It was supposed to be a family gathering of sorts. These young men have come from abroad and the extended family was enjoying the get together. One member, who was supposedly very well paid, was amidst a group chatting with the guests. Now, one thing was sure; though the guy takes home a king’s ransom every month. He practically lived like a multimillionaire and trying to show the world what he was made of.
The fact is that he wasn’t very liked by his own relatives because of his behavior. A guy who was supposed to be rather well-mannered years back has turned into a completely different person once the birr began flooding in. (Of course, the rumors are he must be in some secret money making venture to have a three million dollar plus car and a house that, so they say, looks like a prince’s.
In the middle of the chat, one of the guests was telling them he recently changed his car and he was now driving a quite modern one. The local ‘Big Boy,’ with a big smile says,
“What do you mean my car? It isn’t your car!”
The shock, so those present say was electric. The guests were somewhat surprised while the locals were plunged into an “Oh, not again!” mood.
“Well, it’s my car! What makes you think it isn’t?”
“You guys have nothing of your own. Everything you buy is on credit.”
The locals were shocked, but the visitors smiled taking it as a shortage of information.
Look that you have to borrow to buy anything doesn’t mean it isn’t your own. For example…”
He wasn’t going t have any more of it. ”I know, I know. But until you pay every cent you can’t say it’s yours. If you ask me, the three cars I drive are mine and a fourth one would come soon.” (What about all those loans from the banks, none of which is spent on what they were meant for!)
That was the whole purpose of his ‘argument.’ He was telling them that he deserves the throne of thrones and that because of his millions he was a better human being than the rest.
Busy with their thirty thousand plus birr smartphones they act as if the whole world is at their mercy.
They say you can’t discuss serious issues with him since he knew nothing about literature, current affairs, sports, politics…etc. I mean nothing! He knows which watering hole where one can surely find the Blue label thing and where there is abundance of the best ‘curves.’ Ha!
You seem anywhere and everywhere. They try to make you feel you don’t deserve to be anywhere close.
You just want them to be a little more considerate.
We are giving them all the ammunition it needed.
As long as their wishes are met the world can go to hell. That’s what yet unwritten rule book says.
Yes, all of us would like to have the front-row seat. However nice and humble one might be, the possibility front-seat is something that would soften the tightest of nerves. But then, wouldn’t it be nicer if people worked for it? Yes, who take the short cut and always seem to outrun everyone to the finish line. There are those who are well aware of the nuts and bolts needed to hoot up the ladder of ‘underserved success.’ These days we see them around us with increasing numbers. But then there are those who have serve the community far better than the short-cut artists and yet never claim a front-row seat. Thiers is about serving the community to the best of their abilities and they don’t go to the mountain top to shout I deserve front-row seat and I want it to be given to me a minute!”
We’re a nice lot; No one can deny that. Even those whom for ages we took as ‘bad apples’ got some of the most tumultuous welcoming reception that left ‘serious watchers’ with hung jaws.
One thing we don’t want to hear is berating the past. We’ve had enough of that. Tired of it! One doesn’t need to berate everything of the past to claim the front-row seat! That is not only unbecoming. It sways on the sharp age of practical stupidity.
Too many people are claiming the gold medal over anything everything. It’s rather queer. Life is not always a photo finish to the tape. There will be those in front, those in the middle, and those at the rear. Unless the int’l sports bosses start minting thirty gold medals for a thirty-man race things will continue with us spread out all over the race tracks. All of us might claim the front-row seat. All of us wouldn’t have it. In fact some of us will surely not feature in the medal tables. Again, life is not a photo finish!
The Ethiopian Herald 10 January 2021