yin, yang

I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough. Long enough to know that that which is hot will soon get cold, or that that which goes up will come down; I have learnt that the night heralds the morn, and that every death is life reborn.

I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough. I have learnt, and I have forgotten. For that I am grateful. For that I rejoice. I may not have lived enough to die, but everyday I die enough that I may live. I haven't lived that long, but I have lived long enough.



Such is yin, such is yang.

Every rise gives way to a fall
As a push becomes a pull
Mountain top, valley low
A dead seed, a sprouting tree
And so the circle of life is complete
In dark and light
In flight and fight
In peace and strife
In death and life.

Such is living
Such is death
Such is yang
Such is yin
Such is the summary of all we are
That we push and we pull
We break and we mend
For there is no dark without light
No enemy without a friend

And on this lies the balance of life
We live that we may die
We stand that we may fall
We gather that we may lose
We are full that we may hunger

Such is the balance of life
Such is the summary of who we are

So when you weep little one, empty yourself
That laughter may find room enough in your belly
When you dance to the drums reserve strength
For the day comes when you will be dragged against your will

Such is our fate
Such is life
Such is yang
Such is yin

Such is heaven and earth
Such is demise
Such is birth

Every rise gives way to a fall
Every push becomes a pull
A dead seed becomes a tree
Such is life for you and me.

It’s all GOOD.

It's been a while since I last wrote. I don't know why. It's not like I've not been wanting to, or that the world somehow decided to start coming to an end all around me. But for some inexplicable reason, I've just not written. For a long while. And it saddens me.

 

Last year was eventful. From coming back to advertising (actually at the end of the previous year) to moving agencies and then houses and getting married, it was rather lively. Sitting now to think about it, I believe I should be more grateful than I have been for the year now laid to rest. Though it had its ups and downs, it was a defining year in my life, and like the good book says, we go through fire that we may be refined as gold. If anything, 2010 was the refiner's fire.

 

In 2010 I made new friends, lost contact with some; I lost a very dear cousin and gained a new brother; I had issues with family, then realised that there are friends who stick closer than brothers; I reached a dead end and a way was made out of no way; old wounds were torn open, but I found solace in love; there was turmoil but I found peace. 2010 was eventful indeed, and I am sure now that it could have been no other way, for, like the Spoken Word Poet, Amir Suleiman said, 'even the beauty of birth leaves its own scars'. 2010 was eventful, but 2011 is GOOD. Very good.

 

And so I survived. And, if you're reading this, you did as well. For that we should be grateful to God. This may be coming late, but from the bottom of my heart, I want to wish everyone who has made it this far a very happy new year. Remember, even in some pain, there is great gain.

 

Welcome to the GOOD year.

Nigeria at 50 - Day 3: Rickety, raggerdy bus ride...

Nigeria at 50, Day 2 - Ochuko www.ochuko.wordpress.com


In Aba, like it is all over Nigeria, the bus is the prominent mode of transport there is. Quite ordinary and single-minded in its purpose of moving people from one point to another, there is nothing exciting about this motorised metal contraption.

Well, not until you get inside.

Deadbeat and ordinary as the bus may seem, it carries within it an amalgamation of some of the most interesting characters you have ever seen. From old men with toothy smiles to women with fat behinds, from young girls sporting the latest knock-offs to young men trying very hard to outquirk even Andre 3000, there is never a shortage of dramatis personae from a bus going from, say, Ogbor Hill to Ngwa road.

Nigeria, to me, is like that bus. Weather-beaten from years of neglect, rough-ridden by numerous inept and valueless drivers, running round the same route with no apparent focus, yet carrying the most optimistic and hopeful people I have ever met.

I am one of those passengers.

I am not your average once-in-a-year patriot who remembers to wear a touch of green every October 1st in solidarity with millions of clueless fellow Nigerians who rejoice at the thought of yet another work-free day; I am not your average smile-and-wave Nigerian who is grateful that at least there’s still life, and so we must hope for a better tomorrow. No, unlike the often-times docile passengers who are thankful that at least they got on an available bus, I am the one guy who shouts at the driver to caution him when he drives a bit rough; I am that guy that will take the conductor head-on for trying to take advantage of a passenger; I am that one guy that will threaten to report the driver to his superiors if he continues to misbehave; I am that one guy who will tell my fellow passengers off for trying to take up more space than is allocated to them. Because when you think about it, if this bus were not here, we would all have to walk for miles; if it breaks down, we will all be stuck in the middle of nowhere, and if it derails while we’re all on board, we’ll all most likely be dead. So yes, I have to speak out because this bus is the only ride to where I’m going.

I wonder if there are any other passengers like me. I wonder if there are any bloggers here who, although in this raggedy bus, will not just sit down and hope to God that the driver knows what on earth he is doing, but will speak out and demand that the right thing be done, the right road signs be obeyed, the right turns taken, and the right speed limits adhered to.

This may be a tall order, but when you think about it, there’s no option. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I will like us to have this thought at the back of our minds: we either lend our voices and strengths to make this nation work, or you can, as is the custom in Aba buses when you reach your stop, yell at the driver “Ka opuo!”

Happy Independence day Nigeria. One day we shall all be free.


Nigeria at 50, Day 4 - Diary of a Nigerian Girl www.diaryofanigeriangal.blogspot.com

Watch this space!

'Tis been 50years and the road has been quite long, join us as we celebrate Nigeria's Golden Age at oluSimeon www.simeoneomobaba.blogspot.com on 1st October, 2010.