In one village, there was a handsome and intelligent man named James. He is very clean and dresses well. He also speaks English and French very fluently.

Usually, when someone dies, the whole village will gather, and able-bodied young men will dig the grave, bury the corpse and cover it very well. The women will prepare banku with tilapia while the men will come with kegs of palm wine. It is very well organized, communally. Everyone plays his/her part to make the burden light for the bereaved family.

Every time this occurred, James came with a newspaper. He would find a very comfortable position, sit, and cross his legs, reading the newspaper while others worked on the grave. There seemed to be nothing wrong with this, as there were plenty hands on the job.

One day, James’ father kicked the bucket. What a day! The whole village gathered as usual. But there was something strange about the gathering. Guess what? Every young man came there well dressed, with a newspaper and a chair. They all sat down and were reading newspapers! In fact, Onyema who did not attend even primary school also had one, even though he held it upside down.

There was an uneasy calm that enveloped the atmosphere. The environment was hot, even though it was early in the morning during the harmattan season. The dice was cast. It was payback time. James was about to receive the reward of his actions over the years.

And so, the corpse was there, but no one was digging the grave. James came out of the house and saw the situation. He was helpless. He is the only young man in the family. His other two siblings are girls. He broke down and wept like a child. He wept not for the dead but for himself. He realized that he was a living dead man. He pleaded for mercy to no avail. Finally, he dug the grave alone while others read their newspapers.

Teamwork is key, and no one should be useless in a team. Make meaningful contributions to the team and work hard not to be the weakest link. That way, the team gets better and wins for everyone. You should not be an island in your community.