Nation-Building Begins Where We Gather:
Nation-Building Begins Where We Gather: In Whose Name Are We Gathered?
Gather to do good, and the universe says, “Yes.”
Gather to do evil, and the universe also says, “Yes.”
Henry Ford was onto something profound when he said:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Rome was built by men.
I often remind my favorite group of that simple fact.
Men who gathered with a shared purpose.
Men who gathered to build a nation.
Speaking of Rome
I am still amazed that Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul, was sent to Rome for trial simply because he said:
“You can’t try me here.
What do you think you’re doing?
I am a Roman citizen!”
Alright, some artistic liberty there.
But the point stands.
The law forbade it. His accusers could only respond:
“You should have told us.
Why didn’t you say so?”
And just like that, they hurried him off to Rome.
Such respect for the law.
The System
Men wrote those laws.
Men made sure other men understood the consequences of breaking them.
What happened next?
Paul was put on a ship bound for Rome.
One or two guards.
Passage paid.
Food for the journey.
Salaries for the guards.
All of that cost money.
That was the System.
Men built that.
And that system dominated the world for hundreds of years.
What Gathering Produces
So what does this tell us?
When men gather in the name of nation-building, nations are built.
And in their midst, the universe avails to them the spirit of nation-building.
When men gather in the name of technology, they either solve the problem before them, or define it so clearly that the next generation faces a narrower, more manageable challenge.
That is how the universe works.
But politicians who gather men and women in the name of chaos, bigotry, and lies will also find out something equally important:
The universe works. It is no respecter of persons. Or nations...
Mock around, and you will find out.
The Japanese Example
The converse is also true.
Think of Japan.
Modern Japanese culture seems predicated on harmony, respect for elders, self-effacement, and quiet determination.
I once knew a man who embodied this perfectly.
Quiet.
Unhurried.
He walked in a way that simply just was not Nigerian.
Arms swinging slightly behind his back.
Legs a little apart.
Utterly unthreatening.
His name was Banji. A Redeemed Christian Church Pastor.
Ah. Now you remember him, don’t you?
We worked for the same company.
I admired his gentle mien from a distance, until someone introduced us:
“Meet Banji.
He speaks Japanese fluently.
He grew up there.”
And then I understood.
Everything about today’s Japan seems rooted in social harmony.
They gathered to reject the warlike nature of their forefathers,
and they built something entirely different.
The Nigerian Question
Being Nigerian,
I have to ask this out loud:
In Whose Name Are We Gathered?
In Whose Name Do You Gather?
No Gathering Is Neutral
and friend circles - beer parlours,
Every time we gather,
physically or digitally,
something is being invoked.
A spirit.
A habit.
A direction.
We are either rehearsing order
or practicing chaos.
We are either training ourselves to build,
or drilling ourselves to destroy.
No nation rises by accident.
No people collapse overnight.
The answer to Nigeria’s riddle
will not be found in slogans,
constitutions,
or strongmen,
but in the quiet,
repeated answer we give,
every day, to this one question:
In whose name are we gathered?
I rest my case.
dk
MolueMonologues
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:20 https://biblehub.com/matthew/18-20.htm
posted by #Dk @ 3:12 AM
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