𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅. 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅.

 

This reflection continues my recent thoughts on why, in a world that constantly tells us to move on, wisdom sometimes asks us to 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.

In my discourse yesterday

👉🏾 https://www.askchuka.com/2026/03/blog-post_9.html

I explained why ignoring the past can lead us to repeat the same mistakes.

There is a popular saying that if we fail to keep the records of history, we will inevitably repeat its errors. Many times, when we rush forward without looking back, we run into avoidable mistakes we may regret for the rest of our lives.

Let me tell a short story.

My sons have always been drawn to sports. At some point they told me they wanted to become professional sportsmen.

In Nigeria, that kind of aspiration is not very common. Most children grow up talking about careers in medicine, law, engineering and other traditional professions.

But I believe that people can become what they truly aspire to be.

So I supported them.

We enrolled them in football and tennis programmes so they could begin working towards their dreams.

However, after some time I noticed that their academic performance was dropping. I decided to sit down with them to understand what was happening.

During that conversation I reminded them that they had chosen a road that is not commonly travelled here.

Many young people who want to become professional footballers do not attend conventional schools. Yet our agreement had always been that they would continue their education because we know there will always be 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀.

I also reminded them that 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.

If they truly wanted this path, we would need to remove anything that did not align with their goals because time was limited.

From that meeting we created a routine: early sleep, early study, devotion, school preparation, structured training, homework, rest, and evening drills.

On paper this structure looks simple.

But from studying many great stories of the past, I knew that children rarely build discipline on their own. They need guidance and involvement.

So I became actively involved.

These days we often hear people say young people are not teachable. Because of this assumption we sometimes allow them to do whatever they want and excuse it by saying, “Well, it is their life.”

But the truth is that the lives people live around us affect us too.

If your neighbour refuses to clean their environment while you keep yours clean, the rodents from their house will eventually pass through yours.

In the same way, a society that refuses to mentor its young people will eventually pay the price.

We must 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗻.

When organisations hire new people, they must place them under experienced superiors who will ensure that the culture and values of the organisation are preserved.

Once again, let us remember 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝟲:𝟭𝟲:

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it."

The truth is simple.

𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼.

My simple suggestion is this:

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱.

— Chuka Chiezie