What a topic! If you had wanted to tune off and not click, I understand. I have also weighed it in my mind whether it would be wise to just adopt a more reader-friendly topic. I took the risk. It is not a topic that would attract many; instead it would alarm many. But if alarm is so bad, we would not need it to wake us from slumber, or to alert us of danger. So why should I seek to alarm people?
I have stated from the outset what I set out to achieve with this blog; key among which is to motivate every reader. And this has become a common selling point for most speakers and writers of our time. So what is unique about mine? I will tell you right away; my overriding goal is to impact and not to impress. For too long a time, egos that should be tempered are being pampered. Speakers and writers are feeding fat by telling people what they want to hear, not what will help in the long run. We have been used to all kinds of motivational clichés. It was good at the time; the people of God had been terribly demotivated and deflated that they needed to hear all that sweet talk; ‘there is a deposit inside of you, you are a miracle going somewhere to happen, you are a god…’.
I love to hear those words myself, everyone does. As a writer, I know that is what sells. We must continue to motivate and be motivated, but I am worried about what is being generated. I know the Scriptures say we are special people. We must be special for God to love us so much; we must also be horrible that He sent His beloved Son to die for us. Don’t be too fast to say ‘I am born again now…’. If you are, the monster is even more real, except you deny.
What is it in you and I that our parents worked overtime to curtail? What is it that the society set extensive rules and regulations to curb? What is it that government establishes complex institutions to control? All the religious beliefs appear to appreciate that something in man must be tamed, or else… If we would be honest, we know that even the most religious and revered among us fall short of simplest of standards. We know that even the most talented among us do base things. We know that even our most respected leaders foil it. We know what even we are capable of. You see, if Satan is revealed to man, there won’t be much surprise because he will not be unfamiliar. In generic terms, Satan is called ‘devil’ and that is just a collapse of the two words ‘do-evil’. Oh when the Scriptures say "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Peter 5:8), you thought it entirely refers to an entity external to you? Every one that does evil is a small devil. And believe it, there is a resident evil in every human. If you feed it, it will grow.
Before we look into the Scriptures fully, let us look around. Let us have a quick look around and survey the present state of our general Character Development, in spite of the many motivational speeches and writings of this generation.
Leaders who lack depth. If you go so high without having gone so deep, you are a disaster (and not a miracle) waiting to happen. In fact, you are suicide bomber going somewhere to explode. One of the lessons I first learned in Social Studies was 'Qualities of a Good Leader'. Today I know too many qualities of a bad leader without going to school for it. Value-based politics is non-existent. Principles have given way to promises, yet our elections are full of jingle. At almost every level of human groupings, exemplary leadership is extinct. Opportunists are on the prowl, and some who could do it have been intimidated into oblivion. Have you noticed the death of vibrant student unionism in my country? You say how are all these caused by faulty motivational doctrines?
Charisma without character. Too much flavour, nothing to savour. Uncooked, undone. Too much cloud without rain. Colour without texture. The cosmetics supercede the authentic. There is so much talk and little or no action. They look like they can do it until you allow them. The smallest integrity test becomes their albatross. It has been said that 'charisma will take you to the top, but Character will keep you there'. Maybe we should allow Character take us there in the first place. Maybe we should revisit many of our internalised 'wise sayings'.
We are seeing desperate moves to fulfill destiny. No where else is the teaching of fulfilling destiny more ubiquitous than in the church. And it is a powerful topic for motivation. Focus is on discovering life purposes, and there is a scramble on the discovery field. They discover it and then smash it. Life is now seven steps to somewhere, then take a dive to nowhere. So everyone is in a rush, worse than a ratrace. Get rich quick, hit it big Syndrome is everywhere. Mega has given way to Maga and the everyone nods away like agama. What has these motivational speeches led us into? Why am I blaming it on the speakers? Human being will always be who they are. Yes, that is the point.
Nothing much to stand for, so much more to fall for. The monsters in men are on a spree. They are feeding fat and gaining speed. The earth is one big zoo at the moment. Why? Every enterprise seems to be targeting our human appeal, and that is actually feeding the monsters. Whatever you sell and it feeds the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, that thing will sell like salt.
So why am I raising so much dust? Scandals did not start with Tiger Woods, and so many have come after his. I am worried because if you get to get to a pond of stagnant water and drink from it, you have yourself to blame. But if you open your supposed purified water tank and drink, should you worry? Our templates of motivation should be entrenched in truth, cause truth sets free.
In subsequent series, we shall expose the monster in every man. Until then, tame yours; while I do mine.
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