DANCING TO THE MUSIC

AVOIDING THE DANCE OF DEATH

I was thinking this morning..... about an experience I had while in a commercial bus recently. While enroute, the driver was playing the music of Lucky Dube, the reggae music legend. I usually don't subscribe to such music because gospel music is my genre. However, when one of the more popular songs of the artiste filled the airwaves, I saw myself tapping my feet and shaking my head. Pronto, I silently screamed 'I bind it' and had a serious conversation with both my hands and feet, to the effect that they must behave. At that moment, I understood the song of the Nigerian gospel artiste Samsung that goes 'Turn me around, Make me wanna dance; Even though I nor wan dance; Body go dey move me.' As I pondered on what just happened, I recalled a statement I read in the book 'Zero to One' by Peter Thiel. He said, 'But It's hard to blame people for dancing when the music was playing.'

I decided to reflect on that experience. Yes, I understand that with a good meaningful and edifying music, one should dance, but I shudder at the fact that many are dancing to the music of death.

Think about it. In the years past, the eighties, when our leaders started killing our economy with the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), the 'Andrews' responded by checking out through the airports. But these days, with our economy battered by the recent past governments and made worse by the present government, that escorted it like chief bridesmaid into recession, many were thrown out of jobs and our youths are leaving in droves, not through the airports but through Libya and the Mediterranean sea. Thousands have died while trying to cross that deadly sea to Europe. As I was asking why, It occurred to me that there is a music playing and 'It's hard to blame people for dancing when the music was playing.'



If you frequently travel by road in Nigeria, you would have noticed some reactive developments. I noticed that between Warri in Delta state and Yenagoa in Bayelsa state, there are no emergency response service to attend to the injured in the event of road traffic accidents. With a high mortality rate from a combination of reckless driving and non-existent rescue service, the indigenes have set up multiple mortuary and embalming service (undertakers) stations along the route. The music of death was playing and they are dancing. 'But It's hard to blame people for dancing when the music was playing.'

In your office where it seems the management is not committed to the welfare of staff: the music is playing. At home, your spouse is behaving suspicious and annoyingly unromantic: the music is playing. The question is, are you dancing? There will always be music, some times the wrong music with wonderful beats, that may want to move you to the dance floor. I urge you not to be moved and please do not dance because Prov 1:10 says 'My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

Happy Sunday.

.....Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey.