By Letter To Ubuntu At 6: Welcome To Age Of Learning By Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni
Dear Ubuntu,
Greetings Son, it has been 365 days of toiling, of we walking round in circles counting days across months and hoping things get better. It is the year of the Lord 2021, the year that looks like we are moving forward yet we are only trying to find a balance between the year we missed.
Events in the unfolding year have made us realize the ephemerality of wants and desires as everything can wait except the time of death. Many annual events we have been dogmatic about were outrightly cancelled, delayed or postponed, from cultural to societal and economical, everything waited except the individual years we would be using here. While the world could host Tokyo 2020 in 2021, we could not return to say you’re 5 years old when you are already 6 years old.
Dear Adesola, it is indeed a nice feeling seeing you grow into an emotionally stable young man with a leadership trait I am beginning to admire particularly with your brother who seems to have a knack for testing your patience. In the little time we have all been here, I acknowledge your willingness to always take responsibility and stand by your actions even when it seems not to have favoured you. Dear Son, owning up to your actions and taking corrections are not signs of weakness, rather a strength that would make you a better man, keep it up.
Dear AbdulMuqsit, as you grow, learn that life is a war front with everyone you meet fighting to survive, depending on the attitude of the war or the interest at play, it is either one for all or all man for himself, whichever way it is, learn that nobody owes you anything. Always keep your head about the mesh of the battleground and always endeavour to remain standing, only survivors can recount and share the spoils of the war.
Dear Son, always learn to travel light. The more baggage you carry on every trip, the more energy you dissipate in moving forward. Many times it is not about the speed but the desire to arrive. And when you arrive, don’t let your victories get to your head, or your failures get to your heart. Never allow your luggage to define your travels, for every travel unravels differently. Learn My Son, your travels here mean the journey through life and the people you will meet, people will come in different shapes and sizes, learn to deal with all in the coin that fits them.
Know son, that good and evil work together in a continuous struggle to destroy each other. Know that there is a thin line between good and evil and that circumstances and perceptions play a key role in the appellation each act gets. Always think about the consequence of your actions and never be quick to anger, for a man quick to anger is close to self-destruction.
Dear Son, as you turn six, hear the words of your father, never be a ”Yes Man”. Learn to question things, for all knowledge comes from the desire to know. But avoid the danger of the arrogance of knowledge when you assume you know all. Be humble with knowledge for experience has taught me that what you know is what you know and what you don’t know can make people question what you know if you are not humble with what you know.
In life, learning to accommodate others’ views improves on what you know. And for every idea, having the right person to say the right words at the right time, may be what is needed to scale. But never ever give up on yourself even when your sounding boards think otherwise of your ideas.
Dear Omolade, as it is on land, in the sea and the sky, no surface enjoys absolute smoothness; there would be bumps, waves and gallops, it is part of our existence, learn to manage it. This world is full of struggles and wants. From when we fall off our mother’s womb and crawling across the world’s torrents of brimstones and lapsing into the lonely darkness of our graves, it is a struggle to keep one’s head above water. Take yield my son, this world laughs with you only if you have something to offer.
Remember, you are my first Son, when you come of age, your responsibility will include taking care of your Mother and looking after your two brothers. Again, I mentioned your mother for she has put many sacrifices into this deal of ensuring you turned out a product the world can be proud of. As you mark this year, know that you are cherished beyond measure.
I am your father, this note is a note of caution.
Happy Birthday Son with much love.
Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni
#MJofLife #Uhuru #Upendo
