Plant a seed Today

By Dr jarlat Uche opara

Severally I have gone to the village, each time, I came back with fruits not bought from the market, rather plucked from my father’s house. It is always fun, very exhilarating especially when what one is getting is free, on a platter, are sold for diamond in the market.

This I have enjoyed until this period when my conscience pricked me with an unsettling question what have you planted yourself all these decades of years? I got paused, thought through it and suddenly became ashamed of myself. None have I planted!

I have licked the sweetest of udara( African cherry)Orange, Mango, Banana etc from the trees planted by either my father or mother, all I could do was to lick and throw away the seeds without the thoughtfulness to plant any.

Imagine if I was planting at least one of the seeds of those fruits I have enjoyed, it beats imagination what numbers of plants I would have planted that would be fruiting for others to enjoy by now.

That opportunity is gone, living just in my imagination, however I can start now, you can equally start now if you belong to this circle of eat , throw away the seeds without planting them.

We are naturally wired to be consumers, just few think about production. This isn’t about planting seeds only, it finds itself creeping in other facets of our human life. In politics we are driven to eat from the baked cake without the passion to bake for the next generation.

In education we enjoy the inspiration and deep thoughtfulness and theories of others without being concerted in diligence and purposefulness to create our own niche.

In technology we get consumed with others technological ingenuity done decades ago without being intentional in creating ours.

Today we still quote Plato, Socrates, Aristole, etc years after they have gone, without no replacement of them in depth, capacity, inspiration and creativity.

This is 2026! Let us begin to plant seeds of trees that would be fruiting for the delight of the next generation.

Let begin to plant seeds of righteousness in the younger generation. Let planting seeds of discipline, integrity, patriotism etc this year be our priority.

Today unlike decades ago, seeds that have amazing genes for early fruiting abound. Imagine what an abundance of fruits we would experience in the next three years if we become intentional in planting economic trees.

Our land is fertile, the seeds are there but the consciousness and passion to plant are our achilles heels.

Same is possible in our politics, economy, religion, education etc. Let the culture to plant be our drive and the culture to lick and suck the existing fruits without replanting our disgust.

Today is 20th January, make a commitment to plant both in our soil, in people’s minds and our systems. Consuming without planting, is a journey into a future of scarcity.

Imagine what Abia State would have become if the previous governors were planters of seeds not mere lickers? Think about Nigeria and where she would have been in economy, development etc if our leaders are planters not lickers of the already planted trees.

*My Resolve*: *I will lick that existing fruits but I wouldn’t throw away their seeds, surely some of the seeds would be replanted. Abundance without an unbroken flow would soon become abjection*—- jarlath

Jarlathuche@gmail.com