Thursday, September 12, 2013

FEEDING THE GREEN EYED MONSTER


  It’s amazing when you pause to study human nature. Remember the story in the bible of the rich man with plenty lambs and the poor man who had one ewe that he loved and treated as his child. A guest came to visit this man with a flock but he didn’t kill his, he took the poor man’s only lamb and killed it. Don’t you just wonder about it sometimes? It wasn’t just greed that prompted that rich man to take the poor man’s only lamb, it wasn’t power, and it was a human emotion called envy.
But then you ask how can a man with plenty envy a man who has just one? Well, let me start with a story maybe you’d understand.
 In the neighbourhood everyone knew Wale, he was doing ok. He had money and more to spare. He had a duplex to himself and an expensive car. He was successful in his field and got lots of jobs. Other dudes in the neighbourhood placed him highly. He bought drinks and stuff for them. His house was always a meeting place. None of the other guys really had jobs or a car like he did.
  Femi was one of such guys. He always followed his friends to Wale’s. Femi had dreams but he had no money and no job. He was still squatting at a friend’s place. He was hustling hard but nothing was working.
  Wale knew Femi was squatting at a friend’s and had nothing.
  Femi was good at sculpting but being fresh out of school, he had no money for materials and other needed things. One day, he heard about an international sculpting competition that involved prize money. Femi borrowed money and got materials and did his best work. He won and got the money and the recognition. All the guys in the neighbourhood were happy for Femi. They spread the news round, wale heard about it.  Femi’s life changed a bit. Jobs came his way and he was able to move to move to a one room apartment where he worked from and got a small used car to help him convey his materials and other finished products.
Femi’s friends were going to Wale’s place and he went along. Wale asked him about the award and how business was going, Femi excited regaled to him the experience and how it felt travelling to England where the award was given to him as he beat works from all over the world. Wale went into a daze, someone had to call his name and when asked what was wrong, he said nothing. Femi continued with the experience. The other dudes present hailed him and made him buy them drinks to celebrate his win. Femi bought everyone drinks including Wale.
One day, all the dudes met, Wale asked a question and Femi answered. Wale went into a tirade.
‘You don’t know how to talk. Who do you think you are exactly? We are not age mates so mind how you talk to me. We are not even in the same class. Is it because I’m still living in this neighbourhood with you? I was meant to move to Lekki but I decided to stay here. Let me tell you, you are not in my class and you will never be in my class.’ Femi kept apologizing even though he couldn’t understand what was wrong in what he said to have elicited such a reaction. Wale stormed out. The other guys gave different excuses for no one could understand the outburst.
Femi and Wale had never had issues personally. Wale still had more money and property fifty times over than Femi had. Femi never tried to match up to Wale, so what caused this outburst of Wale’s?
Wale had seen Femi in his lowest. He was the guy that had nothing that he dashed money to once in a while. He never saw Femi as a competition. He never believed Femi would rise. They talk together and he never saw Femi’s words as insulting or he trying to compete with him but behold that dude he gave money to was popular all of a sudden, doing something he wasn’t doing. He had won an international award and was invited to England for the ceremony. He was good at something, he was getting jobs, he now lived alone even though it was a one room apartment and he had a car even though tis a cheap used car. To top it all, he could buy drinks for everyone. Wale didn’t mean to but he took more notice of Femi and something grew a huge dislike. He started weighing Femi’s words, checking their meanings, he felt Femi was trying to match up to him, displace him. He might not have known he was doing this but Femi turned from being that insignificant dude to someone who had something and would try to rub it in his face, so he had to remind him of his past and put him in his place, even though that past was fast changing. There was absolutely no need to be envious but Wale couldn’t help himself.
   You have seen it happen around you to other people or maybe you but you never took note. The real thing is there is enough space for everyone to succeed. That you know someone down today doesn’t mean they’d stay there forever. We all have different paths and as they say: ‘If God is blessing your neighbour, it means He is in the neighbourhood’. So wish the person well. Don’t try telling people you are better than them or they’d never be in your class. Of course they can’t be in your class because your class is yours. They will be in their class not even thinking about you. So, be careful of that green eyed monster when he comes around you. There’s space for, you, me and everyone else to make it in this life and we all need each other to grow. Do you think Femi will ever forget what Wale told him? What if tomorrow, Wale needs Femi’s help for something? We just use some stupid notion of age and class to drag ourselves down. How old were the technology billionaires in the world when they made it from nothing? Age is nothing but a number and class is manmade and in your head, all subject to change.
  Don’t feed the green eyed monster. He is worthless and doesn’t deserve to be fed.

9 comments:

  1. Daht's a great Moral dear, keep it up

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  2. Wow.nice one dear.i can't deny I let out d green eyed monster once in a while.May God help us to be better.thanks for d article dear

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    1. Thank you, Anon. No need feeling bad, it's natural. it all depends on how far you let it grow. AMEN to that. Cheers!

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  3. I love this article very much.!. Many of us lack self awareness and are completely oblivious when destructive emotions suffice. Worse of all we don't even take out time to develop ds self awareness. This is a very lovely article.

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    1. Thank you BasicPulse. True that, sadly we don't. Am glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!

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  4. Well done dear, a well written piece.

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