I AM because YOU ARE (Ease Someone’s Life Today)

In his summary of the core of ‘ubuntu’- the South African humanist philosophy- African Intellectual historian, Michael Onyebuchi Eze, wrote, “Humanity is a quality we owe to each other. We create each other and need to sustain this otherness creation. And if we belong to each other, we participate in our creations: we are because you are, and since you are, definitely I am.” On my own, I can say, “I am human,” because biologically, that is true. However, the reality that would back that up can only be brought to fruition by the way I am treated by another human. If you treat me like a dog, then what is the use of my saying, “I am human”? The fact is that I am the person I am today because you have treated me with kindness and respect; because you have acknowledged my humanity, you have eased life for me. Therefore, I write this piece today to acknowledge you, for I am humane because you are humane too.

 

First and foremost, I am because you are; Love. The words you gave me, my Bible, say so. A part of you exists in me because you made me and put that part in me. So I radiate love and I try to live up to who you are. Of course, I fail all the time, but you are Love, and your love for me never fails. Your love makes me human and to be humane is to love. Dear God, I would not be who I am if you were not who you are.

 

I am although you are not; (Late) Alfred Akinbamiyorin. Living a life without one's real father is a journey no one can understand unless they travel it themselves. It is also a gift one will never be able to open unless they lose their father and accept that loss. You are not here, and this is not to say that I do not miss you tremendously and love you with all my heart, but your absence opened up a cruelly beautiful world to me I never would have known in your presence. My mother is a stronger woman, my sisters are stronger women, and I am a stronger woman. Thank you father; till we meet again.

 

I am safe because you are hard at work; the Pandemic. I do not mean you, Corona virus. I am referring to the frontline workers and those who provide essential services. You have risked your lives and devoted your time so that I can be safe and comfortable. Healthcare workers; social workers; food providers; the delivery men; the press; entertainment services; those responsible for the management of the deceased; those who work in security; those who have complied to the rules of social distancing and other safety protocol; those who built the technology that enables me to see the faces of the ones I hold dear, even if I cannot hold them near. Thank you all for your hard work.

 

I am Nigerian because you are Nigeria; my country. Her people, my people, her leaders, my leaders. We need to rise up and stand for what we know is right. We need to take collective interest in the prosperity of our nation. We are a great people, a “giantess”; our reality ought to be glorious. Please, join hands with me and make our motherland glorious. Remember that there is no “I” in strength, but you cannot spell “power” without “we”.

 

I am because you matter; Black Lives Matter. We all matter, regardless of our skin colour. But in a race that we were all placed to run in, your white skin gave you a ten-step head start. Isn't it ironic that your lack of melanin protects you while my abundance of it endangers me? A joke we never heard in Biology class. But you should know that you are privileged, and so if you believe that all lives matter, then help me fight for my privilege too. Teach yourselves and your future generations that when you encounter another person regardless of their race, the first thing you should see is a human. Imbibe these virtues: respect, helpfulness, sharing, caring, trust, selflessness, ‘ubuntu’. In Nelson Mandela’s words, you would have done something very important that will be appreciated.

 

They could live if you were: charitable. There is a Yoruba proverb that says ‘Bi Ēēgun nla ba ni ohùn o ri gontò, gontò na a ni ohùn o ri Ēēgun nla’, which means that if a big masquerade claims it does not see the smaller masquerade, the small masquerade will also claim it does not see the big masquerade. If we do not show regard for the people that are less privileged than we are, there will come a day when they will show no regard for us. You do not have to wait for an uprising to occur before you become a Good Samaritan. That poor man on the street, that little orphan girl in the orphanage, they could live easier through just one simple act of kindness from you. Let your charity know no bounds.

 

I am because you are: my maker, my mother, my sister, my family, my friend, my enemy, my teacher, my godparent, my cousin, my protector, my provider, my country, my continent, my people, my pride; humanity.

 

But are you because I am? I appreciate wholeheartedly all that you do for me, and so I pray that Providence will enable me to do things that will ease life for you too. I also pray that you reading this, if you have not already, will do something today that will ease someone else's life someway. As Nelson Mandela wisely and humanitarianly said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

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I initially wrote this essay as my submission for a competition, but I ended up not winning. Still, I was so proud of my work that I decided to put it up on my blog for a larger audience to read. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it has taught you something today, and opened your heart up to think about how you can ease someone else's life someway.