Used Up and Worn Out

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” – George Bernard Shaw.

My mother would give her last penny to someone in need—she has, and there have been many “last pennies.” I think I know who she learned this from.

My great-grandmother stayed up many nights cooking food to sell in the morning so she could pay for her son, Akande, to go to school in the city. Once, when his sole, starched-white school shirt got stained and Akande despaired of showing up at school looking irresponsible, great-grandma scrubbed the shirt until her fingers were raw, then she held it up all night in front of a wood fire so it would be dry by morning.

My grandfather, Akande, not making light of his mother’s sacrifice, went on to finish first in his class in secondary school. His village, proud of their son’s accomplishment, collected a donation to send him to college. Akande later became the first post-colonial Minister of Education in what was then Nigeria’s capital, Lagos. He fought to make sure that schools were established in remote, forsaken villages, similar to the one that had raised him. And he raised his children—biological and adopted—to know that a life worth living is a life that gives. I never met my great-grandmother or grandfather. Sadly, they died before their time…Or did their time die with them?

Theirs was a time when people gave of themselves and asked nothing in return except that their gift be perpetuated.

I am a link in a chain of many lives used up for the good of others. My vision for the future is anchored in a legacy begun in the past. I owe it my “cloud of witnesses,” those long gone and those still around, to invest myself for the good of others.

Driven by a conviction that every human being is a treasure worthy of love, and having embraced the teachings of Jesus, who said “here is how to measure love––the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends” (John 15:13), I desire to be used up and worn out so that the unheard, the down-trodden, the marginalized will have a voice.

For my society, I envision a day when each woman and man takes up the mantle of responsibility for restoring our nation to what it once was—even more, pushing Nigeria toward what it can be, given the wealth of mineral and people resources with which we have been blessed. I see us leaving behind past grievances, celebrating the strength and beauty in our diversity. Rich and beautiful as our culture is, I look forward to the day we recognize that some traditional tenets must be amended. Yes, the young have much to learn and they should know their place; but it ought not to be a place of irrelevance. True, Woman is nurturing, life-giving, self-giving; but she is also strong, passionate, a fierce defender, and she cannot—must not—be ignored or trampled if we are to thrive as a people.

My journey so far with the VOF application has already been worth it. My creative muse has resurfaced, and I have been inspired beyond words to tackle the nagging issues in my community. In the month since the application process began, I have successfully organised an entrepreneurship program for youth; convinced my mother to turn her philanthropic in-kind contributions to widows into a sustainable program; and launched a campaign to invest in home businesses in developing countries!

I would like to be a VOF Correspondent because I am poised to move my corner of the earth—I just need the Archemedian “firm place on which to stand.” I can think of no better place to stand than in the company of women using up their lives for a mighty purpose.