SPIRITUALITY VS REALITY
A conversation ensued between an older friend (late 40’s) and myself about
some personal issues. These life issues were patterning to her and after the
conversation, with the aid of research and internet scrambling, I was able to
map out logical and strategic steps on how to go about issues like that. A week
later, I presented my proposal to my friend and she said she had gone for
prayers and the consultant… sorry, I mean the clergy had told her what to do.
Well, that should even be better I thought but out of curiosity, I asked what
the clergy advised. The answer was shocking… Fast and pray for twenty-one days.
Finish? Really? You’re sure he didn’t add anything else?
So I said, for instance in western countries, a teen is
kleptomaniac and the conclusion is that it’s a naturally condition and the teen
needs to be taken to rehab for reorientation. So he/she is taken to rehab while
in Africa, a teen is kleptomaniac and the conclusion is that a demon has
possessed the teen. He/she needs to be taken to the mountain for intense
deliverance session(s) and he’s carried off. Let’s assume it was indeed a
demonic attack (since we are Africans). Is there something they did to the
demon at the rehab (in the case of the western teen) that made it uncomfortable
and leave the body of the host or are we just too spiritual minded in Africa that
we forget that not everything is spiritual?
That innocently asked simple question turned the bible study
class to a debate room for around half an hour. Africans over emphasize
spirituality at the expense of reality. A girl isn’t married at thirty-five,
she’s always at the front seat at the yearly MFM ‘Power Must Change Hands’
deliverance prayer yet her friends have stopped visiting her house because of
how dirty it is and her dress sense is a throwback to the early 70’s. At least
she’s not the guy that claims his father’s other wives are not allowing him get
a job for four years and has refused to learn a skill or go into business. And
just because he studied Physics or industrial chemistry, he’s patiently waiting
for the day Shell or Chevron would come calling so in the meantime, he’s on the
mountain observing a 40 days fasting and prayer session against some probably
innocent women going about their daily petty trade.
You know, I’m not saying this spiritual technicalities and anomalies are
non-existent since we are from the ‘dark’ continent where a lot activities go
in places like trees, forests, rocks, walls and even in thin air but I’m just
saying we would be saving ourselves a lot of time and energy if we gave room for
logical reasoning. Over emphasizing on spirituality is what has made Africans
(especially her women) slaves to spiritual figures like Imams, Clergies, Native
doctors, Seers and so on. The effect of spirituality on the already permissible
African mind oftentimes tends to mess with logical reasoning and after a 20mins
BBM chat/debate with an African-American friend, he concluded with a very silly
conclusion.
The main reason why there are very few high-rise building in Africa
like other places is because there’s a dominant horizontal pattern of
reasoning; whereas, every other continent thinks vertically (I choose to
disagree with that annoying assessment). We need to stop pitting Spirituality
against Reality. If you want something, don’t just pray for it; work hard to
get it. If you want good grades, don’t just pray; study. You need a job, pray
but also submit your CVs, create connections and obtain professional
certifications. You need money, start a business and pray God blesses it.
That is the way to align spirituality and reality rather than
contrast them. Hope this makes some sense to an African who intends striking a
balance between spirituality and reality. Have a nice week ahead.
Mature Minds Talk
*sighs*....word!!! Tell them o, the way Africans take spirituality can be annoying at times. Some would even tell you it's your like on fb that can heal someone's disease. Seriously?! They need to know heaven only help those who help themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Exactly why the holy books said "work and pray". Not just "pray".
DeleteLikes on Facebook curing diseases. Lmao!
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ReplyDelete