[ad_1]
And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which you sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. – Luke 11:27
It was sometime in 1984, two years before he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The hot late morning sun was merciless in its intensity as I made my way to his residence in the Staff Quarters of the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). Public transportation was not allowed to get into the Staff Quarters; so if you didn’t have a car, you either trekked or hitched a ride if you were lucky to get one. On this hot day, I was not fortunate enough to get a ride. So I trekked the long stretch. The eeriness that greeted you as you approached the grounds of the house only underscored the mystique around the man himself. The expanse of bush that greeted you practically veiled the house to the degree that you could miss it if you were not sure about where you were going. It was a radical departure from the well-manicured lawns of the other houses around it.
A day earlier, I left Ibadan to go to Ekiti State for my late mother’s burial ceremonies. I decided to have a stopover at the university to see few friends and to pass the night in Ile-Ife. I graduated from the University of Ife a few years earlier and I was no stranger to Professor Wole Soyinka whom I fondly call Uncle Wole. From my first year, even though I did not study Drama, I was part of the University Drama Troupe. For my NYSC year, I was redeployed at his request from Bauchi State to the Theatre Arts Dept of the University where I featured on some of his major productions. Personal discipline, especially with the management of time, was an attribute I learnt from him more than I did with anyone else. You dared not arrive five minutes late for an appointment with Kongi.
While I was visiting the Theatre Arts Dept to see some old faces, he stepped out of his office and he saw me.
“Hey Tope, how are you? What brings you here?”
“Good afternoon Uncle Wole, I am actually in transit. I am headed for Ekiti in the morning. I lost my mum and we are going for her burial”
“Waoh! You lost your mum? I didn’t know you were so careless!”
We both burst into boisterous laughter.
“I am sure you must need some money”
“Definitely Uncle. You are so right!”
He brought out his wallet, opened it, brought out two one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to me. I was ecstatic and lost for words. At that time, that was a lot of money that enabled me to defray a lot of the expenses relating to the funeral. The following day, I thought it would be a great idea to see him and further express gratitude before heading for Ekiti. I got to his office but was told he hadn’t arrived. So, I headed for his house.
On arrival, I knocked on the door and waited for a response. None. After a few minutes, I decided to try one more time before leaving. Then he came to the door with a distant look that seemed to wonder who this intruder was. I gave my best smile which looked stupid in the face of his indifferent gaze.
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
“Uncle, good morning. I came to express gratitude for yesterday’s kind gesture.”
“I didn’t know you were so jobless. You came all the way here just to thank me for what? Ok, I have heard you. Bye!”
And he promptly slammed the door shut, leaving me transfixed on the porch wondering if I had just been part of a cast in a movie! That was the loudest message I could have got about the enigma that Professor Wole Soyinka is till date!
Mavericks are characterized by a mystique that forms the kernel of their magical effect on the rest of society. Greatness never comes by being as ordinary as everyone else. It comes by a distinct flavour of thought and character that never fits into a general mould. Your mystique is the awe of distinction and its attendant discipline. A life that is on course is on a trajectory that mystifies the average person.
The only predictable thing about highly successful people is their sometimes-mercurial unpredictability. There is no anonymity in significance. Iconoclasts are not called icons for nothing. They are called so because they signpost a uniqueness in a given direction that runs against the general trend but which signposts certain skills, values and or virtues to a significant number of people.
The Bible character Joseph would have been unmistakable in his “coat of many colours” not because his father gave it to him but for the panoply of colours and the attendant brightness bordering on the gaudy. Like his coat, he had inherent gifts that made it impossible for him to be lost in a crowd.
Whenever you demonstrate the distinct magic of your life, people will always try to explain, second-guess and contain you. This is the actual reason why many people want to befriend and be familiar with you when you are succeeding. The enquiry is not usually for honour but just to investigate your mystique. Like they did to Jesus, the real question on their lips is, “By what authority do you do these things?”
How does a ‘sane’ man suddenly transit from talking about physical bread to offering the people the bread of His flesh? Who spends all day performing miracles and the following day, turns away every needy person who had gathered for Him to continue what he started the previous day? Who sleeps through a storm and when aroused from sleep, stretches, gives a yawn, and promptly issues an order to the storm to be still? The Pharisees just could not figure Him out.
What people cannot grasp, they try to explain away. When they couldn’t figure out how Jesus performed miracles and cast out demons, they said He had a demon and cast out demons by the power of Belzebub, the prince of devils! When they can›t explain you, they disdain you. They said about Jesus, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Are his brothers and sisters not here with us?”
Thank God, the ordinary people, to whom He was sent, heard him gladly!
The “Waoh” factor of your life is in your mystique, not in what you do like everyone else! You were created with and for distinction. Never surrender the steam or direction of your life to those who are trying to contain you within the limits of their puny mindset! Keep them guessing.
Remember the story of Moses and the magicians of Pharaoh? When you walk and work with the distinguishing authority of your “staff”, the magicians of Egypt will soon declare a “no contest”!
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
[ad_2]
