Remove the chains

It was an eerie and troubling feeling as I stood in the ancient slave markets of Nigeria. Standing on the same trading blockes where human flesh was traded like corn, rice or some other commodity.

Badagry is a coastal village about an hour from Lagos, Nigeria near the border of Benin. The city dates back to 1425 A.D. and is one of the oldest slaving ports in all of Africa. Over 500,000 were reported to have been shipped out of Badagry prior to the abolishment of slavery thanks to the efforts of men like Abraham Lincoln and William Wilburforce.

As I walked down the streets of the city it felt as if little had changed; rice, corn and fish were still traded in small thatch shanties in the streets. I asked a local what life was like in Badagry and he responded, "pagan, corrupt and poor." It didn't take long to realize the people of that village were still enslaved. Enslaved to poverty, enslaved to a culture of corruption, enslaved to pagan rituals.

The people of Badagry don't have many options when it comes to raising their economic standard, seeking an advanced education, or freeing themselves from the poverty and want  they have been experiencing for generations. While this is a tragic situation, how about those of us who walk around in chains every day. The self-imposed bondage of fear, doubt and disbelief. Those chains are just as real, the consequences just as stark and in many cases the outcomes more tragic.

I don't mean to diminish the tragic conditions many in the world face each day. We have a moral obligation to help those who can't help themselves, but the loss of human potential is also tragic. We live in a land of opportunity, freedom and free enterprise. There is no limit to what we can accomplish. How tragic when we blame our circumstances on things we have control over. Live the life of your dreams! Begin to pursue your hearts desires. Remove the chains!