nor human beings. All living things emerge,
gather, spark new life, fall apart and die.
The purpose of all of this is not
to scare you about death which is inevitable, but to expose you to a new
information or rather, share a certain mindset with you that may help you live
with humility and aliveness that only an acceptance of death can release.
'My Obituary' is meant to prick
your mind to start being fully conscious of the moments you are alive.
Every moment of our lives, we are
knowingly or unknowingly writing a line for our obituary. Every action or
inaction provides memories of us to those we eventually leave behind; they are
the memories that the people we love and leave behind will want to include in
the telling of our life's story.
Within the first quarter of this
year, I lost a good friend and cousin, Mr. Emeka Aseme to kidnappers; he was
butchered and killed in cold blood. My whole village was not only scandalized
by the senseless killing but till today, the 'Blue Lake City' of Oguta has lost
the shine it had as a city of bubbling happy go lucky people.
Emeka was a good man who provided
employment for hundreds of Oguta people, he was sociable, liked by all and
sundry (or so we thought). Even though Oguta had a lot of industrious sons and
daughters, Emeka's legacies stand out. He cared about his people, he gave a
helping hand, and he was sensitive to people's conditions.
Now that he's no more, all we
have to say of him (his obituary) are his good deeds, what he contributed to
the betterment of his fellow man, especially his kinsmen.
What would yours read like, now
that all you know is 'Me, Myself & I'?
What legacy are you living today,
is it different from the one you will want to leave behind?
Some people live as if they will
be here forever, not giving a hoot about what happens to the next person. If it’s
not their immediate personal/family gratification, it does not concern them.
Mind you, I'm not saying you
should not care about your welfare and that of your family o (if you know the AreaFada
well you will know that my family remains my ROCK).
However, I still make an ample
proportion of my time to fighting the course of our youth and being the Voice
of the Voiceless. And this gives me joy and fulfillment. For me, it is what
keeps blood flowing in my veins, puts the sparkle in my eyes and springs in my
steps...despite the unfavourable state of the terrain. Wetin man go do?
You are the author of your own
Obituary, so tell me. Are you writing a history of misery, or a tale of tenacity?
Were you inclusive and supportive? Or were you exclusively out for yourself
alone, you selfish bloke. Did you lift others up, or did you allow them to
knock you down? Did you stay down long enough to recover, or did you stay down
complaining and winning. What will your Obituary say about the way you treated
people and how you made them feel about themselves. Most importantly what will
your Obituary say about how you treated yourself? What will be said about your
attitude, how you handled yourself in crisis. Perhaps now is the time to
consider how you are living and what you want to be said about you when you are
not. Your life provides the content of your Obituary, so my guy, check yourself
and park well.
For me, I came, I saw, I did it
my way, had fun and boned everyone who thought it wasn’t possible. That’s my
Obituary. I'm still here though, for the longer haul!
