The choices we make, the road we take ( 2)

WHAT about us all, individually and in our various demographic groupings, striving to follow the dictum of Love of God and Love of Neighbour and using the more beneficial instruments of genuine nationbuilding and all round, all inclusive and sustainable national growth and development, to provide the greatest good for the greatest number and in the processsimultaneously prospering the Nation itself and all its constituent parts and sections? Choices, choices and choices. This is a particularly sobering thought because each individual is endowed with the ability/ faculty to reason, think and understand how things are and the unimpeded free will to choose between different courses of action, to think, talk and act the way he or she decides. Each individual is also endowed with conscience which tells him or her what is good and what is bad.

Indeed, it should even be more sobering and provoking of deeper thought that the Almighty Creator in His Wisdom allows each individual the unfettered freewill to think, talk and act the way he or she decides. Further more, since God and Allah are One and the same Supreme Divinity, His specific Purpose for bringing all individuals into being cannot be different for any group. Yet further, since the Almighty Creator is Love and Goodness, and everything positive, can any individual claim that the Purpose assigned to him or her is negative?

In the context of the above, how does each person interiorise and practicalise the concept of Love of God and Love of Neighbour and in the context of providing the greatest good for the greatest number and in the context of each individual’s unfettered freedom and freewill to rationalise and actualise? Remember also that the Almighty Creator is Immortal. So, for Man to love the Immortal Creator, Man himself must also have an endowed component of immortality, which means that there is definitely life after death. ( A most sobering thought, if not the most sobering thought, the way we carry on in our NATION, as if there is no tomorrow.)

Each individual person practicalises his or her Love of God and Love of Neighbour by Service, that is by providing, at the very basic level, a satisfactory productive outcome in whatever he or she is thinking of, talking about or doing, in whatever area of human endeavour or activity, in whatever calling, vocation or profession, in whatever capacity, in whatever station, in whatever status, in whatever time frame, etcout of a sense of duty and responsibility and, even better, out of a sense of Love of God and Love of Neighbour. Naturally, at the human level on a day to day basis on the love of neighbour and nation, the more knowledgeable, skilful, creative, disciplined, organised, better motivated and a more efficient user of resources, the more satisfactory will be the productive outcome of the service provided by each individual. Being knowledgeable in terms of providing productive service outcomes will include a proper understanding of what needs to be done, how it should be done and having the skill set( s) to get it done satisfactorily. Furthermore, can one provide service to and love God and Neighbour one does not know? So there is the further requirement for each individual to go out of his or her way to really know and understand God and Neighbours as much as possible. The same applies to Love of Nation and Love of Environment, the Common Heritage the World shares with Generations Unborn. ( Otherwise, the person is an impostor, a charlatan.) Choices, choices, choices.

There is a Day of Reckoning, a Day of Judgment. Recall a story of a last day: I was hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick, in prison, etc. These are clearly the basic necessities of life - food, water, clothing, good neighbourliness, health care. Prison, may not necessarily be only physical imprisonment in a correctional centre. It can include freedom from poverty, want, deprivation, expansion of life opportunities, life chances and positive choices. So, indeed, all very basic necessities of life. Very simple and straight forward, and when periscoped to higher levels, serves the objectives of nation- building and an all inclusive national growth and development processand by extension, the Eternal, Universal, Divine Purpose. Simple, yet very challenging - for a most resource endowed Nation. Choices, choices, choices.

Pitfalls

Yes, the Universal, Divine Purpose is Forever Positive for all Times and for all Peoples. There are however pitfalls, right from the beginning of creation. Inveigled by the evil one, our first parents disobeyed the Almighty Creator, leaving each individual human being with a wounded nature, inclined to disobedience, wrong choices, wrong desires. The evil one is still prowling the world, using all sorts of baits, tailored to each individual’s major areas of weakness. However as light will always overcome darkness, good will always triumph over evil. Each individual has the unfettered freewill to choose the courses of activities that will conduce, rather than impede, his or her strivings in life, in line with the Universal, Divine Purpose. Choices, choices, choices.

To further complicate the matter of choices each individual makes in life, no two individuals are exactly the same and therefore each individual is a unique, special and specific human being. Even in this uniqueness, no individual even fully understands himself or herself, not to talk about fully understanding others. Why such diversity, particularly in the context of each individual’s in- born unfettered free will to think, talk and act the way each chooses. Life itself is unpredictable, thus adding to the complication of making choices. Is this not a recipe for chaos? Recall the story of how from a formless dark void the work of creation began. ( Order.) Recall also the story of the Tower of Babel. ( Disorder.) Inspirational lessons from the Almighty Creator Himself? So, more choices, choices and choices and therefore so many more challenges.

Since the Almighty Creator is Love, Goodness, Wisdom, Mercy, Faithfulness, Justice, Eternal, Immortal, etc He has also, out of His Love and Goodness, imbued each individual with, various degrees of these attributes, in line with each individual’s assigned purpose in life, and particularly in the specific era, environment and circumstances into which he or she is born.

How does each individual use these attributes to strive to perform optimally in life, as an individual and as a member of society and as a citizen of the Nation and of Mother Earth? What about the aspects of being specific, special and unique, with the connotation that each person is tailor made and equipped with latent abilities and skills and capabilities and capacities to be used to produce positive outcomes in whatever he or she is doing? For example, if one is in the teaching profession, there will be other teachers in the educational institution he or she is employed in.

Read the remaining part of this article on www. guardian. ng