Mind Restructuring: Compassionate Mind, kind Heart And Humanity -By Richard Odusanya

The killings in Jos the capital of plateau state on Saturday morning, is one too many. This is too much, and unacceptable; the carnage must stop; the people can no longer breathe; our beloved country Nigeria is under siege; the world bodies and men of good conscience should be alive to its responsibilities. Nigeria must be saved. While I was still ruminating about the state of the nation, the challenges of a battered economy and political instability; the words of our revolutionary clergy, Martin Luther king Jr, kept ringing in my spirit mind. Again in his words: “The richer we have become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually” “We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the ocean like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”- at a point, i suddenly stumbled on the verdict of a jury:- below–

The judge’s verdict of the thief

A 15-year-old boy was caught stealing from a store in America.

In an attempt to escape, the boy also destroyed a shelf.

After the judge heard the case, he asked the boy:

“- You really stole something? Did you steal bread and cheese and destroy the shelf?”

The boy, ashamed, with his head down, replied:
“- Yes”.

Judge: “Why did you fly?”
Child: “it was necessary.”
Judge: “You couldn’t buy them instead of stealing them?
Boy: “I had no money”
Judge: “You could have asked your parents for money”
Boy: “I only have my mother who is bedridden and sick and has no job. For her I stole bread and cheese”
Judge: “You don’t do anything, you don’t have a job? “

As a child: “I worked in a car wash. I took a day off to help my mother and that’s why I was fired. ′
Judge: “You haven’t looked for anything else to work elsewhere?”

After the end of the conversation with the boy, the judge announced the verdict:

Stealing, especially stealing bread, is a very shameful crime. And here we are all responsible for this crime. Everyone in this courtroom today, including me, is responsible for this crime. In this way, everyone present will be fined $10, no one will get out of here without giving $10

The judge took a $10 bill out of his pocket, took a pen and began writing:

In addition, I fined the store owner $10000 for handing over the hungry child to the police. If the fine is not paid within the hour, the store will remain closed.”

All those present apologized to the boy and gave him all $10. The judge left the courtroom hiding his tears.

After hearing the verdict, those in the courtroom had tears in their eyes.

I wonder whether our society, our system, our courts could have given such a verdict?

The judge added: “If a person is caught stealing bread, everyone in that community, in society and in the country should be ashamed!

My mind became emotional, my eyes filled with tears and in my subconscious mind; I begin to wonder if ever such verdict laced with HUMANITY can ever be delivered by any of our officers in the temple of justice? Can our policing system be reformed to attain similar disposition and civility?

Can our noble men in the armed forces be able to conduct themselves professionally to the extent of earning substantial amount of influence and respect?

Is it not possible to retrace our steps and begin afresh from top to bottom? Can we not begin to search our minds and make amends? Permit my indulgence, as I round up with a biblical note: “if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 chronicles 7 14. It has become imperative for all of us to seek the face of God concerning our nation.

A nation that has blood in its hand; a nation that kills its citizens anyhow; a nation of plundering of resources and squandering of riches; a nation that earned surplus of 400 billion dollars from just one source yet citizens are hungry and jobless; a nation that is comfortable with election rigging, kidnapping, banditry, insurgency is cronyism, clannishness and nepotism.

Truly, it is, up to you and I, to be mindful of the verdict of history, verdict of posterity and the judgment of God Almighty. DRY BONES SHALL RISE AGAIN.

ARISE ‘O COMPATRIOTS

Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI