Thread by @segalink

Patience is not sitting & waiting but foreseeing. It’s looking at the thorn & seeing a rose. It’s looking at an Oak & seeing beyond Firewood. It’s looking at the night & seeing the day. Step back & see all that the opportunity can be. ⛱

I woke up this morning after a long Sunday and saw ‘Segun’ trending. At first I thought Instablog has picked yet another tweet to misinterpret and ‘slay witches’ cum men haters have pounced in it. But fortunately the world does revolve around me. Besides I’m segalink not Segun.🤔

Given my state of mind in the sociopolitical space it doesn’t make any difference whether I am directly affected or not, I will still carry that burden if someone else is in trouble or going through debilitating circumstances. So I read further and got the gist. 😞

Segun live-streamed (as alleged) his attempt at suicide by drinking Sniper because he didn’t make JAMB cut off. This is scary. It is ominous. It tells a lot about our future as a country based on this trajectory. I heard this threat once from my own nephew while being pressured.

He was preparing for direct entry into year two from Unilag diploma program and he had said in passing that if he did not make it in he would drink sniper. To him this was a joke but to most of us that listen deep, it was a red flag. We acted and told him the truth.

Someone really need to tell this generation the truth. We have cultured lies for too many years and it is crippling the future of our youth. Who told you that University is the way to Success it a criteria for making Heaven? Who said it is the only way to go?

The idea of schooling is to jump start your consciousness and ability to find the self. Not that your true self is missing, but it is buried under too many lies & social constructs that we’ve held to be true and have deployed to disqualify ourselves. It’s time to course-correct.

There is no better place to start than with the self. Know thyself first. He who conquers himself first will no doubt conquer the world.

So how do we begin engaging ourself first before knowing where to channel our contribution towards Nation building?

Eliminate all Social Constructs (generational lies & propaganda & engage Critical Thinking Skills). Because everyone is going a particular way shouldn’t make you become everyone. Find the truth that is true for you.

At some point I almost told my parents to go fuck themselves!

Spending 4-5years at the University, obtaining a certificate & merging same with certificate from one Year NYSC neither guarantees you success nor make you entitled to jobs....

In order words abolish the entitlement state of mind that creates undue dependency on government or society.

For short - No one Owes you money simply because you are a graduate. Stop the rat race while the potency of cognitive dissonance is less lethal.

I agree we may be tempted to want to die just for a day to see how many people will mourn us when we are gone. But life is not a reality tv show. You have a purpose regardless of the number of people that notice your existence. You need no one’s validation.

Spectators and prejudiced judges believe wrongly that depression hits people only at night when they feel alone. No my dear. It can hit U in the morning & even while balling with friends at 2pm. Watch those that were hit even at the middle of a laugh in amidst the cheers of all.

It happens to the best of us. It discriminates not. The bravest thing I’ve ever done was choosing to live even when I really was wishing for death to visit. It’s difficult going against the norm. It is a cold and treacherous path. I spent four years too at home before University.

Those were my formative years. Those were the years of self discovery. I wasn’t an average student. I wasn’t a failure. I was struggling with not allowing my parents live their compliant lives through mine. It cost me a lot but helped me learn how to fly & showed me greatness.

You can imagine being depressed and anxious at the same time. The former makes you care about nothing and the latter forces you to care too much about everything. So you’re literally in Hell. It’s worse today with Socialmedia pressures especially with antisocial & hateful people.

Ending your life because of some systemic madness designed by the relics of our past should never cross your mind. The world is far more dynamic. I taught myself many things and I can do it better than the very best of those that were schooled in it. Relax & find yourself.

Many won’t understand this though. Same way you won’t get why the food you love kills another. The same sir you breathe chokes asthma patients. The world May be beautiful to you but it is a living hell for most. Let’s support one another & build a new culture. #YouAreEnough

JAMB shouldn’t define your destiny. Segun will be fine by His Grace and we will support in any way we can. We need more counselors, we need more social services. We need reorientation. We need vocational studies. We need a change of culture. @MentallyAwareNG

The University system as currently bastardized have switched over from being Citadel of learning & Education to a hub of indoctrination. Current generation are now forced to do as told and their voice/rights is taken away at this point even before being ushered back into society.

The lucky ones who get to overcome these barriers, manage to leave university with their brains intact and the capacity to think independently and act with limited supervision. They struggle but most importantly they live & not merely survive.

These are the folks that graduated as solutions to our societal problems. The outliers that are ready to ask the question; “how may I help?”, “How can I get involved?” “I believe I can be of use on this project”...

...taking responsibility and showing leadership with the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn, without asking “What is in it for me?” These are the leaders of the future. They need not be graduates. This is no theory. I have executed this across sectors with results to show.

This is the spirit of transformational leaders, who are poised to raise enlightened followers that are easy to govern, difficult to rule and impossible to enslave.

These are the kind of people capable of critical thinking that can build a nation while playing their role in participation in governance. You need no appointment for this and you need not know anyone. Get used to being different.

Just be you and validate yourself. The world will make adjustment and recognize you in due course. Critical thinking is nothing academic and as basic as asking the simple question of Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.

For every idea you have on contributing or participation in governance, community development or even on issue concerning your well being or career path.

On the question of *Who* consider the following;

Who benefits from this?
Who is this harmful to?
Who makes decisions about this?
Who is most directly affected?
Who have you also heard discuss this?
Who would be best person to consult?
Who will be the key people in this?
Who deserves recognition for this? 🤔

On the question of *What* -

What are the Strengths/Weaknesses?
What is another perspective?
What is another alternative?
What would be the counter argument?
What is the best/worst case scenario?
Whatvis most/least important?
What can we do to make a positive/social change? 🤔

On the question of *Where* -

Where would we see this in the real world?
Where are there similar concepts/situations?
Where is there the most need for this?
Where in the world would this be a problem?
Where can we get more information?
Where do we go for help with this?

Where will this idea take us?
Where are the areas for improvement?

Every decision is worth the ask. Human beings are creatures of habit and what makes life easier is having a rule. A deep conviction and setting a pattern. Questioning helps.

On the question of *When* -

When is acceptable/unacceptable?
When would this benefit society?
When would this cause a problem?
When is the best time to take action?
When will we know we’ve succeeded?
When has this played a part in history?
When can we expect this to change?

When should we ask for help with this?

Regardless of the issue you are deliberating on, timing is key. A million dollars when you are 80years old is just a waste of paper when your colleagues are waiting for you in the grave. We are our society & network. Live now.

On the question of *Why* -
Why is this a problem or challenge?
Why is it relevant to me/others?
Why is this the best/worst scenario?
Why are people influenced by this?
Why should people know about this?
Why has it been this way for so long?
Why have we allowed this to happen?

Why is there a need for this today?

A wise man once said that those who know the hows will always be shackled to to those who knows the Why. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bezoz, Etc higher their weaknesses on the hows because they know the Why.

On the question of *How* -

How is this similar to (cite any close idea to yours)?
How does this disrupt things?
How do we know the truth about this?
How will we approach this safely?
How does this benefit us/others?
How does this harm us/others?

How do we see this in the future?
How can we change this for our good?

Each time I engage people who argue with the innovations deployed in our advocacy, I see attempts at holding on to what they have always done. But our world is changing. Don’t be imprisoned by conventions.

So I dare ask...If you have a vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world what exactly would it be? 🤔

Will you allow conventions and social construct limit you?!

For me this were the questions and Enquiries that birthed the successful advocacies and even businesses I have built over two Decades. If the template above is applied with your unique and clear definition of problem and answers to the critical questions posed...

...I bet society will be much better and things will move much faster. We can no longer leave our collective destinies in the hands of Economic gourmandisers.

We have to take responsibility and act from where we all are. It takes internalizing the critical thoughts and formulation of sustainable plans and engagement of strategic planning to develop something that works in the interest of all across sectors.

Going by the conventional means of waiting for messiahs...More than a Million Candles will burn for help that will never come. Let’s keep encouraging one another. We were not created to get a degree, land a job, make 9 figures, rear children & pay NEPA Bills while death tarries.

There is so much more.

...End of Celestial Admonition...

Life is not a race. There’s nothing like “your mates” 7 kids may not keep their relationship for 7years. You are alone on your track. There are people who finished university 8 years or longer before I gained admission. It didn’t make them more superior. Stop fretting!

The “I better pass my Neighbor” philosophy is for slaves given to the proselytization that tightens the chains on their necks. The highest level you can reach with this mentality is “House Nigga-ship” a life unfit for Cattle. There is so much more to live for. #YouAreEnough

The same *Air you breathe chokes Asthma patients... (#EndAutocorrect) 😡

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