THE BUCK STOPS HERE!

It was the American President S. Truman who popularised the saying above as he kept a sign with that phrase on his  desk during his tenure in the Oval Office. It is also the motto of the U.S. Naval Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).(Wikipedia). The phrase speaks to the fact that the President has to take decisions and take responsibility which he will not pass on to others.

Therefore today I say that the buck of stupid fantastic stories, unedifying videos and audios, writings that set one faith against another, one section of my country against another stops on reaching my phone, laptop or any other device in my use. I “cast, bind and decree into nothingness” all such posts!  And now follows my presidential order and action: DELETE them immediately. I will not pass the buck on to others.

Permit me to  conclude this essay with the words of Paul, not Paul McCartney but Paul the Apostle  who in his epistle to the Philippians was quoted as follows: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Philippians 4:8. By extension, these are also the kinds of things we should share with our friends and loved ones.

GETTING EVEN

Let those who “get even” by hurting those who have wronged them think again because they are only sowing fresh seeds of unpleasant fruit which will soon ripen for them to taste. They will have to eat and drink to the dregs the revenge concoction they have served on others in the name of getting even! It is not in our place to judge and execute our sentences on others as only the Laws of the Almighty work out reward or punishment for human spirits and repays each one with the most incorruptible, severe and  adamantine Justice! Have we not been told that: vengeance is Mine?

Another reward for refusing to forgive those who have offended us is that we will remain chained to them by earthly invisible chains! How about that? Remain unrelenting if you feel that such enslavement is worth it.

Let us therefore forgive others but not forget to protect ourselves from future hurt. We need to guard against a “next time”. We can take a cue from one very notable and revered personality who on May 13, 1981 was shot in public four times at close range. He later forgave the aggressor in prison and asked that he be pardoned by the state. After this incident however, he did not forget to get a more secure mobile car that allowed him to stay close to the people and at the same time provide a higher level of security and safety.

SARCASM

Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines sarcasm as a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.

Why would anyone wish to indulge in this?

It could well be that there is an urgent need for us to understand that the human word has more significance than we presently think, given our superficiality in rather serious matters. Just like our thoughts, our words too shape our surroundings. Indeed, the words are with us, are from inside of us and we are the words we use! Does that not sound familiar?

Words can give joy and they can give pain; they can build up and can destroy; they can surround us with beauty if they are simple and true but they can cover us with ugliness if they are superficial, false, and full of sarcasm or hatred. We are however meant to work beneficially with the language.

May we henceforth pay more attention to how and when we use the special grace of being permitted to form words. Certainly this gift of being able to use the language comes with the obligation to use it such that joy, beauty and peace will reign wherever we are!  

THOUGHT FOR TODAY July 19, 2017

"Do not spread false reports…” -- Exodus 23:1 New International Version

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” --Mathew 5:37 English Standard Version

“Heed your word! Do not talk merely for the sake of talking. And speak only when, where and how it is necessary!”—“In The Light of Truth”, The Grail Message

Let us think of these lofty concepts today and always.

OSINBAJO.

Many are the pronunciations of the name of the Ag. President of Nigeria that comes one's way. Some even call him OsinbaNjo. No, his name is OSINBAJO and there is only one letter N not two. You will remember this when you understand the meaning of the name. It goes like this:

Osin means king;
Bo means arrive and
Ajo means a long journey.

So, the name Osinbajo is a short form of a full sentence: "Osin bo lati irin ajo" and it means: the king has arrived from a long journey.

Now, this is simply a literal interpretation and yet speaks volumes! The name might still have a much deeper meaning!

"AS COPIED" will not help you!

You wish to broadcast but wish to avoid the attendant responsibility so you add: As copied, forwarded as copied, as received, copied etc. All these disclaimers does not absolve any person who spreads posts on social media or other media that eventually proves to be false. Same goes for hate speeches especially on religion and politics and even those on health. Laughable yet dangerous. Come and see several quack doctors on whats-app! You become or remain a bearer of LIES with all these rubbish news. Do you not know that by this carelessness you can plunge your fellow men into misery and ruin? There is no place for you to hide because you are NOT under any compulsion to spread a post that you have not or are not able to verify. Let us delete such garbage as soon as they land on our devices. Half a word...

SARAKI

Could this be a variation of the word “Sarki” in Hausa? In Hausa language Sarki translates to: emir, king or chief. A Sarki can also be a Prince of a particular area. The term is generally linked with royalty. In the same vein, the Yoruba have the word “Seriki” which means: a chieftain. 

In my experiencing, I have come to know that the Yoruba people use the word “saraki” as a description of a person of worth!

A person is described as saraki by the Yoruba when he is considered to be: noble, eminent, important, urbane, civilized, of high integrity and a person within the society worthy of emulation. A person of good report.

Now, come to think of it: are you a SARAKI?