Experiences; Lessons Learnt (1) Talents!

On my way up North some time ago, I got to the Park in Benin. When the bus was fully loaded and we were preparing for departure, a young man walked up to the bus. He started telling us that he was on his way down South when he suffered a misfortune and that now he does not have the means to get home. He sounded reasonable at first but I was skeptical of his plea. You can’t trust a man who goes begging in a Park; it’s difficult to verify their claims. At a point the man felt he wasn't getting the response he wanted, so he started pleading intensely for help. This man started shedding tears; he was crying, ‘Please, I’m your brother. Help me.’ Some passengers at that point decided to give him money. I was still not convinced. It felt like it’s all a hoax. After he left, a man sitting close to me inside the bus confirmed my suspicion. He said that the young man begs like that in the Park and that he’s been playing the ‘tears’ card for long. I felt bad: “If this guy can cry false tears like this and act so convincingly, why not go into acting? That is Nollywood material ‘na’?” How often we hear of people who use to beg or hawk on the street and in the process uncovered a hidden potential in singing, dancing and the like.

It reminds me of the story of Choi, Sung-Bong: a homeless young man who stole the show at the Korea’s Got Talent last year. He was abandoned in an orphanage at age three. At the age of 5, he ran out of the institution because of the maltreatment he received and he basically lived on the streets thereafter. At the age of 14, he was selling chewing gum at a night club when he heard a classical vocalist perform. What he heard that night inspired him to pursue a music career and his talent in music was unraveled in the process. His performance at the Korea Got Talent show drew tears from the eyes of his audience and the video of the show became a worldwide YouTube sensation. I felt my tears when I watched the video. He is now a well known figure in South Korea and around the world.
What did I learn from the above events?

We were all born with different gifts. Not all our gifts are apparent in childhood; not all are discovered in school; not all are revealed through conventional channels and not all are found for the right reasons. Nevertheless, when we uncover our gift, may we nourish and cherish it as a gift from our Creator and may we use it right to better our lives and the lives of those around us

– My Reflections.