MUSA-ODODO ABDULRAHAMAN
MERCHANT OF WISDOM OR MERCHANT OF POWER
Parabolically, the world is a marketplace: What will humanity rather trade with?
- The World as a Marketplace of Choice
From the beginning of history, humanity has stood at a grand bazaar of possibilities, choosing daily what to sell, what to buy, and what to build. Some trade in weapons, others in ideas; some in fleeting pleasures, others in enduring truths. Yet, there are only two currencies that truly matter: Power and Wisdom. Which of these we invest in determines whether we rise as stewards of creation or collapse as prisoners of our own ambition.
- What Is Power?
Power is the ability to influence, to command, to bend reality toward one’s will. It can build bridges, irrigate deserts, defend the weak, or illuminate darkness. Yet it can also enslave, oppress, and destroy. Power is a neutral force – like fire, it can cook or consume, depending on the hand that holds it.
But power is also fragile. It withers without guidance, loses purpose without a higher anchor, and becomes a tyrant when left unchecked. The throne without wisdom is a volcano waiting to erupt.
- Why Is Power So Powerless?
Power is powerless because it cannot answer the deepest questions of life. It cannot heal a guilty conscience, create meaning, or tame the human ego. It multiplies opportunities but cannot decide which ones are worthy.
History bears grim testimony:
Pharaohs of Egypt built monuments that pierced the sky, yet their dynasties turned to dust because arrogance blinded them to justice.
Rome, the mightiest empire of its age, rotted from within when power outran virtue.
Napoleon, Hitler, and other conquerors gained the world yet forfeited peace, leaving oceans of suffering behind them.
Even in our era, nations hoard nuclear weapons and manipulate technology, yet the human heart remains restless, families are torn, and communities fracture.
Unrestrained power is like a chariot without reins – magnificent for a moment, then catastrophic.
- What Is Wisdom?
Wisdom is more than knowledge or intelligence. It is the light that reveals the path when the road divides. It is the art of aligning decisions with truth, compassion, and purpose. True wisdom transcends mere cleverness; it is rooted in reverence, humility, and an awareness of eternity.
Divine wisdom is the music of the Creator woven into the fabric of the universe. It whispers through the order of the stars, the patience of rivers, the cycles of seedtime and harvest. Without it, humanity stumbles in darkness, mistaking noise for harmony and appetite for freedom.
- Wisdom Gives Meaning and Direction to Power
Power without wisdom is a sword in a child’s hand. But when guided by wisdom, power becomes a tool for justice, healing, and renewal. The wise leader uses power not to dominate, but to serve; not to glorify self, but to elevate others.
King Solomon prayed, not for riches or conquest, but for wisdom – and with it, he ruled with insight and fairness. Where wisdom reigns, power becomes a river that nourishes life, not a flood that sweeps it away.
- GOD Founded the Earth by Wisdom
Sacred texts echo across cultures: “By wisdom the Lord laid the foundations of the earth.” Creation itself is the signature of an intelligent, loving Mind. If the universe is ordered by wisdom, then humanity, as caretakers of creation, must seek that same wisdom to govern ourselves and our planet.
It is the abandonment of this divine order – through greed, vanity, and ego – that has poisoned our politics, shattered communities, and scarred the environment. We have traded wisdom for cleverness, reverence for consumption, and in doing so, endangered our own future.
- The Inevitable Return to GOD
The arc of history is bending toward a single conclusion: humanity cannot save itself apart from its Creator. We must return, not in shame, but in humility and resolve, to the Source of life and order. Only in God’s wisdom can we rediscover our mandate as vicegerents, caretakers entrusted to reflect goodness and steward the earth.
This is not a call to empty religion, but to living alignment with transcendent truth – to recognize that we are part of something greater than ourselves.
- There Must Be a New World Now!
The old order is crumbling before our eyes. Greed-driven systems, soulless technologies, and hollow promises of pleasure have left multitudes weary and empty. The so-called civilization built on ego and exploitation has exhausted itself.
But collapse need not be the end – it can be the birth pangs of renewal. Humanity stands at a threshold: we can either cling to the ashes or rise to build anew.
- Toward a Divine New World Order
We must consciously establish a world shaped by wisdom and love – a Universal Civilization anchored in dignity, justice, and stewardship. Such a world will outlast even the earth because it will mirror eternal values. It will honor life, respect creation, and cherish every human as a bearer of divine image.
This is not a dream for the distant future; it is a summons for today. Every home, school, office, parliament, and laboratory must become a seedbed of wisdom. Every leader, teacher, artist, scientist, farmer, and child must see themselves as co-builders of a just and compassionate society.
A Call to Action
Time is not a neutral companion; it is a river carrying us toward destiny. The choice is ours: remain merchants of power, bartering our souls for trinkets, or become merchants of wisdom, trading in truths that heal and endure.
The urgency is clear, the invitation universal: Return to GOD, embrace wisdom, and let us build a new world together – one worthy of our highest calling as humankind.
Shepherd of Nigerian Divine Destiny
Musa-Ododo Abdulrahaman
Founder, Initiative for Discovery of Nigeria Heritage and Endowment (IDNHE)
Convener, The Conscious Creation of a New Nigeria
Chairman, National Policy Dialogue.
www.nationalpolicydialogue.org