Have you taken out time
to notice the potency of words and the life they carry? Do you just speak
without understanding the power behind your speech? Is talk really cheap?
Are words to you, just an emotional expression? I am not particularly a fan of
poems but something happened to me on the 23rd of May, 2014 at the
Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos while
attending the Role of Women in Emerging African Democracies, ROWEAD Conference.
There I encountered ‘Donna’, an Oil and Gas Lawyer who according to her ‘wears,
eats, sleeps, speaks and thinks words’.
Donna’s piece titled
‘What do You Wear’ sent the audience on a thought provoking journey of personal
attitudes, choices, and generally all about our individual existence and our
interactions and believe me, I am still on that journey.
The efficacy of words;
sometimes again in June of 2014, I woke up to preparing an end of year report
of my activities as President of my Rotaract Club to be submitted to the
Rotaract District 9110, Nigeria. Whilst going through my earlier reports
[Q1-Q3], I again was surprised at myself with certain choices I have made when
writing. At the end of my report, I decided to see a movie and I joined my
sister [my new Spiritual Backbone] in the sitting room.
She was watching the
movie ‘Moses’. In the movie, I listened with rapt attention to the line of
discussion especially when Moses was up on the mountain communing with God and was gone for 40 days with no sign of returning.
It took few words from one person to get the Israelites agitated and then Aaron
was forced to make for them the golden calf which they worshipped before the
return of Moses.
While watching this
scene, my mind drifted to other movies I had seen with similar events. Movies
such as ‘Hitler The Rise of Evil, Troy, 300 II: The Rise of an Empire’
where words by one person has seen the death of so many people. History is
replete with stories of War Generals, Kings and Sovereigns whom by the mere
mention of some words would order the destruction of other empires. Hitler is
notorious for this.
In our contemporary
world today, many of us are careless with words [I am guilty too]. The words
that we speak rather than bring life, leads to destruction. Our world and
especially Nigeria is embroiled in many
insecurity crises, chief of which is the Boko Haram imbroglio which has led to
the #BringBackOurGirls campaign [over 2 years and counting, quite sad] because
of the words some of our leaders have said. Be them Political or religious,
these words continue to live its potency throughout our lands.
Words are spirit and
they are life! They can and indeed they do destroy just as they save lives and
build destinies. The world needs men and women who will continue to speak life
no matter the circumstances.
Since my experience
with Donna, I am more drawn to poems and the wisdom they contain. I am beginning
to seriously overhaul my word bank and substituting them with more
energy-giving-life-saving words.
We can #BringBackOurGirls
home with our words. We can change Nigeria with our words. We can teach our
leaders with our words to be responsible and responsive. Indeed we can
transform our world with our words.
Speak Positively! Speak
Peace! Speak Life! God Bless Nigeria!!!
OjisiEmezie
Speaker,
Compere, Volunteer.
Think
it! Believe it! Work at it! Achieve it!
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