The Laws of
Excellence!
(Week 3 (21-27th
Jan 2013)
Tobi
Adebowale[1]
EXCELLENCE
If anyone were declared richer than all his age-mates by
ten times, he would no doubt be regarded as prosperous, very prosperous by everyone
around him. He might as well drive the most expensive cars around and own the
most beautiful or expensive mansions around; if you have heard such names as
Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia, Harry Akande and Dantata or paid a visit to such areas
as Banana Island and Victoria Garden City in Lagos, you just might have an idea
what kind of prosperity I am talking about: one that so stands out in its “outstanding-ness” that those who march
towards a contest with it may just never be a match.
In Daniel 4, the great King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
ordered his chief eunuch, Ashpenaz to get him a set of people: “certain of
the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes” (Dan
1:3) and in the following verse, the King listed the very robust and perhaps
demanding qualities the young men must possess before stating in verse 5 that
they should be fed lavishly and would then be appointed officers in the King’s
court. The qualities the king listed included: physical fitness, all-round intelligence,
possessing leadership abilities and being teachable (Dan 1:4). In simple and
clear terms, the King wanted excellent men that would be of help to his
government. They had to possess qualities not just befitting of the positions
they would occupy, they were also required to be vast and versatile. As such,
it would have mattered less if a person could pray for as long as ten hours
without rest if he knew little or nothing about how chariots were for instance
made; he would not make it to King Nebuchadnezzar’s shortlist for the position
of Prayer Secretary!
Excellence is therefore not conferred by success in a
course or scoring nearly all the marks in a single subject but is rather proven
by a remarkable track record of verifiable success in a litany of endeavours
over the years, with a seal of consistency. To be excellent is to know ten
things at a time when others know only one; it is to be better by ten measures
at a thing than an average person in the same discipline, field or class.
Consistent outstanding-ness, that is
really excellence.
From the above piece, I believe a few rules of excellence
are deductible, though there may be more, but I will briefly consider the
following:
Being
of a Kind
The King specifically requested for a set of people as
earlier pointed out and out of that set, he wanted those who possessed certain
vital and fundamental qualities. On the surface, one can surmise that excellent
people are of a particular origin, or even conclude that if one is not from
that natural distribution, one is at a permanent disadvantage. This is not
exactly true. Though the Jews are classified as the most productive, efficient
and intelligent people in the world according to statistics, the truth is that
in reality, you will found thousands of Americans and Africans who are more
productive and intelligent than certain Jews but I must concede that when an
average graph is being plotted, some people find the lines falling for them in
pleasant places. Belonging to such categories is however no proof of individual
excellence.
A
certain student from Loyola-Jesuit College (a school repeatedly producing the
best SSCE results in Nigeria) in Abuja may beat all Kings College boys at a
test but that does not mean a girl from FGGC Ipetumodu may not beat same
student at that same test or another. It would also be unreasonable to think
that every individual Loyola-Jesuit student will beat all or the best students
from Kings College. In essence, we all must individually strive to belong to
that un-natural class of excellent beings, the kind the King (CEOs, Presidents)
want.
Learning,
Continuous Assessment and Humility
‘There
is no promotion without final examination’ might be a cliché but it is a very
contemporarily valid one. Even Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego did not
go “to stand before the king” immediately they were picked, they had to be
assessed first. Just the same way we are taught in the lecture halls for some
weeks upon resumption before tests are then conducted, in Daniel 1:5,
Nebuchadnezzar ordered the young men to be fed and nourished with kingly meals
before they would be presented before him. It is however interesting to note
that it was neither the King nor Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch who conducted the
test. It must have taken a degree of humility for a set of young men who have
been feeding lavishly on kingly meals to submit to a test by Melzar, a
subordinate of Ashpenaz. In all, it takes meekness to follow through the
process of learning and tests.
Preparation,
Examination and the Examiner
The
steps taken by a General while preparing for war is just as relevant as the
prosecution of the war. Daniel and his friends took diligent care of their
preparation with due regard for the manner of examination they were to face and
before whom they would be appearing. Just like an athlete must watch his diet,
Daniel and his friends abstained from the fatty foods of the king’s table and
instead settled for adequately nutritious vegetables. At this point in time,
choosing what to read should depend on your understanding of what is needed by
the lecturer and to excel in the course; a couple more books or handouts may
just be needless fat, refuse it and focus!
God,
Consistency and Manifestation
Having
been prepared for three years, all the young men in the set earlier referred to
had to appear before the greater authority, the very king Nebuchadnezzar.
Others may have fretted, Daniel and his friends however, I am sure, must have
relished the consistency of their discipline and oneness with God. For them, it
was time to manifest the ten-times-greater wisdom of God. Therefore most
importantly, seek God, be consistent in and with Him and you will excel.
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