What Obama’s poem on life teaches

I recently came across a very momentous poem that was attributed to former US President and one of the world’s finest orators of all time Barack Obama. I thought the poem was extremely evocative and derivative of the true meaning of life as well as depicting the irrationality of some of the societal evils. I believe that through internalising it, appreciating the fusion of its facts, we can be able to change mindsets in society about the way things are not only done, but have been done in Uganda.
The poem begins with the fact that when I think of the depth of the grave and the pounds of sand that will be thrown on at us, there is no need to harm my brother. When I think of the darkness that will engulf the grave after closing it, there is no need to hurt my sister, when I think of the heat repressed by the soil and the amount of water that will drown me during the rains in the tomb, I cannot make my neighbour suffer.
When I think that I will be alone, abandoned by everybody, I prefer to enjoy communion while still alive. When I re-think that my relationships are moved by my past, I wish to perfect my future. If I would be re-born to resume everything from scratch, I would no longer make mistakes in my actions. Because after long meditation, I understood that all is vanity on earth. He also added that May God help us to cultivate humility and love to our neighbours because vanity is vanity and everything is vanity.
I hope that all religious leaders could pass on this message and spread it among their flock because it really depicts the nature of man, and contrasts it with the nature of life. Life can be so useless. However, at the same time, life can be so useful when we use what we have to touch the lives of others. When we create a positive life impact on the lives of others, when we refuse to be corrupted for what is wrong, when we refuse to participate in acts of impunity, most particularly the rampant land grabbing in Uganda. In the end, where will you take the land you have grabbed? How sure are you that it will not be taken back by the people from whom you grabbed it or their ancestors? How useless your efforts will be? How insane your decisions will be?
The Bible talks about a good name being far better than riches; can we contrast how much a good name can get you and your family as compared to ill-gotten wealth? Can that wealth outlast the name created? Can your children live on well with your name in contrast with your wealth? Does your name provide a sense of dignity to your children? Do you feel proud about your actions? These are some of the questions we should often ask ourselves while making very pertinent decisions.
With the great levels of declining morality in society, our religious leaders should be able to outrightly condemn evil behaviour, our judges and magistrates should be outwardly and inwardly impartial while exercising their powers. We should envision dignity, justice, and a sense of righteousness in whatever we do. We should also think about our neighbours. These are people who are immediately affected by our actions and if we discover that what we are doing is wrong, we should then be able to stop there.
With the current fight against corruption, everybody should embark on spreading the above message so that people can appreciate meaning of life.
Patrick Gukiina Musoke,
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