By Ousman Bajinaka
& Pa Modou Drammeh
A Flashlight based on its illustration is a portable hand which is either battery-operated or rechargeable device used for illumination. It contains little physics that controls the flow of electricity from through a switch mechanism. This switch is located exactly between the battery or electric source and the lamp or the bulb just as the heart is placed in the center of the man. For the battery caged flashlight, it has number of cells that are arranged in a way to substitute as cell division just as in the case of a living body [1-3].
A recap of the flashlight
Digging into the brief history of flashlight, it goes without saying that the flashlight came into existence before the birth of many people, including me and my granny. From its route of development, passing lanterns by the use of animals and mineral oils as sources of hand lights to the modern form was believed to be created by Joshua Cowen, in 1898. Cowen was the owner of American Eveready Battery Company at the time. According to many writers, his ideas were collected by Conrad Hubert, who brought the flashlight on the market on its early metal tube, light bulb and battery caged. Today these lights came in different forms and designs; particularly serving as a source of fun for the younger generation [1-3].
The wisdom behind the application of the flashlight making efforts
The application involves in the use of flashlight teaches the meaning and merits of life. This undoubtedly means everything we need to consider as factors of success in life, it sheds more light on our daily efforts and how we manage these efforts. At first, the flashlight needs either a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery that can supply power. As our flashlight batteries are in the verge of getting finished, we covered distances before we can get recharged batteries from the shop and in most cases time elapse before we reach the shop [1-3]. This has said everything about life. We always need to make efforts in anything we do as Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, ‘No Pain No Gain’.
We survive to live and we live to survive. The struggle of life starts in the earliest stages of human development. In the womb, we struggle to survive through the use of the umbilical cord. This signals the very onset of struggling, without our eyes opened, without the help of our hands or legs, when the brain was at its rudimental stage we were spontaneously adapted to this survival of the fittest. As many philosophers would have up to today argue the reasons why babies scream after being born; some said it is due to the differences of the temperature found in the womb and external temperature, while others still, though nonscientific would say is due to the challenges the child will face in real life. Which of these is true still remains a mystery.
Well celebrated motivational speakers asserted that difficult roads often lead to difficult destinations. Meaning it will never going to be easy. However, we are advised not to watch what the clock does instead do what is does and move ahead. Les Brown said that an old African Man said that there is no enemy outside. The only enemy is inside you, ‘your limit is you’. Before lighting our flashlight, we need to refill the device with recharged battery, we need to make sure that in anything we do, and efforts matter a lot. Without efforts, no matter how much silver spoon we are born with in our mouths, it simply sells our functions as while elephant. Now we bought the battery for energy, our thumb is placed on the switch to turn on the light. This is the willingness, the readiness in our mind settings that we are venturing into something meaningful in life. Just be strong and know that it is widely believed that if it does not challenge you, it won’t change you.
Focus
Upon lighting the flashlight, we have light before us. To all of us at least once in our lives we are once faced the challenges of concentrating the beam of light. And the light beam has to be concentrated to give us a clear image ahead of the path. The question is what is this clear image? This is our purpose of living, our goals, our targets, our objectives; that we can only achieve if we are focused. Now we need to turn the head of the light by manipulating with the bulb. This is a very crucial moment in our life. It is tantamount to decision making in life.
Most people will simply fail because they choose the wrong decision however, majority fails because the decisions are correct, the goals are achievable, but they lack the necessary focus. It is said that success doesn’t come through what you do occasionally but on what you do consistently. Do not be surprised seeing the son of a business tycoon end up being bankrupt at his early age. This is just like the case of a poor boy from a poor background that lives his life as poor church mouse.
While the former lacks focus on the inherited business, the latter lacks self-esteem and confidence. Those from a poor background who made their way up to final stage of the ladder are the inspiring individuals to be looked up to. The only reason I love working in the lab is that we do not stop working when we are tired but only when we are done. Focus has to the do with putting in that most efficient energy that we otherwise end up utilizing at a wrong place. Despite our hardworking, dedication and determination, without having a clear purpose in life, our life is next to meaningless. If our purposes are not shaped, we will end up running helter-skelter. It is just as we love and hope to fight the love of our life, if we cannot stop thinking about it, we should never stop working for it. Robert Huller said that though time never last but tough people do, and when the things are tough, the toughs are getting tougher, so we should be part of this group.
Even if the stars would not be able to shine if there is no darkness, and in any competition, many are called but few are chosen, so try to be part of these chosen ones. I couldn’t hold my tears when I heard Alfred A Monterpent saying we should expect problems and eat them for breakfast. It reminds of the evening that after some metabolism, those eaten problems will be gone. Business is always preceding pleasure.
Self-assessment
It is never cushy to stop licking the honey component of life-struggle because once savored the predilection seems to last forever. Many when they chanced upon this part of life they become reckless and foolhardy thinking that is the terminus stage of a struggle.
This often results in downright failure in the near future as they begin to claim perfectness in the attainment of one’s goal. There is a common adage that teaches that no man is perfect and every soul is
flawless, but up to this contemporary generation lack of self-analysis still is an obstruction that stands in the way of success and such must be removed, surmounted or circumvented through self-assessment. Driving through the old road where the footprints of the mysterious Flashlight can be seen, it is vehemently apparent that in the factory, all completed flashlights will undergo series of quality control tests to ensure the proper functioning of the flashlight [1-3].
In life once we are submitted to critics, guidance, brainstorming and involving into healthy debates then we stand a chance of becoming the very best that we would ever want to be. It is said that a problem shared is half way solved. However, we should be very selective with the ones we are sharing our problems with. Since the proof of pudding is in the eating, we should bear in mind that a right man in the right place is not just a principle but a theory in life. The flashlight’s bulb will be checked to ensure that it properly aligned with the reflector. Parents are the first teacher because they spend more time with the child and the first contact the child has in life. Schooling is not just the four corners of the classroom.
We are better off in the community while learning the norms, the culture and the common beliefs of our respective societies. As Bob Marley has put it, if you don’t know where you come from, you cannot know where you are going to and if you don’t know your culture, you are more or less a lost person. Be determined enough to evaluate yourself on your deeds, doings and functions. Do examine every day before going to bed to see how fruitful have you spent a day. How much money you have earned and how many positive changes you triggered. Daily assessment helps a lot because if we wake up with determination, courage and self-esteem, we will surely sleep with satisfaction and pleasure.
Avoiding waste or extravagance
Arthur Ashe said that we should start where we are, use what we have and do what we can. In response to his words of wisdom, an English Proverbs said that a bird in hand worth twice in the bush and we should save for the rainy day. The reason why our very loyal device called Flashlight saves us for a week or so is based on the fact that it can save energy. How does it do this? Simply switch off the button and energy is conserved. Being rich has nothing to do with your bank account, your financial assets or your statues. Being rich is manifested in how much you can manage resources at its most efficient use.
A rich man is someone who is living today while making enough for tomorrow. One Gambian School going girl once tweeted; ‘I have to forget the past because it is just a past paper, be reading for today since it is a newspaper and prepare for tomorrow and that will be a question paper’. I was thrilled over this statement, it simply reminds me of one of my favorite teachers then in the middle school days; he would always tell us to make hay while the sunshine and strike hard while the iron is hot.
References
1.Ahmstead BH (1977) Manufacturing Processes. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
2.Randy S (2001) Inventors. Patent Buddy.
3.http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Flashlight.html#ixzz4kZZw7vCE
