Bonfo

Have you ever seen a trained zoo keeper being the president of a country or a baba ijebu addict being the head of finance in a bank?

Personally, I haven't seen any of the above. However, I have seen square pegs in round holes. I have also seen people do things, wear clothes and act in manners not befitting to them.

More often than not, these people actually love what looks horrible on them, they love doing what they suck at and they love acting in ways that taint their personality. Make the mistake of pointing out the obvious, you're in trouble!

What then should we do? Especially when our friends/those we care about are in the "bonfo situation". For clarity sakes, the bonfo situation is a state of being where an individual or group of people dress, act or do things that would ordinarily not suit them.

I have this friend, Job; a jolly good fellow who I've never seen erupting in a fit of anger. Everybody I knew had an affinity for Job and loved being in his company, male and female alike. Love wasn't in short supply from his parents who gave him all he needed to have all his needs met.

In a nutshell, Job was okay with the 'world' and the 'world' was okay with Job; the equation was simple! Living everyday at a time and being everyone's favourite, Job lived a rather comfortable life not having to worry about the basic issues that plague the 21st century youth.

Lost in this abyss of coolness, Job never gave thought to what he wanted to be in life. He never broke the much needed words with us, he just did his thing. Today he is a chef, tomorrow a marketer and the day after a boxer. From time to time he changed professions, jumping from one unrelated field to another.

We tried to caution him, we advised him, we aired our views but he somehow did what he felt like doing at every point in time. We all knew he was in a bonfo situation; doing things he had no ability for. Job didn't care, he just kept living in the moment forgetting many destinies were tied to his; I thought he was selfish.

Even if he didn't want to be successful, he should have considered those destined to get their daily bread from him either by employment or sheer gifts. He should consider his parents who invested their all in order to put him in a good place in life.

Doing what he felt like was not only wasting his life but also created an ambiance of worry around his parents house and a future of uncertainty for the destinies tied to him.

I knew if he did what was required not what was convenient, he would maximize his potential, delight his parents and secure the future of those tied to him.

The question here is, how does he know what is required of him?