• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Mindset always makes the difference… Part 2

Mindset

Taking a jog the other day I saw this middle aged man also dressed in exercise gear walking briskly towards me, talking loudly and gesticulating apparently to no-one. Suddenly I thought, “wait up Daps. Is this guy okay? Are you sure all his screws are firmly tightened? It certainly appears like there might be a couple loose.” As if he knew what I was thinking he would dart me intermittent looks.

“Ah! E ma gba mi ….who told me to jog the streets this early o?!” Just as I was about to instinctively give him a very obvious wide berth I suddenly came to my senses. Kindly excuse the pun. At that moment I remembered we were no longer in the 1970s or even early 2000s. This man must be speaking on the phone. Of course, this is 2019 when phone ear pieces are barely visible, especially from a fair distance. Wow! Did I feel foolish! Maybe it was my senses that needed checking after all. Truly, nothing is surer to lead man to perish than lack of knowledge or ignorance.

I’m proud of my fellow Nigerians though we still have a way to go. Seven or eight years ago Nigerians knew next to nothing about Autism and most who did know, often displayed great ignorance due to a very limited understanding. Now, though some progress is being made, it’s incremental at best while awareness remains unimpressive. The most difficult thing to change in people is their mindset so even this nominal increase in understanding and acceptance deserves some celebration. In my estimation though, it comes down to love. Love beats all. With love comes the effort and desire to understand the plight of others (Neighbourly love).

My cousin’s wife’s school for Autistic children struggled for the first one or two years because of this same mindset we Nigerians seem so prone to have; living in denial and refusing to see or accept the obvious. You know, what will people say? It took a robust media campaign thankfully supported by one of the leading banks to get Nigerians to step out of denial and accept that Autism isn’t a death sentence and neither is it something to be ashamed of. These are simply people who need special attention. Many of them, depending on the spectrum get to enjoy very normal lives.

You’d be surprised to know the number of people out there who are autistic. Many, I’m certain you’re not aware of. In the past we had the likes of Wolfgang Mozart(famous composer), Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton(both renowned scientists), Lewis Carroll(author of Alice In Wonderland) and it’s even recorded that Thomas Jefferson(3rd President of the USA) displayed signs of Autism. In these present times we have the likes of Darryl Hannah (Hollywood actress), Dan Aykroyd (Hollywood actor) and wait for it…..Lionel Messi! This football genius needs no introduction. Yes, Messi was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of Autism at the age of eight but look at him now.

My cousin’s wife and her school, Patrick Speech and Language Centre are now without doubt the leading authorities in the field of Autism in the country and it all began when she found her purpose. She had a promising career as a banker but that wasn’t God’s purpose for her life. It wasn’t her God ordained path to Good Success. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose”
– Romans 8:28

One fateful day she and her husband discovered their beloved child was autistic and there began their journey. It may interest you to know this same child got a full scholarship, yes, a full scholarship to a top US university after scoring straight As in his “A” Levels! If his parents hadn’t discovered early enough, enabling them to provide him with the appropriate attention or if they had chosen to ignore the tell tale signs, would all this have been possible? Your guess is as good as mine. My cousin’s wife has since gone on to win countless awards both nationally and internationally for the sterling work she’s been doing in this field.

As the good book says, never should anyone despise small beginnings. On that note, I end with these assuring words of God who has promised to always lead us in the way to go when we look to Him:

“Your path led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters; a pathway no-one knew was there.”

Changing the nation…one mind at a time.

 

Dapo Akande