Anyone who believes Ojukwu’s heroism would believe the silly nonsense about Jesus Christ being omnipotent Godhead. I am not an iconoclast first and foremost. I do cherish heroes and stand-up leaders. When and where there is one. But, I would not join any gang to celebrate mediocre.
Anyone who believes Ojukwu’s heroism would believe the silly nonsense about Jesus Christ being omnipotent Godhead. I am not an iconoclast first and foremost. I do cherish heroes and stand-up leaders. When and where there is one. But, I would not join any gang to celebrate mediocre.
Hear me now. We should resist the temptation of calling every coach potatoes and softies who run away from mid-fight a hero. The hero title is special reserve for can-do achievers who stand out tallest amid humankind. You may choose to take the HERO roll call here now on earth or hereafter. Notwithstanding, Ojukwu would not be there in their numbers. Wishful-thinkers and pseudo hero worshippers should take heart. And at this juncture as well, I’d like to encourage riffraff individuals. Who’re doing booming trade on the internet swearing upon people for writing their views - to come off it and be clearheaded for modesty sake!
“... despite your idealism you have not been able to produce such a man. Both Pont-de-Seine and Petit-Clamart failed because no one was prepared to risk his own life to make absolutely certain.” Mr Casson had told the men who contracted him to assassinate the-then French president, Charles De Gaulle.
Mr. Casson was an Englishman who was rated the best gunslinger and hired assassin the world over during the 1960s. He was contracted by the OAS a gang of Frenchmen with Algerian background. The OAS had tried to kill Mr De Gaulle for six times to no avail. For the seventh attempt, they needed a foreigner whose antic was unknown to the French secret service people. It was whilst Mr Casson was answering questions from his contractors as an expert killer on why past attempts to eliminate De Gaulle had failed. He suggested the killers hadn’t put their lives on the line.
I’m not an expert on warfare. You are free to ask pundits the question: who won or lost the Nigerian civil war and why. Maybe someone should’ve wholeheartedly put his life on the line and stay put till the wee hour. Endpoint is that, both in real world of Wikipedia and Mr Casson’s Mafia underground world: the hero is someone who risks his own life to make absolutely certain for humanity at large.
Meanwhile, Wikipedia defines a HERO thus: “... hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity.”
Mr Casson’s emphasis on ‘risk his own life’ and Wikipedia’s ‘will for self sacrifice’ synced proper in togetherness. And in addition, another watchword in determining today’s hero is embedded in Wikipedia’s ‘for some greater good of humanity.’ And indeed, who needs a hero if he has no international appeal? I am in by no means saying that you couldn’t have the ‘CNN hero’ and all the whatnots in the local league as some would rush to. But however, let it be clearly stated beyond reasonable doubt that the hero had, or is willing to risk his own life or self-sacrifice. Running away from mid-battle as Ojukwu did is the lowest of lowlife. And more so, the wilful willingness to pose as scapegoat for humanity’s causes is on top of the chart. Whilst separating cry babies and runaway soldiers from hero steel people.
All real heroes stay put to the end. Heroes direct the project from the battlefield in the warfront with their body, mind, soul and blood.
And as endnote here: after Mr Casson, a South African was rated second amid rank of professional hired killers of the 1960s. There’s speculation still making the rounds that the South African killer was hired to kill Patrice Lumumba the erstwhile leader of Zaire. The number three in the stead of ace killers of the 1960s was a German who worked with the Nazi then.
Okay now. I am moving this topic from the Mafia, Real world to delusional religious-spiritual world. In the end, no one would say the generalisation is not broadened enough.
Once upon a time, Emperor Constantine of Rome woke up the dead Jesus from His grave and made. Him superhero God overseer of the universe. What Constantine refused to acknowledge is that a hero is not made out of people’s private whims. You go with the crowd or cult of personality without goading or enforcement. Be it from civilian or military, Nigerian internet bloggers or dictators, ethnic jingoist or sectional gold-diggers.
Emperor Constantine pre-emptive and fraudulent upgrading of Jesus as superhero trinity has fallen over the century and continues to nosedive. Recently, I read from the 234Next where a writer said Jesus isn’t a savour of all men as Constantine make-believed. The author Femi Aribisala had opined Jesus as saviour to sons of God only. He is right. Jesus is not a hero who died for generality of humanity as authored by the emperor. Ordinarily, Jesus is regarded and referred to, as the human flesh and blood son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter by His countrymen. But out of political expediency, Constantine skyrocketed Jesus as sacredly a somewhat hero speciality.
It is the same drama playing out in Nigeria where ethnic frontrunners have taken the place of Emperor Constantine and are hustling tooth and claw to smuggle Ojukwu into the international hero book of records. Any attempt to forcefully impose it upon people or compromise the hero title doesn’t last. It is a hustle in futility.
The fallacy of Constantine’s make-believing Jesus as humanity’s superhero is so clear to see today. If you are to line up Jesus Christ, Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara before the United Nations on ‘who is a hero’ contest. Che Guevara and Mandela would coolly get more than eighty percent of the votes singly whilst. Jesus would struggle with twenty percent only. Of the twenty percent votes for Jesus, Nigerians would’ve casted fifteen percent. Nigeria is the only country on earth where not the only the Jesus heroism is gaining currency in the 21st century. It is also a place where all kind of make-believe, cheap heroes and stupid nonsense is worshipped to high heavens. And this is one reason why Nigeria continues to race backward while other nations are pacing frontward.
I don’t think anyone would say in the future that he or she is a witch or wizard for Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara and Martin Luther King Jr. because they are real heroes. Jesus Christ is not a hero for mankind or for his native countrymen by and large. And for Ojwuku, time shall open the eyes of his worshippers. Mandela and Che Guevara wouldn’t have run away were they to have aced the Biafran side. Comrade Che Guevara died whilst trying to equalise the same rights for all peoples no matter creed and pigmentation. Mandela was in jailed for over twenty after he refused to be sidelined from fronting for his people. Some people could’ve collected ‘transport money’ from Apartheid supremacist rulers in South Africa and turn their back on their people.
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