Education holds the key for both growing industry and for dominating the environment. But that would mean, that kind of education which is tailored to the intrinsic talents of individuals – a residue of their natural passion – which leads and innovates industry, overcomes environmental and society’s challenges, and decorates the African humanity.
The popular cliché, “knowledge is power” has unfortunately failed to hold true for the countries and peoples of Africa. Today’s globalizing world inadvertently creates an imbalance in power relations, between the so-called ‘western’ and ‘non-western’ contexts, and discourse about educational excellence often circumvents indigenous paradigms, needs, and ideas about the purpose of education.
In a sentence, the aspiration of education is to equip the individual for his/her ultimate and specific purpose in life – a purpose easily discernible in the unique passion which the individual espouses. That would be his/her ultimate worship to God.
God indeed created man (woman) for fellowship – to fellowship with Him, by giving Him worship, and to fellowship with one another through service and community. And that worship is specially flavoured with a passion that is unique in each individual.
Every act of genuine worship must be driven by nature-infused passion, oftentimes a unique passion, ingrained to fulfilling a uniquely assigned purpose. True worship should indeed, be a unique lifestyle. Any form of worship that is bereft of passion is indeed worthless.
That assigned purpose is decipherable in the unique chemistry or bonding between the heart (passion) and the hand (dexterity). For the Igbo people of ancient Biafra and in today’s Nigeria, West Africa, this bonding is referred to as ‘akaraka’ or personal destiny.
Unlike a goal, a purpose is not something you ever achieve. Instead, it provides a direction for a individual’s advancement and development; it’s like a compass to guide the maturing of a high intention – man’s (woman’s) ultimate worship to his/her creator.
Oftentimes, talent (life purpose) manifests early in the young and is detectable through the activities or tasks which dominate the interest or focus of a child, and which spark greater curiousity in the child.
All fingers have veins leading to the heart. But the arrangements of the veins of each palm (palm print) is unique. Palm prints yet differ from fingerprints. The ridges and lines in the palm are a set of unique biometric identifiers. Also, every one’s heart is a slightly different size. The Holy Bible tells us that God has blessed the works of our hands (read hearts).
God is indeed doing some work in the world; He requires each of us to become a part of that work. This is what Christendom refers to the Great Commission, incarnate in Christ Jesus.
The assignment to be a part of that work translates to one’s mission on earth. Such a mission entails standing in the gap for those who do not believe that there is a God, or that He is involved in some work on earth. Ancillary to one’s mission, is the mandate to support those that do believe. This is the definition of the individual’s ministry on earth.
In His perfection and omnipotence, God has specially endowed every person with a unique SHAPE – Spiritual alertness, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences – to prepare him/her for the execution of a specific ministry, and mission. Craftwork provides an excellent resource for determining one’s unique SHAPE and purpose in life.
Being that “the earth (universe) is the Lord’s, and everything in it, and all who live in it,” the Church is essentially a metaphor for life and society, enveloping everything.
Each part of the body gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of the body (of God or of the Church).
It is unhelpful and even harmful to believe, as many Africans do, that the way to worship God is measurable by their devotion to religion and its associated doctrines and superstitions, and through prayer and fasting.
What is sorely missed is that talent-inspired career provides the most natural pathway to true worship, because it enables consistency of worship-through-work, and is passion-driven.
Talent-inspired career – work of your hands – is indeed a place of grace, where mercy and revelations abound.
For instance, it is a fact that life is difficult; and, it is meant to be so. Difficulties make humans grow and mature. Yet, every difficulty or challenge creates opportunities (businesses) – environments for a pre-ordained grace (talent or gift) to be expressed.
It takes Grace to solve any given challenge. That Grace is locked within certain people, in whom the requisite passion is deposited. It’s all about passion; not one that is sought for, but that which is self-incarnating.
You live for, say, 80 years. Most of that time will be spent working. If you find no joy in the work that you do, you’d only be condemning yourself to, like, 60 years of torture.
In his poem, “Living Arrows,” Kahlil Gibran reminds us that: “Life is indeed darkness, save when there is urge; And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge; And all knowledge is vain save when there is work;
And all work is empty save when there is love; And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God; To work with love is to charge all things you fashion with a breadth of your own spirit.”
