No position is permanent

Whenever I think about the state of affairs in the world especially when some people live without the fear of God by allowing their greed, power and corruption to run aghast, I recall the wise counsel of Psalm 49. “Hear this, all you people; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline my ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth, and boast about their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever. That he should still live forever, and not see corruption. For he sees that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless, man being in honour abides not: he is like the beasts that perish. Their way is their folly: yet their posterity approves their sayings. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Do not be afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him (Psalm 69: 1-17).

Given the human and natural resources of Nigeria for instance, one could conclude that no citizen should live in penury. If every Nigerian cares about legacy and a good name, the energy in human and natural resources would generate the capacity that is humanly possible to alleviate the pains, stress and distress of the people. Unfortunately, the greed of the few has become the poverty of the multitude. Some office holders hardly remember that no condition and position are permanent. The effect is that the opportunities to grow a better nation are misdirected towards evil and crime. Some people live as if this world is the essence of existence. Those who amass wealth at the expense of the common good life without a sense of eschatology. They forget that one day, they would die and after that judgement follows. The world could be better if everyone is conscious of death, eternal punishment in hell for those who do evil and eternal reward in heaven for the righteous. It is spiritual blindness not to wish for the capacity to do what is good and just. It takes believe in the common good of humanity to desire a better life for everybody. This is what it takes to collaborate with the leadership of the nations to create enough and conducive space for every human being to actualize their dreams and potentials.

Human beings need space to be formed and blossom. Apart from the efforts of parents and teachers to impart education at all levels to the children, the students need some guarantee of a future where their dreams would have incarnated into reality. The greatest tragedy in the world today is the neglect of merit and efficiency. The attitude of “not what you know but who you know” must die a natural death to give life to every person. It is sad, that a note from a Senator or any highly placed person has become the main credential for candidates who are invited for interview or aptitude test to gain employment. Worst still, money is extorted from jobless applicants to be given employment. Sometimes, this money is collected without offering a job to the applicant.

Parents do not want their children to suffer hence they make huge sacrifices to train them. Those who forget that no condition and position is permanent should not kill the future and dreams of the youths. Every person should take a step into his or her heart to examine how we each contribute to human development and national growth. Are we ready to individually accept the blame for our sins of commission or omission in the collective growth of the nation? The world can be healed if office holders are conscious of the fact that one day they will cease to be President, State governor, Senate President, Bishop, Major Superior, Religious leader and a Very Important Persons (VIP). If there is a failure in governance at any level, those who had the privilege and opportunity to run the affairs of government must have thought that they would be in office forever. Those who are conscious of the temporality of office and life naturally endeavour to make a positive mark while in office. This disposition includes responsibility and accountability.

Leadership implies quality service that calls for qualified people in specific jobs. The need for courage to use aptitude test to place people in positions where they can perform and the courage to remove those who are not performing up to expectation is absolutely important. Those who are conscious that no condition and position are permanent in the form of checks and balancing ensure that they do not fall from their height like the storming rain. Those who love to sustain their integrity now and the future constantly re-examine their vision to change any negative attitude to redefine their values. Those who have no regard for their good names do not care about professionalism in carrying out the mission that would benefit the common good. Every responsible leader needs examination and re-examination of the psyche, attitude, orientation and world view. This is one way of conquering or healing the syndrome of “finger-pointing” and blame transference to acceptance of guilt and failure. Naturally, human beings find it difficult to accept guilt and take responsibility for their actions.

Those who do not accept blame and correction live in the dark and fight to put others in the dark. Jesus came to give light to those in darkness, those who dwell in the shadow of death and guide us into the way of peace” (Luke 1:76-79). He thought his disciples not to resist those who do evil (Matthew 5:38-42) by vengeance as practised by the Jewish ancestors who believed in “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” (Matthew 5:38; Exodus 21:24). The desire of Jesus for human beings is to be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50). This is why we should leave those who exploit others when they are in office to God. When they leave office, the depth of darkness of loneliness will teach them how to value opportunities. Very often it is too late to change when the head is off for office holders who sell their heads to buy a cap. When God gives you an opportunity to serve, remember that when you leave office, it is the legacy you left behind that would be your companion. Opportunity comes but once so to not take your chance for granted.

Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) ([email protected])