THE CULTURE OF DEMAND

1.            In this day and time - in this generation, - the get rich or die trying scheme has never found better relevance than it has today.

2.            The exigencies of our cultures and roles in society are quite alarming and strenuous, that I often wonder if culture was made for man or man for culture. As far as this article is concerned I speak as a Nigerian, and a concerned change agent.

PRACTICAL SCENARIOS: THE CULTURE OF DEMAND

1.          At the risk of being misunderstood-I recall an incident which occurred-how that I did meet a friend of mine at an atm, when we finished she had boarded a bike, when she said “oh! Tope you're meant to pay for my bike”-off course it was nothing above a hundred naira, and I paid. But what's most startling is the prevalent culture of demand which is on the rapid increase. Notice she didn’t say “Tope would you mind pay for my bike”, she said “you’re meant to”. In essence she was saying “Tope you’re under an imposed cultural obligation to pay for my bike”. I wonder who and who created this obligation and where it started, but they should also have been wise enough to put into consideration the realities of the economy, financial principles of budgeting, some other principles by which some people live by and what have you. And least I forget, I hear my friends speak of friends with benefits and the likes, this girl was nothing of the sort, she was just a friend, she was  also not my girlfriend, not my relative, but an erstwhile primary school mate. You know I can’t cease to imagine what it would have been if she requested I foot the bill for her flight.

2.         Let me be quick to give another illustration. This one is now so endemic that it is fast becoming an epidemic. I still group it under the culture of demand. It’s simply the “roger me paradigm” it’s all about “bros drop something for nothing” the same thing hovers all around our polity. I accompany my Mum to a few of companies, by virtue of her kind of job and I am startled at how so much the gatemen always want money for nothing. They are employed to open the gate, they are paid to open the gate, but they request for money on doing the job they are paid for, seriously they’ve done nothing extra but they want something extra, “I laugh”.

Now think of this also when I was growing up until recently (a few years ago), on meeting anyone, who I believed to be well to do or boxed up, (like an uncle or aunty) I always expected some money you know even if I had not merited it or even if I had done nothing. Like in those days I still see this rapid cultural scheme prevalent here and there amongst “wassup teens”, “youths” and the likes. 

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE CULTURE OF DEMAND

1.      You must have heard the saying “nothing goes for nothing”, well truth be told this saying is very true. Now I may give you money even though you didn’t work for it. But the truth is my favour has gone ahead of you my generosity has given you merit for that money. Conversely if you meet a man who refuses to give you money for nothing its simple- His generosity or favor has not gone ahead of you, it has not paid the price.

2.      One profound detriment of the “culture of demand” is that it breeds alongside it a “culture of irresponsibility”. Now what exactly do I mean? When you depend on other people to give you something for nothing always, you become DEPENDENT, LAZY AND YOU LOSE CHARGE OVER YOUR LIFE, you find yourself always wanting something for nothing, always waiting for someone to roger you.

3.      Sad as it may sound, you become a professional/technical beggar.

4.      Anyone plagued with this demand syndrome also becomes a parasite and the culture makes you stay below those who give to you, for “the hand of the giver is always On top.” 

5.      “Real Money is a product of delivered value”, one primary thing the culture of demand does is blind people from this reality and make them potential thieves or beggars, since they become unwilling to pay the true price of value for money.

6.      Now I know I’ve not been so nice, especially for them “wassup chicks”, and them “wassup guys”. I know I’m not so “in vogue” I’m rather in principles. And that’s why I took the pains to write this. As Fela Durotoye once said, “Never let your background put your back on the ground” , thus it suffice to say that if our culture has taught us to always expect something for nothing, then we should unlearn and develop the capacity to always bring something to the table, so we could get something and create a better society. THANK YOU.

 

 

 

 

YOU ALSO HAVE A PART IN IT

When I interact with people on a daily basis, I often have cause to feel sorry for a lot of people. This is because we live in a world where people are more concerned about the problems than the solutions its indeed pathetic.


When you ask someone how is your company doing or how is your business or your nation doing, you often hear people lament rather than being positve, what you hear is negativity produced out of people's mouth. I often hear people say things like the government is corrupt, the nation is decaying and the people are suffering. The question I am asking is what have you done about this malady?

You are the one who complains and you know very well that tommorrow if you happen to be in the same position you would do worse, so tell me how can the society change? Why keep on lamenting when you have not done the little you are meant to do. Apparrently when you complain you forget that drops of water make the mighty ocean and thus you also have a part to play.

We live in a world where the leaders are always expected to carry all the burdens of the followers. Sorry freinds it never walks that way and that is the truth. The environment is dirty yes we know but have you kept your own vicinity clean? Do you pick those little piece of papers you find on the way? the nation is corrupt, ykes I know but have you said NO to bribery and corruption?

Hey guys always remember that those little things matter even more, so what are you neglecting? Remember without the people there is no country?

THE POSITIVITY THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS

Some time ago, I was listening to Pst.Adeboye and I was astonished to hear a statement like "...in some years from now we'll be having our ministers conference in the moon..."I pondered a long while on this statement. Have you listened to great politicians of repute, notice one thing they posses inherent positivity that's what enables them belittle impossibilities as though they are mare video games. I was reading a book Think and Grow Rich and Napoleon Hill said he erased the word "impossible" from his dictionary. That day when I heard Pst Adeboye utter that statement if He weren't a man that has kept an indelible track, I'd have doubted him. But do you know I did come to realize that such kind of faith and positivity is that of great men? Listen to them, make out time and listen to them they sound like noise makers a times, but remember, like Jesus said if you can faith as small as a mustard seed and you can say to this mountain be thou moved from thence and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in your heart but believe that what you've said is done then, it shall be so. My faith and your faith may be small like the mustard seed but what Jesus was saying was magnify your faith above the mountain, magnify your faith above that problem, thereby creating a spirit and paradigm of positivity in you. I don't stop telling myself everyday "I walk in the abundance of God's prosperity" and in fact even when I have just 5naira in my pocket, I wake up and one of the things I say everyday aloud is "I shall lend to nations and I shall never borrow". Because I've come to Know that "my attitude is greater than the fact". in fact what allows the fact room for survival is my attitude... Are you in a turmoil or are you in a fix... What makes the difference isn't the turmoil but your attitude in that turmoil. Wake up and stop being negative. Stop saying "I can't",or "its impossible" say I can and in fact even when you know you ordinarily can't act as if you can. Boast in God that you can. "BUT NOTE ALWAYS DO YOUR HOME WORK WELL"And remember "great men are ordinary men with extraordinary determination."

THE BIG BONY MEATS

I entered my kitchen on one faithful morning and i was surveying the kitchen, so to say. Then i saw a trail it was full of meat of various sizes. Then i heard a voice say to me "see that one its only big its all bony"then it donned on me, i got the rhema instantly. One day i and my mum went out, we met this man who professed to be well experienced in his field. As networking would demand, we got his contact, not too long after this visit we needed his help vis-á-vis his profession and then we found a "big bony fish" he professed to be well experienced, but had NOTHING to offer. I've come to realize that one major problem Nigeria faces is the dominance of this "big bony fishes" in our society. Paul told Timothy "study to show thyself approved a workman needed not to be ashamed..." Its not all about how much noise you can make its how well you bring this noise into practicality. We've witnessed several presidents who tell us i'll do this and that and at last we see just a tip of the iceberg. I'm out today to change the paradigm of up coming youths. Please i crave your indulgence let noise alone, focus on the "ACTION"     

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO

I tell people this, and its not in anyway spurious. You've got to have a basis for your values else you aint got any. If the reason you go to parties is because your friends do, then i pity you, if you go to church because your parents do then i'm sorry for you, you have a long way to go. Its because of these unanswered questions we find people drifting from their way of life carelessly. You find a  child who has always worn skirts, she gets out of her mother's house and its all bump-shorts... I think the time is now when you've got to ask yourself certain questions why do i do these things? At a very young age in life i got involved in the work force of an adult church, i wasn't yet a teen then, but i often did tell myself something and that was the reason i did what i did. You find some people get into college and change their course of study like 3times or even more. Some say these courses are tedious No its only because you're not driven by passion so you get frustrated when the storm comes and more you dont know why you're there... I'm a freak of gospel music, in as much as pear pressure and all that exist i dont compromise my music values&you can never find me doing anything other than this. The reason you find yourself doing certain things isn't because of pear-pressure or influence, NO its because you aint got your values down. See... ask yourself why do i go to church? Why do i keep this friend? Ask yourself numerous questions and get to think properly on why you do what you do, its really expedient. Remember and quote me anywhere its the truth, "if you aint got a basis for you values then you've got none"