An author’s (successful) attempt to rule a reader’s world

Some of the most popular periods in man’s history, namely, the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, have served as means through which the development of man, particularly in economy, is understood. Thus, the pre-historical and historical periods have seen advancement in the fashioning of tools, agriculture and the industrial revolution, which led to […]

Some of the most popular periods in man’s history, namely, the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, have served as means through which the development of man, particularly in economy, is understood. Thus, the pre-historical and historical periods have seen advancement in the fashioning of tools, agriculture and the industrial revolution, which led to the emergence of machines that replaced manual labour, and then the computer age where ideas-turned-to-value thrive, bringing immense riches and wealth unlike centuries past where tangible acquisitions alone appeared to propel and stipulate wealth.    
In this 260 page book titled, ‘If I Rule the World Winning in an Age of Change and Complexity’, the author, Adedipe Oluwafemi, analyses this change over time and how today’s society can understand the workings of the past while grasping with confidence, the fortunes offered by the present and near future. It emphasises how times continue to change and the need for people to adapt, or more appropriately, take advantage of the change instead of being swept away by its current while denying its existence.
Gone are the days when typists were sought after, today many people know how to type and even print from their homes with their personal computers. This implies that there is a wave of change that keeps taking place and would soon take place again in the ensuing years that only ‘the smart’ would take advantage of and turn to a success story in the midst of lack. Thus, the author strives to draw the attention of the human race to these imminent changes so as not to be taken unawares–It unveils how one can exploit the weaknesses of existing market players, know where to look, relocate if need be, look for a solution in the heat of a problem and believing in the availability of multiple channels yet undiscovered.
The title easily leads one to think it is a work aimed at teaching the principles of power monopoly and singular advancement, but rather, the content focuses on the importance of cooperation and mergers in an era where the concept of ‘a self-made millionaire’ is probably a mirage. Examples of remarkable people and their track record are given – Those who became rich by selling intangibles, such as Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Jim Ovia, as well as actors and actresses. And then Google Inc., one of the biggest internet companies in the world built by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, among many others.
The idea here is to draw attention to the indispensability of team work in building companies that would last over time. On this note, the research involved in writing and bringing together relevant examples from within and outside Nigeria is commendable. However, although attention is given to referencing sources, quotes from what is termed as ‘scriptures’ without mentioning the source is not ideal. Actually, many religions across the world have what they call scriptures and so being specific on which is absolutely necessary. 
Nigeria is a nation where facilities are readily imported and installed,but shockingly, these things are hardly maintained. A typical example is the street lighting system – although some notable parts of Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, boast of functioning street lights, many other parts of the same city remain in darkness because they have ceased to work. Here, the author examines what he calls ‘the law of entropy’ in the home, area of business, health and other facets of life. The ability to relate almost every issue to multiple aspects of the human society is worthy of praise. Here, the inability of many individuals to keep the tempo up and at a progressive pace (in whatever they do) is exemplified in the deteriorating of the relationship between a husband and a wife over time.
On page 83,the narrative of how a marriage gets less exciting and boring to some extent after the initial excitement is given. The same occurs in business where a young business man may grow weary because he lacks some basic knowledge that would help him and soon loses all he has. These and further instances where a person allows chance to dictate his advancement in life are perfectly illustrated. This is skilfully done to help the reader beware of things he or she may overlook or take for granted.
It is factual to conclude that many people think of the past with a heavy dose of nostalgia. No wonder, years past are always referred to as the ‘the good old days’ even when our history books continually remind us that there was a slave trade era, high points of racist, ethnic, political and religion-related killings, the World Wars and so on. ‘If I Rule the World’ disabuses the mentality of the present day being relegated to the background while the gone past is crowned ‘a hero’. The present is ‘the hero’ it seems to chide and draw attention to the great disadvantage of dwelling and worshipping the past when the present needs to be pampered, cherished, loved and cuddled in order for something positive and progressive to come out of it.
When writing a motivational as well as an inspirational work, a good writer is hardly able to avoid this cardinal rule–Discussing how something became a problem, the nature of the problem and its effect and how it can be avoided or crushed so the reader undergoes a mental and psychological shift to the reality of a solution that invariably spurs action. This book does justice to the above criteria in full. Although  colons are inappropriately fixed, typographical and spelling errors surface here and there, they are almost always swallowed by the richness of the content which makes every line a must read for anyone aspiring to live a better and more successful life, especially in relation to the changes in nature, economical forces borne by nature and how to  make living a success in general.