Sometimes I sit down and wonder what life would have been like if I had the opportunity to meet my great-grandparents. I want to know what were they like when they were young, What were their dream, the kind of struggles they face and if they ever imagine what the world would look like today.
Honestly, if someone gave me a time-travelling machine and told me I had just 24 hours to spend in another period, I wouldn't think twice before travelling back to the time when my great-grandparents were still alive.
And trust me, I wouldn't just go there to greet them and take pictures, I have a bigger mission.
Living in Nigeria today, one thing that is difficult to ignore is the struggle to survive. The cost of living keeps increasing, things that used to be affordable are now expensive, and many people work extremely hard just to meet their basic needs. Sometimes, I wonder how our lives would have been different if certain financial decisions had been made generations ago.
This is why I would love to go back to the 1950s to 1960s, find my great-grandparents, and have a proper conversation with them.
First, I would probably spend some time listening to their stories. I want to know how they lived, what they did for a living, how they raised their children, and what opportunities were available to them at that time. I would also want to know whether they had dreams of becoming wealthy or owning businesses but couldn't achieve them because of certain circumstances.
After listening to them, I would tell them something interesting that I am their descendant from the future. I can already imagine the confusion on their faces. They might think I had lost my mind, but hopefully, I would find a way to convince them.
Then I would get straight to business. I would tell them to take land ownership seriously, especially in places that might eventually become developed cities. Imagine buying land in an area that is now a major part of Lagos before it became so expensive! I would probably beg them to buy as much as they reasonably could.
I would also encourage them to invest in businesses, agriculture, education, and other opportunities that could provide long-term financial security. I would explain the importance of saving money, making wise investments, and not spending everything they earned.
But one thing I would emphasise the most is the need to build generational wealth. I wouldn't want them to simply make money and leave it at that. I would want them to teach their children how to manage money, protect family assets, and continue building on what the previous generation had achieved.
I would even tell them to avoid unnecessary family disputes over property because, honestly, what is the point of struggling to build something only for future generations to spend years fighting over it?
Beyond the money, I would love to understand their lives as human beings. Maybe they had dreams they couldn't fulfil. Maybe they made mistakes they wished they could correct. I would love to hear their experiences because I believe there is so much we can learn from the people who came before us.
The funny thing is that I might end up learning more from them than they would learn from me. After all, they lived in a world I have only heard about.
As my 24 hours came to an end, I know leaving them would be difficult. I would probably have a thousand more questions, but time would be running out.
One thing I would take back with me is the understanding that our present lives are connected to the decisions made by generations before us. Some of those decisions created opportunities, while others may have limited what was possible for the next generation.
But then, something else would become clear to me. Maybe I cannot go back in time and help my great-grandparents make better financial decisions, but I can start making those decisions now. I can learn, save, invest, build something meaningful, and hopefully give the next generation a better starting point than I had.
I don't want my children or grandchildren to grow up and ask the same questions I am asking today about why our family never had certain opportunities. If I ever become successful, I want it to mean something beyond having money in my bank account. I want to build something that can outlive me.
And if I had only 24 hours to travel through time, perhaps that would be the most important message I would take to the past.
Wow!! I've watched too much k-drama and it's making my imagination weird, but tha is just if that is not certain.
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