THE EFFICACY OF TALENTS

"And unto one he gave five talents..."

See Matthew 25: 14 - 30

I was watching a documentary about Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious B. I. G. yesterday and despite being a die-hard Tupac Shakur fan, I came to the realization that in the senseless feud that raged between both rap icons which ultimately claimed both their lives, Tupac was the antagonist.

That's by the wayside.

What struck me however was how both uncommonly talented rappers in the rap game wielded so much power that they were able to influence with ease, hip hop culture and stir up emotions of love, adoration and hate. There was hardly any hip hop head who wasn't forced to take sides. I chose Tupac.

That is the power of a well-developed talent.

A talent is simply a special natural ability or skill inherent in every human.

Growing up, my skills inclined towards the arts. The talent that stood out then was my drawing skill and it was so obvious because I was a comic book addict. I still am.

However, it was heavily frowned upon by my father. In the way he saw the world at that time, art would lead me nowhere. The norm was to study a professional course and get a government job, and being an obedient child most of the time, I succumbed.

This myopic world view eventually led to the gradual demise of my interest in drawing; something I regret deeply everyday. True, there was no encouragement but the greatest mistake I made was to AGREE to follow the norm as I was indoctrinated.

I pursued my academics with fervor believing that I would at the end of the day, get a civil service job just like my father. My talent became a stranger as the economics of the nation spiraled downward, making certain expectations a mirage but I kept on going.

Fortunately, I found another way. I still draw but my tools are different. I no longer use pencils and paint; I use words.

Today, there are many youths out there who went through the same experience I did. We were taught to put all our eggs in one basket. We were made to hope for jobs instead of creating jobs. This orientation choked our creativity and stunted our growth as individuals and as a nation.

With our laid-back attitude, we missed the formula for progress on an individual basis; Talent + Passion = Success.

Today, capitalism has proved to be the recipe for vibrant economic development. It is deep-rooted in the entrepreneurship spirit that unfortunately, did not form part of our education while growing up.

In developed countries, emphasis is given to creative and entrepreneural development as well as qualitative education, matched with hands on experience. These ingredients could not help but lead to increased competence and healthy competition that aided economic productivity and growth.  

In Nigeria, we lost focus as emphasis was placed on worthless piece of papers called certificates which invariably led to lazy brains and hands. This ailment slowly crept into minds and lives of many and today, the resultant effects are staggering.

As Nigeria sluggishly and laboriously shifts in the direction capitalism, it is pertinent to emphasize the need to desensitize and re-orient our mentality, especially that of the young and up-coming generations from parasitic expectations to symbiotic realities.

Every person must make it a personal mission to discover, nurture and develop their in-born talents. We must bring back our creativity from the dusty attic, oil them and shift to hyper drive. No matter how much talents may be similar or vary, they are our contributions which are key to our development.

You want to make a difference in this world, develop your talent. Talents are not to be wasted; they are means to advancing humanity and specifically, the black race which is lagging behind in the world today in all respects.  

Imagine a world where Michael Jackson was a lawyer, where Tupac was a doctor and Christoper Wallace, an engineer. They would have come and gone the same way many lawyers, doctors, engineers and other professionals have come and gone without leaving their footprints in the sands of time.

How many talents were you given? Will you be like the foolish servant who went and hid his in the earth? Do you remember what became his lot when his master returned?

Let us be wise. Africa has been given talents. You have been given at least, a talent. What are you doing with it? The change you seek will not come if we don't make use of that which lies within us.

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN