THE ANIMAL CALLED MAN (2)

Hullo once again, friend and good day. It’s another Monday today as we continue in our quest of finding the way forward. Last week, we had a little exposition on the topic as we discussed some of the characteristics of Man and his origin. I also appreciate the comments made by some of our readers: Essien, Consider, Anonymous, etc. –it was really rewarding. So we continue; I still hold to the view that man was not originally created as, or to be, an animal. Yes, we are not animals! However, let us hear what others have said so far.   

Olusegun Obasanjo (1998), in his book “This Animal Called Man”, attempts to examine Man’s existence on earth and the purpose and ways to achieving that purpose in this world and in the next world to come. Having man as his focus, he says that man can best be understood through the appreciation of God. According to him, “the universe is of unfathomably great immensity, seemingly great in confusion, held together and controlled by God of infinite power, intellect and majesty”. Obasanjo asserts that the purpose of Man on earth is “to live to the glory of God”, but unfortunately, Man has turned out to be a disappointment to his Maker. He also argues that it is through faith that Man conquers his “lower animalistic nature and instinct”. (Cited by Uzor Maxim Uzoatu;www.cnenigeria.com/als/october1999.htm)

Pico della Mirandol, a philosopher of the Renaissance, in his Oration on the Dignity of Man says that “when man philosophizes, he ascends the chain of being towards the angels, and communion with God; and when he fails to exercise his intellect, he vegetates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oration_on_the_Dignity_of_Man). The root of this dignity lay in his assertion that only human beings could change themselves through their own free will <Emphasis mine>; this therefore implies that Man tends to lose his dignity when he fails to exercise his intellect, which is one faculty of the soul (nothing more, nothing less!). This “exercise” of course should always be geared towards positivity, possibility, productivity/usefulness, and not negativity, wickedness or evil. When Man fails to exercise his intellect, he therefore is tagged a/an (real) animal, a fool, an idiot, and stupid, useless, mad, worthless!

But I ask; is his failure to exercise his intellectual powers enough reason to make Man lose or deny him his dignity? Perhaps, the founders of UNN who sought “to restore the dignity of man” would help us answer this. Is the toilet cleaner in our hostels not worthy of this same dignity just as we who are “learned” are? Are the barrow-pushers, bricklayers, beggars and hawkers, (local) cobblers, tailors, carpenters, farmers, traders, security personnel, and the poor, including their children, not also worthy of having this same dignity which we who are “better off” have? Please note that I am not trying to condone poverty or laziness. This is because, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” (Prov. 6:10-11, 24:33-34, KJV). Actually, the statement by George Orwell is right, that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (as a result of social stratification).

What then have we been saying all this while? Let us rethink on our attitude towards the different human beings we meet on daily basis, irrespective/regardless of their facial disposition, class, physique and/ or background, inasmuch as they consist of different characters, temperaments and personalities. (We need “tactics” to handle each of them differently) This is because another thing I have learnt about this life is that the people whom we think matter now, may not matter in the future and the people whom we think do not matter now, may matter in the nearest future. You want some respect and affection right?? Why don’t you give same to others? (Didn’t they say that respect is reciprocal?) Lucky Dube, in one of his tracks says, “Be good to the people on your way up the ladder cause you’ll need them on your way down”. This is because they are beings who can Move, Respire; who get Nutrition from food; who feel Irritation and have emotions; who must Grow; who of course Excrete; who can Reproduce, and who of course will Die one day. If you do not have a reason to respect the dignity of the animal called Man, then do so based on the reasons stated above. Note also that you can only be complete (restore your dignity) in Christ, if you accept and walk with Him. (No apologies for sounding thus!)

Finally, in conclusion (tautology intentional), I believe this article has in one way or the other provided another stepping stone to the way forward. To add more stepping stones, kindly send your write-ups to the contact below. We must find the way forward!

This topic is actually a very broad one and cannot (categorically) be fully exhausted in these few pages. You may wish to enlarge it. Expect another exceptional write-up same day, next week on the topic: HALITOSIS                                                         Watch out! <www.skola93.blogspot.com>

Skola: +2348138404469, skola.chidi@gmail.com.

THE ANIMAL CALLED MAN

Hello once again! It is another Monday; a beautiful day which God has made, if and only if you do take out time to behold the wonders and beauty of each day and stop bemoaning it. Today, we continue the Enlightenment Series with the lovely topic above. (Don’t forget to send yours via the administrator; thanks to the comments made last week by Consider and others. Remember, we only seek to find the way forward.) Yes, “The Animal Called Man”! You might ask, “What’s this guy trying to say?” or “Are you trying to insult or degrade mankind?” Well, perhaps you will answer the questions at the end of this edition. (Note that I will be writing primarily from an individualistic perspective. “Man” is used in a generic sense here.)

I remember my Biology textbook in secondary school saying that there are two kinds of “things” in the world; viz. living and non-living things. It further went ahead to sub-divide living things into plants and animals. From this, you can see that it is either you are a plant, or an animal. (I believe plants do not read!) However, the same textbook went further to sub-group animals into other bla and bla which you should know; Man is not the only mammal that was mentioned by the textbook. But, in order to “avoid” the “animality” of Man, we choose to call ourselves “higher animals”. I totally agree to this though, because I do not see myself in the same level/class with the goat, fowl, monkey, chimpanzee and even the lion or the eagle. This is because “God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. And God... said to them, ‘... rule... over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Gen. 1:27&28, NIV). I then begin to wonder why some people say that life evolved from the water and that Man is the latest form of this evolution which has occurred some millions of years ago after the “Big Bang”. I would like to ask them why man has not evolved into another “being” after many such years of their existence. Let them please answer!

What then is an animal? Encarta dictionary says an animal is a living organism that is distinguished from plants by independent movement and responsive sense organs.

What then makes Man an animal? The acronym MR NIGER D helps us out. Man is often denoted as a:

·        Social animal – This is because Man thrives well in the company of fellow men. Someone once said that the man who naturally resigns to himself away from the others is often times said to be either a beast or a god. From birth, Man learns to depend on his mother’s milk and love, father’s protection and support and siblings’ company for survival. He also learns to interact with a vast majority of fellow humans and other animals as he grows up, and needs also their approval and admiration. Even the prisoners, monks and nuns interact amongst themselves and so, there is no exception to the sociality of the animal called Man.

·        Political animal – This is because as he grows and thrives on his interdependence on others, he desires to control, organize and dominate them. As such, he sets out to seek for power over them via many means; sets up governments, formulates laws and enforces them, all in order to rule, be respected and even feared. Some people lay hold to the claim that they are “born to rule”; but I ask, who then is “born to be ruled”??

·        Rational animal – This is because as he traverses his ecological location, he observes a lot of things which lead him to wonder, ponder and go yonder to conquer. Man is a being of value who is ontologically not interested in wasting his time and life. These values influence his choices and preferences in life, and thus decide his behaviour. Man thinks and philosophizes on the issues of life.

·        Religious being – This is because he believes there is a Supreme Being who is responsible for his existence and that of other things which he sees, and who in one way or the other controls the world and everything in it. Thus he seeks to acknowledge, respect/ worship and approach this Divine Being higher than him, using various means and depends on Him for protection, provision, fulfillment and support. As a result, there are motley of religions all over the world, who in one way or the other seek dominance over the others.

·        Selfish being – This is because he is not more interested in others than he is in himself; he is naturally egocentric, proud and ambitious; if not for true, real Love (of God).

·        Creative being – Oh how I adore the creative powers of the human mind! Who has ever thought of building a “tower of Babel”? Or of constructing the pyramids of Egypt or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Or of flying without wings or swimming without fins? Or of the internet or of even going to the moon?! Or of writing or reading? Or of singing and making sweet, melodious tunes? Who, if not the powerful, creative animal called Man? Never underrate or underestimate the great, powerful abilities of the human being!

Oops! We are sorry we will not go any further, because we promised that each publication would not exceed two pages. However, this great topic continues next week. Do keep in touch. <www.skola93.blogspot.com>

Skola: +2348138404469, skola.chidi@gmail.com.

GLOBALIZATION AND US

Western norms and practices are gradually being transported across the globe as the acceptable way of behaviour. If the central idea of globalization is interaction and integration, then globalization as a concept is not new to Africa and the world in general. Africa's interaction with the rest of the world dates back to the 15th century during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, European colonialism, and post colonialism/independence to this present age, which all happened without regard to ethnic, cultural, linguistic and other considerations. On a balance of probability, there is the temptation to conclude that the consequences of globalization on Africa have rather been negative (Yeboah Kwame, 2011).

Good day, welcome once again to another edition of the “Enlightenment Series”. Big thanks to those who commented on the last edition: Jaypee, Okor John, etc. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but please do not misunderstand us; we only seek to find the “way forward”! This is a broad topic and you may wish to expand it.

Definition of Globalization:  It is an international socio-politico-economic and cultural permeation process facilitated by policies of governments, private corporations, international agencies and civil society organizations, essentially seeking to enhance and deploy economic, political, technological, ideological and military power and influence for competitive domination in the world. (Yeboah Kwame, 2011).

Africa is made up of over fifty nations with an estimated 1000 different languages spoken and as many distinct ethnic groups. Africa is endowed with immense natural and human resources, as well as great cultural, ecological and economic diversity. Africa is the world's RICHEST continent, in terms of natural resources. Yet, in spite of these impressive facts on Africa, most non-Africans have referred to it as the "Dark Continent", which in the past was a reflection of their ignorance of Africa's immense potential. And they continue to inflict psychological injury on us by reporting motley cases of endemic government corruption, chronic human rights abuse, hunger, poverty, civil wars, HIV-AIDS, on their daily news headlines!

Now, in view of globalization which, in as much as we know, has brought grave negative effects on our culture and tradition, it is worthwhile if we also acknowledge its positive effects on us. Globalization opens people's lives to other cultures, and information and communication technologies have eased interaction among countries and peoples. Most inhuman cultural practices (e.g.: female genital mutilation), myths and taboos have been totally relinquished, majorly because most of them have outlived their usefulness due to urbanization and the trend of modern development. I also think that other such under-developing tendencies should likewise be thrown overboard; the times have truly changed!

Nevertheless, it is disheartening to note the rate at which we willingly jettison our traditional values, norms and customs, to accept the Western way of life and “articles of imperialism” –technology, language, dressing, etc, hook, line and sinker. In Nigeria today, where "vernacular" is forbidden in "formal" settings; where citizens flaunt their foreign possessions (phones, laptops, clothes, vehicles, etc) with gross arrogance and impudence; where parents cocoon their children from the "evils" of the villages –thereby alienating them from their roots-, and so on and so forth, the effects of globalization seem to be too dire.

Recall that the Europeans brought Christianity to us (one of the positive effects of colonialism); but now how ironical that we are the ones now "sending it back” to the Western world –excessive materialism, immorality, indecency, atheism (induced probably by scientific, technological and economic advancement), etc, are now on the rampage over there.

In conclusion, it is high time we Africans stopped being at the receiving end of almost everything on the globe. It is now our time to GIVE. This is because national pride is essential in nation building. The salient questions then would be “Do we actually have a national pride?” “What do we have to offer?” What can we say about those “local” manufacturers whom we don’t patronize and still advocate for “Pan-Nigerianism”? (Every one of us is guilty of this, including me) “Because they are sub-standard!” one would retort. And what makes them “sub-standard”? Because they have set the standard for us! (Even though some of those guys are after “quick cash” anyway) I remember my GSP207 seminar lecturer who says that no culture is better than the other; that development is relative. Nevertheless, I will not rule out the fact that some Africans have a problem –the brain drain. We are more after the “stomach” (i.e. comfort, pleasure) than the brain, and this has made us what we are presently. If we agree then that the African problem is the brain drain then the effective solution would be to make good use of those brains; kudos to all those Africans who are doing us proud all over the globe. Therefore, brethren, THINK and ACT and let us show the world that truly there is TREASURE without measure right here in Africa! God bless us all.

(Next week, we shall be discussing “The Animal Called Man”. Watch out! <www.skola93.blogspot.com>)

 Skola: +2348138404469, skola.chidi@gmail.com. 

HAPPY EASTER!

EASTER: FACTS, SIGNIFICANCE AND LESSONS

Well, well, well! Easter has come and gone, isn’t it? It isn’t! (This post is quite belated since there was no post last week because it was a holiday; so we continue.) Last week, Christians (and non-Christians even) all over the globe joined in the Easter celebration to celebrate the risen Christ, whose death and resurrection about 2000 years ago has brought inexplicable joy and meaning to the human race.

Wikipedia reveals that Easter is a Christian festival and holiday and is the culmination of the Passion of Christ (which as we know was the sufferings and pains the Christ himself went through) preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and penance, and which begins on Ash Wednesday. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week (as specifically recorded from Mark 11-15), beginning with Palm Sunday, including the Maundy Thursday (Last Supper) and Good Friday. The First Council of Nicaea (325AD) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (Paschal full moon), which follows the March equinox; as such, Easter is a moveable feast. Using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, inclusively. Next Easter holds on 20^th April of the Gregorian calendar. Christians of Jewish origin were the first to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which they likely did so as a new facet of the Passover festival since the resurrection date was close to the timing of Passover.

I remember when I was younger, as an enthusiastic Anglican, when we used to go to church in the evenings of the Holy Week and Bible passages containing Jesus’ activities on those days were read. On Palm Sunday, we waved our palm fronds with eclectic expressions, and happiness. On Maundy Thursday, Holy Communion was eaten, and on Good Friday, a 3-hour service beginning at 9 A.M was held to mark Jesus’ 3 hours stay on the cross. As usual on Easter Sunday, enough rice and chicken was eaten, friends and family in the village visited and then “normal” activities resume after that –without really understanding the reasons why a man was crucified many years ago.

John Piper, in his book, The Passion of Jesus Christ gives 50 reasons why Jesus Christ came to die. (This article is written for all: Christian believers, disciples and non- alike, with the aim of calling back to our notice certain things) A few of them are relayed here. He suffered and died: (1) To absorb the wrath of God (Rom.1:18) –God is actually angry when men sin and is ever ready to punish sin, rather the reason for the season accepted to do what He did in order to save us sinners (Rom.3:23) from destruction (Rom.6:23). (2) To show the wealth of God’s love and grace for sinners (Jn.3:16, Rom.5:8). (3) To cancel the legal demands of the law against us (Rom.8:2, Col.2:13). (4) To abolish circumcision and all rituals as the basis of salvation (Gal.6:12). (5) To obtain for us all things that are good for us (Rom.8:32). (6) To free us from the futility of our ancestry (1 Pet.1:18-19). (7) To enable us to live for Him and not ourselves (2 Cor.5:15). (8) To create a people passionate for good works (Tit.2:14).

The message of Easter is the message of the Cross –shame, pain, suffering, sober reflection, sacrifice and love. But what do we see these days? Some of us Christians now reject the old rugged cross and rather, desire a brand new light one! (I wonder whether Christianity was originally meant for frivolity) Note that true Christianity is radically different from Western culture (language is an element of culture) and sadly, may not be found in many churches today (John Piper, 2004). Some preacher once said that the greatest moment of (church) service is when the congregation leaves the (church) door to become the church outside. But what then do we do? We go to church on Sundays and attend fellowships every other day, yet still remain our very “normal” selves. Time has come when we no longer become beings tele-guided/programmed by religious activities and festivities (I never said they are not relevant). It is time to reflect on the personality we are celebrating –Jesus Christ.

Imagine leaving your throne/riches in heaven to live as a poor, wretched fellow –that’s sacrifice! Imagine being mocked by the people you care about and spat upon by a dirty, smelly Pharisee –that’s shame! Imagine being betrayed by your best friend, being whipped 39 strokes of horse whip, being clipped by long nails on your hands and feet for 3 hours on a cross, wearing a crown of thorns, and being disowned by your own father –that’s pain! Imagine carrying your own (heavy) death bed, dragged over 650 metres of rugged, sloping land on an empty stomach by military men, and being given vinegar for water –that’s suffering! And finally, imagine accepting to die for someone else who is not related to you by blood/affiliation –that’s love! (Reflect on www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/barbet.html) Yet, we go on refusing to partake of his sufferings, shame, love and pain. Remember what St. Paul wrote in Phil. 3:10-11: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.  

Well, nevertheless, one man has died that others might live, and this is the joy of Easter –revival, restoration, resuscitation and renewal. Imagine the kind of power that resurrected Jesus Christ on 30 A.D and claim it to revive, restore, resuscitate and renew your lost, dead, faint, weak, forgotten potentials and possessions; I don’t know what you are still waiting for, unbeliever/backslider/confused to surrender your will and soul to Him. May God’s grace, peace and love be upon us all. God bless!

Skola: +2348138404469, skola.chidi@gmail.com.

(Next week, we shall be looking at “Globalization and Us”. Watch out! <www.skola93.blogspot.com>)