Thursday 22 November 2012

Obama’s Re-Election and the Lessons for All

’The history of a movement, The history of a nation, The history of a race,    Is the guide post,  that movement destiny, That nation’s destiny, That race’s destiny’’—Marcus Garvey
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
By Bello Destiny Paul

UNDOUBTEDLY, the re-election of president Barrack Obama is a fulfillment of a long term dream and a final burial cum funeral of segregation and undue discrimination meted on Negroes in the past. Honestly no amounts of words could quantify or fathom the expression of our joy, to see Obama, our own Obama emerged from the tough electoral ring triumphantly and joyfully.
But as we are basking in the euphoria of joy, on Obama’s well deserved victory ,by cheering, jeering ,dancing ,celebrating ,praising and jubilating . I consider it expedient, for us to look at Obama’s   victory, beyond euphoria level.  And that his re-election is not only a grand celebration, but also a great lesson ,a lesson for other race [s], for other nation and for an individual.
A LESSON FOR OTHER RACE[S] –that in spite of long years of suffering, injustice ,inhuman treatment undue discrimination, bully and exploitation of the highest order ,yet a race of negroes, could still survive in a foreign land ,endured ,perserved, united  and struggled ,refused to  be cowed ,surrendered  and frustrated . but still with a rare courage ,uncommon tolerance ,inexpressible patience and unshakeable faith in God ,still produce a personality ,a child of destiny ,a fulfiller of  a dream, peoples leader and a ruler of  the world .
It is a lesson, of which every troubled, persecuted, discriminated, rejected and condemned race, must embrace .It is a path to follow, and heroic deed, worthy of emulation. And history could still repeat itself for any race, anywhere in the world.
A LESSON FOR THE NATION—It is a lesson that every nation ,should learn from ,that in spite of thick and thin, twist and turns ,ups and downs ,a  nation, suffering from economic woes or retrogression, plague and manacle  with social vices ,struggling out of stagnancy ,underdevelopments ,and backwardness etc could still survive and attain her greater heights .
It is an eye opener ,for a nation that is still looking ,praying ,hoping and eyeing for a leader ,who will take her to a standard  level ,a leader who can turn a stone to bread ,an ordinary water to wine ,who can bring water from the rock, who can led her people to the land flowing with milk and honey .
It is a lesson  for such nation ,who still finds it hard, to have such leaders ,like Kemal  Atartuk, Park Lee , Augustus  Ceaser, biblical Moses and Joshua ,Haile Selassie , Nelson Mandela , Chief Obafemi  Awolowo, Abraham Lincoln ,Bill Clinton , John Atta Mills, Martin Luther and Martin Luther king  jnr.etc ,never to lose hope, never to give up and  never to relent .
It is a lesson for such nations like ours ,that despite the inimical activities of our political gladiators, insurgencies of cabal ,parochial attitudes of our leaders, selfishness ,inconsiderate ,and inhumane disposition of our rulers ,in spite the apostasies of our activists, religion founders and leaders ,blowing  hot and cold  dispositions  of  our electoral umpire ,coupled with cowardice exhibition  of  our arbiters, , gullibility ,docility ,dogmatic, superficialities  and frivolousness of our youth ,a nation like ours, could still reach her Eldorado , by breaking the evil jinx and choose  a leader ,who ,who have  the interest of the nation in his heart ,a leader  who will not let the labour of  our past heroes be in vain ,a leader  who will realize the dream of our country as a peaceful, united and prosperous nation ,bound in freedom, peace , unity and justice .
As the dream of America negroes is being realized ,with the sons of former slaves and the sons of  former slave owner, are sitting down together  at the table of brotherhood ,and as the once heat of injustice ,sweltering  with the heat of oppression in Mississippi is being transformed ,into an oasis of freedom and justice .
It  is also a lesson ,that our nation too ,could still bid adieu and say bygone is bygone ,to inequality before the law ,infrastructural decay ,arbitrary widening gap between haves and have not, electoral manipulations ,political imposition ,quagmire of secular underdevelopments ,abject poverty and persistence insecurity of lives and property, this is a lesson, that ,it is not too late.

“Do not go where the path may lead [but] Go where there is no path and leave a trail’’—Ralph Waldo Emerson.
THE LESSONS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL—And is that, the emergence of Barrack Obama ,from  lower background to a  upper level ,from being a stone rejected now to a corner stone ,from a follower to a leader, and from nobody to somebody etc, is a lesson for us, that  we too ,can achieve the seemingly unachievable ,that we  can break the perceived unbreakable, that we can conquer the much talked unconquerable  and penetrate the impregnable . It is a lesson that, our lonely background, our poor upbringing, our present challenges, the disappointment and failure besetting us. The reproaches and mockery that stares at us, can never be the yardstick or measure of what we will become.
‘’ one aim of an optimistic people is a belief that one individual could make a difference” –James kouzes
It is a lesson ,that no matter what ,we must be determined ,optimistic, focus  and persever ,it is a lesson to lay  a larger vision before us ,to run towards a tall dream, and to incubate ,and saturate a bigger  achievement  and uncommon success for illumination. These are lessons for us to learn, lesson we should work towards, lessons we should all embrace, The great lessons indeed.

(Bello Destiny Paul, the 1st Senior Advocate University of Ado-Ekiti, Faculty of law  Judicial Council, and 1st  Senor Advocate of Student Union Judicial Council, and 2010 Human right activist of the year,  resides in Lagos.)
Phone:  07036611633


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