By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice
Beyond the devastation caused by the recent floodwaters in Borno state is the scary photographic depiction of life’s fleeting nature wrapped around in vanity. In our eyes, in one day, properties that took many years to be acquired, furniture that cost fortunes, vehicles that cost plenty monies were reduced to naught and submerged by the menacing embrace of flood! In fact, In the blink of an eye, years of toil and accumulation are reduced to nothingness, swallowed by the abyss of fate!
This stark reality confronts us with the impermanence of existence, a truth echoed by the Hausa proverb ‘Duniya, Budurwa wawa’ and the English poet’s metaphor of life as a ‘fleeting shadow’. We toil, we strive, we accumulate, yet in an instant, all is lost. Not even a pin accompanies us to the grave, only a simple shawl to wrap our mortal coil.
This is the stark reality that greets us with the impermanence of human existence. We spend all our lives struggling to live, just one day, we drop dead ! And that ends our drive in the journey of life. Not even a pin is spared to accompany us to the grave. Left to cover our bodies are tiny inexpensive shawls and that would be the seal of our earthly voyage!
The hausas described life as ‘Duniya, Budurwa wawa’, a similar depiction by English poet Yeat who painted life as a fleeting shadow. Today, we are all life and zest, the next moment, we are cold and bare. The only certain reality of life is the moment you are in the presence, the next moment,you aren’t guaranteed of it. My mother was all life and laughter, gisting and giggling with my dad all day. My father rose to go to the mosque to observe the Asr prayers, by the time he returned, it was my mother’s body ,laying motionless and bare that he saw. She was dead in-between the few minutes he was away to observe his prayer! Yes, such is the unpredictable template of life. Nothing is guaranteed!!!
The people of Borno state are still in shock, not necessarily because the flood came and ravaged them but how fast it came and left them in ruins. No one amongst them would have ever believed when told they would be homeless in the next few years to come. However, God Almighty,the all knowing had in store the news of these ruins.
There are many lessons inherent in the unfortunate natural devastation in Borno, first , it is established that the calamity that befall these people didn’t come because they have offended God, It happened because it was written that nature will always take its cause. Like death , no one is immune to disasters. We are all alive and safe because of God’s mercy. In whatever the situation, we give glory to God.
While our hearts are with the people of Borno state for the unimaginable devastation that has led to loss of lives and properties, we draw lessons from the resilience of these people. They are standing very stoic and strong in the face of this calamity,holding tight to faith and rallying around themselves for succour. Indeed those who persevere in the face of trials are always champions in the long run. We have seen that in the beautiful people of Borno.
The intangible lesson here is the reminder that life is built on the foundation of vanity. Whatever we hustle to gather can be taken away from us by the fury of nature. Most importantly, the reality on ground should be a mirror reminder to those saddled with the responsibility to manage people. What you corner for yourself at the detriment of the people are waste when nature calls. You can only amass wealth for earthly fulfillment but when you drop dead, all your largesse that counts in millions become useless to you – for in dust you come,unto dust you return.
Those who hold too tight to the things of this world should draw lessons from the scenario above. Everything is awashed the day nature decides to jibe your bell. Why not sit down and begin to ponder on the vain reality of life and be the best of humans that you were created to be?
In Sha Allah, Borno shall rise again…
Note: The Borno State flooding took place on Monday 10, September 2024 in Maiduguri and Jere local government area of Borno State, Nigeria . The flood was caused by the collapse of the Alau Dam in Konduga local government area, which was constructed in 1984–1986 . The collapse of the dam led to flash floods in the state, which led to submerging of some local government areas found on low lands in the state.
Soberly musing