If the love of money, as St. Paul instructed Timothy (cf. 1 Tim. 6:10), is the root of all evil, then the lack of it is what? By my tunic, the lack of money is as good as the love of it – the root of all evil. Period! As much as the love of money has motivated horrible things, so has the lack of it unleashed untold mayhem on those affected. Let’s be a bit more point blank here. People have watched dearly beloved ones die of both preventable and curable diseases simply because they couldn’t procure medicaid. People have lost next to everything to greedy relatives because they couldn’t afford the services of a lawyer. People have dropped out of school and lost their chances of finishing up on the sunny of life because they or their sponsors couldn’t foot tuition. What is more, the lack of money has proven to be capable of crashing the party of one’s life. To say the least, food, shelter and clothing, which are the very basics of life must be bought – with money.

And then the presence of money. There is a seeming consensus that money makes the world go round, that money comforts the present and secures the future. Of course, there is no gainsaying that money is the passport to travelling the world, playing ownership to exotic toys, hanging out with sophisticated women, acquiescing with the nobles and the “mightiests” of the land, having a say in matters of state, having a stake in the big businesses in town, being greeted obsequiously and treated to royalty in public, cruising in speed cars and living in palatial homes. Isn’t money so beautiful? Of course.

Truth be told, before British Pounds or American Dollars, Indian Rupees or Nigerian Naira, the emotion elicited is the very same. The reason is not far-fetched, as they’re basically the same passport, only with different coats of arms on them. The chase after money is so hot and the pursuit of it so swift that one begins to wonder what money is all about. Why would someone, for instance, disregard his/her health in this hot chase after money only to end up spending most or all of the money made on recovering from ill health? Why would a parent, for instance, devote so much time and energy in the hot chase after money, with the goal of providing his/her children the best possible education, and ends up been estranged from his/her family because he/she failed woefully in apostolate of presence? The whys are many. Personally, I quite don’t get it, especially how the place of money is overrated.

Yes, the place of money is overrated. And, at this juncture, it behooves on us to call a spade a spade. It is this: money is only a means to an end and never an end in itself. Never forget. Money is never as important as the good life it secures, it is never as good as the good educational opportunities it affords, it is never as wonderful as the good health it ensures through the procurement of good food and access to quality medicaid, it is never as fun as the fun it bequeaths a home, and it is never as interesting as the people it draws close to us.

In essence, be both keen and quick to convert money to purpose. As soon as you can afford something of value to your life and happiness, go get it. And stop glorying in a fat bank account. As soon as you can take your significant other outing, go get it done. And stop thinking of it as a waste or loss of money. Come to think of it, what was the money meant for in the first place? As soon as you can afford a better neighborhood, move! And stop tying yourself downtown. As soon as you can afford further studies, start. For God’s sake, that’s what the cash is for.

You must immediately realize that there is not point where money is ever enough. It is so funny that the craving for more gets crazier by having more, which is exactly why one should savor the sweetness of one’s financial status at every point. If you can afford a Jeep, get yourself one; if you can’t, buy what you can. When you can comfortably afford shopping cloths in a boutique, what are you still doing with open-market clothes? If not for religious reasons, then stop being miserly on yourself.

Finally, I request that you don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking you to go blow up your savings or drown your investments in order to feel your class. I expect you got the simple message I’m passing across: use money; don’t live for money.

The past 3 months have been some of the very best of my entire conscious life, one that has already redefined the rest of my life. It’s been Teaching Practice, one of the 15 courses whose requirements I must fully fulfill to bag a post graduate diploma in education, PGDE. While the entire PGDE programme on its own is a fat story, I’m choosing to streamline the gist to TP.

It was an amazing experience for me. Because of my passion for excellence, and facilitated by Ma’am Uzor, I got myself one of the elite schools in town. The particularly beautiful thing about this experience was that it pushed me, it challenged me, it transfigured me, and, then, repositioned me. It pushed me because the set of of rules I was to abide by needed me to go the extra mile. It challenged me because my students were always on me to deliver; they were of an uncommon breed. It transfigured me because my views about a number of things changed; radical change, I mean. It repositioned me because the ensuing change in mentality set me on a new pedestal.

More so, the different categories of people I encountered there impacted on the different areas of my life that needed a touch of betterment. For instance, my students and supervisors turned me from student-teacher to full-fledged teacher, the management turned me into a promising administrator, and my colleagues, who were predominantly family people, exposed me to “Home Economics 101.” To say the least, it was an awesome experience.

Not so, not so for Mrs. Okafor. According to her, “It was a terrible experience.” It was a terrible experience because she practiced teaching in a system where things have fallen apart, where it has collapsed. Where the students are wild, where the management is nonchalant, where the teachers are burdened by inferiority complex, where the teaching and learning and living (boarding house) facilities are terrible, to say the least.

She especially recounted a particularly embarrassing experience. She had walked into the classroom in a flat shoe, and after minutes into her period (teaching, I mean) she felt cold and heavy in her legs. Guess what had happened? She didn’t particularly notice that the classroom was flooded and that she had been swimming in it all along, and because she’d lose her pair of fine shoes if she attempted to walk back to the car in it, she resorted to the only thought that came to her mind, “Pick it up and walk barefooted to the car.” It took the intervention of one of her students who walked up to her with a pair of slippers while she was already on her way to the car on barefoot.

She told other stories to the effect that it was a terrible experience; an eye-opener experience. We can already begin to imagine what the future holds for girls who lack basic training, who’d dig it out with one another at the slightest provocation. We can also begin to imagine what the future holds for girls with raw and unbridled tongues, tongues that wag with the frequency of an excited dog’s tail. We can, more so, begin to imagine what the future holds for all of us; we must all be affected in one way or the other. Of course, we can already see that the Niger Delta Avengers are frustrating the effort of the Harvard-schooled NNPC boss, Ibe Kachikwu. “At the end of the day,” according to Lawrence Onukwube, “the poor can’t sleep because they’re hungry and the rich can’t sleep because the poor are awake.”

We must all renew our commitment to qualitative, meaningful and functional education. It is not only right and just, it is a duty, plus our collective future squarely depends on it.

I should immediately acknowledge the fact that what I’d put up as the most important word in the English vocabulary is very relative; it’s according to me. This acknowledgement leans against the backdrop that different people and organizations hold different words to highest esteem. Needless to say that it is justice to the legal practitioner, and equality to the feminist, and salvation to the churchman. Secondly, inasmuch as next to everyone has gone diehard-relativist, insisting, as it were, that nothing holds same for all, I invite you to open-mindedness; follow my argument and then derive the conclusion from the premises I’ll provide.

Without much ado, that word is Contentment. The dictionary I’ve here, Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, renders the meaning of the word Contentment as: “The happiness you feel when you have everything you want and you enjoy your life.” It goes on to give this example: “He has found contentment and satisfaction in his work.” Before we proceed, let me immediately make a note of correction on that dictionary meaning. If that definition had been rendered by an economist, “need” would have taken the place of “want.” Why, because it has come down to us from the wisdom of economists that human wants are insatiable, given that the resources to meet them are scarce, and hence the all-importance of scale of preference. And so, let’s replace “want” with “need” in that definition, without which contentment is mission impossible. Come to think of it, how do we even begin to talk about satisfaction from meeting wants when we know that wants in themselves are insatiable?

Let’s get arguing, then. The very first premise upon which my claim that the most important word in the English vocabulary is Contentment appeals to a larger-than-life authority: Aristotle. For Aristotle, the supreme goal of life, the most important need in life, is happiness. The very Greek word he used is eudemonia. “Eudemonia” only loosely translates as happiness. My philosophy professor, Fr. Njoku, taught me that wellbeing and human flourishing are better translations of that Greek word. The Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas, in Christianizing Aristotle’s philosophy moved the supreme goal of life an inch further. For him, informed by the pursuit of heaven, that goal is beatific vision – to see God. We can already see here, from these authorities, and even from commonsense, that the one biggest goal we all aspire to is happiness, wellbeing, flourishing. In contemporary parlance, that word would be fulfillment.

The second premise of the argument hovers around the question of method. Simply put, “How do we attain happiness, how do we reach fulfillment, how do we realize wellbeing, and how to we get to flourish?” The truth is that we’re all in this race for happiness, fulfillment and wellbeing; no one is left behind. Come to think of it, who doesn’t need to reach the supreme goal of life or realize the supreme purpose of life? By my tunic, the only one who doesn’t have that need is Mr. Nobody. Another cause for concern is this, “If we’re all in this race for the attainment of happiness, why is there so much unhappiness and sorrow, bitterness and rancor, acrimony and hate, backbiting and backstabbing, rumour mongering and gossip, stress and depression; why is happiness proving to be out of reach; at best, why is it so temporary, breezing in and breezing out? The answer is simple: many people are running off-track, they’re singing off-key. And when you run off-track, the finish line is out of reach; when you sing off-key, the best you can get is cacophony.

Here comes the only way to happiness: Contentment. It is captured in this wisdom of the sages: A man or woman who is contented with his or hers is a happy man or woman. There is no gain saying that this is a familiar line, but the ubiquity of unhappiness shows that only a handful of human beings understand its meaning. Yes, ours is a world where next to everyone “crazily” craves for more. Mind you, the craving for more is not symptomatic of the lack of contentment; it is the dissatisfaction with what one already has that showcases the lack of it. And, the truth is that this dissatisfaction with what one already has has a way of corrupting the craving for more, such that this naturally harmless “craving” metamorphoses to anxiety and then to greed.

What readily comes to mind when one is convicted of misappropriating public funds or defrauding another to the tone of billions of dollars, an amount that equals the budget of some countries? What readily comes to mind when a spouse goes cheating – not because the other isn’t performing? What comes to mind when families are at war on issues bothering on land and execution of will? What comes to mind when a college professor demands a bribe from students or requests a student the age of his or her grandchild to service him/her in bed? The answer is greed. And, how on earth will such a person know happiness or reach fulfillment? I don’t think they can.

Now, the conclusion… I leave that to you.

Do you know that TuFace Idibia first met Annie Macaulay when she was 15? She’s about 32 now. They actually met on transit in a public ride, an occasion on which he had to part with his ‘last card’ for Annie and her friends’ fare; he would spend the rest of the day without food. Do you also know that TuFace did rent a nightclub to propose to Annie? On this occasion, she was greeted by an empty space on arrival to the venue of their date. Everyone suddenly showed up from hiding to get the business of the night rolling. Do you equally know that some of the accessories he used for his traditional marriage, especially the cap and pair of shoes, were auctioned for charity afterwards? Of course, I’m dead sure you know his white wedding happened in faraway Dubai, such a high society get-together that a Ferrari wasn’t too much for a gift.

Don’t mind me. I know those bits about Innocent Ujah Idibia (a.k.a TuFace) because I’m a no small fan of his. His songs are some of my very best, especially One Love, Unkind to Mankind, In the Eyes, and Like Her Better (of Plantashun Boiz days). And whenever he makes any headline I make sure I check out the news item to the very last word. I’m that much a fan of his.

And then I recently found out that Whizkid is also a diehard fan of TuFace. In his very own words: It is TuFace, and after TuFace is still TuFace. He is just there, in a class of his own. There is just no compare. That was Whizkid speaking on The Juice. He also recounted how he first met TuFace as a boy of 11 around OJB’s studio in Lagos. And he said that his earliest experiences of TuFace are unforgettable; “He is even the coolest guy anybody can chill out with right now.”

Now, it turns out that Whizkid and I are TuFace’s fans for the very same reason: his profound and breathtaking humility. He definitely isn’t humbler than Jesus Christ and probably not more than Pope Francis, but his humility rings a bell. To say the least, he is down to earth.

Let me explain. I had my very first date with his profound humility on national TV. It was an interview session and he was the celebrity-guest. And you know how journalists tackle celebrities with as far as impossible questions. On this occasion the questions were many, ranging from his musical career to his private life, and there were plentiful explanations he needed to give. You could see him struggling to keep pace with the questions no thanks to his poor command of the English Language. And then he says the shocking: “You know say me no go school, so make I talk am how I fit talk am.” He immediately reverted to pidgin English. You may be wondering what the big deal is here. If so, then imagine being the most celebrated African musician from inside African (with a globally recognized award to show for it) on national TV talking pidgin because you couldn’t grapple with English. I hope you now get it. But he didn’t even feel one bit embarrassed; he kept saying his thing, keeping his calm and being the best. On that day and always, TuFace stands out as himself.

Back to Whizkid. At the tender age of 10 or so, Whizkid was always hanging around OJB’s musical studio in Lagos, watching the big boys do their thing and quietly nursing his musical ambition. He was consistent in hanging around there. Guess who first noticed him? TuFace. TuFace friendlily called him up and inquired from the kid what he does and why he comes hanging around. You can guess that mentorship followed. And see what the kid has turned out today: amazing.

Then to TuFace. He was once asked how humility became his unique selling point. He gives an interesting answer: “I never forget that I come from down there. Sometimes I even forget my present self and just go on with life as usual.” Again, he is one human being you don’t need to remind of his weaknesses. His many songs tell you that ‘his sins are always before him’.

We can learn so much already from this amazing guy, TuFace.

Who loves to be told the truth – always? Everybody, I suppose. Who loves to be told as much as a lie, just one lie? Nobody, I guess. But the irony is that the same Everybody who always wants to be told the truth, the same Somebody who abhors lies, and would not even accept as much as a slice of lie, is the same Somebody that tells lies, or, at least, has told one before – for one reason or another; in one way or the other. I should immediately give kudos to whoever hasn’t told as much as one lie before – including the infamous white lie; yours is definitely the kingdom of heaven. And I hereby exclude such a person from the sweeping generalization I earlier made – that Everybody tells or has told a lie before.

If Adam had his way he would have told God a lie; he resorted to the blame-game because no lie was readily available. Eve had no option but to resort to the last option: blame the serpent. I bet Adam and Eve would have “lied” if there was a third human party in Eden. Their actions reveal that humans are hardwired to evading responsibility, which is one motivation behind lying. However, the point I’m driving at here is that human nature is wont to lying. Put differently, lying is a natural disposition. How so, one may already be wondering. Simple: the very first law of nature is self-preservation, and lying is its loyal and faithful servant.

Moreover, the higher life we all aspire to abhors lying. In Christian ethics, for instance, lying is a no small sin. It is so big a sin that Apostle Paul mentioned it as one of those sins that could deny one access to the kingdom of heaven; he even ranked it with sexual immorality. Everyday morality sees telling of lies the same way. There is this way a liar is just seen as an undesirable element and a thief. For lying, a spouse could go as far as suing for divorce; it is grave matter.

The simultaneous ubiquity (almost everybody does it) and abhorrence (everybody hates it) of lies got me thinking. Why should a liar hate being lied to? This is funny. And to this effect a joke was once told, one for which you’ll die laughing:

A burglar found this sign on the door of a safe house he was about to blow: “Please do not use dynamite. This safe is not locked. Just turn the knob.” The instant he turned the knob a sand bag fell on him, the premises were flood-lit and sirens woke the entire neighbourhood. When the Master visited the man in prison he found him bitter: “How am I ever going to trust another human being again?”

[Adapted from Anthony de Mello’s One Minute Nonsense]

Now, it is important to know and understand why people lie. Of course, this knowledge wouldn’t justify any one lie. It will essentially serve two reasons: firstly, knowing the motivation behind lying will help us discourage lying in those under our watch. For instance, being in the know that fear can cause one to lie, one may choose to always begin one’s interrogation by allaying the other of their fears. Secondly, this knowledge will help one in classifying and relating with liars. Pieces of information from one who is wont to lying to deceive, for instance, would have to always be double-checked.

1. Some people lie because they’re afraid: The classical example here is Sarah, the patriarch Abraham’s wife. Her immediate reaction to the prophecy of her childbearing was laughter. And when she was queried to this effect, she lied – “because she was afraid.” Yes, some people lie because they’re either afraid of punishment or may risk losing something dear to them telling the truth. How on earth is a woman supposed to tell her husband the truth of her cheating, or a husband tell his wife of his? Who is not afraid of divorce?

To relate with people whose lying is motivated by fear: always allay them of their fears. In this regard, a mother may tell her son that he should simply tell the truth and that’s it, no big deal. These people should know that truth sets free – in one way or the other. Of course, put mosquitoes away and malaria is no more.

2. Some people lie as part of being over-protective: Parents and guardians are particularly guilty here, including friends and self-acclaimed well-meaning acquaintances. The thinking that a child be protected from the devastating effect the news of a parent’s death may bring may lead to his/her being told the parent travelled faraway and won’t be coming back for a really long time. In a bid to install sexual restraint in a daughter, mum may conjure up all kinds of lies, with some as terrible as “you’ll get pregnant by any form of bodily contact with the opposite sex.” And when the child discovers it was a lie and confronts such a parent, the response is usually: “I said it for our own good; I was protecting you.”

How do you relate with these ones? You may not doubt their protective intent, but since all lie is lie you may wish to begin to cross-check facts that seem overly protective coming from those quarters.

3. Some people lie to retain their holier-than-thou reputation: Some people want to be more Catholic than the Pope; they want to be more American than Americans. Having gained the holier-than-thou reputation, the next thing is to retain it. And so, when they do things that are inconsistent with this reputation, they can tell all the lies on the planet to cover up. They will say things like: ”How on earth do you think I’m capable of a thing like that? Don’t you know I’m a holy person, and don’t you know that people who do such things will burn in hell?”

These ones are simply deceiving themselves; leave them.

4. Some people lie to mislead: Many teachers and preachers belong here. Because they want to win people over to their side of the divide they tell lies. In a bid to grow their own congregation some pastors will say all kinds of horrible things about other churches, so as to have members of those churches being disparaged come over to theirs.

One should particular not be gullible. Always cross-check. Always think. Always research. Always ask questions. And, importantly, never take anyone that castigates others seriously.

5. Most people lie because they’re thieves:
The classical example here is Judas Iscariot. He would protest that the 300 denarii worth of ointment being splashed on Jesus’ feet would have been sold and the money given to the poor, not because he cared one bit about the poor but because he was a thief. The most potent instrument readily available to thieves is lies, which is why it’s a consensus that liars are thieves – if not of material possessions, of truth.

Oh, no! The only way to relate with thieves is to keep them at an arm’s length. To suspect their every word and deed. Yes, to show them charity, but from a distance.