'My Obituary' - written by Charly Boy

Right about now, some of the readers will question
the sense in capturing and casting this type of crazy
captions for my articles. I only write for those who
are patient enough to understand the creative beauty
of my mind. I write for those who have depth enough
to see beyond what they see, those who have a
discerning mind.
However, if your curiosity has gotten the better of
you, then read on.
I am about to take up a subject no one really wants
any part of, but that's alright, this is where our
imagination runs apart. For a brief second, imagine
this: if your life were to end today, what would your
obituary read? Come on; don't get frightened,
thinking about your obituary will not kill you.
Nothing escapes the Creator's cycle; not plants, not
animals, nor human beings. All living things emerge,
gather, spark new life, fall apart and die.
The purpose of all of this is not to scare you about death
which is inevitable, but to expose you to a new information
or rather, share a certain mindset with you that may help
you live with humility and aliveness that only an
acceptance of death can release.
'My Obituary' is meant to prick your mind to start being
fully conscious of the moments you are alive.
Every moment of our lives, we are knowingly or
unknowingly writing a line for our obituary. Every action
or inaction provides memories of us to those we eventually
leave behind; they are the memories that the people we
love and leave behind will want to include in the telling of
our life's story.
Within the first quarter of this year, I lost a good friend
and cousin, Mr. Emeka Aseme to kidnappers; he was
butchered and killed in cold blood. My whole village was
not only scandalized by the senseless killing but till today,
the 'Blue Lake City' of Oguta has lost the shine it had as a
city of bubbling happy go lucky people.
Emeka was a good man who provided employment for
hundreds of Oguta people, he was sociable, liked by all and
sundry (or so we thought). Even though Oguta had a lot of
industrious sons and daughters, Emeka's legacies stand out.
He cared about his people, he gave a helping hand, and he
was sensitive to people's conditions.
Now that he's no more, all we have to say of him (his
obituary) are his good deeds, what he contributed to the
betterment of his fellow man, especially his kinsmen.
What would yours read like, now that all you know is 'Me,
Myself & I'?
What legacy are you living today, is it different from the
one you will want to leave behind?
Some people live as if they will be here forever, not giving
a hoot about what happens to the next person. If it's not
their immediate personal/family gratification, it does not
concern them.
Mind you, I'm not saying you should not care about your
welfare and that of your family o (if you know the
AreaFada well you will know that my family remains my
ROCK).
However, I still make an ample proportion of my time to
fighting the course of our youth and being the Voice of the
Voiceless. And this gives me joy and fulfillment. For me,
it is what keeps blood flowing in my veins, puts the sparkle
in my eyes and springs in my steps...despite the
unfavourable state of the terrain. Wetin man go do?
You are the author of your own Obituary, so tell me. Are
you writing a history of misery, or a tale of tenacity? Were
you inclusive and supportive? Or were you exclusively out
for yourself alone, you selfish bloke. Did you lift others
up, or did you allow them to knock you down? Did you
stay down long enough to recover, or did you stay down
complaining and winning. What will your Obituary say
about the way you treated people and how you made them
feel about themselves. Most importantly what will your
Obituary say about how you treated yourself? What will be
said about your attitude, how you handled yourself in
crisis. Perhaps now is the time to consider how you are
living and what you want to be said about you when you
are not. Your life provides the content of your Obituary, so
my guy, check yourself and park well.
For me, I came, I saw, I did it my way, had fun and boned
everyone who thought it wasn't possible. That's my
Obituary. I'm still here though, for the longer haul!