Opinion
Remember! The Bell Tolls!!
By Jarlath Uche Opara
It isn’t an ordinary bell that tolls, with a sound, calling for attention and reminding and directing people to either things or religious activities.
It isn’t a bell the hangs and pulled by human, either hourly for a message or yearly for a festival.
Three years ago it tolled for my Dad. That sound entered me so well, even after three years, the sound still reverberates and the after effect, scary!
The sound was unexpected, like a sudden sound of a train and the blast of its honking to ears, his passing hits me.
Now I know how it works, it tolls when least expected, to the least expected , considering not the age, relevance and seeming indispensable roles of one.
Like a blind hungry lion it roars, eating anything its claws gets. Get ready! There is no order of procession or exit. No organogram, no list etc. From the back it hits, from the front and middle it hits equally.
Few days ago , it tolled for Iwuanynwu. Days after, Uba’ own tolled as unexpected as the former.
It respects no age. Fame and status its least concern. It bows not to wealth and affluence. Not even the best hospital equipment and expertise of the personel could detter it from tolling. It tolls regardless.
Fear this golden bell that tolls for the young, the old, the poor and the aged in no particular order.
Ubah passed at 52, Iwuanynwu passed at 82. Another may have passed at 14 or 20.
Ubah had all the money that could silence for life the tolling of this bell, likewise Iwuanynwu. Before this great bell, fame and wealth are nonsensical.
Who watched Cosmas Maduka’ interview on AIT years ago, which suddenly resurfaced close to the death of Ifeanyi Uba? My instinctive reaction was, why now ? Why is it trending now? Why was it that nobody saw the interview before now?
What exactly is the motives of the person behind its resurfacing, trailing close to the heels of Ubah’ passing? Hmmm! Envy nobody, for all that glitters are not gold.
A lot happens, if one was shown how to make wealth, most likely the lilly livered may decide to remain poor
….Mmadu abughi Chukwu. Ome mere enyi ye. Ka akwu eri, adighi eri onwe ha….Uwa nkea(Ikeri)
The above left me thinking. A reaction to that trending video of Cosmas Maduka. What the quote said is , Nobody is God! A betrayal of friendship! Same specie don’t make a meat of themselves.
If one finds it sufficiently difficult to understand what vanity is, go watch that clip again, a summation of what vanity is!
You bestride the fortune of all, devour it ,you and your household, leaving others hungry and abject . The bell tolls!
You came, begged for our votes, you rode through fame and wealth on our back, only to treat us like a bullshit. Remember, the bell tolls.
You live in affluence, enjoying the coziness of your status, living large with all the paraphernalia of your position, sustained by our collective fund, while we scrap through life, the best we could get from you are pains and hardship. Remember! The bell tolls.
You became a Senator, an honourable house member, a governor etc, with our fund you globe throttle, oil the cranking nature of your libidonous lifestyles, stash money for a generation unborn etc at the expense of the poor masses. Remember, the bell hasn’t ceased to toll. When it tolls, vanity upon vanity remains the summary of our life.
Enough to go round for our needs but not enough for our wants. But when the bell tolls, our wants acquired by greed become vanity upon Vanity.
In all you do, remember that the bell tolls in no particular order!
Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com
