Sounds like a Latin paraphrase of the Almighty asking Adam "Where are you?"
The same question and some suggested answers to that question is taken up in the opening paragraphs of Martin Buber's "The Way of Man":
Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the rabbi of northern White Russia (died 1813) was put in jail in Petersburg, because the mitnagdim (adversaries of hasidism) had denounced his principles and his way of living to the government. He was awaiting trial when the chief of the gendarmes entered his cell. The majestic and quiet face of the rabbi, who was so deep in meditation that he did not at first notice his visitor, suggested to the chief, a thoughtful person, what manner of man he had before him.
"He began to converse with his prisoner and brought up a number of questions which had occurred to him in reading the Scriptures. Finally, he asked: "How are we to understand that God, the all-knowing said to Adam: 'Where art thou?'"
"Do you believe," answered the rabbi, "that the Scriptures are eternal and that every era, every generation and every man is included in them?" "I believe this," said the other.
"Well then," said the zaddik (so the leaders of the Hasidic communities are called), "in every era, God calls to every man: 'Where are you in your world? So many years and days of those allotted to you have passed, and how far have you gotten in your world?' God says something like this: 'You have lived forty-six years. How far along are you?'" When the chief of the gendarmes heard his age mentioned, he pulled himself together, laid his hand on the rabbi's shoulder, and cried: "Bravo!" But his heart trembled. (The way of Man)
It's 2020, the year 5780 after the creation of Adam, and something's sure happening on the ground, in cyberspace and in this USA-Africa Dialogue Series. At the cusp of this New Year, no ordinary New Year (20-20 rhymes, February 20th this year will be 20-2-2020) so many goodly and Godly words of encouragement from Professor Falola the Founding Father of the series. There's also Gloria Excelsis Emeagwali - holy Gloria - exhorting us all to engage in some retrospection with a view to greater constructive dialoguing, peace, progress, unity, harmony. I don't know why she finds it so difficult to add this simple word: Love . After all, everyone knows the meaning of that word.
Hopefully, we will hear some cooling words (inimitable words that will cool our brows) from Samuel Zalanga - at least before Jesus returns, and some cool posts from Funmilayo Arike Tofowomo Okelola, this 2020 , year of destiny.
With Africa it's always politics, politics, more politics and some economics added to the tribal mix. That, and religion, the source of many people's moral guidance, world view, relations with other created beings and with nature.
Last night I listened to Chief Seattle's letter to all and it ends, "We are all bothers, after all". Who wants to dispute what he says?
It's the year of Greta Thunberg ( pronounced Thunberry) the prophetess of the new religion - in the spirit of Tikkun Olam, that since we all belong to this planet and it's the only habitat that we've got so far, we have to share the responsibility, saving our only home has to be a collective responsibility because we have nowhere else to go. At this rate – with the burning down of more forests in the Congo than the acres of the Amazon jungle that went up in flames, the fires still burning bright around Sydney, the unprecedented droughts in Africa, the scientists say that time is running out and we have to take some drastic measures before it's too late.
2nd January 2020 is the time of the year when some people have usually already resolved to change for the better, although there are of course the sons of the devil/ sons of Satan the accursed who after reviewing the year 2019 in Africa intend to improve on their last performance by intensifying their wickedness this year. Let us pray that Boko Haram's wilful carnage will come to an end this year, ditto the mayhem in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Somalia. Now and not later.
It was only twenty years ago and the great hysteria about 2000 – the millennium, the millennium, that Jesus was supposed to be coming back that year and some people had already pitched their tents in Jerusalem, waiting to receive him. Since then things have only got a lot worse…
There are still basically three fundamental schools of thought, not necessarily in conflict with each other about his return; two of these eschatological schools are Christian and base their beliefs and hopes on the Book of Revelation, the last Book of the so-called "New Testament", whilst the third school is Islamic and their certainties are based on the Quran al Karim and the sahih hadiths; all three of these schools believe Jesus of Nazareth is Israel's Messiah.
School 1 comprises mostly American evangelicals, Trump's faithful political allies - a force to reckon with, since you can win a US presidential election if you can court and count on them, and lose if they are against you. Blessed are the poor, but School 1 have a lot of money and mission branches all over the planet. I assume that some of Nigeria's, Indonesia's and South Korea's Pentecostal pastors belong to that group. They believe that the Beit Hamikdash must be rebuilt and that that will herald the advent of Jesus' return to planet earth. They believe that Jesus will not return ( "like a thief in the night" ) before or unless the Third temple in Jerusalem is either built or descends from Heaven.
The Second School of Thought subscribe to the belief that the AntiChrist and the great tribulation will precede the return of Jesus and that his return will culminate in his decisive defeat of the demons at the Battle of Armageddon.
The third school, the school of Islamic eschatology believes that the Dajjal will first appear, then their Jesus ( Isa) who in their view is simultaneously a prophet of Islam and the Messiah of the Jews will arrive/land on top of the roof of the Great Mosque in Damascus, at noon, will descend into the mosque and lead the Muslims in the Zuhr prayer, that he will eventually slay Dajjal and that the Mahdi ( alaihi salaam) will eventually appear and accomplish that which he is supposed to accomplish.
The religionists are praying fervently, have a wait and see attitude. The atheists, and agonistics, believe that there is no heaven and that the faithful may continue eating to hearts' content to provide nourishment for the worms and that there is no life beyond the grave. Well, we shall see. Or maybe we shall not see.
The various eschatological beliefs are important in Nigeria and the rest of Africa in which Islam and Christianity dominate. Russia, North and South America, Europe, the UK & Ireland, Australia, South Korea are increasingly Christian strongholds where the Millennium excitement some twenty years ago has subsided, and today there are no signs or expectations of Jesus imminent return because the Holy Temple is still in ruins, the anti-Christ and Dajjal are yet to appear and this year too, for some people the greeting will be, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
So, In the meantime we'll still be hearing some of the 20-20 blues and according to Matthew 24:6-8,
"You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains."
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