I strongly believe human beings are not designed to live in suffering. Mere loss brings unbearable discomfort to our lives. Just to see how we were not designed to endure suffering forever, just look at the amplified noise made when we suffer temporary losses as compared to praises and appreciation given to the bliss enjoyed for even much longer.
A brief mishap can easily feel like a lifelong disaster, while a lifelong good life may not even be felt but taken for granted and expected to occur by default.
If the biblical account of life is true, I’d argue trouble free life was before the fall of man. Thereafter, things went Topsy-curvy, and only life difficulties can bring development and advancement to our lives. Meaning, trouble, and suffering are generally default settings of life and goodness only obtained by grace and in other cases, earned. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 28 February 2021.
Advisedly, we are told to refrain from envying anything from our neighbour. A neighbour is not just your literal neighbour, but everyone living on Earth. For, we live together in one planet separated by continents like neighbouring houses separated by a fence or servitude.
Envying is dangerously deadly and worse than jealousy. Jealousy is wishing to have what someone has, while envy is not only wishing to have what another has, but not wanting them having it after all. Envy could lead to scheming resulting in murder, as many before having perished through it.
I mention envy or jealousy because sometimes life in South Africa could make you want to live in other countries. I guess the main reason we are warned against jealousy and, much worse envy, is because after the fall of man, we are supposed to use suffering to spur us on and overcome problems hindering our progression.
Such problems should either be suppressed, killed or outgrown rather than just tolerated and accepted if any advancement must be attained.
Thus, envying someone else’s possessions or life does not help advance anyone’s cause, for the focus then is not on own development and progressive resolution of problems, but on just wanting someone else’s possessions and lifestyle.
I do not mean we should not be benchmarking ourselves. But in so doing, the healthiest way of benchmarking is to ourselves. From others, we should not compete but be inspired to also push ourselves beyond out comfort zone.
Achievements and advancements attained by others are not for us to compete against one another, but find inspiration in solving similar problems we face, using similar methods used by other pioneers so we can avoid reinventing the wheel.
This approach enables us push ourselves beyond our current abilities, and prior pioneers may find another inspiration to push themselves further.
Their motivation for pushing themselves further may be owing to them wanting to be different or improve on their past methods or wanting convenience.
Either way, at face value, it appears there is competition among themselves, but, it is the result of the quest for human beings to dominate this world, multiply and enjoy more comforts.
While we commend those adopting legitimate ways of advancing themselves, especially businesses, we are far from attaining greatness together. Envy or some level of negativity or jealousy of not wanting others advance further, is still plaguing us greatly.
Take businesses, for example, especially middle to advanced ones for that matter. They seem more comfortable having consumers stretching themselves beyond their means consuming their products than they would want to team up commercially in the creation of newer and better products.
Banks are accused of similar predatory and regressive policies, especially among Africans, easily wanting consumers taking on more credit for generally frivolous or high depreciation assets like motor vehicles, than they would want to fund same consumers for buying houses or starting businesses.
Banks would easily fund a consumer buying an expensive vehicle beyond the consumer’s ordinary affordability than they would be willing to fund purchasing of a house of similar, much less, lower value.
Perhaps someone with deep insider knowledge in such matters should explain to us, laypeople, reasons for this anomaly.
In this covid-19 ravaged economy of mass job losses and joblessness, deteriorating financials everywhere, the last thing on cash-strapped consumer’s mind is taking on new, if not increased insurance, or buying fancy and expensive new phones. Yet, in a day, we are inundated with unsolicited telephone calls of call-centre agents wanting to sell us funeral policies and new mobile phone contracts. None would be calling to learn if we could team with them to advance their offerings and improve their financial performance. In fact, they find it easier to ignore such initiatives from consumers than they would be willing to inundate us with more cold calling.
Talking about funeral policies, who today, made wisene by reality of COVID-19 still thinks having funeral policy for a lavish burial is still a good idea? If anything, many are now accepting that smaller and cheaper funerals are the way to go and should stay even beyond COVID-19 restrictions.
One would think such companies would quickly change their method to reinvent themselves into something else, like doubling up as an investment towards funding education, or incubating the consumer’s start-up or business in the event of no death occuring after some years of consistent contribution. None would want to contribute in such human development. Instead, it appears all they want is taking every cent from consumers like a bloodsucking gnat until there is nothing further to extract from a consumer.
As if taking from financially ravaged consumers is not enough, they even take their time to want to not give the consumer quality product they paid for. They, particularly insurance companies, behave like disgruntled service providers, wanting to find every excuse to not pay but look for a fine print to deny payment.
I regard all these wrongs as consequences of the deeper fall of man, a warped mentality that does not appreciate the power of collaboration and pushing one another’s capabilities to explore new abilities.
Take the scientific cooperation of nations participating in space programmes and marvel at their relentless pursuit of human advancement despite their fiercest rivalry and even conflicts in other areas.
The US and Russia are relentless political and economic rivals, with sanctions and allegations of meddling in another’s affairs easily thrown around to curb the other’s advances, yet on space exploration, research, and development, their rivalry falls aware and they cooperate beautifully than many siblings would with each other.
Such cooperation for the general advancement of humanity should be welcomed in almost all aspects of life despite vested interests for self-advancement.
Though many good things end, thus ensuring nothing lasts forever, it is only their versions of instances that end, not their essence. Had this been the case, we would have long become extinct.
Long may the human spirit of development, advancement, and cooperation live.
