Paradox of a Parable

Femi Akintunde-Johnson

It is in our character that whenever we are distressed – especially at the unkindness of life and living – we withdraw into ourselves. Some find solace in old thoughts and aged writings. Others would fall on any old reliable odds and bits. Such is the case nowadays as the environment is disgustingly distressing. 

More often than not, it is not for the absence of what to write that we digress to reflections and reminiscences. There are many problems of and in our existence which can easily become a full-time job, if one were to comment on a daily basis. The foolish mindlessness of our leaders in all spheres of life is also a constant irritation, even if you wish to be passive or nonchalant.

Such is my current distraction that took us back into old stock of fond experiences – and a piece we wrote almost 35 years ago seized our interest. If the images resemble today’s afflictions, it just reaffirms the old reliable wise-crack: that nothing is new under the sun!

There was Mobutu Sese Seko, and there will always be others like him; so also there will always be Kabilas, there will be Abachas, Clintons, Blairs, Campores, and so many unknown but intimidating forces in our lives. Anyway, here is our thought, over three decades ago; see if the main cords of our humanity have changed significantly.

 “Let us go on a philosophical trip. Maybe, we shall arrive at a lucid resolution. Maybe, not.

This is not, mind you, a flight of ego on wings of embroidered obscurantism. Philosophy from Socrates, Plato, Aristotle; to Bacon, Kant, Russel; onto our own Sa’ad Zungur, Obafemi Awolowo, Mokwugo Okoye, has (always) been a watershed for intellectual excavation: to retrospect on stubborn issues, to illuminate quarrelsome ideologies, to explicate quaint aesthetics. And parables? Parables also wear the euphemistic garb of philosophy. Great men, and not so great ones, churn out anecdotes to validate or vilify paradigms embedded in skulls of other men.

Remember the Parable of the Sower? It was) Jesus’ response to those who grope for the secrets of the Kingdom of God.

During the recently held Concord Press seminar on the ‘Prospects for Stability in the Third Republic’, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule (one-time Nigerian U.N. Permanent Representative) presented a commendable nine-page address.

Commendable in the sense that he attempted to imitate great men. He proffered a new grain of thought: ‘The Herdsman and his wards’. In summary, it is a manifesto for the proper acquisition of leadership qualities. For the unprivileged, I quote Maitama Sule’s paragon of selfless stewardship.

  “The herdsman will travel with his cattle over long distances in search of pasture. He does not mind walking the whole day in the scorching sun and thick forest. In the course of this journey, he could be injured by thorns, he could be bitten by snakes, and would bravely confront a number of wild threats (beasts). His uppermost and unbending desire is to fend for his wards – the cattle. Wherever there is water, he will move (them) there. There is a potassium salt variety that is always carried about by herdsmen. It has therapeutic value not only on cattle but also on the human person… a true herdsman, faced with limited stock of this potassium salt, would endure his own personal affliction over a long time in order that he should have something for his cattle, should any of them fall sick. In other words, the herdsman will endure the agonising pain of sickness in order to save his wards, the cattle…”

  This inspiring altruism is not disregarded. As the Danmasanin Kano revealed, the herdsman’s wards take cognizance of their master’s enduring solidarity and. protectiveness. In return, they “shower enormous love and affection (on) their leader… and seek to protect him – not because he has forced them to, but out of sheer admiration, appreciation and respect for the way he has devoted his entire energy and resources to promote their well-being.”

Such correlations of affection and services are pillars on which a stable and progressive nation is built, one may heave. Expectedly, (several) commentaries have (been made) on this laudable parable. It is a plea to the emerging leaders – the herdsmen: be selfless, painstaking and enduring. And your people – the cattle – will reciprocate with sustained affection, understanding and solidarity.

But, beneath this parable’s surface lies a disturbing paradox. The quality of a philosophy rests squarely on its profundity. Great advocates of philosophy and ideology prime themselves in readiness for counterpoints from envious or doubtful minds who relentlessly scavenge for any scintilla of “double-speak” or “tongue- in-cheek”.

There are cattle, and there are cattle. In an Orwellian homestead, some cattle are more equal than others. Putting it crudely, some cattle are of sterner stuff; they probe and ponder. Why this suffuse of kindness? What motivates this protectiveness? What does the herdsman stand to profit for his endurance? And on and on, the questions surge. Inquisitiveness is the beginning of victimisation. Even the poignant ‘Parable of the Sower’ tossed under irreverent polemics relays capitalist overtones: the haves’ get richer and the have-nots’ poorer. A submission like that begs for papal machete. But, such is the pull of parables that legions of interpretations – right or wrong-headed – cling to the originals.

That compassionate herdsman, I submit, is a conscientious businessman. Simple. He reckons, and he is right, that a well-fed and contented cow on the pasture above the Niger will seduce thousands of naira in the abattoir below the Niger. Unarguably, a gaunt and disagreeable cow will make a poor display in the market. Thus, the most prudent avenue open to the forward- looking herdsman is to “beef” up his wards. His eventual reward lies in the well-being and robustness of his cattle. His sweat, agony and self-denial would not be in vain: it is a natural capitalist aspiration.   

Nevertheless, very few Nigerians, nay African leaders, are endowed with the herdsman’s temperaments. Sadly, few – if any – can dote on their followers to the point of uncomfortable sacrifices. They do not squander precious time ministering to the people’s caprices: they rush for the jugular. For he that has, more shall be given unto him; and he that has not, the little there is will be taken from him. Simple. A sob for the cattle and the abattoir!”