By Kẹ́hìndé Fọlọ́runshọ́
Peter Okolie’s Purpose Recall is a groundbreaking exposition on the delusion of the careerist in the labour market. In a world where hard work has become the hallmark of success, there is a benumbing loss of value that questions the reason for existence. It feels as if the purpose of life is to work. While it is indisputable that we must put our hands to legitimately making a livelihood, certain conditions exist under which our engagements will not translate to the ruination of the creative energy to become truly successful. In this book, Okolie lays bare the myth in which hard work is shrouded and the claimant needs to break free from the paradigm that working round the clock equates to success and a purposeful existence.
The counsel follows a practical example of how successful individuals reached a turning point in their careers and started to live a purposeful life simply by reflecting on the destructive nature of an existing social culture. The case studies given in this text are the heroes of their own lives whose decisions nudge awake from the slumber of tireless hustle. By way of emphasis, the hustle culture to which our ‘protagonists’ are adapted redefines success. Peter Okolie is apt to imply that the characters chase after a shadow of fulfilment. The reader encounters highly placed figures who conduct their lives under the climate of hustle culture. The said culture is a social system fast gaining ground as the new normal. It creates an atmosphere whereby crashing the daily hours on tireless labour is believed to be the measure of true happiness. This is the condition the characters are confronted with. For them, deep reflection helps them retrace their steps in the right direction. Anyone can imagine the catastrophic end they would have fallen headlong into if they had sustained the elusive impression that labour is directly proportional to purpose. It is thought-provoking how the author weaves these personal accounts into rhetoric that spells the collapse of the work-value system in the modern world.
Furthermore, this counsel exposes the laxity of family heads. We see in these personal accounts a shift from community to isolation. The characters, while being active members of the society’s labour force, are afflicted with separation from their immediate environment. Their families are on the verge of breaking because they have no time to cater for such an important blessing from God. They are trapped in the illusion that career success brings about family happiness simultaneously. A luminary example is Folakemi, an excellent CEO who despite her achievements, “behind the scenes, she felt disconnected from her family, burdened by her responsibilities, and spiritually adrift.”
This portrays a growing trend among families today where parents’ busyness has proved a breeding ground for negative indulgence amongst their children. The paradox is how the same family they work for bears the brunt of the burnout and oversight induced by their abject exhaustion. In the same breath, it becomes clear that many cases of children’s moral corruption are due to parents’ oblivion towards their (children’s) needs. Children need their parents to oversee their moral and spiritual growth as they assimilate into society. But with the hustle culture that has engulfed their parents’ consciousness of the ultimate breakthrough, there is no denying the parenting flaws that plague society nowadays.
Purpose Recall, therefore becomes a textual analysis with more than feasible nuggets to help the victims of this social malaise get back on track. This follows that the title is a wake-up call; a rallying cry to all thriving workaholics to be attentive to the sagging essence while they solve the manifold socio-economic insecurities of modern life. In like manner, the title offers a profound reflection on life. It simplifies the rhetoric of living. Work and livelihood have to be a creative exercise through which balance is achieved in all facets of life – physically, spiritually, socially, and family-wise. The reader will be thrilled to discover that there is a total package of excellence to be found in working. That is, the book vividly shows how our daily means of livelihood can become a pathway to discovering the reason why we exist. Of course, it is not just to tick all the boxes there are about the responsibilities and obligations of adulthood. In this book, there is the joy of learning how to balance the scale of work and purpose.
In that tone of exegesis, Okolie is very concise on exploring purpose concerning work. It is such a breathtaking discussion that he delves deeply into God’s template for a successful careerist. Every chapter runs seamlessly on the instruction, direction, and admonition from the Bible, substantiating facts with biblical references. Interestingly, this is not to say that Purpose Recall is an exclusively Christian narrative of the pressing subject it dissects; rather, it serves as a universal template for what substantially works for anyone trapped in this maze. Therefore, the biblical verses are not Christian-bound but project, in a layman’s translation, an everyday reality from which escape is impossible regardless of faith and creed. This, among other deductions, is another genius on which the counsel is founded.
Closely related to this is how Okolie further digs deep into the idea of the divine element in our day-to-day work evaluation. There is no gainsaying the consciousness that God reigns supreme over man’s endeavour on earth. As such, several religions and faiths posit that man’s success – true success, that is – depends on God’s endorsement. At this rate, one can not agree more with George Herbert’s tone and mood in his metaphysical poem, The Pulley. The poem explores the one thing needed about man’s engagements: rest. It further underpins that man must always return to God for the true definition of success. Herbert may have lived as a priest, but his classic poem is boundless by religion. Such is what Peter Okolie masterfully achieves with his Christian analysis of the social syndrome of hustle culture. He is able to point any reader to God – in their own creed, faith, and belief – as the giver of rest, purpose, and life’s direction. Okolie showcases his talent for solving a socially conditioned problem with an arsenal of religious nuggets agreeable to Jews and Gentiles alike.
Finally, in style and language, Purpose Recall is a tremendous success. The tone of the craft is effectively didactic and the mood is reflective. Anyone reading can hear the supportive voice of the author through that moment of reflection and feel his hand walk them through the cul-de-sac of workaholism, away from the crossroads of purposeless labour and right onto the track of a God-given livelihood. It is in this regard that one is held even spellbound as the author expounds on the irony of life. Many of the character case studies of the problem on the ground eventually find a lasting solution in hazarding a step of faith towards simple, correctional practices.
On the whole, Purpose Recall is a much-needed read in our world today. It redefines success by demystifying the myths and paradigms of relentless hustle. Ultimately, it uniquely proves a guide towards strengthening the weakened human relationships affected by work syndromes. It also has the rehabilitative effect of remaking severed family ties. If the restorative voice of communal living and simple life of fulfilment is heard in our deluded society today, it has come from no other counsellor but the writer.