What is happiness?

Happiness is a condition of the soul. Happiness is what is felt within. It cannot be measured by the earthly senses as such. Our earthly senses (the intellect) wants to dimension everything but who can measure the size, weight or height of happiness? The Yoruba will say that "deep joy has a very tiny body" out of a sensing that our outward senses cannot actually grasp true happiness. It can only be inwardly sensed. At best, the intellect can be self-satisfied, but never really happy. Happiness therefore, depends on the condition of the spirit. A spirit which is unburdened and unconstrained in this Creation will be happy. It is automatic. As long as it knows and adheres to all the Laws of God, happiness comes to it as a reward. He is content. Happiness actually is contentment; spiritual contentment. It means contentment with the present, enjoying and experiencing each moment in all its ramifications, taking in all its blessings and benefits, lessons and maturing thereby. This has nothing to do with earthly position and wealth. Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness and there are many materially poor people who are perfectly happy, perfectly content. True happiness also comes hand in hand with a deep inner feeling of being protected by the Almighty and having confidence in the Will of God. In one sentence, happiness is when we live in complete harmony with the Will of God, receiving and using the powers of Creation aright which lets us intuitively experience peace, contentment and bliss unceasingly! Standing in prayer of thanksgiving in perpetuity!

The three wise men

Yes, the Star of Bethlehem led three kings to the stable! They saw the Child Jesus, gave precious gifts and departed, carefully avoiding the evil minded Herod.

Scripture did not provide their names nor their number. However, some traditions regard them as saints and say they are three namely: Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar. As regards where they came from, Encyclopedia Britannica states: "according to Western church tradition, Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India." 

Let us consider: what was the whole point of the kings traversing field and fountain, moor and mountain following the star? Was it all about presenting gifts and nothing else? Suppose one of them offered to take the Child away to his kingdom for safety given the warning in a dream about the danger posed by Herod. Suppose the kings came back regularly to check on Jesus. Suppose they later became the servants of the Lord of Lords. Suppose through their faithful service, the peoples of the three kingdoms were able to hear the Redeeming Word of Jesus direct from Him. Suppose the Message of Christ was embraced in the three kingdoms. Imagine the effect if Christ’s Message had come direct from Him 2000 years ago to the countries known today as Iran, Saudi Arabia and India!

The three kings were indeed led faithfully and brought face to face with the reason for which they were born unto the face of the earth: to serve the new born King and prepare His path with their wealth and power so that no harm might befall Him in the fulfillment of His Mission. Their failure in this regard actually changed the course of mankind’s history in the spiritual sense!

Let us therefore realise that it is our sacred duty to investigate why we are living on earth. We also should look inwards; consider our abilities and assess our circumstances carefully.  Soon we will gradually come to recognise our own purpose which will lead us to fulfillment if we are ardent in our seeking. We will then be doing the wise thing unlike the famous three who received enlightenment enabling them to find the Lord Jesus but failed to fully recognise their sublime call.

What is in a name?

In reporting the year 2016, a firm of some of my learned friends said they are grateful that despite the challenges of the year, they have reached the 2016 finish line, smiling as Usain Bolt. I quickly checked on the name Usain Bolt and was amazed that the young man is regarded as the fastest human ever timed. Wikipedia says he is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records and due to his unprecedented dominance and achievements in the athletic field, he is widely considered the greatest sprinter of all time.

Interestingly, the young man’s surname says it all. BOLT. A quick check on one dictionary reveals that -- to bolt is to run as quickly as you can.

Have you heard of anyone named Abraham or Ibrahim? The name means father of nations. Someone who bore this name in ancient times really fulfilled, whilst many have not lived up to the expectation implied by this name despite the great opportunities afforded them!

How about Trump? Trump as a name has an old history of referring to trumpeters or makers of trumpets. In ordinary use however, to trump is to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way. In the card game bridge, the trump card is the most powerful card in a particular round and defeats all the others.  Originally trump implied a deceptive form of victory involving cheating, but that sense has been largely lost, though it's still around in the term trumped up, meaning something that's been falsely made up. For example, a politician may face trumped up charges that could ruin his career.

I can go on. But what I wish to say is that the name we bear is not just a coincidence. We are what our name says! No wonder some who have been deeply moved have had to change their names and thereby often change their lives!

Let us therefore pay closer attention to our names, first names and surnames inclusive. They hold the key to a deeper understanding of ourselves. Our names can guide, admonish and ultimately help us as we strive to fulfill the very purpose of our present lives on earth! 

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

Some have defined Freedom as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, and the absence of a despotic government.

While the above definition covers the outward, there is yet another freedom, the real one, the inner freedom. This is important because one may have the outward freedom to act, speak and think as one wants and not be in prison; but if one is inwardly bound he is really a slave. He will remain a slave even if he were an Emperor!

So what freedom are we talking about here? It is the freedom that comes with living in accordance with the Will of God. Sounds simple. Before you can live in accordance with this Will you first have to know it. It is important because only the person who knows the Will of the Almighty and acts accordingly is really free. All others will entangle themselves with thousands of threads arising from their negligence in this regard.

One of the Laws of God is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Just as in Nature we see that a seed of maize gives a harvest of a multiplicity of maize, so it is that our words, thoughts and deeds are seeds that give rise to a multiplicity of the types we sow. Slander can only produce slander, hate only hate, and murder only murder. But dignity, peace, light and joy can in turn only arise from a dignified way of thinking, never otherwise.

Let those who think that by “getting even” by hurting those who have wronged them think again because they are only sowing fresh seeds that will lead to a continuation of what they think they are preventing. They will also be chained to the people they have refused to forgive!

Our freedom, happiness and welfare lies only in working in consonance with the Will of the Creator of all!

WORKING WITH THE LANGUAGE

Do you know that we human beings are meant to work with, and also work through the language?

I am sure you have felt the effect of the speech of others on yourself. But indeed that is not the only effect of the human word. The human word is like a seed which we sow each time we speak. They germinate and grow to form a garden around us, either beautiful or ugly depending on the nature of the kinds of words sown. Some of us cannot drive for more than two minutes before raining curses on other road users. We cannot converse with friends, family or colleagues without abusive words (even if we claim or deceive ourselves that they are used in jest only). I have heard some who boast openly that they can say words to others that will make them angry enough to jump into the Lagoon!

From what we observe in our world today, definitely majority of us have sown poison through the word and the harvest is now with us to taste. Not really palatable…

But we have never been left without guidance in these matters. If only we follow our deep inner feelings we will engage in only up-building conversation. Don’t we feel heavy after having a session of gossip and backbiting no matter how much we enjoyed the pointless conference? That tells us that empty chatter is of little benefit to us. Many also have the Name of the Almighty on their lips at every drop of the hat, swearing by It and calling on the Holy Name to bear witness/confirm their statements in the most trivial matters. Really audacious and careless if you think of it!

Therefore, we will be wise to advise ourselves that the ability to speak is a great gift from our Maker that comes with a great responsibility that it be used aright. It was given to us in love so we can work with and through it to attain our required maturity, for peace and progress and to achieve all that is good. We therefore need to heed our word, pay attention to our speech and speak only when, where and how it is necessary! Let’s never forget the great admonition given to mankind two thousand years ago: Let your communication be yea or nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil! In all simplicity this is the same as saying that we should keep our conversation simple and true!

The Law of Attraction

The Law of attraction works such that all that is similar will be attracted to each other. Sayings like “birds of a feather flock together”, and “like father like son” seem to reflect the workings of this Law.

For the human spirit, there is an inherent ability to attract things just as a magnet will attract metals. This Law of Nature ensures that man will not attract all sorts of things to itself in a wild confusion. The effect of this Law ensures order. Therefore only what is similar to the nature of the human spirit is attracted to it.

In this, our thoughts, words, actions and even our aspirations play a very important part. So a person who lives in a particular state of mind will attract a similar reality to himself. For example a person who lives in perpetual fear of attack by enemies seen and unseen will eventually be harassed and in some cases lead to depression and serious mental illness!

One can on the other hand cooperate with the workings of this Law. For example, if you are a new business owner just starting out in your business  and you desire that only those who are punctual and honest are those you require in that business- you start off by being punctual yourself. Pay yourself a salary and do not take company money anyhow. You will find that only those who have the same work style like you will be attracted to join you in the business. If you wish for a good spouse (wife/husband) you start out by becoming a better human being first and only a person that complements you will be attracted to you.

On a lighter note I tell my friends that if they want a quick experiment of this Law, all they need do is to invite about 40 people to a party. After a while during the party, they will find that people will seat in a way that suggests a common interest. People who work in the same place will move close to each other, those who enjoy talking about football will come together, the beer drinkers and smokers will form separate circles! You can also change an undesired circumstance. For instance where a man decides that he is tired of being a drunkard, he can start by forsaking the company of his drunkard friends, make new friends with those who find better ways to relax. His lifestyle will change gradually in accordance with the measure of his inner change.

A close look at our surroundings shows the operation of this law. And that is why this saying is true: show me your friends and I will tell you who you are! 

Naomi

I requested for a cab using the uber app this afternoon and pronto, a cabbie was said to be on the way. The driver's name was given as Naomi. The first Nigerian lady cabbie on Uber in my reckoning. She arrived on time and the trip started. We got talking and I expressed the view that since the Uber app is technology driven there will not be a question of competing with her male counterparts as the app would simply give the cab requests to the driver nearest to the requester. The young lady then informed me that most requesters cancel their trips the moment they are advised of her gender! She usually experiences as much as six cancellations in a row! Most people she says are not convinced that a lady will be able to drive them safely to their destinations! Really! Naomi then admitted that if she was a requester, she too would have some hangups about going with a lady cabbie! Amazing! Could this be discrimination against women, by men and also by women? Or is this a deep sensing by the human beings that there are some roles that are not suitable for the grace and nobility of womanhood?