Humans As Cycles Of Endless Cords -By Ifeanyi John Nwokeabia

The earth has been a temporary abode for every human being. It’s a planet that has accommodated safety exchange of air between plants and animals for a healthy living. The bond existing between humans and other living things has proven to be the greatest love unrecorded in the world history. None could ever thought of appreciating the synergy that has kept us together without one feeling indebted to another. Humans always demand for the reward for a little favour done to another without rewarding the favour done for him or her by the little tree standing in front of his house. In our society today, there are many bodies advocating for planting of trees (afforestation) to help protect ourselves from future disaster. As humans inhabit earth, they need to survive through the exchange of carbon (iv) oxide and oxygen. Imagine what life could have become of us if this unpaid mutuality does not exist?

Shakespeare in one of his famous works Julius Caeser , use a character Julius Caeser to tell us something about death. He says:

‘ Cowards die from many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It seems to me most strange that men should fear;

Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come…’

From the above excerpt, it should be clearly painted on the face of every living that death is practically inevitable. It quakes my nerves each time I see how people shiver each time death is mentioned. It doesn’t mean that at the mention of it, everyone dies. During my formative years as a child, we were told not to call snake by its name, especially at night. This is because our people believe that once you mention its name, it will attack you at night. But the question is, does it really happen? Many people today always run away from their respective village homes. They run without looking back to see their heels. No year sees them coming home to meet and greet with their kinsmen. Not that they don’t like home, but the big problem is fear of death! An average African man believes that every death is not ordinary. To them, humans are the killers of fellow humans. They don’t believe in natural causes. That’s why you hear things, ‘ they had killed him before he died’, especially when an accident occurs.

I have met many people from different part of the country, and I kept asking them the same question, ‘ why don’t you like going to your villages’? But I kept receiving the same response in countless times. ‘Our village people are wicked’. Some recounted stories of how their parents, siblings and relative died after visiting their kinsmen in the village. And as a result, they have vowed never to return to their village till they die. A man once told me that he prefers to die in a warring state where he strives to feed his family than to come home and watch himself killed, spiritually or physically by his kinsman. I may not be right but I will like to ask, can someone ever run away from death with his legs? If yes, I will like to know where one can run to,and never die.

Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

The above Biblical induction explains that life is an endless cord. The end of a life is the beginning of a new life. In primary and secondary Schools days, students are taught the characteristics of living thing. The last letter in the acronym ‘MR NIGER’ is ‘D’ which means ‘Death’. This entails that no human being will inherit the earth, rather we all are going to die some day. When and how is still an unanswered questions. Even when God destroys every other thing outside the Ark, we were never told that Noah never died. Have you asked yourself the question of TIME? Some die in the womb, some die as infants, some die as young adults while some die old. Has it not open your eyes to see that life has become a relay race? You run, hand over your baton and rest.

When I see people shouting that the world is coming to an end, it confuses my imagination. Some say that God is going to destroy the world with fire and water. I may not outrightly say that they are wrong because I am not God who knows everything. But one thing I know is: where one dies is where he ends and life continues. Yes, life is a continuous process and has no terminal end except when you ( the bearer of life) give up to ghost, then, yours has ended.

Repentance is a free Gift given by God to everyone. You need not to sweat before you can earn it. It is just like pluckable mango. All you need is just the tool of humility. Turning back from your evils will save you the regret of teeth cranking. You never can tell the time your world will end, so make peace and serve your God in truth and righteousness. We came on separate, seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, and years. Don’t expect us to end up dying the same day in the name of God destroying the world. God isn’t heartless like human and can’t nurture the notion or motion of wiping us all off from the face of the Earth same day. Remember, not everyone died in the time of Noah.

God is a merciful father. He never created human to wipe us out on the same day. Genesis 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Amidst the sins of the people of Sodom, God keeps looking for souls to save. He created humans and wouldn’t close heart and eyes on humans, without a thought before destroying us. God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. He’s ever willing to welcome his children back to his fold. But that doesn’t mean we should continue in sin so that Grace will abound.

In conclusion, life is an endless cord. Its connection has no limit. Its limit is in an individual and not on every individual at a time. Preaching on individual’s life ending and not on the world ending. The world continues to evolve even when there is no human to live in it. But can there ever be a time like that? May be, yes. May be, no. I’m not God but until then, let’s live.

Nwokeabia, Ifeanyi John is a poet and teacher. He hails from Nibo in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He has Nigeria Certificate in Education and Bachelor of Arts in Education, both in English Language. He lives in Awka. His works are published in different online platforms.