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The Mannequin Challenge – Activity Without Purpose (Success outside Purpose)

I am most certain that in this social media crazy times, you must have come across what seem to be the most trending idea of the year, THE MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE.

After watching several videos some of which have gone viral involving world leaders, entertainers, athletes, celebrities from all walks of life and recently seeing the video of the wife of the President of the United States of America "Mitchell Obama", participate in the challenge, my curiosity to know and understand what the challenge was about broke through the river banks of my mind like the Lekki waters.

I quickly made a mad dash to enquire from the shrine of earths seemingly all-knowing Google. Interestingly I find, that the Mannequin Challenge started in October 12, 2016 by a group of students in Jacksonville, Florida. While I read through the 215 words Wikipedia attempt to document the idea of the Mannequin Challenge I was particular on finding the purpose of the said challenge. Done with reading through, to my total constellation I realise that while the concept of the challenge and the many videos in favour of this challenge has become such a huge success and almost everybody is participating in it, The Mannequin Challenge is one challenge that embodies no purpose.

This is instructive for me;

1. There are many people across the world in a purposeless activity.
2. Success, popularity, fame and notoriety is not necessarily tied to purpose.

If you have taken time to go through any of the videos till the end, you notice that participants in the Mannequin challenge only break into loads of laughter after their time is done.

Activity could be exciting, but purpose defines impact. Like the Mannequin challenge isn’t it interesting that we have many people in the world running a purposeless cycle, a cycle without necessary impact in the end. People want to become politicians, people want to become leaders, people want to become all sorts, to be popular, to be famous, to earn some notoriety, just so they can have a laugh at the end of the cycle, not because they have some valid purpose that adds up to the success, progress and the continuous upward survival and development of our humanity.

People are getting married because friends have been married, society say they are just too old, family has got pressure on them. Some other class are having babies they can't be responsible for, just so it can be said they had one. People are erecting structures, buying cars and honestly many things which needless in their capacity just to have a laugh and be famous.

I think we must take a second look to redress our lives. What exactly are we doing? Are we in a Mannequin Challenge or are we living a life of purpose?

I would rather challenge you to a life of purpose over the Mannequin Challenge.

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Mr Olumati, Isaiah is a thought leader. The Principal, Mirus Empire LLC and the author of the Music Business social media series #TalentedButStuck

Twitter/Instagram : @Mrolumatii
[email protected]

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