“ 1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 King James Version (KJV)
True to the constance of change in the covenant of day and night, nothing last forever. Yes, what has beginning must have an end including every false assumption and false importance associated with the dirty politics of deception, distraction and vindictive primitive inclination!
And today, it’s the end of an era, opening up an entirely new vista the perception, use and value of which also remains subject to time – and at the appointed time, posterity will take its cause.
The end of every political era ends the euphoria associated with paraphernalia of office – and this comes with lots of mixed feelings. At such time, those who played God in office would realize that they are indeed worse than scraggy mad dogs outside office, running for cover even with their shadows in front.
Life outside office can be tough and very traumatic especially to those who abused office and made more enemies therefrom than friends. Anyone who made selfless service a creed would have nothing to fear or worry about but this is not the case with devil incarnates in human forms that unfortunately found themselves within the corridors of power. Since whirlwind is the harvest for sowing wind, an effigy of evil in office would be tormented with endless memories and memorials of monsters outside office.
The real worth of a man is made known with the possession and dispensation of power. Yes, power has a way of showing our true characters. Ill gotten power brings out the beast in us. And surrounded by minions and sharp smooth manipulators, the beast can transform into a monster but in cage. This is what we have witnessed of recent in a forced handshake by a leper with amputated hands who thought an embrace is a right and wanted it at all cost. The atmosphere was polluted and everything got contaminated. Those who were not infected were somehow affected because it’s a vicious circle. Worse than the mad bull in a China workshop, the psychopath caused more harm than good, destroying the foundation of unity and tearing the fabrics of togetherness. At alarming rate, caution was thrown to the dogs; reason was sedated that civility gave way for administrative recklessness such that every meeting had crabologicagendum what with the epidemic Pull Him Down (PHD) syndrome by they that are on ground, sinking deeper into bottomless pit, but failed to realize their true state!
Like the Marching Clock where “all motion no movement” reigns supreme, a mere distortion puts everything to a halt. The end of a phase begins yet another but the memory thereof might not be wished away easily even with the best act of repentance and celestial jargons. Cases abound where one’s made to account for his actions and inactions in office – and some of them are not funny not especially when the predator becomes the prey! Before the ultimate price, in line with the law of sowing and reaping, the enemies you made in office will give you enough dose of enmity; those you maligned will continue to malign you; those you witch hunted will continue to witch hunt you… For every evil committed, there will be multiple folds in return. Look around and you will see behind bars mighty men and women of yesteryears with power of life and death languishing in jail after some were physically assaulted because of their atrocities in office.
Ruminating over events of recent past, one can’t but agree with Maureen Brady who said, “Power is confusing for us, perhaps even terrifying, because our relationship with it had an unfortunate beginning. Someone in a position of power over us used and abused us…It seems as if power were something to be wielded, always at someone’s expense, usually our own.” That no man can give what he lacks could be understood with real life experience: encounter the fruitless and you see reasons for such fate with resultant attempt to make everyone fruitless; run across the chidless and you would see the extreme side of malice and destructive instinct that can stop at nothing to end every other person’s lineage as well. The pure, on the other hand, see purity in everything with the will to convert obstacles into opportunities. Whatever the case, be challenged by the words of Lailah Gifty Akita, “Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.” And were you abused, seek justice? Fight for your right for self preservation is the first law of life. Indeed, there’s no alternative to life so guard and guide yours preciously!
…may Nature open our eyes and bequeath on us the grace and wisdom for right action, justice and unconditional love necessary to die empty knowing quite well that the evil that men do today will live with, and after, them. There is life after office – and it may be worse than hell to some especially anyone who abused office. This starts with the “end of an era” –when something finished, gone and never returns!
