Great people think and live beyond themselves. Make life easy for people who will come after you. Make investments for your grandchildren; buy immovable properties for them if your funds permit. Do not just buy cars, invest in property that appreciate in value. For some weird reasons people define success in terms of cars they drive. Think and look beyond yourself. Do not just think in terms of yourself, think about generations to come. Do not just live for today. This article focuses on family as the examples for leadership as we approach the 2023 general elections.
Give value to the generations to come. Leave the world a better place than you found it. Make your family better than you found it. All that you are doing now, someone will have to pay for it. It might not be you, but someone will have to pay for it. There are certain people right now who are paying for debts which were incurred by their spouses who are deceased. Children have to face the indiscretions of their parents. Our beloved country Nigeria as a parent with more than two hundred million people is not a good example of a visionary and fantastic parenting.
“SOMEONE is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” (Warren Buffett). Generations to come will not be able to meet you but will be able to connect with your legacy. Everyone is to at least affect up to the 3rd generations and beyond. Proverbs 13:22 says a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children. The inheritance can be tangible or intangible or both which must make life easier for generations to come. Unfortunately, we have not come to terms with the consequences of profligacy, squandering of riches and plundering of resources. What legacy are we planning to leave behind.?
U.S.A president Donald Trump says: he is a billionaire as a result of the foundation his grandfather Friedrich Trump built which is father Fred Trump inherited to influence his life with. A lot has been written about the Trump family. A writer named Glenda Blair spent 12 years on her thorough history, The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire. Donald Trump inherited more than just cash from immigrant grandfather, as some of NYC’s wealthiest families’ wills are revealed. His paternal granddad — who came to America at 16 with little more than a name he later changed — lived a true rags-to-riches life, leaving his widow and three kids a modest fortune when he died, new records show. This is a very good example for NATION-BUILDING.
Similarly, values are the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong, and how to act in various situations: Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person, organization or nation. These guiding principles dictate behavior and can help people understand the difference between right and wrong. Core values also help Nations to determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their goals by creating an unwavering guide. There are many examples of core values in the world, depending upon the context. As we approach the 2023 general elections, we need to emphasize value reorientation.
Furthermore, the desire for a transformational leader who can navigate us through the storm back to the promised land, should supercedes issues of ethnicity or religious sentiments; it should be more about a personality transcending the narrow limits of sentiments, emotion and religiousity – a barrier breaker with sound mind and unbreakable spirit. This is the qualities of leadership and the team members that are expected to emerge from the upcoming election circle. Therefore, the upcoming campaigns should be that of serious engagements and issue based campaigns, not sentiments of religion or ethnic Jingoism.
On the other hand, our vibrant citizens and stakeholders needs to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to move from consumerism to productivity as well as personal development. Put simply, personal development refers to any activity you do to improve yourself, in areas that apply to your brain and mind. Personal development or self improvement consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential, build human capital. Personal development is a lifelong process that involves expanding one’s knowledge and improving personal skills. It allows people to assess their skills.
Finally permit me to conclude this article which seeks to encourage Nigerians to do more of introspection and honest appraisal. No nation built on deceit, dishonesty, fraud and flamboyance, will advance technologically and economically. Hence the necessity for Mind Restructuring advocacy. That is the way to go. Let us rebuild our beloved country Nigeria.
#SayNoToReligiousIntolerance
Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI
