Fly Low

No sooner had a trainee pilot learnt how to taxi, take off and climb with an airplane than he began to flout the advice of his instructors. Initially a level-headed, respectful and diligent chap, as soon as Jim passed his second stage flying examinations, which guaranteed his operation of an airplane, things changed. Jim started living the ‘I don arrive’ (recalcitrant) lifestyle.

As an intelligent kid and coming from one of the low-income families in the county, Jim studied on full scholarship and was considered for the most prestigious flying training offered by the flying institute. There were seven stages in the flying training and already at stage two; Jim was taking some of the third and fourth stage courses due to his brilliance and the privileges granted to him.

The flying school had a reputation for excellence and ensured every trainee pilot met all the minimum requirements before being granted a license as a full pilot. Part of these requirements included sound ethical and respectful behaviors. Jim ended up falling short.

On several occasions, Jim flew outside of his assigned aeronautical miles and went higher than his designated altitude. In all these cases, he apologized, was reprimanded and nothing dangerous really happened.

On the Saturday morning preceding the week of his commencement of stage three courses, as part of his school’s assigned practices, Jim had flown one of the most technologically-advanced airplanes of the flying institute – a KXT1 Jet Series. High up in the air and caught up in the euphoria of how sophisticated and agile the ‘machine’ was, Jim lost it.

Rather than keep his pilot headsets tightly fitted to his ears and stay on the radio frequency communicating signals from the control station, Jim switched to his personal headphone and tuned to a satellite radio enjoying Jazz music.

About that time, his instructor at the control station sensed a Tornado heading in Jim’s direction. Quickly, he grabbed his radio equipment and at the top of his voice shouted:

‘Charlie-two-six-echo, this is Base 022, do you copy?’, ‘Charlie-two-six-echo, this is Base 022, can you hear me?’ ‘Strong SW wind in the direction of Eagle 1, descend immediately’. Expedite! Expedite! Expedite!

Jim was in another world having fun; he could not hear anything being transmitted to him.

Like a mighty bang, Eagle 1 was hit very badly by the Tornado. Jim lost complete control high up in the air. With several tumultuous noises in and around Eagle 1 afterwards, this pride of the air and much-sort after machine, was divided into countless pieces.

But for the parachute that Jim had on, he would have lost his life during this mishap. In the middle of a thick bush hundreds of miles away from the flying school, Jim’s battered body was later found close to a Lake. Fortunately, he still had vital signs.

Following this incidence and upon his recovery, Jim was brought before a disciplinary committee with representatives from his county, the state and the aviation regulatory council.

The verdict: a life-time ban from operating any type of flying equipment.

His dream of becoming one of the youngest pilots of his time was dashed. Life never became the same for him afterwards.

In life, those who refuse to be guided will be grounded. We are not on planet earth for fun; we are here for serious business.

For every opportunity we have, there are hundreds looking for the same. We must value advice and cherish guidance.

Let’s make the best of the year ahead; let’s FLY LOW!

Tap, Swipe or Insert

Cashless technology is one of the inventions revolutionizing our world today. Payments for goods or services are now easily completed without the use of currency bills or coins.

While biometric authentications like voice, eye or fingerprint recognition as well as contactless mobile wallet systems are at the top end of this cashless revolution, the use payment cards at POSs (Point of Sales) is still the most widely used cashless payment option globally.

Payment cards are often customized, simple to carry around and have in-built capacity for them to be tapped, swiped or inserted into POSs. Sometimes, all that is needed to complete a transaction is for the numbers on a payment card to be punched into payment portals.

In essence, a single card can achieve the same thing using different options.

God, the Master inventor, created man with a lot of capabilities; some are potent, while others may be latent. Every man is loaded with possibilities to achieve results, his/her external environment notwithstanding.

That POSs only allow the option of swiping does not mean payment cards are not designed for more.

Look inward; there are a lot more things you can do to make your life colorful. You have options, don’t get stuck in life. You can do more than you have ever discovered about yourself.

If you having troubles using your payment card, call for assistance. Simply dial 1-800-GOD-Help-Me-Out.

Your life cannot come to a halt simply because one ‘door’ has closed against you. Realize this, at any point in time, like the payment cards; you have more doors/possibilities to actualize your dream.

It’s your season to regain your lost grounds; it’s your time to do more and be celebrated. 

Don’t Pay Back

Loans are generally required to be paid back; favors are often expected to be returned. Some things are however meant not to be paid back when received. One of them is EVIL for EVIL.

The concept of Paying Back is transactional and one of the underlying principles of every transaction is that value must be exchanged for value.

Evil has no value; hence it is not fit to be ‘transacted’.

Every true transaction must leave each participant better and fulfilled. ‘Trading’ evil leaves others in pain and anguish; it is bad business to promote evil.

If for some reasons evil was passed on in the transactions of life, the recipient has one singular assignment to ensure it is eventually forced out of business: overcome it with good.

Goodness is good business and it ensures a profitable existence. It’s the kind of value that should be exchanged, every day and everywhere. In fact, it should be paid back each time it is received.

As much as we wished for a goodness-filled life, unfortunately, there are people who live their own lives as if they have been ’anointed’ to cause pain to others. These are peddlers of rumors, sharers of negativity and custodians of devilish schemes - individuals who run an empire of wickedness and manage an outfit of vilification.

They are wasters of the grace of God and are certainly on a count-down to meet their Waterloo if they do not retract and change.

As with most things in life, we take time to plan before acting. Using our valuable and limited time to plan retaliations and pay backs to those who have hurt us is a waste of time and life. We are to show them a better and higher way to live; we are to exhibit love and forgiveness.

Evil doers are losers anyway; we cannot get even with them and become losers too. We are wiser, stronger and better. We have a mission to fulfill and cannot submit to a lesser way of living.

It is unwise to be a trader of evil. It will ruin our noble enterprise. 

We cannot be a people that pay evil back with evil. Evil, whenever and wherever ‘transferred’, should be received with goodness.

No to EVIL; Yes to GOODNESS!

Living to live another day

Our world is getting more and more challenged and the need to get results and be seen as an achiever would increase over the coming years in response to these challenges.

Tendencies, vices, idiosyncrasies would fly and the propensity towards egocentrism and self-centredness would multiply.

There might be decisions to move on, move in or move out. Whatever the decisions would be, it becomes expedient that the fundamental values of love, trust and respect for one another are deeply regarded and esteemed at all times.

You might have reasons to leave someone’s life, someone’s job or someone’s circle of influence or network; leave with some dignity and respect for them and the opportunity they have given you. Value the time they have shared and the trust they have bestowed. Be sure you don’t burn bridges, betray trust and rubbish opportunities.

Your aspirations are so important so also is a need to acknowledge and respect what matters to others.

No matter who you are or what you have achieved, never run people down. Never trample on their integrity and personality on your way to wherever you are going.

However big or daunting your dreams and desires might be or however traumatizing or intimidating your fears and challenges might appear, leave peaceably with all men. Avoid constructing and placing people in boxes. Respect opportunities, value friendship, cherish trust and in all, live to live another day.

Red Light Says: STOP

Most times when I drive, there are two of us doing the job – me and my oldest daughter, Rachael.

Seated firmly in her chair at the back, she would constantly remind me of changes to traffic lights as we drive around. ‘Daddy, it’s green, you have to go’, ‘Daddy King, it’s red, you have to stop’.

Often times, in the form of rhymes, she would engage me in call and response recitals by asking ‘Yellow light says’ and I would answer – ‘ready to stop’, ‘Red light says’ – and my response, ‘stop’.

Strong father to daughter bonding opportunities as these moments are, they have become avenues for personal reflections. One of such reflections is that, I have come to understand that like traffic lights, some structures, systems and institutions are put in place for my safety and the safety of others around me. Ignoring them may result in havoc.

Similarly, while driving is a choice; compliance with road signs and regulations is not. There are consequences if I choose to willfully breach the laws guiding the privileges I have been given to operate a motor vehicle. Traffic lights, road signs and driving rules are instructions I must adhere to, always.

Instruction is a key element of success. No student excelled in an examination who did not follow the guiding instruction(s) for that examination.

Those who hate instructions hate greatness. Those whose pride would make them to consider traffic lights as mere structures and regularly run Red Lights, would only have themselves to blame when caught by Police officers.

To be truly great in life, we have to willingly and humbly submit to every instruction necessary along our journey. A life lived without recourse to instruction is heading for commotion.

As with RED lights, STOP when next they show up on the traffic lights of your life; they may help to avoid head-on collisions.

Waiting, Wailing, Wasting (WWW)

Life has severally been described as being in a continuum and we have been regularly schooled to accept that temporary stops along the way are not permitted. Not any different from driving on Autobahns in Germany (Bundesautobahnen), where there are no mandated speed limits and each car’s speedometer is its limiting factor, we have often been encouraged not to wait, but keep firing on in life.

One missing piece in this bogus extrapolation is the principle of waiting.

Waiting is the occasional slowdowns we experience along the journey of life. Waiting is part of life and we often wait not because we do not have enough energy or will-power to move on but sometimes because there are factors outside of our own control that require us to slow down. There could be obstructions or diversions ahead that may require us to operate at a relative slower pace.

Waiting can be painful; the reason(s) for it may NOT be clear. More painful is when we feel obligated to explain the ‘whys’ behind our waiting and we could not muster one plausible cause.

To someone who is always on the go, waiting is a contradiction and an aberration to life.

The fast racing cars in Formula 1 events are often stopped for refueling and retooling for them to perform at optimal levels as the competition progresses. Waiting is often a necessity for productivity.

Waiting is a tool, it could help us deepen our understanding of life and strengthen our resolve to succeed when the waiting season is over.

In our waiting, we cannot develop a lifestyle of wailing or whining so we don’t waste valuable opportunities. We should keep working on the things that are clear to us and with time, we will certainly win in the issues of life.

No to WAITING, WAILING & WASTING;

Yes to WAITING, WORKING & WINNING.

We have it.

A story was told of how a young boy’s meagre resources helped to meet the need of countless number of people. In that same story, those who supposedly should have risen up and saved the day threw up their hands in surrender – they opted for an easier way out. Their suggestions – send the people back, let everyone ‘bear his or her father’s name’; we do not have the wherewithal to support them.

Around us today, similar episodes are playing out. We continue to read and hear about individuals who, although are positioned as change agents, have resorted to fate, constantly seeking justifications for their lack of creativity. They dress solution, act solution, speak solution but are yet to solve one real problem.

As long as these categories of people exist, there will also be another category – those who may not be the most privileged, or the most experienced but who will end up being the solution-providers to the challenge(s) at hand. These are the DAVIDS who will silent Goliath; The ESTHERS who will put Hamans in check.

The lesson here is for us to speak up, show up and let our voices count in the places that matter. We are built to solve problems and cannot continue to underestimate our worth.

In us is the next idea to make our families, communities, organizations and world better.

We have it; we have what it really takes….

You are not ordinary

There are over 6 Billion humans on earth and each is a Masterpiece – a work divinely finished with extraordinary skill, supreme intelligence and uncommon artistry. Crated, built and empowered as best-in-class products by the Almighty.

Unique, well-framed and well-endowed; having premium value and priceless worth. Able to achieve great feats and commissioned to serve a peculiar purpose.

No human is a mistake. No life is intended to be ordinary.

Indeed location, socialization and opportunities for realization of purpose differ; notwithstanding, every human has a distinct, in-built capability for global impact.

To think that we are now faced with a situation where Masterpieces are regularly been devalued and the quest for human validation and recognition is leading many to undercut their glory, is a malaise.

A strong wind of identity crisis is blowing; in a bid for them to fit in and be accepted, there are increasing numbers of people who are trading their inestimable worth for morsels of meat. Unsure of who they are and why they are here, there are growing numbers of individuals who could do more but have placed limits on their lives because they regularly look to their situation rather than their creator for meaning.

No man is great who does ordinary things and no life is celebrated that is lived anyhow.

It’s time to disengage from emptiness and worthlessness. Life is designed to be beautiful. It’s time to break free from every hold to ordinariness; it’s time to dial 1-800-GOD-HELP-ME.

Pay Attention

In the middle of the busy, ‘do it now’, ‘get it now’ and ‘show it forth’ era that we find ourselves, as a people who love God, the tendencies for confusion, deception and misdirection from our assignment strongly exist.

Given we are not necessarily extricated from the imbroglio that characterizes our current existence, we often find ourselves pressured for conformity with the abnormality of our time.

Our desire for inclusiveness and personal relevance in all things social, economic, political etc. results in a compromise of our belief. To justify our stance, we dilute the truth and redefine the gospel.

We become everything to everyone and in every situation possible. We wear all caps – an activist, a feminist, a pluralist until we eventually become a doubter, a hater and we walk away prodigiously from the safety of our call.

One thing is clear, we only flourish in our ‘land’ and like a friend would say jokingly, you cannot be employed in Canada and go to Cambodia to resume work. The names are similar, but the locations are different.

We are not called to tend to other things that are not our preoccupation.

It’s time for us to be focused; to mind our assignment and to avoid crisscrossing into everything.

It’s time to pay attention to our assignment.