Of Pen And Sword – Idioms & Proverbs
The pen is mightier than the sword. That is probably one of the first proverbs I learned as a child. I can’t remember how many times I had to write about it in an essay, or argue on it as a debate, but I know it is a concept that has stuck with me and many people like me.
That saying also stays with you if you were a member of the Press Club in secondary school, but you don’t know its full implication until life hits you.
Ken Saro Wiwa, Dele Giwa, those are two names that will always be underappreciated in the history of Nigeria. Gani Fawehinmi, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, these are people whose legacy would hopefully be properly discussed and celebrated so that posterity can give them their due respect.
A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. If you have not found that which you’ll gladly die for, your life is likely wasting away.
Joe Odumakin remains one of my favorite Nigerians of all time, sharing a level of respect I reserve for people like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Fela Kuti, Oby Ezekwesili and Charles Oputa. I may not support all they stand for, but I have come to admire how they stand by what they believe in.
We have gotten over Military Juntas, gotten into the era of social media, social enterprises are becoming profitable ventures, yet a generation of Nigeria’s writers and thought leaders are making themselves cheaply available to the highest bidder.
It is convenient to associate with any government in power, but when even the First Lady of the country can set aside sentiments to say the truth, then know posterity would judge you accordingly for your actions and inactions.
I still enjoy reading newspapers and magazines from the time when IBB was Head of State, as well as the Military era of Buhari and then Abacha. Tell, Newsweek, and others taught me things my history teacher never got around to or wasn’t allowed to teach me.
But then, there is one lesson I did learn from reading those papers; “The pen is mightier than the sword… Except when the sword is hanging over your head.”
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator and Creative Writer.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. @IJoswil
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