Humanity in Business Series: Tomorrow Has Come

photo courtesy of shirleymaya.com

ON this post, I begin what I have termed ‘Humanity in Business Series’ to remind us that having said and done all, life offers more than what many pursue. On the 18^th of September, 2014, my very first broadcast of The Next Level with Chukwuemeka, I shared a thought inspired by my friend Victor Nwokocha. It is the true story of Ifeanyi, Victor and myself.

A casual look at happenings around us simply demands that the insight of this story be repeated. Hopefully, as we all work and hustle and bustle, this post will serve as a reminder for us to pause and do the needful.

Ifeanyi and I and, Victor were students of the same department in the University of Ibadan. After graduation, daily pursuits, with our consent, took us to different directions. One thread however ran through all of us; we were aiming for the top, and deploying all resources available to us to achieve our dreams. While we saw and interacted almost every day while in school, the same cannot be said after our graduation.

Sadly, the age-long saying, 'out of sight is out of mind', caught up with us. We got too busy, too preoccupied by everyday challenges. We barely called one another...and one day...the news came...Ifeanyi, our Ifeanyi, had, unexpectedly, passed on. Just like that, no notice, just like that....And haven’t we all received that one call that says a friend or loved one has passed on, without notice?

Have you realised that we often take life for granted till we are jolted by the brutal reality of its opposite? In the convenience of our abiding presumptions we tend to believe we have a firm hold on life, and that death or even some debilitating illnesses are a distant phenomenon exclusively reserved for the very old.

photo courtesy of b-landau.de

We talk about tomorrow, making our plans and projections with a certainty that underscores no reverence or acknowledgement of The One who actually owns life, and owns tomorrow. And most times we make no plans at all, rest assured in the misleading fantasy that tomorrow must come and life would run as usual. Thus, we often postpone to tomorrow what we could have accomplished today. We therefore procrastinate without conscience, particularly in honouring our commitments to relationships, brotherhood and friendship. We forget that tomorrow will not always come. Tomorrow has actually come, today.

We hardly invest time to call, text or mail just to say hello to long-standing friends, brothers and sisters, to find out how they are, and help where we can. We simply assume they are there, and they are just fine. We underestimate the bonding power of reaching out to say 'out of sight is not out of mind'. Until some totally unimaginable sad news comes to shock us out of our smugness, and into this manner of reflection. We then blame ourselves for neglecting that which we could have done yesterday, that which truly matters; having and maintaining good relationships; vertically and horizontally. We wish we could turn back the ever moving hands of time. But it is usually too late, too too late.

May I kindly ask you to take a moment and send that text, place that call or send that email to that friend, brother or sister just to find out how they are. That call or message from you could make all the difference. Don’t get too busy, don’t be caught up in work and hustle and bustle. Please do it now! Tomorrow is here, today.

Whether you succeed or not, is really in your hands. Remember that when you set the sails, God sends the wind.

Your feedback is welcome

chukwuemeka okereafor

Some people have asked how we can work together. Among others, I am available to creatively:

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