*Warning* this post is a little long!
I have a story for ya'll today. Enkay inspired me. I have not learnt the skill of compressing lots of information into few words yet, and I have so many things I want to blog about - so this post is going to be split in two. The first half a regular post, the second will contain the story. It's already written finished, but putting it all down in one post would be too much. So look out for part 2 next week Wednesday ok? Good.
Greed. There is so much of it in society today. There is so much greed in humans. It is a latent trait in most of us, actually. But so many people let it develop too far. My mother once told me when I was little, that greed is the greatest of all sins. Why? I will tell you some of my thoughts.
I am not a Bible expert - I will leave that the wonderul Jaycee, Rita and Writefreak. I wish I had a lot of quotes to put up but you're going to have to do with my talk instead :-)
LUST - When you lust, you are being greedy - you're not settling for what has already been given to you (e.g your wife, your husband, boyfriend or girlfriend) , or you are desiring and/or taking what does not belong to you (e.g rape). I won't elaborate, you get the drill.
GLUTTONY - Other people are hungry, and you want to eat more than you need? That's greed.
SLOTH - When you're being lazy and indifferent you are too greedy to appreciate your blessings. Between the lines that means on one hand you are not utilizing your true potential and in some cases still want more. Why sit on your ass when other people are working hard to make things better for themselves? Should other people do things for you? God blessed you for you to use your blessings for something.
WRATH - Can also be associated with greed. Anger is often caused by greed and leads to selfish acts. Anger can lead to the pursuit of vengeance. Vengeance can lead to putting other people in pain, committing violence or even murder. To me, all of these can be associated with greed. Greed is also associated with stealing. Not being generous enough to leave someone their peace or their life.
ENVY - If you are resenting the fact that someone has more than you to the point you would like to deprive them of it, you are being greedy. If you need other people to have less than you in order to feel successful, you are greedy.
PRIDE - If you are vain and narcissistic - acting like the world should revolve around you - you are being greedy. You are failing to recognize the beauty in others and perceive yourself as higher than them.
This is just an interpretation. I realise that GREED itself can be interpreted differently. If your definition of greed all about material greed then this won't make any sense. But to me, greed is the feeling of "nothing is ever enough". When wanting things to yourself and not wanting to share. When stealing from others to satisfy your desires. When you're not appreciating and valuing your blessings and other peoples blessings. The opposite of generosity.
Like I said, I think there is so much greed in society today. There is a glorification of over-spending, wasting, and throwing away. Getting the newest and throwing the old. Everyone wants to be rich. Everyone likes to flash their wealth and make it seem like it's all glittering gold without any dirt involved.
So many people have forgotten what our true priorities should be. So many people care only for themselves. We are not taking care of our beautiful planet either. Because of our lust to spend and sometimes lack of energy to educate ourselves.
If you have 10 000 dollars - why spend it on something you don't truly need? Why not spend it on something you REALLY need, or save it, or share it with people that need it way more than you?
I am saying all of this because I believe every individual is powerful enough to make a change. I know we have corrupt leaders around the world, and we feel powerless. But every one of us can change someones life by remembering to love and be grateful and generous. The person who gets blessed by your generosity will forever remember, and if we're extra lucky, pass it on to someone else. This is my preach for the day. I have lots to be thankful for too - but I don't want to make this post any longer than it's already going to be. Lol. Just know I'm thankful!
Now on to the story. The story is actually very much related to greed and it is a true one. I will leave it at that and reveal it's connection to the present in the last part, another day!
THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED...
He never knew who was to betray him. He never knew that generosity was a trait frowned upon by those he surrounded himself with. Let alone did he know the true agenda of those closest to him.
C was a handsome young man, a Nigerian working and living in Cameroon. He got married young and lived happily in his marriage to U. They looked like the perfect happy couple. The kind that finishes each others sentences and knows what the other one is thinking. She was beautiful, he was elegant. They both carried their afros and wore flare pants with platform shoes, enjoying the thriving newly independent Africa.
He had a successful, growing business, and kept on travelling back and forth between Nigeria and Cameroon, bringing goods. He had moved there at a young age with his mother to escape the Biafran war.
He brought U with him as soon as they got married. They had their first child in the late 70s, a beautiful baby girl. It didn’t take long till they had a baby boy, followed by two more boys a couple of years later, and then another baby girl.
As C grew more powerful in the community, he became a figure people looked up to. He became the generous person anyone could come to for help, for assistance or a place to sleep. C had taken in his younger brother, A, to stay with them, along with some other younger cousins A was just starting up his business and didn’t have much money to live by, so no other thing was logical for a big brother to do. C built a house in his village in Nigeria, along with the house they stayed at in Cameroon. He bought a motorcycle. He loved taking his oldest boy, B, for rides on that motorcycle. Letting his small hands hold the steering, listening to his giggles.
Their life as a family was blissful. He loved all his children, so the day his oldest daughter and firstborn got sick, he was heartbroken. They had no idea what her sickness was. The doctors tried everything. Nothing was to help her. It went so fast. She died at the tender age of 9.
Young B didn’t understand. His parents wouldn’t tell him what happened. He only knew his big sister was gone. He missed her. His family sister had moved in with them and started taking care of him. He had never seen his parents so troubled before.
After 6 months, things seemed to get back on the norm. They were back into the routines and his mother didn’t cry every day. Just sometimes...
One day, young B had just gotten home from playing football with the other boys on the beach. He was 6 years old. Being the oldest in the house, his mother was busy with his younger siblings. She asked him to help her ground some eguzi. After washing and shining his canvas, he got to it. He started humming a song, thinking about how delicious his mother’s soup would be, excited about dinner time. Suddenly he heard the sound of women’s screams outside. His mother ran out in the yard to see what all the fuss was about. She had a worrying look in her eyes. B ran after her to the door to see what was happening. One woman came running to his mother, grabbing her hands, crying, she said: “C got stabbed! Someone stabbed him! He is hurt in the chest and the abdomen! Oh God! Go to him! Go to him! They don’t know who did it!”B didn’t understand anything at all. He wanted to run to his mother, but one of the other women came to hold him back. He did not see her again that day.
Five days later
B had a lump in his throat ever since that day.
He had only been taken to see his father in the hospital once. All he knew is that his dad was really sick. He knew that for sure. He had never seen his mother that worried before. She couldn’t even talk to him. What was going on? Wasn't his father going to come back either, just like his older sister?
His family sister was taking care of him, and he was taking care of his little brothers. His mother had strictly told him to stay at home and be careful. A difficult thing for a young boy to do. He was so eager for his father to come home and for everything to go back to normal. So he could go out and play again. Go to the forest and build traps for the birds, only to release them again. Play football on the beach till sunset. His home was filled with peace and love, now there was only an atmosphere filled with uncertainty and dread hovering over them all.
He was sitting outside the house, carving on a piece of wood. He loved creating and building things. He saw two of the local women walking up towards the house. Their eyes were fixed on the ground, with a troubled wrinkle between their eyebrows. His heart dropped to his stomach. He knew something wasn’t right. His family sister came out to greet them, and made sure to stand far enough away from him so he couldn’t hear. It didn’t take long before she turned around with an even more troubled look on her face. “B…”
No.
He didn’t want to hear it.
He kept on carving on his piece of wood. “B..listen to me..” He kept on looking at his hand moving up and down, slicing thin pieces of wood off the log, heart throbbing. “B, your father is gone. We have to go to the hospital. Now."
______________________
If you bothered reading this far - Thank you! I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. I appreciate each and single one of you. Feel powerful, because we are all powerful beyond measure. Sky's the limit.
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