MOVING WITH YOUR SHELL

‘It is only the tortoise that moves and carries its shell about, which it calls its house’

 

The most visible part of every tortoise is its shell. A tortoise may choose to hide every other part of its body but not its shell. There is no tortoise without a shell; if it’s without a shell, that means it is not a tortoise. Apart from being the most visible part of a tortoise, a tortoise’s shell also serves as its shelter, shield and symbol of strength.

Our ancestors believe that the tortoise is a very shy animal despite the fact that it is very sensitive and usually assumed to be the wisest animal. Also, a tortoise may be too shy to show people its bald head or its tiny legs but it is always proud to move majestically with its shell everywhere it goes.

There are a lot of things that you can learn from the lifestyle of a tortoise. Instead of concentrating on your weaknesses and physical challenges in life, it is better for you to focus on your strength and be proud of your uniqueness in life. You determine how and what people see, say or know about you. If you focus on your weaknesses, problems, challenges, abnormalities, deformity or natural inabilities in life; many people will see you from the same lens that you view yourself. Like the tortoise, you need to concentrate on your strength, skills, talent, intelligence, inner beauty, character and good will in life.

Don’t allow people to castigate, mock, disgrace, embarrass or bully you because of some things that are irrelevant or intangible in your life but be proud of yourself and concentrate on the things that make you different from others. Remember, some other animals may see a shell as a burden, but a tortoise calls it its house. People will value and appreciate you based on the way you see and present yourself. If you see yourself as a poor man, it will be very difficult for anybody to see you as a rich man because everything about you will reflect who you claim to be. There is no way a foreigner will see your country as a developed country if you think, act, move and behave like a developing country. You need to let the world see and appreciate you based on your strength and remain focused on it.

It is only the tortoise that moves and carries its shell about, which it calls its house. You too can be the only person that is proud of your skin color, your language, your family, your country, your status, your character, your good looks, your talent, your profession, your husband, your wife, your children etc. Remember, whoever you tell the world you are is who they will say you are.

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DON’T BOAST YET

‘A farmer does not boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season’

A farmer may determine if a crop is bad on the day of harvest but it is usually very difficult for any farmer to determine if a crop is good or strong enough on the day of harvest. There are many bad crops that appear to be good on the day of harvest but with time, they turn out to be bad. It takes a patient and tolerant farmer to wait for some time before concluding that a particular crop is good or not.

Our ancestors believe that a farmer does not have the right to boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season. Yes, the success of every farmer cannot be determined on the first day of the harvest, the ability of the harvested crops to last till the next harvest season is what determines a good or successful harvest.

Also in life, you cannot determine the success of any marriage from the way the union is being celebrated, you cannot determine the success of your business based on its mode of establishment, you cannot measure the intelligence of a student from his/her first grade in school, you cannot measure the performance of an employee based on his/her first assignment in an organization, you cannot determine the integrity and commitment of our political leaders based on their first year in office…the list goes on.

Out of every expensive and elaborate wedding ceremonies organized in a year, it is unfortunate that only few of them have the strength to last till the next five or six years. There are many businesses that started greatly some few years ago but now, we only hear and read that they had existed. We have heard about many students who used to be very brilliant and intelligent in high school but later became dull while in college or university to the extent that they struggled to graduate. An employee who is active or productive today may disorganize your organization tomorrow. A celebrity who is known and celebrated by people today may be a nobody tomorrow. Also, a leader who is assumed to be responsible, brave, generous, eloquent, civilized or sensitive to the basic need of his/her people today may turn out to be the worst political leader tomorrow.

Don’t boast about your good works yet; wait till the next season before you jump into conclusion. Be patient and tolerant to study your achievements before you start boasting about them. Also, don’t start praising or condemning people from the start (at times, your appreciation or criticisms may be baseless if they are not subjected to the principle of natural timing).

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ARE YOU STRANDED OR NOT?

‘The fish that can see that its water is getting shallower cannot be stranded’

It is natural for a fish to swim, eat, mate, reproduce and live in the water.  Any fish that suddenly finds itself on a dry land can be regarded as a stranded fish.  This means that a stranded fish is not only a fish that has nothing to eat but a fish that is deprived of its source of livelihood.

Our ancestors believe that it is not all the fishes in a river that are sensitive to their environment. Some of them do not bother to know when the water in the river gets shallow or otherwise. It is only the fish that is sensitive enough to understand that the water in the river is getting shallower that can never be stranded.

Many of us live our lives like the fishes in the river. We eat, drink, merry, play around, socialize with people and enjoy swimming in the river of life without being sensitive to the source of the water. Some of us cannot easily differentiate when our river becomes shallow from the time that it becomes deep. Some of us are easily carried away with the fun and enjoyment in life that we forget to be sensitive to the source of our livelihood; and at the end, we become stranded.

A stranded person is not only the person that has no money or food to eat but a person that has lost his/her source of livelihood. You do not become stranded in a day; before your river runs dry, there must have been some indications that would alert you about the impending danger ahead of you. If you choose not to be sensitive to your source of income and start living your life according to what you have, you may soon be stranded.

As from today, always endeavor to study your source of income, develop some principles for yourself and watch the way you expend your resources. Remember, it is only the fish that can see that its water is getting shallower that cannot be stranded.

May the ancestors give you the eyes to see and understand your environment and may you not be stranded in life.

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ARE YOU BRUTALLY OUTSPOKEN?

‘It is the brutally outspoken man that earns enmity’

It is normal for someone to be outspoken but it becomes a problem when one becomes brutally outspoken. A brutally outspoken person is the person that talks carelessly without considering the consequences of whatever that is being uttered.

Our ancestors believe that there are some words that can kill, some can demoralize, some can discourage and some horrible words can worsen some already depressing situations. Whatever you choose to utter with your mouth determines what you attract to yourself. This means that you attract more friends if you choose to be kind, respectful, friendly and careful with your speech and you attract more enemies if you choose to be brutal with your utterances.

People who are easily angered or provoked are prone to being brutally outspoken. When you are at the peak of your anger or provocation, you need to be very cautious of the way you speak and what you say to people. Words are like eggs, once they are broken, you can’t restore them any longer. It is better to remain silent when you are angry, provoked or irritated about what people do to you than to be brutally outspoken. You may never have the opportunity to reverse your speech or redeem your image after you have presented yourself as a brutally outspoken person, so you need to be very careful when you relate with people.

On the other hand, people who criticize others or those who engage in thorough arguments are also likely to be brutally outspoken. Many of them say whatever comes to their mind without considering the effects it would have on other people. Some people lie, insult others and violate other people’s right in order to win an argument.  What shall it profit a man who becomes hostile in order to win an argument?

As from today, if you want to live peacefully with others, it is better for you to watch how you speak, what you say and when you express your feelings. Remember, it is not enough for you to be outspoken, you need to be polite and rational with what you say to others.

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NO GOING BACK!

‘One cannot go back to the farmer from whom one borrowed seed-yams to plant to say the beetles have eaten up the seed-yams’

 

In the olden days, farmers used to assist one another by borrowing or exchanging seeds for planting. A farmer who plants only groundnut on his farm may demand cassava seed from another farmer with the promise of exchanging with groundnut seeds or paying back with some ripen cassava after a bountiful harvest.

Our ancestors believe that no one can tolerate a farmer who chooses to give flimsy excuses or fails to fulfill his promise. One cannot go back to the farmer from whom one borrowed seed-yams to plant to say the beetles have eaten up the seed-yams. No excuse at all.

Also in life, whatever you have today are not directly yours. They are like the seed-yams that the creator borrowed you. We are not expected to use or treat them carelessly because if the beetles eat them up, they become useless to us and to the creator. We are never expected to go back to the creator with flimsy excuses that our seed-yams had been stolen or eaten up by the beetles of life.

The children we have, our business, our ageing parents, our projects in life, our career, our talents and our potent ideas are like the borrowed seed-yams that are expected to be treated with care so as to germinate healthily. If we don’t take care of our seed-yams, any beetle may come to eat them up.

The homeless and unruly kids, the failing business, the isolated parents, the abandoned projects, the neglected career, the unused talent and ineffective ideas in our society today are examples of the borrowed seed-yams eaten by beetles.

Remember, you will face the consequence of every seed-yam that you carelessly allow the beetles of life to eat up. You have no excuse to fail.

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DON’T GO THERE!

‘It is wisdom to prevent someone from whom one cannot accept repayment to have access to one’s valuable possession’

 

There are some people that you would not challenge or demand anything from when they mishandle or destroy your property. It may be because they can’t afford to fix what they have destroyed or because of the respect you have for them.

It is advisable that you prevent these people from having free access to your valuable possessions. Anything that is very special to you should not be given free accessibility. There are many people who would carelessly handle what you consider as your special or valuable possession because of the free access they have to it. So, it is always good to be wise while dealing with people.

Never allow everyone to have easy access to your valuable possessions in life. Whatever that is valuable to you should be prevented from the reach of those who do not appreciate its value either directly or indirectly.

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THE YOUNG SHALL GROW

‘When a palm-branch reaches its height, it gives way for a fresh one to grow’

Either it likes it or not, it is mandatory for every living palm branch to give way for a fresh one to grow when it reaches its height. You do not need to forcefully cut a palm-branch that is not fully grown because you want a fresh one to grow. At times, when a farmer is very anxious to grow a fresh palm branch, he may be tempted to cut or add some chemical to fasten the growth of the old palm branch; hence, he opens the new branch to the risk of natural death or slow growth.

Our ancestors believe that no one can force or cheat nature. Change comes naturally; if you choose to wait, it will come in due season. It takes patience, perseverance and wisdom to understand the principle of natural timing. A farmer who is not patient enough to understand the principle of natural timing may be at the risk of killing the whole tree.

In life, your palm-branch symbolizes your career path, your profession, your dreams, your goals, ambitions and commitment in life. Once your palm-branch reaches its height, you need to allow fresh ones to grow. No matter how forcefully you try to prevent the people behind you from growing up, there will soon be a natural transformation. Whenever you approach the natural height of your career or ambition in life, nature expects you to start raising other young ones who would thread your path and do greater things that you failed to do. You need not to be selfish about what you have, it is a free gift of nature (remember, it has an expiry date).

Also, it is wrong for a young person who is new in a field to rival with the older ones because he/she wants to grow quickly. A fresh palm-branch can’t grow healthily if the old one has not reached its height. As a young person in any field of your interest, you need to patient, tolerant and wise enough to understand the principle of timing in nature.

Keep doing the right thing at the right time, one day you will grow and you will reach your desirable height. But remember, don’t be selfish, prepare other young people to grow. May your palm-branch never run dry.

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REMOVING THE NUT

‘A mouse that removes the palm-nut that turns out to be the bait of a trap, would already have known that palm nut does not ripen on the ground’

Naturally, palm nuts do not get ripen on the ground, they grow on palm-branches. Whenever any mouse encounters a trap in the farm, it takes only a sensitive or smart mouse to remove the palm nut that is set as the bait of the trap. It is not all mice that can easily understand the technicality behind every trap found in the farm. Some mice are very insensitive to their environment, they desire and dream to eat the best palm nuts but they fail to study and know where and how palm nuts get ripen.

Also in life, our palm nut could represent anything that is very important to us. Your palm nut may be your dream job; it may be your hope of financial breakthrough, your targets, goals, projects, business, your life partner etc. You may not connect your palm nut (your heart desire) if you don’t know anything about it.

You need to dedicate adequate time to learn about the things that are very important to you in life. Study and do extensive research on whatever you choose to do, know it thoroughly and aspire to be the best in it. Remember, you may be a victim if you are not very careful about removing the palm-nut that turns out to be the bait of the trap. May you not be carelessly captured by the trap of life.

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BEWARE OF THE ELEPHANTS!

‘A man who is trampled to death by an elephant is a man who is blind and deaf’

An elephant is not just like any other animal you can easily find in the forest. It is big, massive and terrifying.  Whenever and wherever an elephant walks in the forest, everything falls apart. It is only a man who is blind and deaf that would allow himself to be accidentally trampled to death by an elephant.

Elephants don’t just kill people or trample people to death suddenly, their magnificent status, majestic movement and scary looks while they thread on any path in the forest are enough signals that alert everyone in the forest to keep off.

Also in life, our ancestors believe that there are several things that do not happen to us suddenly. It is only a blind, deaf and insensitive person that would allow himself/herself to die of an ailment which ought to have been prevented. A sick man who ignores the prescription and medical advice of a physician may soon be trampled to death by the sickness when it becomes critical. A student who refuses to prepare and study for an exam may soon get trampled by failure when others are being promoted to the next level.

Whenever you find yourself doing something that could provoke the wrath or anger of the creator; you are expected to be conscious of the existence of an invincible elephant that may soon trample you to death. Whenever we hurt, humiliate or deceive people in life, nature has a special way of alerting us about the consequences that such negative actions bring along; if you choose to be blind and deaf to the alert of nature, you may soon get trampled to death by the force of nature.

So, as from today, be sensitive to nature and carefully consider the consequences of your actions and reactions in life before making any decision. May you not be blind and deaf when your elephant approaches in life.

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GOING WITH YOUR CHARACTER

‘Wherever a man goes to dwell, his character goes with him’

 

No matter how secretive or reserved you are, you can never hide your character from people for a very long time. As long as you are alive on earth, your character remains a perfect representation of your true identity, personality and image in the sight of people and even the creator. Your character determines who you are.

Our ancestors believe that human character is inborn but it may also be built and developed by the society and the people who are very close to us (our parents, our friends, our religious leaders, the elders etc.) So, if a child chooses to exhibit bad character; the society, family and friends around the child may help to discourage the child from being bad. This means that in most cases, the caliber of people who are in a particular society or family determine the caliber of children that are being raised in such society or family.

Your character attracts several things to you. If you possess a negative character, the people around you, your desire, your goals, your ambition, your expectations, your thoughts, your works and your principles in life are likely to exhibit negativity. On the other hand, if a man possesses a positive character, he is likely to be attracted to positivity in terms of people, goals, dreams, thoughts and ideas in life.

As from today, start associating yourself with the people who possess the good character that you have always desired. If you dwell with people of good character, your character becomes better and you will be happy and fulfilled in life. Remember, wherever you choose to dwell in life, your character goes with you.

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NO CULTIVATION, NO HARVEST!

‘Knowledge is like a garden, if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested’

 

Before anyone could think of harvesting any fruits, crops or vegetables, there should have been a proper cultivation or tilling of the ground.  The process of cultivation is usually targeted towards preparing, developing and raising crops for harvest. There is no way a farmer can harvest any crop which was not cultivated.

Our ancestors believe that we can relate the acquisition of knowledge and its application to the way crops are being cultivated and harvested in a garden. We can acquire knowledge by observing, studying, learning and understanding things that we see or experience around us. Every day, every human being is expected to experience and learn something new which really has to add to our knowledge in life. If we fail to learn from our experiences in life, we may not have anything to cultivate or harvest in our garden.

Knowledge is useless if it is not properly applied for the benefit of humanity. The act of cultivation of crops can be related to the practical application of knowledge for human benefit. If you don’t use your knowledge, it means that there will not be any reward for the knowledge you have acquired. There is a very big difference between what you know and what you do.

There are many people in the world today who claim to know several things but are unable to apply their knowledge to solve human problem. Instead of inventing, discovering or producing things that would be useful to the humanity, they keep on learning and knowing several other things that they do not know.

No matter how knowledgeable you are today, people will not appreciate, value or reward you for what you know but for what you choose to do with what you know. No matter what you know today, don’t be deceived, there are many other people who know exactly or almost the same thing that you know. The only difference between you and the other persons who know what you know is your ability to cultivate your knowledge and apply it to solve people’s problems.

Do you want to be known as one of the numerous knowledgeable people in your field of interest or do you want to be among the few achievers who choose to cultivate their knowledge? Remember, you wouldn’t have known what you think you know today or seen what you see around you today (cars, computers, phones, etc.) if everyone only knows how to create them but none could do something about activating the knowledge to reality.

Knowledge is like a garden, if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. May you not die with your knowledge!

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WALKING RESTLESSLY

'Restless feet may walk into a snake pit’

There are many people with restless feet living in the world today. Are you one of them? Please, don’t say no until you finish reading this post. Unfortunately, majority of the people who fall into this category do not usually know they possess restless feet until someone else tells them. After reading today’s post, you are expected to examine yourself whether your feet are restless or not.

Someone is assumed to possess restless feet if the person is not satisfied to be at rest or in peace; unable to be still or unsteady; uneasy or continually moving. People with restless feet are never tired of going to several places within a very short period of time for no special reason. They spend the greater part of their life walking without reaching a fulfilling or comfortable destination. Most people whose feet are restless do not usually know where they are going, they only believe in walking to almost everywhere. Hence, our ancestors believe that people with restless feet may mistakenly walk into trouble (like the snake pit or even a more dangerous place) since they practically walk everywhere with no restrictions.

Also in life, many of us crave and clamor for freedom in whatever we do. We want to be free, we want our kids to be free and we want our race, continent, country or society to be totally free. At times, we may be right to compare a free person to the person with restless feet because he/she has the right to move anywhere. We fight for freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement and freedom from whatever that holds us down but we forget to acknowledge that the only free people are the dead ones. As long as man is still breathing on earth, there is nothing like total or true freedom. Either you like it or not, everyone is a slave to nature. No matter how you struggle to be free from nature, there are some natural controls that are meant to pull you back until you finally accept to die.

A child who believes he/she is free to talk anyhow (without control) to his/her parents or the elders in the society may be actually free (according to the law) to abuse the elders but the child should not forget that the elders are also free to rain potent curses on whoever that crosses their path. A student who thinks he is free to make friends with whomever that he likes (without control) may eventually find himself among criminals and terrorists. The man who thinks he is free to drink as many bottles of beer as possible with his money may end up ruining his life. A young lady who feels she is free to do whatever she wishes to do with her body all in the name of fashion may end up damaging her body. A scholar who chooses to study whatever that exists everywhere he goes may end up getting confused in life. A business man who feels he is free to do any business or invest in any juicy opportunities that come to him may end up in penury. An employee who works restlessly because of certain reward from her employer may soon break down and endanger her health.

Freedom is good but too much of it leads to restlessness. There is a very thin line between a free man and a restless man. As from today, start examining what you do and how you do it. Be careful of whatever you enjoy doing in life; they are common traps to walking restlessly. Remember, freedom don’t always make you a man, your ability to liberally control yourself during some critical moments in your life makes you a man. Be careful, your restless feet may soon lead you into a snake pit. May you never fall in life.

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RAISING A CHILD

‘It takes a whole village to raise a child’

It takes only two people to produce a child but it takes more than two people to raise the child. Once a child is born into the world, many people come to celebrate with the family of the child. From the moment of the celebration, the child is exposed to different faces apart from the face of its mother or other family members.

Then, the child would grow up to learn about the environment and the people in the neighborhood. Later, the child would go to school and meet new friends from different background and with different upbringing. While relating with the new friends, the child may choose to influence the new friends or allow himself/herself to be influenced by them. The teachers and the school management also play a very special role in raising up a child while at school. Then outside the school; the society, the social and electronic media, the government and the religious organizations are also responsible for raising up a child. Whatever a child chooses to learn from any of these mediums while growing up is likely to determine what the child would become in life.

Like the child described above, it takes only the creator to create us but it takes the whole world to raise us (i.e. it takes more than our parents or family members to raise us). So, as long as you are in the world, you can’t run away from being influenced by the world. You can only determine if you want to be influenced positively or negatively as you grow up in life.

There are many distractions in the world today that may distract you from moving farther in life. You need to set some principles for yourself and endeavor to strictly adhere to the principles. If you choose to listen to everybody in life and do everything they ask you to do, you may end up spending the rest of your life in the asylum. Your principles should help you to determine what you accept into your life, who you relate with, where you go, what you do and how you do things in life.

Apart from that, you are expected to know that it takes more than your parents to determine your success in life (though they constitute the major part). Your friends, your colleagues at work, your employees, your employer, your partners, your political leaders, your religious leaders, your landlord, your tenants, your house help, your janitors, your relatives, your neighbors, your critics, your competitors and of course your enemies are all created by nature to raise you in life.

If you fail to start seeing everyone around you as your destiny helper (especially your critics, competitors or enemies) you may never move ahead in life. Don’t run away from your enemies and don’t embrace them but be yourself. At times, your enemies may be your best teacher in life. You are not expected to follow or accept everything that your critics throw at you, you are only meant to learn from them. Remember, it takes a whole village to raise a child.

May you never die in ignorance.

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

‘He who does not know one thing knows another’

It is almost impossible for someone to know everything in life. You may know a bit of many things but it is impossible for someone to know everything about everything in life (except if you are the creator of yourself and everything in life).

Our ancestors believe that a person cannot be called a fool because he/she does not know something. A fool is someone who does not know anything but claims to know everything. It is not compulsory for someone to know everything, but it is necessary for one to know at least one thing and endeavor to know it well.

So, learn how to identify what you know, appreciate it and strife to know it well. Experts, professionals, specialists are not people who know many things; they are ordinary people who choose to study and do one thing, then spend the rest of their life by applying their knowledge( in a particular field) to solve many things.

People who claim to be intelligent or wise because they know many things are usually not very effective in life. They spend the greater part of their life in studying many things and fail to apply their knowledge to life. It is better to know one or few things that would reproduce or transform many things than to know many things that are practically equal to nothing. There are many people in the world today who are so anxious about knowing everything to the extent that they end up knowing nothing.

What do you know?

How knowledgeable are you in it?

How beneficial is your knowledge to humanity?

These three questions should be the major factors that influence your achievements in life. You are not yet an achiever if you fail to answer any of the questions positively.

An African who does not know how to speak good English should not be seen as an idiot or illiterate because it does not take only English language to be a literate. If you choose to study and speak your language, it is advisable that you study it thoroughly and speak it stylishly or eloquently so as to encourage others to learn it. The English that you study, read and speak today had once been seen as an inferior language by several scholars, but the inability of some people to see the language as inferior makes it the global language of today. American English had once been considered as substandard English, but today more people speak and use American English than the Queen’s English.

Whenever people castigate you for what you don’t know, instead of being angry or discouraged, show them what you know and let them respect you for what you know. Remember, he who does not know one thing may be an expert in another.

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THE SUGARCANE'S JOINT

'Sugarcane is sweetest at the joint'

 

Have you ever tasted any bitter sugarcane before? Yes, I mean very bitter. Even if it is spoilt or rotten, it is naturally impossible for any sugarcane to have a bitter taste. The taste of sweetness in sugarcane starts from its name (i.e. the cane that is naturally sugary).

However sweet any sugarcane is, our ancestors believe that its sweetest part is its joint. The body of almost every sugarcane is usually divided into segments which are separated by a joint. Each joint has a very high level of concentration of sugar that encourages one to move to the next segment. So, every joint indicates the end or beginning of another segment of the sugarcane. The natural irony behind sugarcane is that its toughest part (the joint) is usually the toughest, hardest and sweetest part.

Also, the toughest and hardest moments of our life are the most enjoyable and most beneficial to us. The best time to learn how to live a better life and how to move to a greater level of happiness in life is the time that we consider as the toughest or hardest for us. People that have passed through hardship or challenging situations in life are usually considered as the wisest, bravest and greatest people in life because they have decided to learn from each trial, challenge and misfortune they encounter in life.

You may never value the essence of live if you had never been critically sick. You may never appreciate the creator for the provision of money if you had never been poverty stricken. You may never appreciate the value of food if you had never been terribly hungry. Also, you may not understand the depth of friendship or relationship if you had never been isolated by people.

A student may never know that the time of examination is the sweetest part of schooling until he/she graduates from school. We need to learn how to embrace our challenges in life and tackle them severely until we move to the next level. Whatever we go through in life today is like the sugarcane joint that will definitely lead to a greater level. Don’t be afraid, don’t complain and don’t relent, enjoy every bit of your sugarcane in life.

Life is like sugarcane, enjoy the sugar and endure the strokes of the cane!

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EATING AN ELEPHANT

‘The best way to eat an elephant in your path is to cut it up into little pieces’

An elephant is a massively huge animal that is usually found in a big forest. Our ancestors believe that nobody encounters an elephant in the forest and points a finger at it in order to show other people. Whenever an elephant walks on your path in the forest, you don’t need to call other people’s attention, everyone trembles at the sight of its magnificence.

Elephants are not animals that hunters can kill anyhow. It takes the strongest or bravest hunter in the jungle to kill an elephant. So, an elephant’s meat is always scarce in the market. It is also usually very difficult for people to eat elephants just as they eat other animals in the forest. Whosoever wishes to eat an elephant has to spend some time to cut it into little pieces before setting it on fire.

Also in life, some of our dreams, goals, projects, ambitions, expectations, desires or demand from people may be considered as an elephant. Some of us invest our quality time in thinking and dreaming to achieve big things in life. We dream to be the best that no one else can ever imagine, we desire to be the greatest in our field of interest, we expect to do things that many people consider impossible, etc. Fine, it is good to think big, but it is better to start small.

Instead of eating your elephant in whole, it is better to cut it into little pieces. Don’t be too greedy; it is better to enjoy every bit of what you eat than to swallow a big chunk and latter vomit it. People who usually take the risk of starting greatly are always at the risk of falling greatly. At times, it is always good to learn from each step we take while threading a path than ignoring the steps by flying to the destination.

The best way to start a big business, a long lasting relationship, a great career or an intensive project is to cut it into little pieces, then start working on it little by little. There is always a special lesson for you to learn at each stage of your involvement in life, take time to learn and ensure that you are promoted to the next stage (don’t foolishly promote yourself, the promotion comes naturally). Once you skip a stage in life, nature has a special way of conducting another examination for you, until you pass each stage, you may never move to your next level of achievement. May you never be too anxious to miss your targets in life!

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ARE YOU GOOD OR BAD?

‘You cannot know the good within yourself if you cannot see it in others’

Our ancestors believe that a good person is the person who usually sees the good things in others or someone who often says good things about other people. A good man is not the man who never sees or ignores the mistakes or bad characters of other people; instead, he focuses on appreciating the good qualities in others and correcting their mistakes or shortcomings through his lifestyle. A good man should not be mistaken for a man who deceives others or someone who often flatters other people.

It is very easy for a good person to attract other good persons to himself/herself. So, it may be wrong for a good person to assume or conclude that he/she is always surrounded by bad people. It is only bad people who usually see bad things in others. This explains why people who kill other people are always afraid of being killed by anybody; people who are not trustworthy do not always trust other people, people who are dubious are usually the smartest because they do not want to fall into other people’s trap.

There are a lot of good people around us that we do not usually appreciate in our society today. Take your time to be nice to the people you see around you and you would be surprised to see the good qualities they possess. The hoodlums in your neighborhood, the idiots, the gangsters, your driver, your house help, the bus conductor and the hopeless people that you see around you today may be your greatest savior in the time of need. Remember, the people who you often castigate and ignore today because they are bad may never consider you as a good person whenever you need their attention tomorrow.

We do not become a good person overnight, it starts from the way we appreciate our creator, our parents, our loved ones, our superiors, our followers, our competitors and of course the strangers in our neighborhood. You cannot know the good within yourself if you cannot see it in others. Life is more enjoyable when we learn how to appreciate the good qualities that are exhibited by other people.

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EATING A CANE RAT

‘It is within the confines of one’s home that one eats a cane rat with tumor’ (Yoruba)

Cane rat, also known as grass cutter, or cutting grass, is a type of rodent found throughout Africa. Cane rats are eaten in some African countries and are pest species on many crops. They range in body length from 35 to 60 centimeters. They are heavily-built rodents, with bristly brown fur speckled with yellow or grey. Cane rats are widely distributed and farmers expend substantial energy fencing the rodents out of their fields, but they are also valued as a source of bush meat in West and Central Africa.

Our ancestors believe that a cane rat with tumor is a special kind of rat with deformity. Cane rats with tumors are assumed to be abnormal or rare in the bush. However delicious a roasted or cooked cane rat (with tumor) could taste, it is advisable that one should not eat it in the open. People who choose to eat cane rats with tumor do not tell or show it to other people. Anyone who eats a cane rat with tumor in the public does not only expose his/her foolishness to the people in the neighborhood, it is usually considered as a great taboo in the sight of our ancestors.

Also in life, there are some things that are not meant to be shared or done in the public. There are many words, criticisms, opinions and ideas against the people who are very close to us that shouldn’t be exposed to the public. In several cases, most of us present our points to many other people and justify ourselves against the personality of our closest friends, colleagues, business partners or spouse, based on some selfish and biased reasons. The painful thing about exposing the weaknesses and foolishness of the people that are closer to us (our parents, spouse, closest friends, role models, colleagues at work or business partners) in the open is that we are indirectly exposing our foolishness and stupidity to the world.

There are usually better ways to settle grudges, disagreements, disputes or even war between two intimate entities. It is natural for people to misunderstand one another in some cases in life. We need to understand and learn how to tolerate with each other’s differences. At times, it is better to rebuke, criticize, correct and condemn people that are closer to us in the confines of our room than publicizing it. So, whenever you think of disgracing, challenging, or mocking people that are special to you in public, always remember that it is within the confines of one’s home that one eats a cane rat with tumor. May you always attract blessings and not curses to yourself as a result of your actions or reactions in life.

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LIFT YOUR ARMS

‘It is the child that lifts up its arms who asks to be picked up’ (Yoruba)

Before many children start talking, there are various ways that most of them could use to communicate with their parents; one of these ways is the act of lifting up their arms. When a child lifts up its arms before its mother or the elders, it automatically suggests that the child needs to be lifted. This means that if a child refuses to lift up its arms, there are no other means that his/her parents could use to determine what the child exactly needs.

However, when a child cries, it passes several signals to the child’s parents or to the elders around. Most parents could conclude that the child is hungry, irritated, in pains or frightened. The kind of attention that a child commands by crying is totally different from the one that the child gets when it directly lifts up its arms.

Also in life, like the little children, most of us prefer to cry and murmur instead of lifting up our hands. We believe we can attract people’s attention by shouting and crying instead of lifting up our arms. Hence we receive several other things from the people who are attracted to us as a result of our shout and cry, but they refuse to lift us up.

The act of lifting up one’s arms can be related to your personal contribution to your success in life. Wonders don’t just happen in life, it takes your personal effort and willingness to experience the unimaginable before you could achieve some great things in life. Don’t just sit helplessly or stand hopelessly anywhere, hoping that someday change will come. Don’t be deceived, change doesn't come to anybody anyhow, you need to step forward and lift your arms in order to pull the change that you want in your life.

When you are lifted in life, most of your problems are solved. A child that is lifted can never complain of hunger because the child is assumed to be closer to its mother’s breast than just being on the ground. Apart from hunger, it is easier for a mother to understand and observe a child that she carries than some children who walk helplessly on the ground.

Whenever you face too many problems in life, whenever you are afraid of moving forward in life, whenever you are hopeless, whenever you feel that you do not get enough care and respect from the people you find around you, whenever you are sick, whenever you are hungry, whenever you need to step to a greater level in your life, whenever you need to be ahead of your colleagues in life and whenever you want to be favored by nature, it is not the best time for you to complain, murmur, shout or cry. Instead of crying, it is better for you to act maturely by lifting your arms in order to be lifted.

At times, many people prefer to advertise their problems to other people instead of searching for solutions. If you do not understand what you need exactly, many people who want to help you may never be willing to assist you. You need to be precise about what you want from life and how you want your problems to be solved before other people can be assigned by nature to lift you up.

So, as from today, always endeavor to lift your arms when you are in trouble, don’t just cry or complain about your situation. May you be lifted above your troubles in life.

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HOW DO YOU WALK?

‘The crab says that when you see it walking clumsily, it does not mean that it has lost its way’

Most crabs usually walk sideways; this is the behavior which gives us the word crabwise. It is simply because of the articulation of their legs which makes a sidelong gait more efficient. In most cases, people always find it difficult to study the steps and movements of crabs. One cannot easily determine where crabs are going to, from the way they move. It takes only a smart observer to examine, monitor and understand the clumsy movement of crabs.

There are many people who behave like crabs in life today. Most of them are not very easy to understand by other people. At times, they pretend as if they do not know where they are going and they lead many people astray in life. Most of these people who behave like the crabs are usually our leaders in the society, organizations and some religious sects. Many people who follow them do not know where exactly they are heading to because the behavior, actions and reactions of the leaders are not predictive. These special set of people are the only ones who know where exactly they are going, those who choose to follow them are just blindly following them. It takes only a smart, intelligent and sensitive follower to examine, monitor and understand the clumsy movements of these leaders.

So, don’t judge your leaders, elders, rulers or boss because you do not understand some of their actions or reactions towards certain situations. Before you judge, take time to re-examine the situations from different perspectives and put yourself in their shoes. At times, most of the things we criticize people about are usually hidden somewhere in our life. These hidden characters may not be exposed until we attain certain positions in life.

Whenever you encounter difficult, complex and clumsily walking people in your life, always remember that when a crab walks clumsily, it does not mean that it has lost its way. Take time to study people objectively before you say anything good or bad about them. Be careful of what you say to people; someday, somehow they may come jumping at you.

If you still feel that your leaders, elders, rulers or boss do not know the way after you have closely examined, monitored and understood their movements, it is better for you to show them the way by your actions (not by your criticism or derogatory statements against them) and good works. At times, the best leaders in life are not the ones who wear the leadership title; they are those who choose to lead by following. May you walk and never miss your way!

Don't start your day without a word from the ancestors...remember, a word is enough for the wise. Sign up with us for a daily feed. Follow @our_ancestors on twitter or email: wordsofourancestors@gmail.com. May your days be plenty!