Suspense... Surprise!

I think I might have just stumbled upon a very important perspective to keep a sense of balance in life; think of life's event as a story(good, bad), constructed ONLY with unlimited/limited count of elements of suspense... and surprise!
Appreciate the twists in the arrangement of the elements of suspense and surprise as they unfold, independent of your intent, and perhaps how you influence the story by your initiative and faculty - thoughts, actions, inaction, faith, fear, etc.
You are NOT interested in analyzing the emotion of the story but you are just presently experiencing the unusually elaborate story that has a beginning, and an end.
You can only be awed with the energy of the suspense, or surprised! by the eventual outcome of the event! Big, or small, NOTICE how honestly you react as the twists unfold.
You can create, add and play your script in addition to the one served. But it must ONLY emphasize the suspense, surprise, with, or without, intention to manipulate the script favorably.
Remember that the distractions(suspense and surprise) only serve to hype or roast your story. A good story has a beginning, and an end...
If you feel your story is pretty interesting as you review it consciously,  share it actively in a creative way and NOTICE what happens to your story as your commitment  deepens...
Your story will be told regardless, but your commitment to this exercise can increase the chances that you own the original manuscript...😉

© Ub Matthews @xumenz 2015

Call him Retired General or Military Democrat, he don't play!

As someone who didn't necessarily support President Buhari's election campaign, but is throughly satisfied with the recent recycling of the status quo for obvious reasons; I must say that I am beginning to enjoy his style. Very refreshing to say the least!

First it was his boys typically exchanging blows in the big house like unenlightened raffs, and calling for him to initiate a truce. His response sounded like, 'I will not interfere with your job, there is a system, kill yourselves or negotiate like adults! I got my own job to figure out!'

Soon the cartel bosses come crying about not inheriting money in the treasury to pay staff(pff!), again, his response - this is the real job you campaigned for, go and find money, (manage it prudentially) and pay your employees! 

Or resign?

The government is a BiG business! Soon we, the people will appreciate this fact, and it will reflect on how we choose appropriate talents to manage our increasingly complex public resources and common interest.

The test of governance, as our politicians will come to see, as we advance, will be measured in very specific metrics. It will be as an ethnic cleansing; flash opportunists will crumple to the demands of modern governance and resource management, rise to challenge, or ; give way to entrepreneurs and technocrats and leaders who will initiate better policies for better resource management. Systems will replace the godfathers, the Oga will realize that he is indeed the servant, not the master...#ihaveadream! #idreamofaNigeria...that is efficient!

Dark Feel

Pray in your tears, in your mind.

Let your thoughts take you,

To the place you care about.

Feel these things that matter to you,

Seek relieve from the pain you feel.

No one can know the way, the only way,

And claim to work in fair-and-square.

Pray in your mind with tears and feel.

State your fair plea with might and faith.

@xumenz 2015.

#NigeriaDecided

A proof that numbers can sometimes be superficial. 

2.57 million votes win, out of 28,587,564 cast from 70,383,427 eligible folks, to manage and decide for a diversity of + 170 million citizens.  

Did your vote help to win or lose?

Whether we think we are moving forward or backward with this decision, I hope we are taking note of the handwriting on the wall – we are desperate enough to move, whichever way, away from the status quo.

57yrs vs. 72yrs, PhD or FSCL, good luck or hard work, farmer or hunter, in the end, it doesn’t matter; when the people are determined, anything is possible!

Congratulations to the new government! The stakes are even higher for you to outperform and earn our votes.

WHAT IS CORRUPTION? HOW DO I CONTRIBUTE DAILY? IS IT EXPEDIENT TO LEAVE ERADICATING IT TO POLITICIANS?

We think erroneously that a single person or initiative will raise a magic wand and stop corruption in Nigeria; alluding this profound duty to a dependent or individual entity would be akin to encouraging corruption, and promoting abuse of power, one of the many faces of corruption.
The corruption menace is greater than any one citizen can fix, it is a foreign culture that our forefathers adopted, a mindset that is nurtured in the entire development process of the Nigerian system, at home, school, places of worship, society, and workplace. Even the holiest saint finds ways to justify allowances for corruption as God's favors. We continue to whitewash corruption instead of take responsibility and nib it in the bud.
I think a genuine effort in finding lasting solution might lie in defining the various forms of corruption that exist in our society, only afterwards should the ones without sin can cast the first stone. It appears that for many, corruption is only bad when it does not benefit them directly; if the benefits trickle down to them then it is interpreted otherwise. 
Most of my respondents who are distressed by the current trend even acknowledged that if given the opportunity, they would also steal a little of public funds but cover up their tracks with phantom projects, etc.
We can wait another 30 years for Buhari, or any other saint, to attempt  to tackle the stronghold of corruption in Nigeria but it will be a wasted effort until we recognize the role that all the stakeholders, especially the common citizen in Nigeria, plays in nurturing our celebrated corruption culture. 
Attacking corruption from the ground up will yield most manageable and sustainable results. All the various forms of corruption must be highlighted in our early development stage and tackled to build character. There is more to corruption than the political or fiscal aspects.
With the power structure in Nigeria's democracy, even the best solo efforts to eradicate corruption will face legal/illegal frustrations by power-brokers. Our politicians thrive most in these corrupt setting, they are not the best guys to expunge it. 
If we are serious, the power to fight corruption must rely on the common man, our institutions and the law to define and drive the fair change we seek. 

Forward Nigeria?

I thought APC wanted this bad enough to field fresh progressive candidates like Nda-Isaiah and/or Fashola and trust them to carry out their alleged change agenda.
Are they more interested in a mere power shift/status-quo salvation or do they genuinely have something different to offer? I am yet to be convinced.
PDP's performance under Jonathan may be less than satisfactory but there is one thing they seem to be doing right - focusing on sustainable gains rather than resort to quick fixes(sharp-sharp attitude) Nigerians are addicted to. Rebuilding a shaky foundation, like Nigeria will take considerable efforts and discomforts.
I have always maintained that Nigeria's current bottlenecks is a function of the poor/unsustainable foundations our fathers built on and we stubbornly continue the trend, praying for miracles/messiahs to keep the house from falling. We are part of that foundation and our values, customs, perspectives have to be realigned and empowered by the absolute truth.
The task of rebuilding Nigerian values is enormous; presidents/politicians alone cannot be entrusted with such responsibilities so we have the people, the grassroots, the agencies, the institutions, the constitution, etc as a more sustainable means of leadership.
Nigeria will be much better when we shun finger-pointing at those we carelessly surrender our power to and realize that the REAL power is in our hands - We as a people are the KINGMAKERS.
Individually, we can sow seeds to eliminate the 'Nobody' stigma and make every citizen proud to be included as a valuable stakeholder in the Nigerian commonwealth. You can be a palm wine tapper but if you also wish and apply yourself, you can become the president or influence it adequately.
Until I am otherwise convinced, I support Jonathan not because he is PDP; but because he best identifies with my current realities and the hope of the common Nigerian - a symbol of hope and equal opportunities for all citizens regardless of their ethnic, economic or social status. I best identify with his message, mistakes, and seeming slow progress rather than that of those who merely seem committed to preserve the status-quo and ignore inputs from our rich diversities.
Jonathan may not be Nigeria's best offering, but if we choose a tired, old, former military dictator as the only credible alternative then, we need to ask ourselves tougher questions about our resolve to move forward.

Money Trees – Shine Your Eyes!

Lately I struggle to rationalize the futility of limitations posed by our society, such that contradicts our resolve for resource control, diversity and innovation.

Obviously, suppressing certain truths requires a vast commitment, a wasted resource indeed - maintaining a system of lies ultimately generates an undesirable ripple effect that loops indefinitely.  While limitative governance model is successful on its merits, it might be worth considering the opportunity costs - the loss/lack of creativity/identity which ultimately leads to a diminished overall value.

To consolidate a certain spectrum of diversity towards achieving a desirable culture, as seen in certain societies, involves constantly upgrading or recycling of the ideals of these diversities, this is more sustainable than rapid change.

What gives us value is our collective diversity, contributing towards a commonwealth. This is the absolute truth. Another is that, the most successful society is own built on the foundations of truth (and its constant pursuit).

We grew up with such slogans that metamorphosed into culture, transforming lifestyles, creating chaos;

       “Change to be better”, “money does not grow on trees”, “work hard to guarantee success”; etc.

We falsely apply these principles to our own detriment.  As much as we excuse misconceptions to be motivation, culture or faith, the fact is that it is a very misleading lie, to say the least.

Money does grow on trees! A town crier should sound a bell and proclaim this truth.  I like to think that the moment we started going in the other direction, was the era when such misconceptions were trending; because we hung up our hoes and hungrily chased the white man’s paper distraction around.

Thankfully we have discovered all we needed was to continue digging and growing our money trees, just like our forefathers did, and be sufficient. By now, we could have been well fed and far along, not trying to catch up with distractions of the worthless paper while the real money grows wild and decays in our backyards, sometimes all on its own!

Think about it, most of the world’s wealth is literally plucked from trees! The greenback, which we now do unspeakable things to collect and exchange, is actually extracted from a tree.  Another fact, all good things in life can actually be traced to a tree, the giver of life to humans, a perfect example of the value of synergy of universal diversities- the harsh sunlight, the unassuming water, and other random contents of the universe.

We love to have a sense of collective identity, and ignorantly protect or promote rigid paradigms in the name of whatever; but we must not forget that “one plus one is two”, and that our ‘individual’ identities adds up to a great wealth of resources – tapped or yet to be. The truth is, lies can get you by, but you can only be truly empowered by the absolute truth.

Shine your eyes! Don’t mistake of accepting old lies as culture or policy, ask questions and seek after the absolute knowledge of truth instead of chasing papers, only then you might be enlightened to cultivate and grow your own money trees.