Keys To a Man’s Heart

When Aristotle referred to man as a socio politicum zoom (social political animal) in the opening pages of his Metaphysics, he said something that needed to be said. He even went on to say that a man who is not able to live in the society is either a sub-human or a superhuman.

Simply put, Aristotle was only affirming the gregariousness of man. As a being that live in the society, man has so organized himself and evolved political systems that enhance his togetherness through rational governance. To further his political and societal aims, man tries now and then to influence one another through diverse strategies and tools in accord with material desires.

One of the highest in the hierarchy of desires is food. For societies, as well as for an individual, primum est edera, deinde philosophia (“First is eating then philosophy”). Man must eat before any other thing. Once a hungry man sees somebody who can give him food, that person becomes his earthly god. This is one of the tactics employ by politicians to win people to their sides. Dr. Olushola Saraki used it successfully in Kwara State: many politicians also use it. This is why rice has become a dominant factor in electioneering campaign.

Like bread, religion is equally precious to mankind. In fact, man lives not by bread alone, but also by the faith that lets him hope. Therefore one of his deepest hatred greets those who challenge his sustenance or his creed. If a typical fanatic hates your religion, even flies that come within the sphere of the radiation of that hate must surely fall dead. The influence of religion is much felt in our country, where religion affects people’s political inclinations. This is why some politicians employ religions to achieve certain interests. When Senator Arthur Nzeribe wanted the presidency desperately, he mooted the idea of being converted to Islam. He hoped that it would draw to him the political followership he needed from the predominant Moslem North. Some people, before they render help to others, always consider their religion. Thus, whichever way we look at it, religion is a key to man’s heart.

Another key to man’s heart is health, which is one of the most precious of all earthly boons. In the past man sought in occult forces some explanation for the sicknesses that befell him, some magical power to control the forces that caused the sicknesses. Thus, the life of man moved precariously in a milieu of sorcery, witchcraft, palmistry, phrenology, numerology, divination, portents, prophesies, fateful stellar conjunctions, séances, etc. These media remain deathless with us today, and one or another wins from some of us some open or secret allegiance. Though their present influence falls far short of what they used to be on account of advances in modern medicine, men are still ever ready to visit places that guarantee him cure for his sicknessness. This is why claims to such power are one of the tools to man’s heart, and it is well exploited by the tribe of men some of whom we call “pastors” and “men of God.”

Another strong key to man’s heart is sex. In fact once food is eaten and health is guaranteed, man spares time for women. If you work in big offices, you would have noticed that when some companies want to send proposals to organizations, they send beautiful girls along, in some cases these are traps carefully meant to charm whoever it may concern. Some of the new generation banks employ this tactics. Even though the cases of sexual harassment are all over the place, most often it is ladies that harass men with sex in other to get what they desire. There are some principled, strong willed persons who rarely compromise in other matters, but sometimes when you see them in the presence of women, the stone faces wear melting look, with love light coming out. They all seem to believe that after work is done, that the bodi needs feminine touch as one of its rewards. This has made sex one of the strongest keys to man’s heart.

Flattery is another key that some people employ. In fact it is only the strongest saints that can withstand its seductiveness. Take the case of the simple antics of the area boys. Sometimes when they come to you, caught in traffics, you may make up your mind that you will not give them a dime on the reason that they should go and work like any other person to earn legitimate living. Once they come, they will use the instrument of flattery, and praise you to high heavens. In a matter of seconds you see yourself reverting back in spite of yourself.

With money and power, you can have access to most of the keys to man’s heart. Money and power can, to some extent, solve the problems of health, food, women, etc. This is often the reason why those in power easily subdue some of their critical opponents. We daily see ardent critics of government make U-turns when they are invited to join the government or are awarded contracts.

Many years ago, when Catharine the Great was the queen of Russia, she courted the friendship of men of letters, who were used to criticizing her. When Catherine heard that Diderot was planning to sell his library in order to raise a dowry for his daughter, she instructed her Paris agent to buy it at whatever price Diderot should ask; he asked and received sixteen thousand livres. Then she requested Diderot to keep the books till his death, and to be their custodian for her at a salary of a thousand livres per year. Moreover, she paid his salary twenty-five years in advance. Diderot overnight became a rich man and a defender of Catherine. When she invited him to visit her he would hardly refuse. “Once in a lifetime,” he said, “One must see such a woman.”

The story of Milton is also instructive. He wrote Areopatictica, where he respectfully asked parliament of England to reconsider censorship ordinance at that time as tending to “the discouragement of all learning”, saying that he “who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself thereby killing God.” A man who wrote such would unlikely be a party to censorship. Alas, when Milton joined that government in 1649 on the invitation of Crownwell, he joined with the other employees of the Council in suppressing publications, censorship was now more severe than any time in England’s history. The man, Milton, who had written the most eloquent appeal ever made for freedom of the press, was now looking at censorship from the view of the ruling power.

The foregoing are demonstrations of how the ruling kings had inroads into Diderot and Milton’s hearts. Daily, we see such replicated in Nigeria. When Chief Bole Ige joined the government of chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he turned against those things he campaigned for. When Late Chief Chuba Okadigbo was the President of the Senate, he ceased supporting sovereign National Conference, which he staunchly supported before. The history of our political development is punctuated with men, great men, who had to abandon principles because the carrot of power/money was dangled before them.

Man is inherently and naturally selfish. Even among those who clamour for the good of the society, it requires the employment of one of the keys to man’s heart for most of them to be conquered.