The Bible is one of the greatest mysteries of life. Spiritually inspired by the Almighty God, the Bible is neither a story nor history book. In spite of how many languages it has been translated into, it still maintains its original literary flavour and spiritual substance.
Its contents are beyond human comprehension. The Bible was not written to expire. It has never been and will never be reviewed or updated. It can only be interpreted; not to suit any personal interpretation, but to explain its application to situations beyond boundaries.
The Bible is ageless and changeless. It is comprehensive and absolutely unquestionable. There is nothing under the sun that is not captured in the Bible though it was written when none of those things happened. It contains wisdom beyond human history.
The Bible has been preached from time immemorial, yet, it has not and cannot be exhausted. There is no book to compare the Bible to; or with. There is nothing analogue or digital about it. The Bible belongs to both the pre-analogue and post-digital generations. That is why it cannot expire.
The Bible is God’s words. It contains God’s plans, thoughts and ideas. There is no question it does not hold an answer for. The Bible is not just a book or a manual for living; it is life itself.
I believe that if politicians were to study, understand and adopt the divine wisdom that makes the Bible what it is, the world would be a better place to live. If I were a PDP member (God forbid) I would rather read the Bible than read the party’s manifesto.
Between 1999 and today, PDP has been the party in power. There was a time a power-drunk leader of the party boasted that it will rule Nigeria almost endlessly. A few days later, the same man was kicked out of the party’s leadership position. Today the party itself has lost power.
There is a Bible passage that if applied, could have curbed the arrogance of PDP; and probably spared it the death sentence it has pronounced on itself. That is 1Corinthians 10:12. It says: “If you think that you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” The popular King James Version of the Bible puts it this way: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
What this implies is that, we must not boast in our mortal strength; we must not put our trust in what we think our wisdom or political might can fetch us because such would soon come to nothing. When you are misled by your self-generated arrogance to think along this line, then your fall is bound to be nasty, hopeless, bloody and even deadly.
Today, the PDP is bathing in a messy mud it created. Those who are tired of the party are leaving for the APC. That may be cowardly, but that again is the way of politicians.
On Thursday, national newspapers quoted David Mark, the out-going (I’m not sure) Senate President as warning that PDP is heading for self-destruction except it calls itself to order. If you know Mark as I’ve been trying to, he is capable of saying in the open what he whispers in secret about anybody.
For instance, at a time everyone was afraid of having bad dreams about the late Gen Sani Abacha, it was Mark who boldly, at the risk of his life, told the dictator in broad daylight that even among thieves, there is honour.
Here is a part of what Mark told the party members: “The PDP is already haemorrhaging. Unless we halt the bleeding and find the necessary therapy, we may be heading for the final burial of the party. The party is already in a comatose status and we should do all we can to resuscitate it rather than this unnecessary rancour and buckpassing.
“My appeal is that we should not do anything further that would damage the already fragmented house. Everybody should come together and rebuild the party.
“We have gotten enough bruises. We need not inflict further pains on ourselves with continuous bickering. Enough of this blame-game, we should return to the drawing board and need not wash our dirty linen in the public anymore.
“I believe a useful lesson has been learnt from the PDP electoral misfortune. As for me, it is time to put on our thinking caps and chart a new course.”
The story of PDP reminds me of one of the fables of Leo Tolstoy cited by Robert Green in his The 48 Laws of Power. He says two cockerels fought on a dung heap. One cockerel was stronger than the other. He vanquished the other and drove him away from the dung heap.
All the hens were said to have gathered around the cockerel, and began to laud him. The now arrogant cockerel wanted his fame and glory to be known in the other yard.
He flew on top of the barn, flapped his wings, and crowed in a loud voice: “Look at me, all of you. I am a victorious cockerel. No other cockerel in the world has such strength as I.”
The cockerel had not finished, when an eagle flew in, killed him, seized him in his claws, and carried him to its nest.
This is the story of PDP, the self acclaimed biggest party in Africa; a party of intellectuals without thinking caps. Soon, it may be said of PDP what Voltaire said of Nicolas Fouquet: “when the evening began, Fouquet was at the top of the world. By the time it had ended, he was at the bottom.”
