Chasing the Wind: Reflections on Life, Death, and the Human Condition

Everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.. The words of God captured it so well. Look around, and you’ll realize everything is temporary. Nothing, absolutely nothing, lasts forever. There is nothing new under the sun. Generations come, and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

If we truly understand this, why are people still wicked and cruel to their fellow humans? Why do some derive joy from oppressing others and marginalizing their fellow countrymen? Not even our tribe or the colour of our skin can save anyone. In the end, death rules over us all. Every one of us is in the queue. Death respects no one — not age, not experience, not knowledge. None of these things count when it beckons us. All it takes is a call, and nothing more.

If only we could live as though there is no tomorrow, perhaps the world would be more peaceful. There would be no unhealthy competition among us. Siblings wouldn’t be jealous or envious of each other. We would all live in harmony.

There was a man at our workplace who wasn’t on good terms with any member of his family. I couldn’t understand if it was because of his wife that he had lost connection with them. Later, I came to realize that neither he nor his wife related well with people in the community. After his death, neighbors confessed that they had never even been to their house.

He died last December while returning from an audit assignment at Alausa, Ikeja. Just a minute away from his junction, he had a fatal accident. I attended his burial and heard his wife accuse a former member of their previous church of being responsible for his death. When I heard that, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any truth in the allegation. But then, if she was bold enough to say such, perhaps she believed it deeply.

After her husband was buried, it seemed she had no reason left to live. She said she couldn’t continue living without her husband. I reasoned that it might have been because she was isolated from family since the day she married him.

Another sad part of the story is that they had no children. All their years of labour will now be enjoyed by people who never knew the weight of their suffering. Family members who were estranged from them and perhaps didn’t even know they had built a house would come to live in it after their passing.

The most pathetic part is that the wife also died just last week; only a few months after her husband’s death. What could have caused it? Many people wondered. But such is life. Who are we to question God?

That’s why the saying "There is nothing new under the sun" touches the deepest part of my soul. It is well.

Today is Good Friday: a day to reflect on the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Christians and believers in Christ, this is a time to embrace love, compassion, and reconciliation. A time for love feasts, not bitterness.

But what do we do about our world? There’s constant killing in the northern part of the country, and nothing significant is being done about it. What is the gain in killing a fellow human being — for what? Wealth? Fame? Landed property? All of which we will one day leave behind without looking back?

Yes, it’s natural to feel anger and the urge to fight for what’s right. Some say, “If you fight, you die, and if you don’t fight, you still die, so why not fight for a good cause and die graciously?”

But truly, nothing is worth dying for. Life is precious. We should live it with purpose and peace, and enjoy it while it lasts.