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| The GDA with Members of Society for Enlightenment of Youth on Dangers Abroad (SEYONDA) |
Every single
day of our lives we are faced with an immense number of choices. And each and
every one of them usually boils to a simple choice between being on the side of
the angels or the beasts. Which are you going to pick? Or did you not even
realize what was going on? Let me explain. Every action we make has an effect
on our family, people around us, society, the world in general. And that effect
can be positive or detrimental—it’s usually our choice. And sometimes, it is a difficult choice. We get torn between what we want and what is good for others;
personal satisfaction or magnanimity.
day of our lives we are faced with an immense number of choices. And each and
every one of them usually boils to a simple choice between being on the side of
the angels or the beasts. Which are you going to pick? Or did you not even
realize what was going on? Let me explain. Every action we make has an effect
on our family, people around us, society, the world in general. And that effect
can be positive or detrimental—it’s usually our choice. And sometimes, it is a difficult choice. We get torn between what we want and what is good for others;
personal satisfaction or magnanimity.
Look, no one
said this was going to be easy. And making the decision to be on the side of the
angels is often a tough call. But if we want to succeed in this life—and I measure
success by how close we get to generating that self satisfactory/happiness/contentment—then
we have to consciously do this; this can be what we dedicate our lives to—angels
and not beasts.
said this was going to be easy. And making the decision to be on the side of the
angels is often a tough call. But if we want to succeed in this life—and I measure
success by how close we get to generating that self satisfactory/happiness/contentment—then
we have to consciously do this; this can be what we dedicate our lives to—angels
and not beasts.
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| The GDA with Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi and Dr. Gbenga Olunloyo aka Kappor |
If you want
to know if you have already made the choice, just do a quick check of how you
feel and how you react if someone cuts in front of you in a line of traffic in
the rush hour. Or when you are in a big hurry and someone stops to ask you for directions. Or if you have
teenage children and one of them gets into trouble with the police. Or when you
lend a friend money and they fail to pay it back. Or if your boss calls you a
fool in front of rest of your colleagues. Or your neighbors’ trees starts to
encroach on your property. Or you hit your thumb with the hammer. Or, or, or.
As I said, it is a choice we have to make every day, lots of times. And it has
to become a conscious choice to be effective.
to know if you have already made the choice, just do a quick check of how you
feel and how you react if someone cuts in front of you in a line of traffic in
the rush hour. Or when you are in a big hurry and someone stops to ask you for directions. Or if you have
teenage children and one of them gets into trouble with the police. Or when you
lend a friend money and they fail to pay it back. Or if your boss calls you a
fool in front of rest of your colleagues. Or your neighbors’ trees starts to
encroach on your property. Or you hit your thumb with the hammer. Or, or, or.
As I said, it is a choice we have to make every day, lots of times. And it has
to become a conscious choice to be effective.
Now, the
problem is no one is going to tell you exactly what constitutes an angel or a
beast. Here, you are going to have to set what constitutes your own parameters.
But common, it can’t be that difficult. I think an awful lot of it is
self-evident. Does it hurt or hinder? Are you part of the problem or solution? Will
things get better or worse if you do certain things? You have to make this
choice for yourself alone.
problem is no one is going to tell you exactly what constitutes an angel or a
beast. Here, you are going to have to set what constitutes your own parameters.
But common, it can’t be that difficult. I think an awful lot of it is
self-evident. Does it hurt or hinder? Are you part of the problem or solution? Will
things get better or worse if you do certain things? You have to make this
choice for yourself alone.
It is your
interpretation of what is an angel or beast that counts. There is no point in
telling anyone else that they are on the side of the beasts, as they may have a
totally different definition. What other people do is their choice and they
wont thank you for telling them otherwise. You can of course watch, as an
impassive, objective observer and think for yourself: ‘I wouldn’t have done it like that’. Or ‘I think they just chose to
be an angel’. Or even, ‘Gosh, how
beastly’. But you don’t have to say anything.
interpretation of what is an angel or beast that counts. There is no point in
telling anyone else that they are on the side of the beasts, as they may have a
totally different definition. What other people do is their choice and they
wont thank you for telling them otherwise. You can of course watch, as an
impassive, objective observer and think for yourself: ‘I wouldn’t have done it like that’. Or ‘I think they just chose to
be an angel’. Or even, ‘Gosh, how
beastly’. But you don’t have to say anything.
(Excerpts from the Book: The Rules of Life by Richard Templar. Read Rule 10 in our next post on Asabeafrika)
