The Adventure of Life

I am a collector of memories, as I assume every living human being is. The recently passed week added to my collection very interesting stock to treasure. It was particularly enlightening because it offered me the opportunity to reflect on memories. Like a photo album, I tirelessly watched the floating memories of time in my mind and my words.  The best part of the reflections was that, I had to share the accumulated snapshots for the last twenty-seven years. Yes, share with a group of curious creative people who will not wait but eagerly gulp on every memory, sip every word, analyse every life’s screenshot and perhaps categorise you into any lot they find fit. For whatever it is worth, I enjoyed the mirroring exercise with very little concern for the category I fitted in if any at all.

Permit me to digress, only for a paragraph, for the sake of the overall objective of this article. In my professional career, I have had the opportunity of taking some of the most advanced personality test intending to aid career progression and succession planning. The last one I took was the Myers Briggs Personality Test. This test as much as many others have something in common, to profile the subject. As a Risk Analyst, I appreciate the concept of profiling thoroughly. Categorisation offers the bases from which complex decision are made and I am sure the enquiry helped guide others as to what their opinions will be if I ever came to the picture. The profiling was however not done by others only, I got the opportunity to re-examine if at all I could fit somewhere.

Before I share the three key lessons from the exercise let me be quick to say Myers Briggs gave me the same score for introversion as much as extroversion, this results is not unique to Myers Briggs, other tests I have had suggests similar things. I do not find these results surprising after all, I love Neil Burger’s film, ‘Divergent’. In my mind I am ‘Four- Tobias Eaton’ or even better, Beatrice Prior, 100% divergent!

• All things are possible is not a mere rhetoric: As I went through the stories of strength and weakness, good and bad, happy and sad, regrets and lessons, one key lesson which stands out is the possibility of time. From a humble background in Duayaw Nkwanta Local Authority Junior Secondary all through to a Masters  degree and an ongoing legal education, that can only point to possibility. No one needs emphasise, we are the sum total of our experiences, knowledge and summarily our exposures. The hard truth however lurks, our future is in our mind, howbeit subject to what we can imagine from the past we have had. Whatever the past has being for whoever, my life tells a story of possibility if only one will be focused enough.

• Fear is made of nothing: People are often afraid to open up to new ideas, people, places and challenges. Interestingly the rule of nature is, adaptation. Tides and times are ever evolving and survivors have the best adaptability. I have seen worlds in my few years and I intend to see many more. I have seen the handwork of poverty and have equally seen the testimony of wealth, I have seen righteousness as much as sin and I have tested knowledge and stupidity. I do not suggest what I have seen is anything close to a percent of what there is to know but from what I know, I have learnt shedding fear is key to living fully. A challenge to confront one's fear at a time leads to discovery of purpose. We all love to be secretive because we are afraid of confronting the past fully, I dare to confront every dark and light within me without fear, I hope that inspires somebody to at least embrace life as an adventure from which we must tell a story of legacy 

 

• Be limitless: I do not fit into any categorisation. Since I was a child, I have never fitted and I have stopped struggling to. It is good to have people place you in a bracket but that’s just not me. I thought I was wrong till I heard Jesus suggest same in John’s epistle, third chapter and eighth verse. As a wind, my promise to myself, refusing to be categorised by anybody under the sun. 

I conclude only with the hope that somebody finds the courage to know themselves thoroughly beyond any impossibility, fear or limitation. I was once asked to find a title for a book, song, movie which will adequately summarise my life’s story. After a long stretch of thought, all I could agree on was ‘Adventure’, a life not defined or relapsed to a model or rules but one leading the course of life to find a new path. I hope this helps somebody embrace their race to pursue their own adventure.

The Mystery of the Eagle

 The Eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future.
--Maude M. Grant

Generations time and over again find a soft spot for the Eagle and by thus find a place for learning within its course and life. Kings and kingdoms from ancient civilization even to our modern context find the Eagle relevant as their symbol of representation. Rome's standard and symbol of legion was the Aquila. The Aquila was an Eagle-shaped symbol that was of extreme significance to the Roman Military. The world's greatest empire then used the Eagle as an emblem of its strength and power. United States of America, the most powerful nation in the 21st century still finds the Eagle worth representing its strength and sophistication. The National emblem for the USA is the Bald Eagle. 

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Iceland, Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Yemen, Zambia and my own homeland Ghana are all countries among many others that find essence in using the Eagle as a symbol of national emblem. This post attempts to answer and provoke a thinking around the single most piercing question of why the Eagle among many other things has such significance in religion, nations and cultures all around the world.

My fascination with Eagles was heighten when I discovered a very profound scripture in the book of Proverbs chapter thirty verse eighteen and nineteen: " There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid." These are four incredible concept of wisdom summed up in a single statement of awe and excellence besought of deep curiosity. Dr. Bill Newman in his book Soaring with Eagles, provides tastes for seeking some of the mysteries of the Eagle. I share some of the reasons why the Eagle inspires nations and remains the wide representation of leadership, honor, and all that ruling and reigning is about.

1. Bill tells the story of an unborn Eagle which must break its own shell for existence as the beginning to his first chapter. The representation of the Eagle is one that bear true independence. The newly hatched Eagle keeps jumping, hopping, stretching its wings and voluntarily flying right from its beginning. Dependency can be a deadly clutch to hang on but unfortunately most of us grow with no sense of responsibility and confidence in our own ability. The Eagle knows its wings are meant to soar the highest part of the skies and by thus it does not rely on anybody to take it to the heights. Africa my home is overly dependent even after years of assuming independence. The spirit of the Eagle is primarily one of a boundless spirit of freedom, a limitless launch into its potential. True independence is a need and prerequisite if true heights of greatness must be achieved.
2. I have often wondered about how the Eagle manages the tides, storms and harsh cold conditions. I wonder how it glides pass flow of wind that are against it. It is amazing to learn that the Eagle harnesses whatever natural force there maybe to hinder it. For instance, the Eagle has a way of locking its wings to allow itself to be born and propelled by tides instead of exerting energy against it. The Eagle understands clearly the environment it operates in and adapts to the changing times appropriately. The Eagle knows how to live successfully in changing times without complaining and hanging on unto old way. Advancement, change, growth and taming the wild is the joy the Eagle pursues.
3. The incredible vision of the Eagle is one of its most spoken-of feature. It is said the Eagle can clearly detect a moving mouse while it soars hundreds of feet above the ground and yet keep an accurate sight over a five-mile area at the same time. This is an amazing description of sight and vision characterized by two fundamental truth, accuracy and long-range. The challenge and lesson to learn is to grow pass vague and parochial thinking. The Eagle is a sign of precision of vision yet broadly and widely encompassed.
4. Courage is for Eagles. The Eagle is one bird which is never afraid to attach or go for what it must. It has the courage enough to be patient, the strength to be focused and tact for persistence. Courage, as often agreed on is not the absence of fear but the boldness to confront fears. An Eagle is never timid!!! A spirit we must pray and encourage in the African.
5. A common usage of the Eagle in the Bible is the reference to its ability to renew its youth. Youthfulness is passion and zest, its energy! Gracefully the Eagle never runs out of energy. It retreats, plugs its old wings, and gathers fresh energy on its wings to soar. Renewal is the breath of freshness we all need when we get stale, old and weary. Energy is the driver and the Eagle never runs out of it until death.

These are five noble characters among many others that endears the Eagle to all of us including God who created it.

Let me end with a reflection from the prophet Isaiah, "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." I believe there is no place to harness and birth the spirit of the Eagle within humanity better than the peaceful corridors of worship in the presence of the Lord. May we find ourselves back to the arms of worship that we may find our reflection as Eagles in Jehovah!

The Theories of Plasmolysis

We consider our last blog on the series on Turgidity which is Plasmolysis. This is a simple concept of losing water and unsustainable turgidity. Many of us manage to persevere and hold on yet a little while but not as a lifestyle. We in conclusion to this series look at sustained turgidity and avoiding loss of content at any point in time.

The following are listed note to take in avoiding ever being diagnosed of 'Plasmolysis':

1. Know Life is a Marathon and not a Short-Dash: Sustained speed is more prudent to life's course than mere speed. We emphasize on speed in today's term over the ability to hold on to that measured pace. No one can ever advocate against speed, but the essence is not to be in a hast to failure but be guided unto a well measured sustainable speed.
2. Build Tough Cuticles: One remarkable thing in life is the opportunity to choose how you will react in any circumstance. Circumstances will most certainly vary but your decision to either withstand or be subdued by the prevailing time is most important. Psychologists have taught over ages goal setting and dreaming techniques but the truth is that, after you set your goals, times will vary. Build capacity before those variations come because when they do arrive it will be too late a time to decide what to do. Those are the days when you will be pressed in and what has been in you all these while will be brought up. This is a friendly reminder, as you set your goal decide to build capacity for varied actions and make sure to entrench those decisions before the worse strikes.
3. Be open for exchange of knowledge: Stereotypes and prejudices could serve as the worse facilitator of Plasmolysis. This is where you keep a closed system and therefore leave little or no room for appropriate flow. Flowing water scarcely stinks! Life producing water bodies always have an inlet and an outlet to sustain life. Don't forget a healthy balance of other opinions and perceptions could save anyone from a fool's paradise.(It is only the leader who refuses knowledge that goes to public with a soiled garment!)
4. Find Healthy Refreshers: We all need breaks to reinvigorate and revive dying passion and wobbling limbs. Find something healthy you you love doing and make it a reference point of bouncing back. It could be being around people you love or involvement in activities you love. The most important things is that, it should be healthy and must have the ability of restoring your childhood smiles. You will never be too old for a good laugh or a serious play! (A lesson worth for a the postmodernist man)
5. Remember great landmarks: If you can remind yourself of good times in the past, then you can certainly look forward to the best in the future. The beauty of this cue is that, it doesn't have to be your landmark necessarily. The law of Precedent allows for borrowed inspirations for people's stories. Keep your warmth by knowing landmarks of bounce-backs, bound-leaps, and curved roots.

In conclusion, let us all look ahead with eagles' vision as a new people of strength to rebuild and to overcome.Soaring is our destiny, succeeding is our calling and greatness is our birthright!

The Theory of Constraints.

On Eagles' Wing is a blog powered by The Eagles' Wing Foundation which is dedicated to its vision to be a

'Holistic human development and empowerment Institution focused on providing dynamic, effective and quality leadership for everybody on Planet Earth.' 

On the back of such vision do we share our first blog titled the 'Theory of Constraints'. Varying field of study have varying names for the same phenomenon. We choose to call it constrain as adapted from Linear Programming in Mathematics and other Sciences of Management. 

Constraints just as in boundary lines always serves an intent of defining the parameter of a system or structure. The logic of such definitions is to help better management of the system. Noble as the argument may be it has trained many to think and work within the boundaries and guidelines defined by 'experts' without necessary questioning and seeking if the said boundaries could be pushed further to increase the area for system's operations.

Most constraints are mental rather than physical, even countries' borderline were first considered in the fields of the mind before infrastructure was built to strengthen the mental idea of a constrain. 

Roger Bannister has always been a case study and a reference to the break through of entrenched and reasoned constraints-Only God knows how many more of such limitations have not been challenged!

The message of our first blog and what we stand for is simple, IT CAN BE DONE, THE WORLD AND AS SUCH AFRICA CAN BE REBUILT, ATTITUDES CAN BE CHANGED, POSITIVE CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.

We only implore you to consider in the spheres of possibility your said constraints once again, think it through, argue it out, challenge it with curiosity by questioning. In all, seek to increase the phase of your structure and not to optimize it under believed constraints which could always be solved if only solutions are sought hard enough. 

Let us chart a new path, let us create a new mindset which believes in possibilities. Let us be a new people, a new breed known as LEADERS!