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…OF VULNERABILITY AND THE ILLUSION OF ELEVATION


Since the last time I wrote here, some things have changed… Not such big changes, but big enough to make me become more introspective and less happy. I mean Life is TOUGH, at least I can speak for here in Nigeria where I live.

The first change is that I changed my job (Again???). Yeah, again. I finally left Telecommunications, I am now in Renewable Energy, Solar Energy to be precise, and while it is financially rewarding and interesting, it is also saddening because I get to come in contact with the real Vulnerables of the world, and that could be depressing, especially when you consider how minute your impact is compared to what they require to get uplifted out of their dire status.

The second change is that I have gone on and become a more open person who now interacts more with strangers and virtual friends, and what I see every day is that basically, no one has it together. We are all just trying to be happy, because happiness is such a fleeting state that you will definitely miss out on it while trying to own it, which is such a disturbing state of things because it means we are never happy, rather we are in an endless race in pursuit of happiness. This means that irrespective of education, income, social standing, and so on, we are all still in a state of flux and we are all still VULNERABLES despite all the illusions of elevation. I am now seeing Vulnerability not from the angle of lack of physical peace but from the perspective of lacking inner peace, calm and control.

The economic situation is terrible, this has been so for long, and it does not look like it is abating anytime soon, but even when by sheer dint of hardwork coupled with God’s blessings you are able to break the yoke and become self-sustaining and self-reliant, you are still vulnerable:
When you build a house and you need an electrified fence higher than your house to feel safe, you are vulnerable…
When you have a car, but you need to vary your routes everyday to avoid being trailed by people with sinister motives, you are vulnerable…
When you have kids but you cannot send them to public schools because it is pointless, and you are afraid of sending them to expensive public schools for fear of them picking up expensive terrible habits from the kids of the rich, you are vulnerable…
When you see every one of your mates emigrating from the country but you decide to stay put, you are vulnerable…
When you cannot access the best healthcare not because of your lack of trying, but because it is not just available, you are vulnerable…
When your kids understand technology better than you, you are vulnerable…
When everything is confusing most of the time, you are vulnerable...

You see, at the end of the day, we are mostly not in control, we are just playing and acting according to a script, and we cannot even control or determine when our character will be killed off. So, the best we can do is be the best of ourselves – treat others fairly and respectfully, live our life to the fullest, and above all, try to leave the world a better place than we met it such that we would have contributed our best to rid the world of the Vulnerables.

Thank You!

God Bless Us All!!
See You Next Time!!!


Twitter: @SirRash


Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I'm just sad that our leaders do not try to make life better for us and this makes us the most vulnerable of all. Those of us who have begun to win the battle against poverty are constantly drawn backward by our loved ones who are yet to find their own weapons. This makes us vulnerable too and our progress is slow. We don't get help but we are determined to stand unaided. While we try to and before we fully stand errect, someone already hopes that we will pull them up. The truth is we need pullI'm just sad that our leaders do not try to make life better for us and this makes us the most vulnerable of all. Those of us who have begun to win the battle against poverty are constantly drawn backward by our loved ones who are yet to find their own weapons. This makes us vulnerable too and our progress is slow. We don't get help but we are determined to stand unaided. While we try to and before we fully stand errect, someone already hopes that we will pull them up. The truth is we need pulling too. We are all vulnerable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is one of the saddest examples of our realities. You cannot even enjoy your little successes because they instantly bring new problems.

      Delete
  3. Aptly written, transforming our thoughts into words....

    Thank you Sir Rash!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much.

      It is the reality of our existence

      Delete
  4. Nice piece bro.
    Funny enough, we have time and again psyched our mentality that we can and should concentrate more on what we can do for the society other than what the society (govt) can do for us.
    But the truth remains that we require a safe, serene and peaceful environment with the availability of basic infrastructures to be able to think aright and be much more productive.
    This, lacking in every aspect, takes us back to square one - we can do only a little; We are VULNERABLES!

    ReplyDelete

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