Mfonobong Inyang: The Man In The Arena – Notes For Jehu

Keeping to my promise of addressing the elephant in the room in my former treatise, I have a few thoughts to share in this auspicious age of freedom, especially concerning Jehu. One of the best allies of truth is time, so I have learnt that instead of engaging in needless arguments by people who are committed and, in most cases, incentivised to misunderstand a message – I just play the long game and let things happen. This is not my first rodeo; I have become very comfortable saying things that don’t make sense at the time or aren’t politically correct but ultimately turned out to be true. It doesn’t mean I know everything, or I get everything right, but I do my best to call balls and strikes. Also, for those who are not familiar with the use of archetypes in storytelling, you might want to read my previous essays. Unfortunately, this is not the time to elucidate because I want to keep this short and sweet. So let me quarterback this thing.

The Madman

The etymology of this reference to Jehu came from an unnamed watchman in Jezreel who did his best to provide real-time actionable intelligence. At this time, Jehu had just been anointed as an insurgent to upend the status quo and end the reign of Ahab. So he got on his horse and headed straight to the state house with his crew. This watchman, to his credit, could identify Jehu simply by his signature style of riding a horse: “It must be Jehu son of Nimshi, for he’s driving like a madman”. Just in a few verses before, Jehu’s colleagues also referred to the young prophet as a madman for delivering Elisha’s errand and anointing Jehu to replace the incumbent.

That gives us a very important context: we can then safely extrapolate that the term madman was a colloquial expression in that time which alluded to someone who dared to challenge a powerful establishment. In the case of the young prophet, anointing a new king in an era where Jezebel was hunting down prophets for fun was seen as madness. In the case of Jehu, challenging the existing political power structure was seen as madness. So we see that being called a madman had less to do with cognitive lapses but more about being unconventional, unbridled and unpredictable. Jehu as a madman is not a slur but a description consistent with his archetype of not fitting into the politburo’s playbook – just like Ahab being a puppet is also not a slur but a description consistent with his archetype of not being the person actually calling the shots.

The Greatest Hits

I like to play a little game called catch-up, where we revisit the veracity of previous submissions:

• Long before the pundits started with their partisan talking points, I wrote this in closing, alluding to the rise of Jehu, “I see someone approaching the horizon and from the way he rides his chariot, I reckon this must be the son of Nimshi.”
• Again, before-the-fact, I gave the game away that captured the prevailing sentiments of a large swath of the time concerning Jehu: “people are willing to choose policy over personality, prosperity over propaganda and a patriot over a puppet.”
• It sounded far-fetched when I wrote Ben-Hadid would “most certainly buy the farm”. Those with military or intelligence backgrounds know exactly what this means. I won’t be explaining any further.
• I mentioned that we would witness “the renewed supremacy of the eagle over the bear and the dragon because Jehu will unleash a new era of shock and awe”. Let’s just say that checked out big time.
• Finally, in one fell swoop, I laid out all the spoilers of the Jehu era, especially that he will reverse roles and move from being hunted to being the hunter; also, that he would clean house and go after those carrying water for Ahab. Sounds familiar, right?

The Mission

I will address this directly to Jehu. I wrote all that just for the record because what I’m going to share might rock the boat – I sincerely hope I’m wrong because I have been through this song and dance many times before. By the way, some say you’re a Cyrus, but from my little knowledge of storytelling, I think Jehu is a more apposite archetype. Nonetheless, you are a man favoured by God like you have no idea – a literal example of using the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Of course this doesn’t excuse every bad decision you have made or things you have said; at the end of the day you’re a free moral agent. Contrary to the media narrative, the cult of personality applies only to a sliver of people – for the vast majority, it’s really about the mission than it is about the man.

This is why people who would otherwise not have supported you put aside their personal sentiments and did what had to be done to combat what was perceived as an existential threat at the time. It’s well-documented that I wasn’t exactly the biggest fan, but I knew better than to bet against you because you’re a winner. It’s not happenstance that you’re in this position at such a time as this. However, remember what brought you to the dance, but more importantly, remember who brought you to the dance. As I was saying, the wolves that hunted you didn’t miss because they were rookies; they have handled many before you – a greater force was always at play. So this is not about you; it has never been about you, really. There are many things you have to straighten out, but you have little time to do them.

Speaking of existential threats, those before you chose the way of appeasement – some went as far as providing aid and comfort to those who have sworn to ensure your homeland burns to the ground. To their credit, they figured they won’t be able to realise their wet dream as long as you’re calling the shots, so the long game is to string you along until another puppet shows up. Anyone in your ear who claims deterrence can be gotten from a piece of paper is spewing baloney; you’re dealing with very shrewd characters on the other side – si vis pacem, para bellum. All options must be brought back to the table, and at a more favourable time, business should ultimately be conducted on continent grounds.

Then there is a small matter that touches a neck of the woods I may or may not be familiar with. I have it on good authority that certain plans on your end are already locked and loaded. Then there are sons of Belial who want to scuttle those plans by bearing false witness, manipulating your lieutenants and sending godless men as emissaries to you. They believe you are very “transactional” and they know how to speak with you in a language you can understand. All I will say is to reference a wise man’s words: if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place but not without consequences for you – you are there for such a time as this. You talk a big game about having a force for good; well, it’s time to back it up.

Exactly one year ago, I tried to warn the folks on the other side of the aisle with some shock therapy because they were “stuck on stupid, doubling down on dumb and pandering to a vocal minority over a silent majority – this combination is a recipe for disaster”. They refused to learn anything or course-correct; these days, I hear rumours of a civil war brewing, and here I am, pretending to be shocked. To say legacy is at stake would be a gross understatement; your next line of action could shape the destiny of civilisations. As usual, thank you for your attention to this matter.

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