The universal law of compensation states that you will reap great rewards and compensation for the efforts you put in. Conversely, waiting for a tree to grow without planting a seed is imprudent and rewards will hardly come by in a place that is devoid of effort. In as far as the timelines is concerned, it’s safe to say that the reward will be manifested either a second or decades later. However long the night, the dawn will break. Therefore, it’s best to be patient as the wait is not for the faint hearted. With this in mind, the best approach is to lay the groundwork and recede into the background. When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind. Do the work and trust the process. After all, tomorrow belongs to people who prepare for it today.
For the most part, people associate compensation with monetary gain. According to the Longman dictionary of contemporary English, besides the monetary gain definition, compensation also refers to something that makes a bad situation better. Therefore, it can take any other form or shape. Neither the input nor the output has to be monetary. In this case, a dog can sire a cat or vice versa and there ought to be no cause for alarm. I received a lesson on this one evening. A chance encounter with an older gentleman made the meeting worthwhile in that he shared with me some nuggets of wisdom and demonstrated that wisdom is in the head, not in the beard.
When spirits are involved the conversation flows. Not to belabor the point. However, the statement can be misconstrued and is open to different interpretations but for avoidance of doubt, the spirit in reference is of the man-made kind. He was having drinks with his friends when I walked into the restaurant and seemed to be engaged in an animated discussion with his peers while they appreciated Gods creation in the form of the other gender. It was too late to retreat and walk out since our eyes had met hence I had no choice but to go to his table.
After the exchange of pleasantries and subsequent introduction to his friends, he requested me to pull up a chair and I obliged. Little did I know what he had up his sleeves. I was about to have drippings of the honeycomb in the form of words of wisdom. In as much as his eyes would drift every now and then, he paid close attention to the conversation and tracked his own trail of thought despite interruptions here and there.
The old gentleman has a penchant for asking tough questions. A sit down with him almost always appears to be akin to a vetting session. In this instance I was ill prepared for this. However, I played along and the grilling burden was eased by the drink or two he offered to buy. I was caught off guard when he sought to find out what my aspiration in life was. He was taken aback by my response and offered a quick rejoinder. “What if tomorrow never comes?” he asked and added that I might fail to make an indelible mark in life if I wait for God to bless me before I bless others.
In as much as my idea was noble, it was flawed and in a way had a sense of insignificance overtone. It can best be summed by the African proverb that states that if you think you’re too small to make a difference, try spending the night with a mosquito. Chances are high that I must have felt as though I have little input to give but there is a thousand ways to skin a cat. Even the lion protects himself against flies.
He came from humble beginnings. Barely had food to eat when he was growing up and had to shoulder responsibilities since he was the eldest in the family of eight. He would often times wake up at the crack of dawn, make his way to the neighbor’s farm to place the yoke on the bulls used to plough the land. It was a tedious process that had to be done nonetheless. He would then push, guide and provide any other assistance necessary to get the work done. All this was done on an empty stomach with the hope that when his turn comes, the neighbors would see it fit to return the favor. He would then rush back home and make his way to school which was more than five kilometers away. To get there, he had to traverse through a rough, hilly terrain while barefoot. Getting injured was neither here nor there after all, nothing could be done about it if it happened. Having little to no resources to give did not stop him from giving his time and his compensation came several years later in the form of career success that yielded vast wealth.
Birds of the same feather flock together. His friend also had a similar tale to share. I was glad I did not dance the night away but opted to wash my hands so that I could eat with kings. His friend was a security guard who loved spending time with the downtrodden. He barely made enough to make ends meet. However, during his break he gathered around the street children near his place of work, cracked jokes, talked, played and on the best days when he had some food he shared the same with them. He was least bothered if he failed to eat for the sake of others.
This endeared him to the children and he was loved back in equal measure. Unbeknown to him is that his effort did not go unnoticed. One day a white man in a big car pulled up to him and left him speechless. His life took a different trajectory from that point onwards. He was left with a cheque in hand and a promise for millions more to cater to the street children’s needs. The gentleman had been watching his interaction with the children for a while and was impressed. The eye never forgets what the heart has seen. Upon arrival back at his home country, he made good of his promise and the funds trickled in. The rest is history. In this instance a dog sired a cat.
We once attended a wedding ceremony and out of the blues, my friend assigned herself the role of ensuring that all incoming guests have a place to sit. She took it upon herself to do so and had done so on several prior occasions. She later got worked up and pointed an accusing finger at us for not helping her. In response, my other friend made reference to the choice having been personal hence there was no need for dragging the rest of the team into that. However, she continued to engage herself in the drudgery.
As a result, by the time she got some breathing space, the little food left was over. Her personal loss was temporary though. In the long run and over time she managed to build up enough social capital. When she decided to go out on a limb and venture into business, she drew upon her built up social capital base. Within no time the business thrived and her phone rings off the hook as prospective clients reach out to her. She makes no effort to look for clients. They are drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
He who does not know one thing knows another. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something. Similarly, everyone has something to give no matter how small it is. My five year old once shared with me a brilliant idea which worked to my chagrin. The above experiences demonstrate a critical point that giving can take any form or shape. If God endowed you with a brilliant mind and made you a quick learner, you can spare your colleagues the agony of problem solving. If you have an innate ability to write and are a consummate story teller, spread the joy and share the knowledge to the benefit of others. No contribution is greater than, less than or equal to another and the importance of paying your dues cannot be emphasized enough. The strength of the crocodile is in the water hence people can be very strong in their right environment.
In closing, even though the payback time is uncertain, we should be cognizant of the fact that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. Therefore, even if we don’t reap the rewards of our effort they most definitely will at some point in their lives. Time waits for no man and neither should man wait for time to show up with goodies. Expectation leads to a buildup of anxiety. Subsequently, it’s best to dig, move on and pay all outstanding debt. Nature will do the rest.
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