THOUGHTS: FOR WHOM THE KNELL TOLLS
FOR WHOM THE KNELL TOLLS
This
title derives from a poem titled "For Whom the Bell Tolls" written by
John Donne (1572-1631), an English poet and dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in
London.
“No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee”
Donne says
that because we are all part of mankind, any person's death is a loss to all of
us: “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and
therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The
line also suggests that we all will die: the bell will toll for each one of us
one day. The knell of another human life, is a toll for each of us, as we are
all bound together.
The knell
tolled twice in quick succession in the Nollywood industry.
Tolani
Quadri Oyebamiji (aka Sisi Quadri) was a delight to watch in movies. He was a
great talent that illuminated homes and imparted valuable messages.
John
Ikechukwu Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu, was a Nigerian actor and
comedian. He appeared in over 200 Nollywood films including those from the Mr.
Ibu series.
That got me
thinking.
What if the
knell had tolled for me?
I dare ask,
what if it had tolled for you?
When the
knell sounds for me, what legacies will I have left behind? What will I be
remembered for when I’m gone?
After the
mostly insincere obsequies at my graveside, and the perfunctory tears that are
only surface deep, what will be in the minds of the people?
When that
man or woman looks back after the “dust to dust”, the real person I had been
flashes through his/her mind.
All you have
acquired through legit and illicit means
are no more yours. The houses and cars you committed heinous crimes to get and
the stupendous wealth you amassed are no more yours.
That ketogenic
body you built through strain and stress, the beauty you nurtured at great
expense psychological and physical, all goes under the ground. And funny enough
you are not even aware what goes on. You have no control.
You are no
more a celebrity or a power that be. You are not addressed as Chief, Doctor,
Professor, President, Governor, Senator etc. It’s simply “Bring the CORPSE down
from the hearse”. No Excellencies or Royal Highnesses. You are just a CORPSE.
The only
things left are memories and reminiscences of what and who you were before the
knell tolled.
The good
things you did, the lives you impacted, those who you helped get up when they
were down, those who came to you with tears and left with smiles, the ones who
couldn’t have become great but for you, Souls you rescued from shame and
opprobrium. Those are the things you will be remembered for.
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Everything
you valued will become someone else’s.
While alive,
when you had the chance, did you fulfil your purpose in life?
The Bible
says:
“You are the
salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality)”,
how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but
to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under
a peck measure, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and
your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognise and honour and praise
and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13
Did you
dispense sweetness into the lives of others or did you inflict pain and sorrow?
You are here
not just for yourself but for others. You are here to add flavour to the lives
of people you come in contact with, while you still can.
It is your purpose
to add value to all those in your circle of influence.
Noah saved a
remnant from the flood. Moses delivered Israel from bondage and slavery. Joshua
led the people into the Promised Land and helped them to possess it. They
served their generations. That is what they are remembered for today.
Will your
place be in a Hall of Fame when you are gone, or in the Dustbin of History?
The
Messenger of Allah said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’
meaning death. [Ibn Majah]
“The things
that distract the heart from the remembrance of Allah are worldly pleasures –
food and drink, movies and parties, earning and hoarding money. Remembering
death brings home to us the urgency of this life. We don’t really have much
time – soon we’ll be in the other side of the barrier separating this world
from the eternal abode, and then we’ll be asked what we did with our life.”
Al-Qurtubi
said: ‘Man always fluctuates between happiness and sadness…. And if he is in a
state of happiness and abundance, remembering death protects him from rolling
in the pleasure of life and counting on it as he knows he will part with it.’
By
remembering death, we become aware that nothing is permanent. The person we’re
depending on isn’t going to live forever. The marriage we’re looking forward
to, we might die before it even takes place.
“The words
of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of
vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit
hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
One
generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth
for ever.”
Only the
memories of the good you do while alive will live forever.
Same applies
to the evil you do.
So think about
it today. Where would you rather be? In a Hall of Fame or in the Dustbin of History?
What will
you be remembered for when the knell tolls for you?
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