THE REWARD FOR SELFLESSNESS

A personal reflection

I have been a beneficiary of people’s selflessness many times than I can remember, from family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and aquaintances. A lot of people have also been blessed by my selfless acts of service.

As a young man in my late teens and early adult years to even my late twenties, I have haboured and helped friends in my home and most of the guys have gone on to become successful and respectable people, that I would often wonder what would have become of them if I hadn’t helped these guys when they needed shelter. Would they have become the 'big man' that they are now?

One act of selflessness that I did(with my twin brother) that will be spoken about for a long time was during my adult years. One of my cousins got sick and her sickness got worse so unexpectedly, the doctors told us that she required an emergency blood transfusion but they had no blood in the hospital blood bank. So I volunteered to donate my blood and my brother also did, we both have a pint of blood each and it came at a time when there wasn’t any hope.

Although our cousin died eventually, but we gained the respect, love and adoration of our extended family without trying to, all because of a selfless act.

My career as an entertainment journalist began as a result of selflessness. My editor-in-chief at Naijagig used to run a music blog, so he asked me after a lot of interactions to write for the blog, so I started and within a few months of starting my own column, I had become influential among young upcoming artistes who wanted to reach a wider audience through my interviews and reviews of their songs.

Being selfless can sometimes or most times be exhausting but it is very good. I have enjoyed the selflessness of a lot of people and very recently, someone assumed the role of a father in the lives of myself and my brother. This is a person halfway across the world but has made tremendous impact in our lives. He has helped me realize that love can transcend ethnicity, race, distance, political affiliations and even sexual orientation. I am grateful and honoured to know him.

The world as it is today, everything including friendships, relationships and marriages has become transactional, so when you find someone or people who are selflessly in love with you, it is important that you reciprocate. Love and kindness will make the world a better place.

The rewards for being kind and selfless are not instantaneous but they will come when you least expect them and it will be in moments you are in need of them.
Let love and kindness lead always.