By Suleiman Ahmed
1. When things are going well for you, remain humble. It’s not just about your hard work, intelligence, skills, or talents; factors like luck, good timing, opportunities, and privileges also play a role.
2. Conversely, when things are going bad for you, forgive yourself and avoid falling into despair. Some aspects are beyond your control. As long as you did what you had to, forgive yourself, learn from the outcome, correct your mistakes, and keep moving forward.
3. You’re not as good as you think you are when you’re winning, and you’re not as bad as you think you are when things are going poorly. Take it easy.
4. Bad things will happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good person or not; bad things can happen to anyone. There are too many variables beyond your control. This is why it’s crucial to prepare for challenging days when things are going well.
The Igala people have a wise saying: “In times of abundance, prepare for hardship.” Life isn’t all about feasting; there will be moments of famine. What you do during times of plenty determines how you cope during times of scarcity. A great year doesn’t guarantee the next one will be the same. Life is unpredictable. Another crisis might happen, or unexpected challenges may arise.
Many things are beyond your control, so staying prepared is the best way to handle surprises. In essence, the Igala wisdom encourages prudence during prosperous times. It teaches us to resist the temptation to indulge in extravagant spending during good times and, finally, to adopt a sustainable life, diligently saving for unforeseen emergencies.
A lack of preparation for the bad times exposes one to relying on charity from others for financial assistance when hard times eventually arrive. While this may not be wrong in and of itself, relying on people’s benevolence during emergencies is not only risky but also unfair to both yourself and the people you seek help from, especially if feelings of betrayal arise when they can’t rescue you. Numerous relationships have been strained due to one party’s inability to offer financial support during times of distress. It’s crucial to recognise that we don’t always know the challenges others are silently facing. Therefore, feeling offended or betrayed when they are unable to help is rather unkind.
In summary, stay humble and frugal during good times, forgive yourself and remain patient during bad times, and stay prepared for the unexpected. While the future is unpredictable, being prepared helps you handle surprises better.
The path is long.
The burden is heavy.
May your arm be strong.
May your sword be sharp.
Suleiman Ahmed is the author of TROUBLE IN VALHALLA. He is also a software engineer. He is available on X/Twitter via @sule365.
This is nice a write-up. Thank you.
This is very educative. I always admire write-ups that talk about ‘humbleness’.
JazakumulLahu khairan.
One of my best reads this month…..May Allah increase you in knowledge and wisdom. 🙏