The Last Word
THE WORLD IS ENDING, WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY? “In the end, it is about the depth of one’s character as opposed to the depth of one’s wallet…..” t the end of last year I really took it easy and tuned into the world. I listened to people and read what they had to say on blogs, emails and social networks. It struck me that many are not happy. They bear some bitterness towards their jobs, their parents, their spouses or some other element of their existence. They forget that there are many out there who can only wish that they had these things in their lives. It is about time we started taking ownership of our lots in life. There really is no greater power out there plotting our demise. Sometimes you rise and sometimes you fall, that is this thing called life. It’s a rollercoaster and we just have to ride it. I believe this is the end of the world that the doomsayers have been pointing at. The financial systems are hanging on by a frail thread. Good for them! It is greed that got us to where we are and that had to readjust itself sooner or later. Societies are standing up and shouting – the Arab spring, occupy Wall Street and closer to home the Nigerians are telling their government that it is time for it to be honest. It is the new world order. This material world that we live in needs to be toned down because it is less human and humane and all about Christian Louboutins and Ferrari 458 Italias. I am not saying that all those things are bad or wrong, but the actions and thoughts that many are employing to achieve them are what is causing a profound decay in the lives we live. 52
EXPATRIATE
Quite early in the year 2012, I had a proper lesson of what this life is all about. Two things happened. First, I read a book my sister gave me at Christmas called “The Leader Who Had No Title”, by Robin Sharma. It is one of those self help titles and perhaps not applicable to everyone but it hit a big fat cord in me. I was left feeling all positive about life. The second thing was the passing on the 3rd of January of a man who had been close to me for the last 28 years. When I reflected on his life, I gathered many subtle lessons. I spent half of my growing life at his house and just through observation and the way in which I related to him and his family, I was always reminded of what this life was really all about. Life is simple! It is all about being honest, being humble, treating each other with respect and just being there to help your fellow man when you can. It is about the depth of one’s character as opposed to the depth of one’s wallet. It is about the soul and the lessons you leave behind for the lives you touch because that is all you leave. B e grateful you are reading this. Be
grateful that you have a few months before the world ends to work towards being the best you can be. We don’t know when and we don’t how, but our days are certainly numbered. All that will matter in the end is the testimony to the life that you have led. Keep smiling my dear friends, because whatever it is that you are going through, good or bad, it will end. But you on the other hand, will learn and grow. Yaw Peprah is a self employed entrepreneur pursuing interests in business advisory, consultancy and commodity brokering. www.mondaymail. blogspot.com