The Parable of Talents

A talent is a gift, an ability, a skill, a flair, call it whatever. Some are birthed into it, whilst some have to make theirs- Survival.  I’m unsure if its just me, but sometimes I feel like my life is wasting. I’d lay on my cushion reminding myself of my inabilities. How I sang so off the key, how people would laugh when I tried to imitate Zlatan Ibile’s “zanku”. How I could neither bake nor cook. How the fried rice I cooked for the Fam didn’t turn out as anticipated even after using 8 seasoning cubes. 

Let’s get one thing straight today. The enemy of self-survival is you. Simi is such a great singer, the Nigerian Nightingale. Beautiful girl with a matching voice. Now, Davido on a different perspective isn’t such a great singer like the former. Not withstanding how badly he sings, he has received a total of 44 awards and 96 nominations.

Attitudinal characteristic of a typical Nigerian is grief. We complain about everything and nothing. Once I offered to help someone get a recommendation letter to facilitate her employment. I asked for her CV and an evidence of places where she applied for employment. She hadn’t applied anywhere. You rounded-off service in 2015, you haven’t applied anywhere but Buhari is a bad President? I don’t want to get misattributed here. I’m not a Buhari/Atiku stan.

It’s okay not to know how to dance zanku or sing like Simi. It’s okay if the fried rice didn’t turn out well like expected the first time. Everything is learnable, with discipline, nothing is impossible to achieve. But, like Davido, what effort did you make? Who did you ask to guide you in the kitchen? 
What’s the essence of this so-called “talent” blogpost? There’s no time. 90’s kids aren’t kids anymore. Learn anything you can, make a dress, write a book, go for music auditions, cook an intercontinental dish, meet new people, share ideas. Whatever you do, don’t sit and whine and whimper. Grow.

You’re the future Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Otedola. The future Davido. The future Madam Okonjo Iweala. Remember in chapter 11 of the Gospel of John, Jesus had the power to cast the stone and bid Lazarus to come forth, but he asked the people to roll the stone away. The people are you and I, working hard and putting in effort to roll the stone, whatever is more than stone (our effort) is left for God.
As an Igbo elder would rightly say, “To the pursuer of the hen belongs repeated falls, to the pursued hen belongs tricky, survival runs. From the cow without a tail, the gods will always drive the flies.”

Have a blessed and fulfilling day!