Opinion: Disasters are common place, don’t let them stop you

by Ayodotun Rotimi- Akinfenwa

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 Not being all you can be is one of the most profound tragedies of our existence,one that surely encompasses all generations

I, personally, don’t think we do disasters any justice.

Disasters happen everyday, but a huge percentage of them are not covered by CNN, Aljazeera, BBC or even the local news. The victims, hardly survivors, are sometimes unaware of the waves of loss that have taken them over or the crashing mayhem overtaking them.

Once in a while, a certain kind of disaster shows itself  quietly, for a brief moment, in the still of the night or  at the earliest morning light or even in the middle of the day, only to be swept aside by the weary demands of life and its harsh realities.

One of the biggest disasters for which mankind needs to prepare or devise huge means of prevention for is the unfulfilled/broken dream. As with most cliques,  this is a taken-for-granted and despised element of truth. This fact completely applies to the quote about the grave being a place full of treasure as men sleep hugging their unfulfilled potential and un-actualized dreams.

Not being all you can be is one of the most profound tragedies of our existence,one that surely encompasses all generations and races, creed and estate of mankind. You will find, if you think about it, that a lot is tied to fulfilling your dreams. From the hundreds of people you will have provided employment or inspiration for , to the others whose dreams would have been jolted awake by yours, the ramifications are startling.

To put things in perspective, just think of how things would be if Jobs, Oprah, Maxwell, Armstrong, Luther-King, Einstein, Mandela, Tom cruise and the even Christ, did not bother to follow through on their respective dreams or destinies. Imagine what the world would have been like if Walt Disney had given up his dream when he was fired from a newspaper for “lacking imagination”  and “having no original ideas”. Or if Oprah accepted demotion by her employer who thought she was not fit for television. The nerve of that guy;I’m  sure she owns that company now! Either that or they have been shut down.

My point is simple. Save yourself, follow your heart, write that book, record that song, don’t be afraid to dance, resign from that dead end job already, my guess is if you dread Mondays so much, you most likely are in the wrong job. Don’t let criticism, rejection, teething challenges and being misunderstood hold you back. You will regret it for the rest of your life and afterlife if possible. Nobody writes or talks about the ordinary, if you truly look at it, misfits rule the world!

I leave you with this apt  quote by  Albert Einstein: Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Don’t be a disaster, living another man’s life.  Please do us all a favour and die empty!

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (3)

  1. Great nd insightful piece. Well said Ayo,

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