The people we meet and the books we read determine who we become.

People Influences.

The Earth is a singular planet out of many in a vast universe, it operates on laws which remains constant as long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, everything and anything that works is a pointer to the fact that the laws are being obeyed.
From mobile phones, internet connections that obey the physical laws of electricity and magnetism to the spiritual laws of karma (what you put out is what you get) all obey universal laws.
Then if one desires to have a good life, he should position himself alongside these laws all summarized in two commandments written down later in this rich writing.

Rehoboam, one of the sons of King Solomon ascended to the throne in grandeur and there were much expectations from him.
This was so because at the climax of his father's famed rule, his father begun to place heavy taxes on the people of the Kingdom, remember that when a man has achieved all there is to achieve and has become drunk with the goodness of the earth, there is a tendency for him to become a tyrant, why is this so? It is simple, the day must sooner climax in the night. The nation then looked up to him in expectancy of reversing the declining trend of his father, King Solomon the Wise.

Rehoboam was well-advised by his father to watch out for a lot of things including how to rule a nation well, and this was heeded by him at least till the death of his father.
After the death of his father and with a very powerful kingdom to rule before his eyes, he began to seek help on how to go about ruling the great kingdom.
He invited the elderly men of the kingdom who were all present during the coronation of his father and who had witnessed the reign of his grandfather King David to his palace to hear from them, these men advised him to rule the people with their interests in heart and imitate his grandfather David, Rehoboam promised to ponder over their advices and they all left in peace after being treated to palatial luxuries.

As is typical of new kings who on ascendancy to the throne preferred to consult all and sundry so as to have a good grasp of the realms, he invited his personal friends and close acquaintances who were scattered across Jerusalem and Judah into his magnificent palace-the one built by his father, and sought advices from his friends on how to rule the large kingdom, a kingdom that extended all over present day Asia and parts of Africa, a very great kingdom(King Solomon had consolidated his hold on the kingdoms of the earth by marrying princesses from these kingdoms and the issues that proceeded from these marriages later became rulers of the kingdoms all in King Solomon's name).

This was the advice his friends gave him, his father's methods of placing heavy taxes and burdens on the people had resulted in fear and dread for him and the people appeared to submit in terror, his friends then advised that in order for the totality of the kingdom to fear and preserve his (Rehoboam's) kingdom, he exact even more heftier and more tasking demands on the people, this would make him even more dreaded and then more powerful than King Solomon his father.
King Rehoboam who was elated at the prospect of being feared by all and sundry fell into the trap, the trap of self-promoting egoistical desires against national interests, he adopted his friends advices forgetting his father's powers originated from a deep spiritual source and not from people's worship, he ordered his pressmen to put the advices into writing for immediate implementation.

On the day after, the new tax policies were announced to the leaders of the tribes and clans of the Israeli Kingdom and there was an instant revolt, 83 percent of the leaders rallied against his policies in anger and annoyance, afterall they thought he would be a saviour and not a tyrant, the Israeli leaders announced an imminent unanimous disintegration from the United Nation Of Israel, they had had enough, they weren't going to continue under this self-centered king.

The King threatened to force and deal with these leaders but was handicapped, they had joined forces with another mighty man, Jeroboam who went on to rule Israel which consisted of 10 tribes.

King Rehoboam's policies and plans backfired, he adopted the shallow thoughts of his friends against the deep thoughts of the elders and he had to accept what came with that decision, he ended up being a king over 2 tribes, a big fall!

His short-sightedness led to the disintegration of the United Nation of Israel into Israel and Judah and his seventeen year reign was largely beset by a power tussle between himself and King Jeroboam of Israel.

Lessons.
If you have a goal, or if you have a destination to get to, then watch your company for evil communications corrupt good manners.
Walk with those who share your personal vision and be watchful, don't be carried away by personal ego, be taken off your feet by flatterers or praise-singers and lose sight of your goals.
Learn to take yourself out of your own body and evaluate your life from a third person perspective.
Where you are today is as a result of your past actions, so if your current desires are not matching up with your present conditions, now is the time you evaluate the influences you've been subjecting yourself too.
Remember, the wise always self-evaluates himself.



The Books we read.

Books are very fantastic, they get you informed and widen your overall perspective, Daniel the Wise Man who took the magnanimous ancient kingdom of Babylon by storm had a lot of mysteries and secrets exposed to him by books little wonder he confessed at a time that he understood by books.

It is needful that one devotes himself to studying to attain mastery of his or her life calling, he who studies ends up a wonder among many, for all men are naturally endowed with different areas of intelligences, only by studying can such intelligences be cooked into an edible form and consumed by fellow men.

Spirituality, Philosophy, Mathematics, Environment, Language, Handcrafts, Childraising, Self-development, Sports, Entertainments, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Transports, Marriage, Relationships, Home Management, Family, Finance, Advocacy and such like are different areas we are all naturally gifted in, only by careful study can we assess what others who have gone before us have learnt and understand the basic principles of life.
Studying opens our eyes to see through the eyes of others.

After acquiring a basic understanding of our callings, our personal distinctiveness now works on what we have studied and gives it out in our unique style.

Ideas rule the world, but for one to receive an idea that indeed rules the world, his mind must have developed to a point where it is receptive to it, studying makes your mind very receptive to world-changing ideas and ideals.
A mind that studies expands, a mind that expands has unlimited access to ideas, wealth and riches follow after ideas as ants after sugar.
To rule your world, study!

Study history for he who does not heed history is doomed to repeat it,
Rehoboam failed to remember the fall of Korah and Abiram who under egoistic glorification got swallowed up alive when they challenged the leadership of Moses, he also failed to listen to men who had witnessed his grandfather's reign, he didn't heed history and he got unbiased results.

Lessons.

To go far in life, devoted study is needful and relevant, don't be caught up in an illusion to have money, fame, honour and material possessions so as to impress fellow men and forget the major things of life, having a solid foundation makes one well-grounded in life such that when the tempests come, one remains unshakable and immovable.
Those who get carried away by the troubles of life are those who have built their foundations on the shaky sands of material possessions, since material possessions are prone to cyclic changes, they are too.
We must study to show ourselves approved and grounded in life.

The higher any building must go, the deeper its foundation has to be.

Watch out :

King Solomon the Wise said "of making many books there is no end".

Studying is awesome but we shouldn't lose focus of the essence of life which is loving God with the entirety of ourselves and loving our fellow men as ourselves for these two great commandments are a summary of all the laws, about 643 of them.

We should study with the main aims of becoming a better and purer versions of ourselves and loving all humans as ourselves.
Studying is then justified when the ends are intended for good and pleasurable purposes.

Having good friends is perhaps the biggest of blessings in life, Studying good minds is an equally profitable investment.

Remain Empowered!
Remain Blessed!

Timothy Adetolu writes from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
3rd November, 2019.