Here’s what some arrogant, who thought he had the world under his feet and isolated everyone near and far probably would have written when he finds out that, after all, the world wasn’t under his feet. Maybe there are too many like him who really need to wake up to the fact that their thinking and acting as if they are the only ones who have free ride in this world and the rest are just nothing more than cheerleaders with active palms and inactive brains!
“Yes, I live a good life in many ways. I make real good money, own my own house and car and seldom do I have financial worries everyone is whining about. Why should I? How can I worry about something I have in abundance? And as to the source of all that stash and bundle of money it’s no one’s damned business. Oh, is that so? Now you’re trying to tell me I should choose my words speaking to you! No way! What makes you think you deserve that much nicety when what you do is drag my name all over the place and pocking holes into my reputation! Why should I tell you how I managed to buy a G+2 apartment and a car which cost a fortune which all of you combined wouldn’t think of making even if you were given five life times!”
(Now, of course gossip and character assassination seem to have become the norm for many of us. We just love indulging in them! Anyone and everyone could be the subjects and character assassinations since we don’t ‘discriminate’…Ha! Anyway with this guy the crux of the matter is he is midlevel clerk in some office making barely enough taking his family of three or four through the month. And he isn’t known for possessing any additional skills which could make him additional income.
Of course apart from the fact that his not-so-prominent employers pay him as the word going around would be he was involved in other activities. A G+2 immaculately furnished apartment and multimillion birr car for a midlevel clerk while other midlevel clerks are able to just squeeze their way through each month! Some things certainly raise eyebrows attention, don’t they?)
“Yes, I had a very humble upbringing. My family didn’t have much about the house and my parents labored like hell to make ends meet.” (Now such an admission coming from him is a rare event. The guy acts like he was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth.
In fact he seldom mentions his family prompting accusations that he feels ashamed of his working class family which paid huge sacrifices to see all the way. Believe me there are many who are as inconsiderate as such a guy. Years back I remember a lady who’s now across the oceans who was pressed by her friends to take them to her house and introduce them to her family. For the young lady living in the humblest conditions bringing them home would be a self-induced capital punishment. So she convinces moderately comfortable neighbors a little off from where she lived to use their living quarters.
Once her friends came the most evil part of an otherwise reserved young lady comes to the fore; she introduces the owner of the house as her mother and her real mother as a domestic helper! Sounds like bad fiction, doesn’t it? It happened. I hear that across the oceans life hadn’t been nice to her. The length we go to make ourselves appear as what we are not and deny our own flesh and blood families is betrayal, and the most horrific type!)
“But I don’t want to talk about such things. The past is the past. But I always hear of you accusing me of being ashamed of my past. I’m never ashamed. I hate being poor. That is why I am now successful; I said to myself ‘Never Poverty!’ (Oh, really! That is something that should be emulated all over the place. But hating poverty is something; trying to push under the table the fact one comes from very humble background is not very smart. The guy on one hand speaks like some sort of an activist and still tries to delete facts of his early life because he thinks they don’t rhyme with the life he is leading at present.)
“I don’t like it when people ask me what I did for a living. It is a question rigged with dynamite. Why should anyone care what I did for a living? Why are they trying to snoop into my life? Of course, I know almost every other person is jealous of me. And truly speaking I don’t really care. But what bugs me is that why are they so eager to find out how I make all the money I get? (Hey; take it easy! No reason to be red faced!) What is it to them if I am a midlevel clerk! I’m proud of it. I know what is being said about me behind the scenes. That’s how I know that I have too many enemies who are not satisfied to see me successful. Yes, I’m bitter and blame every single one of you. Why shouldn’t I be! You’re trying to clip my wings and you expect me to applaud that!
I’ve found out lately that many are talking about turning their backs on me. They say I’m arrogant and I look down at others. Of course, I don’t deny that I choose with whom I talk and what’s wrong about that! Everyone does it. Who said I should remain stuck with old friends! Yes some of them made favors for me. I thanked them at the time. That’s all. I don’t have any obligation to do anything for them or even speak to them. Aren’t you getting me! I’m saying I am my own person and again it’s none of your damned business where I get all the money from. The only thing I can tell you I know about the changed unwritten rules of the times. I think I already talked more than enough!”
-Skeletons in the Closets!
Of course with the social media having dug into every nook and cranny of public life there would be some who would tell the guy things probably he wouldn’t have wanted to hear. Here is a guy who tries to completely delete his past and there is little or no way he would want to hear anything which would force him to turn the calendar pages in reverse.
“I know you and I don’t know you. Of course neither of which matters to what I would like to say. But just to be a little clearer when I say I know you I mean we really know each other personally; you can say even more than personally. No; I’m not going to tell you who I am. Why? Well the moment you hear my name you would just launch a whole lot of narratives to discredit me and go after my friends and even my family. You’re a real villain when we come to that, sorry for my outburst.
Over the years the number of character assassinations you launched even against your closest people is more than enough to make anyone suspect there was something very wrong with you. And I can say I could be one of the foremost witnesses to verify that fact. Though we passed time together more than a few times I never took you as a confident, dependable person which you certain are not. In fact I even suspect you have some grudge against me even though there is little if any, that happened between us which would take you to that level.
“I read your, what should I say, rant against almost everyone. You never change, do you? One thing you seem to have missed is these days no one cares about you! People have much more crucial issues on their hands to spend precious minutes and times thinking about you. The likes of you always feel so threatened and isolated that you think the world has nothing else to do except think and talk about you. I’ll say it again; you never change, do you?
“Coming to your rant somebody should have told you that the only thing you did was opening the Pandora Pox. I’ll tell you why I say that. People have practically forgotten about you minding their own business and you come out of the blue and try pock everyone in the sides creating discomfort like you did to me.
And now that you have opened the Pandora Box yourself well, you’d be one dude who wouldn’t be wearing a smile anytime soon. There would be some who would come out swinging out and you’ll be whining that everybody is trying to destroy you.
The fact is that in the first place you, yourself could never be the agenda; you never was and never would be. The minds of you people play around with the dribbling mastery of a Ronaldo and you find it difficult to sleep a wink! You should have known better than ranting while no one even passed close by your front door.
Thinking you count when you actually don’t has landed you in waters! Now, having read what you wrote people you abused and offended would be coming up with all those stories you thought no one knew about. And they’d not be nice stories. How can they be! Your closet holds too many skeletons you dude! About you buying such an expensive house and car, now that’s, I’m afraid to tell you is the dumbest thing you raised. If you were smart enough you would just keep your lips pressed and I’d have kept my pen in my pockets.
“Do you think that we don’t know what you’re doing other than your regular job? Do you think we don’t know that you’re involved in criminal activities? We don’t have to know the details. What we see on the ground is more than enough! Even your bosses don’t live a fraction of the life you are leading! Don’t tell us it is all about some blessing meant only for you!
“Let me tell you a few more of the things being said your apartment and car. You are accused of tricked the beautiful wife of a person who happened to be your best friend and turned her over to some Diaspora fellow who it is said give you quite hefty reward. But all these fake videos and pictures of her innocent and God-fearing hubby with all those women in the most unholy of places! We wouldn’t blame her for being duped and tricked out of her stable and comfortable married life as you people faked everything so meticulously. They say you guys took things so far once she found out she was duped.
“You like so much trashing people! Even those who have practically carried you on their shoulders on your way up! That’s not very humane. And now you complain people don’t come to help you! If her innocent husband who couldn’t even suspect what actually came into his life ever finds out what actually happened, take my word for it and your goons would be history.
Remember your childhood friend you almost destroyed. You tried to take the bread out of his mouth; for what! Because you’re one of those evil creatures who bask in seeing others suffering. He was the one who came to your aid while you were still an unemployed, unskilled and unmotivated loser!
And what about your very first girlfriend who was angel of a human being. Do you remember what you did to her? She thought you two were together for life and even went as far as breaking up with relatives who didn’t like you. And what happens you leave her for another girl who comes from a richer family. Of course once she found out you were after hers and her family’s bank accounts she left you out in the rains. And you come out and rant against everyone? Believe me, whatever comes your way because of it, you deserve it!”
We seem to be in times of the many quite ones on the sides as mere spectators and the not very few vocal ones in the spotlight the backlash would come in one form or another. And that’s when all the skeletons in the closets come out!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 9 MARCH 2025
