Precious diamond! I’ve officially become a senior citizen. I’ve joined a privileged class — a class comprising less than 15% of Nigerians. Thank you Lord.
When I marked my golden jubilee with an insightful article, I half-expected I would have new lessons to share during my diamond jubilee. There were five lessons, one for each decade. Let me add one more for the past decade:
Anxiety and calmness
As the retirement year or 60th birth anniversary approached, you would begin to wonder why you wasted your time and risked your health in the pursuit of frivolous things. Of what benefit is alcohol? Drugs are harmful. [I’ve never seen a hard drug except on television.] Sugar kills — avoid it as much as you can. The worries of yesteryear were unnecessary. That craving for recognition, that feeling of self-importance, that thought of what other people were thinking — all were needless. Nobody was dreaming about you in the first place! They’re more concerned about solving their personal problems. Thoughts about a new car, a new house or travels to distant lands pale into insignificance in the evening of life.
At age 60, I can see more clearly now. The puzzles are falling into place. Most of my older friends and relations are gone, and each time death strikes we’re reminded of the vanity of life. One must eschew anxiety about the future. Those things you feared could happen will never happen. We can’t predict the future. So why not live for today and today alone? It’s a world we did not create and can never understand. Why worry? Be cool, calm and calculative.
Real education
I’ve written and published books, print and digital, since I marked my golden jubilee and quit paid employment. Now I know that I took the right step forward. Freedom is immeasurable. You’ve got to be in control of your time. I couldn’t have written those books if I hadn’t quitted and chosen to work as a consultant.
My education has become more enriched, as I’ve had more time to read. Not for acquisition of worthless certificates — nobody gives you an education, as I reiterate in my book on education reform. You’ve got to unlearn and relearn if you want to be truly educated in this century. I agree with the wise man who said, “The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school.”
In the evening of life, you discover that mankind has been lied to by the dark forces controlling this world. They’ve succeeded in fooling the world because the majority of us are stupid. What if one told you that man has never landed on the moon? That certain medicines and vaccines are indeed poisons promoted by big pharmaceutical companies? That the slave trade never really ended?
The ironies are many: You wonder why countries that are rich in resources are considered the poorest in the world. Nigeria has oil but imports the oil products its citizens use. What are GMO foods? What is same-sex marriage? Some who claim to be scientists are attacking religions; what alternatives do they have? There is God o!
Governments are instruments of control; with more enlightenment, however, they’ll eventually be run better. Someday soon, the game will change — the right questions have been asked recently in some Francophone African countries. The millennials are not going to accept nonsenses for too long.
Happy day
At 60 I feel fulfilled. There are no more deadlines to keep or ambitions to pursue. I pray for good health and peace of mind. I pray for all mankind — for world peace, for national peace, for regional peace. I thank God for his mercies, especially for counting me among the privileged few. And thank you, reader, for celebrating with me.
Will I have 60 more years? Age is just a number. If it pleases God, I hope to remain active as a writer and editor for at least 25 more years.
Who knows if the world itself will survive the next 50 years? Mad people are everywhere! As terrorists. As political leaders. As weapon manufacturers. They’re causing wars and massacring innocent people. Another world war could wipe out the human race! May Mother Earth get rid of its spoilers and become safer for the future generations.
