It was resolved at the end of a conference not long ago, that a candle should not be lit and then kept in a refrigerator, but on a candle-stand, so that the light can serve general benefit. Triple “R” formula refers to: Rest, Recreation and Regeneration, meant to facilitate Re-examination, Re-invention and Re-branding of individuals and projects in development agenda. While conferences may attract fees for those who would attend, benefits arising from ideas disseminated should serve public interest, without a fee, but willingness to learn.
A learning society is one where individuals see the need to learn from every experience, however bitter it may be. A life-style of continuing learning is usually a solitary engagement, largely because the majority of individuals consider learning as an arduous activity. The journey of life can be lonely even in the midst of a large crowd of fellow travellers. This is largely because same thing is perceived and interpreted in diverse ways by different persons. Each person lives and experiences absolutely according to his own nature.
For every adult there comes a time when one discovers one’s individuality, as unique and different from anyone else. The temptation to copy, imitate or mimic the lifestyle of someone else can be tamed or conquered, whereby one becomes natural and simple. This means to become oneself, for better or worse; a situation which becomes the driving force in one’s search for meaning in life. There comes a time when it dawns on an individual that it is futile and helpless to ask and seek among humans or knock on another person’s door for any succor.
Like lonely travellers in a desolate wilderness, people who are serious and resolute in the search for true meaning and development, experience deep joy when they meet matching companions on their paths. Numerous as people are on earth, it is not always easy to find from among the crowd a “matching companion” that one can call a true friend. A true friend or companion is one who shares similar values and aspiration, whereby a basis for harmony and complementarily comes about. Application of the Triple R formula for effective development demands, firstly, union of like-minded individuals.
The more distinct and pronounced the personality of an individual and the more one appreciates such distinctiveness, the less one is inclined to go along with the crowd. Without being a recluse, serious seekers for true and effective development, do not surrender to the opinions and assertions of the masses. Rather they go quietly but with a resolute determination to find what is true and effective for their development purposes, without the need for a large company. People who aspire towards higher values are often lonely, in view of the level of emptiness and narrow-mindedness common among humans.
A value-driven life searches for values rather than a large crowd. Great and up-building ideas are usually nursed and consolidated in solitary silence rather than in noisy environments or through fun-loving lifestyle. A solitary lifestyle is not an end in itself but a means to tap into the intuitively perceptive part of the brain. For individuals and corporate bodies, privacy and solitude are necessary for reception of inspirations for effective development purposes. Such period of privacy for rest, recreation and regeneration may be described as retreat, whose purpose is to commune with higher channels of consciousness.
Theories of motivation agree that ability, working capacity and energy can be richly enhanced if a team share a common vision or ideals whose joyful accomplishment provides a common focus. So it is also with having effective development through application of the triple R formula. According to Eastern philosophy, there can be activity in a state of rest, as well as rest in a state of activity. This means that the issue of rest goes beyond a state of non-activity even when the body is lying still. Genuine rest involves placing the body and mind in a state of harmony, which includes absence of any distraction.
Solitary moment of rest provides opportunity to purge one’s emotions, re-examine and possibly reinvent and rebrand oneself, which demands privacy. Real change or transformation usually takes place in privacy and silence. When Nigeria embarked upon a rebranding project a longtime ago, the purpose was to build up confidence, trust and change unpleasant image of the nation. It is usually in privacy and solitude that people can tell themselves the truth about their deficiencies or show some penitence.
Recreation provides opportunity to invigorate the body and bring about a state of harmony between body and mind, through such exercises which can facilitate such a state of synergy. Every individual is meant to find such regular activity which can re-create body and mind in a joyful way, away from money-induced engagements. The life of any individual becomes happier, more meaningful and useful when there are value-added recreational activities which one does with zeal and commitment. There is more to life than merely earning a living.
Rest, recreation and solitary privacy are moments of self-communion, providing opportunity for individuals to discover their unique strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies which can be exploited and addressed. Such moments must be accompanied by a frame of mind devoid of unpleasant emotions such as anxiety, worry, fear etc. Self-examination and revaluation are requirements for effective development. It is better to recognize and correct personal deficiencies and mistakes, than to ignore such lapses under the cover of self conceit.
Regeneration as a third aspect of the formula for effective development, has to do with renewal of energy and impetus. Energy renewal is a combination of physical and spiritual process whereby the cells in the body are recharged via radiation from beyond the earth. Not only are the cells in human body constantly replaced every seven years, but they can also be recharged daily through what we eat, how we breathe and the observance of solitary privacy. To “wait upon the Lord” would include a life devoid of anxieties and other energy-sapping emotion, thereby enhancing the connection with regenerative radiations floating in space.
A lifestyle devoted to rest and recreation, in the right sense, would enhance contacts with regenerative radiations whose first point of impact is the blood, and then the brain. Under the ray of such radiation, an individual can draw inspirations from higher realms of consciousness, which can be translated into effective development channels. Joseph Henry would tell us that: “The seeds of great discoveries are constantly floating around us, but they only take root in minds well prepared to receive them”. It does not require stress or strain, but rest, recreation and regeneration.

By: Bright Amirize
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer in the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.