By, Kehinde Kolade
The night was no longer young, the crickets were starting to make their creeping sound. It had been almost four hours since the evening crow that I left the palace and the throne unoccupied to see Baba Odetola. It was my culture to seek his advice when I had very difficult decisions to make and although he never answered my questions without a parable, I was always drawn to him for counsel.
“Baba, it’s been almost an hour since I asked a question and you have not said anything. I have been talking and you have not answered my question,” I said with so much impatience.
“Adewande, you have not answered my question as well but have been going around the circle, making pointless labours. Now answer me, great king, at the dancing square who decides the tune of the drums, the drummer or the dancer?”
“The drummer, I think, since he plays the drums. See, I don’t have time for these riddles tonight, my village is at the verge of a possible war with another village and I must decide by morning the next line of action. The night is getting too quiet to travel and my absence at the palace would be known if I stay longer with you. I came here with so much urgency, my patience is running thin; you left me on the seat to make pap and as if it was not enough you were roasting corn while I talked. Is my problem not a great deal to you, Baba?” There was silence in the room for some minutes before he responded.
“Adewande, my days are no longer many, I will not always be with you. Every time you come to me to seek counsel, my words are not the answers to your questions but pointers. This is because there is something that I want you to realize and I am hell-bent on it tonight, which is that, a man’s life is a product of his thought. A king such as yourself must learn to look inward, the answers to the questions and solutions to difficult situations of life are inside and you just have not realized it yet. Back to my question, at the dancing square who decides the tune of the drums, the drummer or the dancer?”
“The dancer? Since she is the highlight of the performance, she decides the tune for the drummer so that she can perform very well,” I saw the look on his face and I could tell that I got it wrong, so I kept quiet and meditated on the question. I was about to talk when Baba Odetola spoke.
“The drummer can say that he decides the tunes, the dancer can say that she decides the tune but none can function individually and derive satisfaction; it involves collaborative efforts. The dancer may dance alone but there won’t be a tune to dance to, the drummer may beat the drums but there won’t be a dancer to dance to the tune. Life becomes beautiful when we realize that we need one another to live. War is a product of a thought that one tree can make a forest and it is even more costly than peace. You can go ahead with war if you think you will win but you will at the end see the needlessness of it. Neither the drummer nor the dancer can alone decide the tune to make the performance a worthwhile experience.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Baba for this counsel. Now, I know what to do, you could have told me from the beginning,” I stood up from the chair, bowed my head and took my leave, “My king” he called out to me.
“Remember, patience is most tested when there is a little time, wisdom is known when there is problem. Be patient, be calm, and think more and you will find the answers to your questions.”
“Thank you, Baba,” I responded as I closed the door behind me and made haste for the palace.
