Rant
Today is day 16 since I began writing every day, and boy, do I have things to write. As always, a lot has been going through my mind lately.
I had an experience that I will not go into detail about today. I was going through a friend’s WhatsApp status when I saw that the vice president of Nigeria, Shetima, was saying some funny things, and I told the friend about what I had also seen. He said Tinubu, the current President of Nigeria, is a poor man and that his house is much better than the bourdillion. At that time, I had not read the full gist. Upon reading further, I saw that he said Tinubu had been wearing just one wristwatch since he knew him.
A good question would have been, “What is the worth of that wristwatch?” Not long ago, we heard the news about the several million naira worth of wristwatches that Tinubu’s son had on. It is the same with the incumbent governor of Lagos state and some other prominent politicians in the country, both men and women.
The problem is not that they are buying expensive stuff; if it is their money, they have the right to spend it as they choose. However, it should not be at the expense of the masses, whom they would call “ordinary citizens.” It should not surprise you that these things, or attitudes, do not just shoot out of nowhere; they all begin from the point we all are, before the spotlight.
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The truth is, promotion does not change anyone, it only brings out what they have always had on the inside to the surface. I recount my journey sometime this week; I was meeting someone and had to take the train. I had a stop somewhere to get a connecting train because I missed my stop. As I sat down, waiting for the train, I got a tap on my shoulder, and a lady asked me where I was going. I looked at her and was reluctant to speak at first. Why? Because she looked like one of the homeless people. Now, I am not trying to be condescending; I am only saying precisely what transpired, including how she was dressed and how she acted. If there is one thing I have learned in America, it is to watch your back constantly. With the way their justice system is, a criminal may get acquitted because they were mentally derailed. So, I was being cautious.
Eventually, I told her my stop, and she said she was only asking to be sure that it was not one of those that would be skipped because of construction work. I saw that she meant well and changed my attitude towards her. I paused, then asked her questions to make her feel comfortable because I knew I would not have been comfortable if I had been treated in the same manner. We had a chat before we said our goodbyes. It was during our discussion that I found out she had survived cancer and a stroke, which explains her appearance. Anyway, I was happy that the whole situation was turned around positively.
If you look at today’s world, everyone feels like they are being oppressed by those who are more powerful than they are, but what we fail to understand is that whoever acts rudely because they are in a position of authority did not do so because of the position, but because they have always had it in them.
We should always give the most earnest heed to ourselves and watch what motivates our actions towards others and how we treat people generally. Of course, there is an innate human bias to relate to superior people compared to inferior ones. Still, we all can make other people less miserable than they already think about themselves. I have had to walk in a shoe this week, and the attitude that I have come across makes me wonder what life is for people who constantly live in that shoe.
In all things, I am grateful to God for who and where I am, and I ask that He gives me the grace to see people and situations the way He sees them and to act the way he would. That I become His channel of expression in all things
