My Four Worlds
by
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The
room was solemnly quiet as the director-general entered and walked
straight across and sat in his chair. I sensed that all eyes were
focused on me as he began to speak. ‘Mr. Eze, we have gathered here
to say goodbye and to thank you for your contributions to the work of
the United Nations.’ He continued, ‘The secretary-general has
directed me to present you with this certificate of dedicated
services to the United Nations. This is a unique occasion as it is in
recognition of your almost twenty-five years of meritorious services
to the organization, despite your physical disability.’
The
director-general walked over to me and handed me the certificate and
other memorabilia on behalf of the United Nations office at Vienna
where I had begun my professional career in 1980. I was now to retire
in 2005. Everyone around the table came over and congratulated me.
There were pre-lunch refreshments and toasting, as well as group
photo opportunity. (pages 2-3)
As
they left me, my room sounded unusually calm and spooky and I felt so
lonely and weak. I shivered with cold and was extremely frightened. I
was very sad. The news from the professor had shattered all my hopes
to be able to see again. All my desires to see the sunlight had been
flatly dashed. I would not recover. The hope of seeing again had
restrained me from voluntarily destroying my life as I lay at the
Biafran Armed forces Hospital in Ohafia several months before.
Luckily,
I had eaten my breakfast before the professor broke the news to me
because now I had lost appetite for any food whatsoever. Why
should I eat any food?
I asked myself. To
preserve my life and live as a blind person at my age and for the
rest of my life? This
was exactly what I did not want to do.
I
refused to take my meals the rest of Monday and the whole of Tuesday.
Each time the nurses noticed that I had neither touched nor eaten the
food, they carried the cold food back to the kitchen and reported my
refusal of regular meals on the journal for the doctors’ appraisal.
On
Tuesday evening, (at exactly eight o’clock) the deputy senior eye
specialist of the department entered my room. First, she stopped at
the foot of my bed and read the report of the nurses on the journal.
Then she greeted me and enquired about my condition. As I recognized
her voice, I said in a low level tone, ‘“Thank you, doctor. I am
fine.’“
She
moved close to my bed and gently held my hand. I could hear the smile
in her voice as she said, ‘No, Smart. You can’t be fine like
that.’ But I pretended not to know what she meant. I asked, ‘Why
not, doctor?’ ‘You have not eaten any food since Monday,’ she
replied. ‘You have been refusing your meals. You must be very
hungry and weak. Why do you do that? Is it because of the outcome of
the medical tests given to you yesterday?’ she rightly concluded.
I
turned toward her face and cried silently as I tried to gather
strength to answer her questions. I thought for a while and then
said, ‘Yes, doctor. So I am going to be blind the rest of my life?
But I thought I would be able to see again. But now …’ My
voice suddenly began to fade, and I could not complete the sentence.
I immediately covered my face with my hands and wept.
There
was silence in the room as I momentarily stopped crying. She took my
right hand gently and asked me to feel one of two objects in front of
her. I ran my fingers along the first one. As I was trying to think
of what it could be, she asked me to feel the second one. I did so,
thinking that, this time, I would understand what it was exactly. But
I could not identify either of the two objects because they felt like
two tiny soft round sticks, about as long as my forearm. Then she
asked me, ‘Do you know what they are?’ I said, ‘No, doctor.’ (pages 110-112)
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About the Book
“My Four worlds” is an inspiring story, which anyone seeking ways to overcome the hardships in life, should read. It tells you about the everyday human experiences of life that may be relevant to anyone, anywhere, and in different circumstances. It is about the life of a young man who has been battered by destiny, even to the point of resignation, as he suddenly became totally blind in his prime age of 23 years. But the young man did not give up; instead he fought gallantly to overcome the worst of all the odds in his life, turning disappointment into a blessing. This young man invites you to follow him through the journeys in the four worlds of his life, and learn how he superbly mastered the challenges he encountered in those worlds. In his childhood romances, you will be introduced to the landscape and the customs and traditions of his origin. In his world of denied opportunities, you will have insight in the slavery conditions and the hardships he had to bear. In his world of open opportunities, you will learn how he managed to catch up with his ambitions, how he found those opportunities hitherto denied him, grabbed them, and made the best of them to triumph. He invites you to accompany him in his meritorious services with the United Nations, and find out how he travelled around the globe, motivating the people of the world on how to overcome the challenges of physical and mental disabilities.
About the Author
Smart Eze, a visually handicapped academic, holds a doctorate degree in linguistics from the University of Vienna, Austria. After losing his total sight from an explosion at age 23 in 1968 as a soldier in the Nigerian-Biafran War, also known as the Nigerian Civil War, came to Austria for medical treatment. When the doctors failed to restore his sight, attended in succession a school for the blind, an evening college for adults, and a university in vienna. Worked for two decades and a half for the United Nations as a professional international civil servant, holding various positions as social affairs officer, information officer, administrative officer and civil affairs officer. As a professional international civil servant, travelled around the world to monitor and support the activities of governments and organizations in the social field. Since in retirement, honorary board member and honorary goodwill ambassador of Light for the World, a European confederation of national development NGOs committed to saving eyesight in developing countries.