MODERN MAN, THE EARTHMAN!

The attribution of earthman to a modern man is not an honor but an unfortunate definition that best described the state of man’s evolutionary stage today. This is the most debasing concept to associate with human beings who are spirits and with origin in paradise (of course, many of us have forgotten where we come from). When Socrates admonishes, “man know thy self,” it was because this knowledge is highly essential for earth life so that we do not get lost in the world that is our temporary place but live consciously and meaningfully. Today our lives both as individuals and as a nation are devoid of consciousness because our priorities explain a people who are lost on a journey of life. These priorities are real afflictions, and the commonality makes no one suspect of its devastating potency.

“Man know thy self,” has nothing to do with the knowledge of your ancestral lineage, the story of your life, your name, history, or nationality. It has everything to do with understanding yourself as a human being, your origin, why you are on earth, and what you are expected to do while you expend this small period of your existence in this physical body.

This is why understanding that an individual is a microcosm of a nation is vital in pointing the way out of this existential labyrinth of collective groping. This is to say that the worldview or consciousness of an individual about life is no different from the perception of reality in which a nation is enfolded and from where it flows. But this is not an isolated case of a nation doing everything wrong; this pertains to all of us who from birth and our own faulty are predisposed to unmitigated provincialism. Still, it is no excuse not to gaze at a starry sky and wonder, or inculcate the habits that lead to metanoia.

So, the predisposition is automatically canceled by human free will, and the instances of those who conquered this proclivity to earthiness leave no one with an excuse for not being a human being with a value that reaches out to the highest height, instead of being consumed with this vanishing matter.

Right from birth, we set our eyes on the accumulation of things for ourselves and pleasure, at the expense of real life. We have goals and dreams to attain like marriage, procreation, academic degrees, acquisition of mansions, cars, vacation trips, good meals, dress, fat bank accounts, etc. We set out for these in uncanny stampede with every conviction that these are the goals and nothing else matter. Nothing except what our eyes can see must be sought willy-nilly even at the expense of others, a community, or a nation. 

But don’t get it twisted because I don’t attempt to advocate for asceticism which is totally against a healthy spiritual life. Life on earth should be lived and enjoyed fully with all the goodies it offers. We should dream and pursue our goals and reach for contentment and satisfaction if they are possible. The wish of the Almighty Father is for us to enjoy life and be happy. This is to say that if you are not happy in this life you are not in alignment with the wish of Almighty Father. If you are not happy with your life are standing on the wrong line.

But happiness is the luxury modern man cannot afford, and that should be the very purpose for being on earth. If you are truly happy it shows you are doing everything right, and when you are not, you are doing everything wrong. And this is not the fault of your mother or anybody, but yourself.

The world today is full of unhappy people in different forms and varying degrees. Despite the promise our goals and dreams hold out for us upon attainment, we are still unhappy. We are constantly living in fear. We fight each other in the family and sometimes a spouse murders the partner. Some people who cannot bear the unhappiness commit suicide as an escape from the torment. We question the creator and fate and blame anybody and the government, but ourselves. This state of a modern man is a pointer to a misplaced priority. 

No matter how one tries to argue, we can never be happy on earth so long as a cloud of fear hangs over us. If we are afraid of the unknown and the future; if we are dreadful of death and of what becomes of us when we depart this life, we can never be peaceful and happy. This is the reason the pursuit of earthly pleasure must be balanced with true spirituality that is informed by truth and not religious fabrications and speculations. Truth is the only thing that can set us free from fear and unhappiness. It will dismantle doctrinal nutjobs that fetter our spiritual wings, and allows us a clear gaze to this life and death.

If you want to know the truth, start by looking for it outside all religions. Open your heart for it, and you will be guided to it. Religion only mixed garri with sand!