Positive Talking as a Pretentious Narrative

By

Obododimma Oha

Many (if not all) pastors in Pentecostal and Pentecostalized churches in Nigeria are in love with the expression of opposites, precisely euphemisms, of tragic experiences. They also encourage members of their churches to express the opposites of the tragic. In fact, it is a mark of having a “new life” and a verbal demonstration of their faithfulness. Have you forgotten the biblical “Let the weak say I am strong” (emphasis added)? It is called “positive talking.” And the background is “Be optimistic,” even if that expression contradicts reality. The idea is an ancient one. It is assumed in positive talking that there is power in the word and we attract to ourselves what we speak or write. This magical or shamanistic idea of language is in many ancient cultures. As a matter of fact, God the creator partly (initially) created things with the power of the word or ọrọ in Yoruba culture, following up later with manual labour (and, precisely using the created thing, Adam, as a raw material for the creation of Eve). Such a myth makes the word primary in creation, and so Pentecostal pastors, in keeping with the spiritual tradition, have to encourage followers to believe that there is power in ọrọ. Apart from the myth, we have African traditions of talking, in which it is believed that what one utters eventually visits one. Superstition, maybe. You do not call a snake a snake in the dark, out of fear that the crawler might come to your mat for a kiss when you are asleep! So, African superstitions have cohabited with the Christian idea of power in the word to give birth to the Nigerian “positive talking.”

One is not speculating at all. Positive talking meets one in the streets everyday, courageously trying to chase away the expression of reality from your mouth, your worldly mouth. Here are some that you must have heard:

(1) I was strong (for “I was ill”).

(2) It is well (for “It is terribly ugly but we hope this shall pass”)

The positive talker in (1) and (2) above is clearly a liar. But is this kind of lie considered harmful? It is a harmless and this kind of liar can still see God. One also can turn reality on its head, after all, reality is not static and is what we eventually produce ourselves. Is there still reality (wide-awakeness) out there? Has everything not become relative?

If I say, “It is well,”then, it is well. Ask Humpty Dumpty. That reality we speak into being is actually in our mouths, waiting to be delivered and bathed and wrapped for celebration through ululations! It is well, even if you and your toddler children have not eaten for days and you are yawning endlessly and dangerously. It is well. It is well that you have no good road, good drinking water and electricity. It is well when your village (now renamed by invaders) is a mere cemetery. It is well that it is not well.

Positive talking is far away from here. As far removed from the here-and-now, it can afford to to claim what is NOT that it is. Maybe positive talking is still in slumber. One cannot change situations by talking only, even if one can persuade or influence behaviour. It is not well that positive talking says that it is well.

See positive talking at work in the life of the ordinary Nigerian. I once bought some fingers of banana from my frequent banana vendor but did not have enough money on me. She, too, wanted to sell by all means, having been in the sun for hours without anyone asking the chicken as we say in Igbo, "nwaọkụkọ, a na-ere gị ego ole?" (chicken, how much are you to be sold?). In other words, I was really buying them out of sympathy, not because I needed them. And I had to plead, "But madam, na Monday you go collect your money when I come office" ("It is only on Monday that you would collect the debt") She agreed and said no problem. As I said, I was buying what I did not need as such. But, I added, "Dat means you go de pray for me. Pray make I no die over the weekend, otherwise, your money don go!" ("That means that you would be praying for me. Pray because if I die over the weekend, you have lost your money!") Right away, the woman rebuked me and asked me say that I would not die in Jesus name. But I want to go to Heaven and if I go first, I would be the first to pick a mansion. So, it is really to my advantage. Moreover, dying means escaping from Nigerian headache forever!

I like the diversion from ọrọ method in the creation myth to the use of resources (Adam’s rib). It teaches us something. Those who are stagnant and fixated to  ọrọ in altering reality are using antiquated and unreliable technology. They should wise up and learn from their maker. Let them not bury the resources in the sands of time but do something in order to produce something from something here. In some cases, where some people are sitting and talking positively may have enormous resources that they can use in changing their circumstances.

You cannot launch a spaceship or satellite with your mouth or with positive talking. If giant strides were horses, positive talkers might ride. Positive talkers cannot repair their bad roads or provide water and electricity with their righteous words. They can only go to Heaven made ready by another person, another person’s estate. They cannot turn shithole into Heaven, or beam streets of gold to their backyards. Positive talking cannot turn Hell into Heaven.