The Delightful

Solomon the Philosopher, the wisest man who ever lived, uttered these famous words: “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven….. So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can.” 

We can all concur with him, can’t we? That life is characterized by season-like experiences, just like the natural world has summer, winter, spring, and autumn.  However, unlike these seasons whose precedence, incidence, and discontinuance are easily predictable, the same doesn’t apply to life’s happenings.

Although to some extent part of our happiness is dependent on our choices, I conjecture that a large chunk of it just happens and is unplanned for. For instance, having supportive managers/colleagues at the workplace, cool neighbors in the ‘hood, mindful classmates in school, etc is indeed entirely beyond our control. In fact, it is Providence that places us within such domains not because of any merit or virtue in us but for our ‘own good’. 

It is in light of this that I share one fundamental lesson: During the delightful moments of life, simply delight. Whether these moments come about because of our wise choices or because we just happened to be within a particular vicinity or affiliated to a certain entity, the message is the same: Simply delight.

Just graduated from college? Delight. For a moment, act deaf to the talk of no job opportunities within the country. This is not the time to consider such. Instead it’s a moment to celebrate the fruition of your persistent hard work and incessant sacrifices.

Just gotten a new job? Delight. It is an act of gratitude to your Maker for his providence and to your employer for the chance to grow your career. Delight, for you never know when ‘winter’ will strike and you have it rough from annoying bosses or colleagues;

Just gotten married or about to? Delight. Make merry for it is only both of you who know how hard you fought for your love and understand the crafted shared history which now defines your lives forever. For a moment, entertain not the naysayers who prescribe doom to every bubbly ‘entanglement’. Delight, for you never know when ‘winter’ will strike and you experience ending ‘cold wars’ from your spouse.

Are you a dad or mom to a new born? Delight. It’s a feat some would trade all their earthly possessions to be part of, just to get custody of such charming innocence. For a moment, choose not to entertain the thought of the looming sleepless nights or any other parenting strains. Delight, for you never know when ‘winter’ will strike, when the children become unruly and their prior innocence fades in insignificance to an extent that you almost regret siring them.

Is your business booming? Delight, for you never know when ‘winter’ will strike, when you launch legal suits after the customers fail to repay their debts. Is your career flourishing and your life in general beaming? Delight. Why delight? For this profound reason: Just like our existence, all our pleasures in this world are time- bound. And as we established last week, our joys and sorrows are suspended like scales such that life can happen to any of us without a moment’s notice. Therefore, as long as it lasts, delight.

For clarity, advocating for choosing not to entertain ‘negative energy’ does not mean we are to order lives which are out of touch with reality. Absolutely not! On the contrary, it is indicative and demonstrative of our understanding about the time-bound nature of life’s pleasant moments and thus making the most of them as they last. Equally, a clarified understanding their short-livedness can in fact create a buffer against hedonism, defined as seeking pleasure as the highest human good and proper aim of life.

In a nutshell, these words by comedian Felix Odiwuor (Jalang’o)can also encapsulate today’s message: “Create time for enjoyment because time for pain creates itself.” But what do we do during the season of pain, loss, betrayal and suffering? Should we equally delight? Well, purpose to join me next week for the third episode as we discuss the theme: The Distressing.

Till then, cheers good people to a week and lifetime full of delight!