I love biographical works (in writing and motion picture) like my life.

I have voraciously consumed the stories of heroine/heroes and villains alike, travelling across the globe through the pages and documentaries of their lives.

When my insatiable appetite makes its way through biographical works, my mind is trained to deploy a laser focus attention on the stories of the childhood of the subjects and the lessons thereof. I call it the making or marring of the destinies of men and woman.

Such was my disposition when I took interest in Martin Luther King Junior in my university days. I began to devour his messages in diverse formats, culminating in his autobiography(a posthumous compilation of some of his written works, which eloquently tells the stories of his Life, Times, Struggles and Triumphs). I became so engrossed in his works, particularly his adopted passive resistance philosophy and would often share with my friend and brother, Dele Farotimi my persuasion about the same. I later wrote ‘The Change Manifesto’ a chapter in his bestselling book, ‘Imparatives of the Nigerian Revolution.’ The chapter focuses on how to adapt the Passive Resistance method to the agitation to build an egalitarian society.

His autobiography revealed that #MKJ was primarily a product of his upbringing. The substantial credit for his extraordinary life, which is being celebrated across the globe today goes to his parents, who raised him to believe that he was made in the image and the likeness of God and treated with him with uttermost respect and dignity. He was raised to have confidence in the ‘contents of his character’ and not the colour of his skin.

Children are potentially and positionally gifts from God to his beloved humanity, dispatched through the family for activation. The activation of our precious children as gifts to humanity, (retaining God’s design) requires Attitude (fortitude and example), Knowledge and Skills. When these are lacking, parents deactivate their precious children. I have concluded that the ‘real joy of having children is how they are raised and not bringing them to this world.’

When you study childhood of men and woman like I have done in over 2 decades, you will agree with me that the only problem our world is dealing with today, irrespective of what format it appears is mismanaged childhood, manifesting in dysfunctional adulthood.

Today, in commemoration of the MKJ Day, I invite families to pay attention to their precious children and renew commitment to raising them in accordance with God’s design as priceless gifts to His humanity, committed into our hands as stewards of hope and merchants of peace. I also invite our communities, nations and international community to make family strengthening, their topmost priority in the quest to build a world fit for the majority of her inhabitants.

Do have an INSPIRED #MJK celebration ladies and gentlemen.

PIX CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA