THE FUTURE IS NOT NOW, BUT RIGHT NOW!
BY JOHN ODEY ADUMA, PUBLISHER, VIGILANCE – THE WORLD’S LEADING SECURITY MAGAZINE.
The Chrysalis cannot fly unless it has become a butterfly.
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
You have probably heard of expressions such as: “The future is now”, “The future is today”, “The future begins today”.
Until Saturday, the 21st of May 2022, my best loved expression regarding the future was: THE FUTURE IS NOW.
But this changed during a chance encounter with four young lads on Hoddesdon High Street in Broxbourne Council, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, in front of Tesco Express, who were all relaxing and resting on their bikes.
Although I did not ask about their ages, my conjecture was that they were between 15 and 16 years of age.
And it needs be said here that before their shy friend, I could hear them saying to the shy lad: “They are all over the place.”
And pointing backward to a bevy of girls of their age gathering near Brocket Road Bus Stop in Hoddesdon, off St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, they said to their shy friend: “Look at them over there. Go and talk to one of them.”
And the shy fella replied: “I c-a-n-t!”
And needing me a bystander to lend a voice to their pressure on their friend, one of them had drawn my attention thus: “Boss, boss, tell him to go and talk to girls.”
At first, I did not get what their request to me on behalf of their shy friend was about and I said: “Pardon.”
It was at this juncture that they told me about the insecurity of their friend, manifesting in his inability to chat up girls to woo one to become his girlfriend.
Thinking I would reason their way, they were shocked at my reply which turned out to be a mini lecture on inspirational philosophy and developmental psychology. The surprise looks on their faces turned to a sudden boundless enthusiasm and excitement as the unparalleled glow on their faces showed.
My response to the invitation by one of them, and later two others to talk to one of them whom they had reckoned was shy to talk to girls, a situation which had deprived him of having a girlfriend: “Don’t mind them. There’s time for everything.”
Now addressing the four lads together, I admonished them thus: “First thing first. At your age, what must be of utmost importance and a priority to you all and all young persons of your age is not how to woo a girl, but your education. Your education comes first before anything else at this stage of your life. And you must all face your education and your future at this time of your life.”
Again, turning to the shy lad, I echoed myself: “Don’t mind them. Having a girlfriend now is not the first thing for you nor is it a priority.”
Acting as if he had been looking for a support from someone who would reason his way just to reinforce what he had been telling his three friends to no avail, and out of the excitement of having found someone at last, who thinks like him, he exclaimed: “Ehen, I told you!”
And intoning, he said repeatedly: “I told you so, but you would not let me be.”
Resuming my impromptu and mini-inspirational talk, I said to all of them: “You must all start to invest in your future. And now is the time! Not today, not tomorrow, but now!”
And they all responded in unison: “Boss, nice one! Boss, boss, nice one! You are right, boss.”
Here was my parting message to them: “This is my parting message to all of you if we don’t get to meet again. The future is not today, not tomorrow and not a futuristic future, but the future is right now!”
As I was leaving them behind for my advice to them to sink in, I turned back and reinforced my admonishment to them thus: “The future is not now, but right now! And it is already here…. the future is not today, but right now…and the future is already here. Therefore, you must all make hay while the sun shines.”
STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CHRYSALIS…. THE GREAT LESSON FOR YOUNG PEOPPLE
From egg, the chrysalis grows to become a caterpillar; then from caterpillar to chrysalis and from chrysalis to adult (butterfly), and only then can it start flying!
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