The Law Clinic: Giving Purpose & Creating Value

 An article by Chima-Oji Olanna

 



    
    “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

    
    A life without PURPOSE is a life without direction. at a certain point in the life of every individual, he realizes that it is pertinent he discovers his purpose. Purpose gives one the zeal to traverse uncharted waters, purpose is the fuel that charges the human mind, purpose is the compass through which an average person navigates the journey of life.

   Without purpose, the average mind is riddled with moments of indecision, miscalculated actions and questionable utterances. A lack of purpose in life eventually leads to regret, it leads to a feeling of emptiness and creates an unfulfilled person 

    A couple of days ago, Clinicians were treated to another training session where we were asked a vital question, "Why did you join the law clinic?" A simple enough question it seemed, but a weighty one indeed.

   Suffice it to say, the purpose for joining the Clinic was for some, to broaden their skills,it was a means to an end, the end being to be of VALUE to our communities and the society at large, for others, their reason for joining the Law Clinic, was to FIND this elusive purpose.

   The process of finding one's purpose in life may be tasking, but it certainly is fulfilling. In order to find a purpose, one must first assess their values. your purpose in life can only be achieved when you have the right values. 

    This is why all Clinicians are taught VALUES at the inception of the Clinic. Through values such as integrity, honesty, compassion, contentment, selflessness, diligence, charity, philanthropy among others, the purpose of the Clinic, which is to impact the community and the society at large positively, is achieved. In turn, these values are inculcated in the lives of everyone who is a part of the Law Clinic process so that it is difficult, if not impossible, to deviate from. The result of this form of grooming is socially conscious lawyers intent on restoring the purpose of the legal institution; to promote justice and equality in the society, to defend the less privileged and protect the rights of every citizen of the country and the world at large

    In fulfilling our life's purpose, it is important we be of value to those we come across. Just like the Clinic fulfills it's purpose on a yearly basis, adding value to the elite few who are part of the process, products of this exclusive unit will in turn find and fulfill their purposes when they put these values in practice

 
“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” 
― Robert F. Kennedy
     
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1 comments:

  1. That a real testimony of UNIBUJA Law Clinic sets out to change the world. Thumps up for Chima-Orji Olanna, a 400 L Clinician.

    ReplyDelete