Learning the Roads of Kano, Part 2

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

1 Peter 3:15

In my previous write-up I emphasized how we must focus on what we know, rather than on what we can remember. "But," you say, "how can one know anything without first learning it? And how can one learn something without first committing it to memory?" Good point. I didn't always know how to navigate Kano, no sir.

I remember when, as a rookie corper, I was dropped off in the middle of Kano's business district during rush-hour. I felt like that yellow circle in the 1980's classic computer game, Pac-Man, trapped in an elaborate labyrinth, with careening motorbikes and speeding cars converging on me like alien monsters. Driving in Kano was an ordeal, indeed it still is. They seem to have their own Driving Code and it has one rule only: Don't Die. Anything else is permissible. It was hard enough trying to stay alive, let alone learning how to navigate the maze of human and vehicular traffic to get to my destination. Add to that the fact that just about every road in Kano starts and ends in a roundabout and, worst of all, they all seem to look the same.

With time, I began to learn the way around some particular place of interest: this is how to get to the restaurant; take this road to church; this street leads to the hospital. I learned my way around little sections of the city at a time and gradually I would come to some intersection at the boundary of a particular quarter and, voila, there was something I recognized - a traffic light, a billboard or, yes, a roundabout. "Oh, so this is where I am!" I would exclaim as realization flooded over me. So, my knowledge of the greater part of Kano came from connecting my knowledge of the different sectors of the city together like the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. That's one way to do it.

And then there's Abuja. You know the motif - wide roads, beautiful landscape, picturesque high rise buildings. The good news is that, unlike Kano, the roundabouts are kept to a respectable number. The bad news is that everything else looks exactly the same. I recently shared my concerns about getting round Abuja with a friend and he in turn related how another friend gets around his quandary. He has a "spot" in Abuja from where he can find just about anywhere else. It's like the center of a big spider's web. Whenever he cannot find his way, he heads back to that spot and starts out from there.

So there you have it. One method focuses on putting the puzzle together one piece at a time. Another bases it's success on working from the center, the hub if you like, outward. The common denominator, however, is that both begin with what is known, whether it is the puzzle piece (that neighborhood of Kano) or the center of the web (that spot in Abuja).

So then, I ask you. What do you know? What truth do you hold as of highest importance in your mind. What is that belief that no one can take away from you? It is important that you settle these things between yourself and God because there will be times of testing - a questioning colleague, an unexpected illness, a troubled spouse - that will push your faith to the limit. When those times come, connect the pieces, head for the hub, fall back to what you know and let God help you find your way back to faith and trust.

With love, Doosuur.