Cycles are a natural part of the universe therefore, expecting ourselves to be one way all the time regardless of the circumstances is foolhardy. On the other hand, that should not give one leeway to mistreat others under the pretext of changing seasons neither should one be expected to maintain a cheery disposition even in the face of adversity. The universe has weather seasons whereas human beings have varied mood swings and life stages or cycles.
Key to note is that each stage comes with its own unique challenges and since there is nothing new under the sun, one can seek solace in that fact while seeking help from other human beings. Those who have an affinity for written literature can read books about other people’s tribulations and subsequent triumphs while those who prefer the spoken word and human touch can always seek company during their downtime. I cannot vouch for animals but I’m certain they feel happy after devouring a meal and sad if they fail to make a catch.
A few days ago while pretending to be busy at work, I was within earshot of some of my colleagues and overheard them talking about a certain place that happens to be the unofficial fraud capital in the country. Curiosity killed the cat; I’m neither a cat nor dead while writing this but I was certainly curious. I continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. It was mentioned that the folks in that locale are highly educated but lack formal employment hence have devised ingenious ways to stay afloat. A young lad added his two cents to the discussion by stating that no crime is committed per se, the people are simply exercising their intelligence.
I briefly mulled over that statement and felt it was a misguided misconception. I’m sure the young lad has not fallen prey to fraudsters because if he did he would have a varied opinion. Furthermore, a crime committed ought not to be justified without penalty. I raised a point of objection but was interjected by an animated colleague who appeared out of the blues and walked into the conversation.
My unspoken cerebral input was pale in comparison to what the new kid on the block had to say. “That place is sad news my friends, it’s close to my home town” he stated and narrated how one night while out in the town with his wife he had a memorable encounter. While dancing the night away and imbibing far too many pitchers of beer, he lost concentration and later paid the price. While narrating the story, he physically demonstrated his dance moves to the amusement of many in the office. The storyteller in him captured our imagination and for a minute we forgot about the looming deadline for due reports which was fast approaching.
We threw caution into the wind and hung on every word he spoke. A vendor had walked into the vicinity and showed him a phone. After a vicious round of haggling, he bought the phone. He swore that prior to the purchase, he tested it out and even spoke to two friends who can vouch for that. The end of the story tells a different tale. Upon reaching home, he got busy and hardly bothered to check the box until the next morning. To his dismay, it dawned on him that he had bought a nicely packaged black clay soil which even had some beads to boot. To their credit, the fraudsters parted with a few coins for the beads in exchange for thousands of shillings. That is how the ex-air force soldier fell prey to fraudsters who speak his vernacular language, possibly share his bloodline and live a stone's throw from him.
The story seemed to hit a raw nerve in that several other people opened up and shared similar encounters. Yours truly remained mum and listened intently with the sole aim of gathering writing content. In as much as no one likes to involuntarily part ways with hard-earned resources, it is a sad reality triggered by life cycles.
According to the law of rhythm, everything on earth has a cycle it follows. As a result, it is naturally expected that what goes up must come down and the process does repeat itself several times over before one takes their last breath. Therefore, in moments where the future seems to be bleak one ought to resist the temptation to engage in vices and seek consolation in the fact that an upswing moment is definitely on the horizon regardless of whether or not the signs are clearly visible.
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