THE VALUE OF A NIGERIAN LIFE
We would be starting this New Year with this subject that I consider to be very critical to our being as a nation. I am talking about the worth of one life in Nigeria; the worth of a Nigerian life today – what it is and what it should be.
What is the worth or value of a Nigerian life?
It seems to me that human life is very cheap in this country. Having an accurate sense of the worth or value of one human life affects our attitude to life completely. It affects also our attitude and behavior toward ourselves. It affects our attitude to others; to leadership, governance, and our economy. If only we can just have an appreciation for the value of one life. The most valuable asset God has placed on this planet is the human being.
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul.” Christ, in making this statement, meaning that the whole material world put together is not enough to be compared to the worth of one human. Of course, the true value of human beings will never be found in our physical bodies.
If you disintegrate man’s body, you will find that it is a composite of elements in the soil: magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, carbon, calcium, and so on. Seventy percent of the human body consists of water, so if you take that out, what we have left is made up of these other elements. If you check out the market value of these elements it is not worth much.
The true value of a human being is not in the physical body but in our spirit, and our soul – that intangible part of man. The picture we have about ourselves and the value we place on our inner man affects tremendously how we approach life. Where man finds it difficult to hold inside him the picture of what God created him to be; where there is a shriveled and battered self-image; where there is low self-worth; gaining mastery over life becomes almost impossible.
You will never attempt to do anything beyond the capacity of that inner person. From self-image, we have self-esteem which is how you feel about yourself. You may feel great if the picture you see on the inside is great. You may feel bad, poor, wretched, and overwhelmed about life if the picture you hold on the inside is that of a victim.
The appropriate illustration to drive the point I am trying to make further home is found in the Scriptures. The leaders of Israel who were sent to spy out the Promised Land came back and gave a report to Moses that the land they went to spy was a land that swallowed up its inhabitants. It was occupied by giants and all the children of Israel would be destroyed by the people occupying the land.
They said, “We were as grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so were we in their sight.” I believe strongly that they were not talking about their physical bodies; they were not saying that their physical bodies became grasshoppers. They were simply describing the picture they had on the inside about themselves. Unfortunately, they saw the enemies as being overwhelming; they saw them as giants and saw themselves as grasshoppers. You and I know that grasshoppers would not dare to attempt to kill a giant.
What filled their minds was survival and the cheapest way to survive was to run away. You can see from this related instance how much impact the things that happen around us have on the picture we carry about ourselves. The poverty in our environment affects that picture. What people say and how they treat us to affect that picture.
It is remarkable to note that words carry such tremendous power and can add value to or subtract value from our lives. The attitude of the government to citizens and the attitude of citizens to themselves show that we place little value on human life in this country. The bad roads, garbage heaps, and rickety vehicles on our roads are enough testimony.
However, change must begin with you, dear reader. Value your own life; then you will be able to value others. Love yourself. Treat yourself with dignity. God made you a first-class being. You deserve the best. You are worth more than your weight in gold. This will be your best year so far.
Nigeria will Succeed!
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