By Banji Ayoola
The way we handle the crisis arising from the present horror determines so much for us individually as human beings. It may mark either a desirable progress or another woeful and disastrous failure for us individually. As regards our inner development or maturity into better human beings, the main purpose of our coming to, and existence on this Earth. We may, if we are not careful, miss the mark again. We may miss the golden opportunity contained in this horror, again. As sorrowfully we have done serially with the uncountable opportunities and helps that had hitherto been lavished on us for millennia.
This viral horror ravaging virtually all the countries of the Earth may either uplift us or push us down the precipice, individually. Our attitude to this horror marks progress or decline for us. Regrettably and unexpectedly, it may mean another woeful failure for us individually and push us downward, distances away from true inner help that marks real progress for us in our wanderings, in our experiences on this Earth.
It is not enough to console mankind with the usual promises that normalcy would soon return on Earth as regards this global coronavirus rampage. It is not enough to rub the usual balm on the pains we are forced to experience as a result of our wrong ways of living. It is unhelpful to attempt to sweep under the carpet, gloss over, parry or suppress the lessons that we are expected to learn individually from these horrible experiences. Experiences which we unleashed on ourselves through the wrong ways we had been living in the past, in the inglorious past. Without driving home the point that we, all mankind have contributed to the confusion reigning on earth today, that we have caused all the horrors that we have ever experienced on Earth, as this one. That we unleashed all the past and present horrors on ourselves through our wrong ways of living.
It is not enough to dwell only on the pains being inflicted on us in this horror or to console ourselves with the usual soothing words or prophecies that the pains would soon be over and normalcy would soon return. Without stressing the lessons slammed on us by the horror and the need for us individually to learn these lessons, reflect deeply on them, and change from our wrong, wicked and evil ways. And strive henceforth very energetically to become better human beings who would now sow genuine love, peace and harmony among our fellow human beings everywhere on Earth indiscriminately. Human beings who would henceforth be blessings to one another; who now would selflessly spread joy and happiness among all human beings of whatever race, tribe, ethnic group, language, colour, religion, nation or whatever superficial or merely earthly physical differences.
Without hitting home the lesson that it is time to cast off the usual lies, falsehood, deception, corruption, impunity, conceit and arrogance that those of us who had been privileged one way or the other often had been displaying towards others, our fellow human beings who were not similarly favoured. Without stressing the lesson that things on Earth can and will no longer continue as usual, because the human being is no longer in control of affairs on Earth.
With just one tiny virus, we, mankind who hitherto had separated ourselves into hostile antagonistic power blocs terrorising ourselves needlessly over vanities at global, regional, national or local levels, are forced to stay off our massively oppressive and harmful professions and practices. We are forced off our means of livelihood; forced to socially distance ourselves from one another; compelled to withdraw from our neighbours into ourselves and stay indoors. Majority of us forcefully are living with no help as regards assisting with food or our other necessities. We are forced into mass poverty, mass ill health, mass hunger and mass anger.
He or she who truly wants to help us must stress that we, all of us, whether the leaders or the led, rich or poor, healthy or sick, privileged or not, need to learn great lessons from our experiencing of this horror. That things on Earth will no longer continue as usual. That the forces at work now are beyond the control of human beings however powerful we think we are. That all heads which refuse to bow in humility to the moving power streaming across the whole Earth now will bend or break.
That our experiencing of these horrible events unleashed on us by ourselves, is meant to compel us to fall down humbly on our knees, withdraw into ourselves individually, reflect deeply to see tearfully painfully where we all went wrong, and change, and readjust all our ways to the Holy Will of the Lord.Which is now in control. That those of us who are privileged because we have enough to eat and waste, must know that we can no longer be permitted to continue with our usual errors in our own kingdom. That we can no longer be permitted to ruin the Earth, and that we must admit that we and all human beings are no longer in control over anything.
That the Owner of all powers is now in control. That He, in His Great Omnipotence, Love and Justice, has taken over. And that all human beings, irrespective of our status or power we think we have, must align with His Will if we want peace on Earth.
