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!
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