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Once a slave in Syria! (2)

Knowest thou that I was once a slave in Syria? (2)

Some months ago, I learnt the story of ìdá in the Yoruba mythology of West Africa. He was a slave. He was such a fine young man that his master could not help but see beyond the slave. He saw a fine and refined man deep within the mild callousness.
So he decided to upgrade ìdá. He changed ìdá’s story. Gave him intelligent tasks, gave him leadership roles to play, taught him the manners of a gentleman, and changed his clothes. He even gave him a room in the main house. After some months, he was convinced that ìdá had been refined and upped his status!
He had a social function and he thought it would be good to take ìdá out with him. He got a set of his own clothes and gave them to ìdá to wear for this special occasion. They got to the venue, they were seated in the executive lounge with state-of-the-art chairs, etc. Ida behaved so so beautifully. No one could suspect that ìdá was a slave.
At the end of the party when it was time to go home, Master searched everywhere for ìdá but could not find him! Shortly after, one of the sons of the host came into the lounge dragging ìdá along. He said to Master, “This man is a slave!” Master was ashamed of bringing a slave to such a “corporate” event.
“So, my son, how did you know ìdá is a slave?”
“I met him eating the yam off the peelings on the refuse dump!”
That was how the slaves made up for insufficient food in those days! Ida could not afford to let the yam on the peelings …waste!
Last week, the blog post ended by asking how we could know if we have the soul of a free man, or of a slave. The works of our hands show it!

  • Well-paid staff-members who defraud the organisation;
  • Debtors evading their creditors;
  • Sons of responsible men who beat their wives (and vice versa);
  • Leaders exploiting the followership, believing some animals are “more equal” than others;
  • Decision to not make a move at being responsible for ourselves and our dependants;
  • A happily married person who cheats on the spouse;

In the book Second Revolution by Sam Adeyemi, he highlighted some charateristics of slaves:

  • Slaves never have enough and hence believe that nothing good is ever enough! They try to get all they can, can all they get and sit on the can!
  • Privileged slaves who are appointed as team leaders immediately consider themselves of a superior stock to the other slaves and behave as such, forgetting that the headslave is first and foremost a slave!
  • Slaves are never responsible for themselves or others, not even their own children!
  • Slaves expect houses to be built for them, transport to be provided, clothes, food, etc.

Summarily, where we have evaded responsibility, we should pick it up again! Where we have accused the devil for our indiscipline, we should ask for God’s help and use it!
Indeed there are some things that one has to do for himself, or undo for himself!
 
Ìdá ni yóó pe ara rè l’érú (Yoruba for: It is Ida who will show himself a slave!)

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8 comments

  1. Akor Mathias Odaikwu

    That is deep! All the we ever need in life lies within us. Understanding and perception makes the difference.
    Thanks Pst. Lanre.

  2. Lanre, you are very pungent in your illustrations. I just pray we readers understand enough of your promptings to liberate ourselves from active and or imminent slavery.

  3. hmmmm! Tanx for a word like this. i believe things can change if we constantly open our mind to listen to a word like this.

  4. Thank you!!!!!

  5. Preach!!!!!!!!!!
    By our fruits we shall be known.

  6. Hmmh! I guess it is the son of a king that will also call himself a Prince, when he gets to a strange land.

  7. Very deep! Got me thinking and examining so many areas of my life.
    Please, can I get the part 1 of this particular write up, I deleted by mistake while reading and can’t retrieve it any more.

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