August 1, 2007

Awo mbire ke mbire aka ano (A pleasant attitude attracts pleasant people)

Among the Annang, membership in social organizations was expected and individuals joined these organizations based on their age grade. Thus, a young man was expected to join such organizations as Ekpo, Ekong, Uta, Abon and Ekpe. Women were expected to belong to Abang, Abire and the very religious joined Nwowo and Nyaama. Each organization served a function in the society. As a benefit of membership, the individual enjoyed the company of fellow members at every point of life markers such as marriage, the birth of a child, the taking of a title and of course, bereavement. The Annang observed that those who belong to these social organizations have courtesy visits by fellow members, but beyond this, the saying that forms the subject of our reflection today carries for the Annang an important truth that a happy disposition attracts while the reverse is true for those who do not cultivate a good attitude.
There is so much in the world that cause stress and affect our disposition. It seems like we are constantly struggling with problems from day to day. Many of us find ourselves sandwiched between two generations, one old and the other young but both requiring our attention. We live everyday with a heightened sense of anxiety not knowing from day to day what is going to happen next in the political and economic arena. There is so much to worry about, but the truth remains that a smile is infectious. People smile at us when we smile. The world looks favorably at you when you brightened the life of others. George Eliot once wrote that when we wear a smile we have friends but when we wear a scowl we have wrinkles. He then asked: “What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other?’ It is difficult to be pleasant if you fix your mind on what is wrong. It is difficult to see the good and to smile at the world if you look for the bad in others.
Worries do not change situations and a scowl adds wrinkles to your face, so why not show the world a smile today? Smile in spite of, not because of. Smile because your attitude is what determines how you see the adversities that life throws at you. Ella Wilcox once wrote that it is easy to be pleasant when things are going well, but character is judged by our attitude in the face of adversity. Our people knew that we attract whatever we want by constructing such mental images on our faces. A pleasant disposition brings friends but a bad one dispels them. Truly, Awo mire ke mire ase aka anor. Our prayer for you today is that your facial disposition shows the world that you want the best that the universe has to offer.

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Annang Wisdom is an inspirational letter produced as a service of the Annang Heritage Preservation Project. No part of this publication may be transmitted, forwarded, copied, stored or recorded without the permission of the Annang Heritage Preservation Inc. Please send all comments and requests to ancientwisdom@annangheritage.org.