By Ovundah Nyeche.
The game of numbers…
Medical school was a funny period…
Year 4 especially…
Almighty Pharmacology and Pathology…
You check the board… See your scores… And boom it is low, well lower than you thought you would score and then you spy matriculation number XYZ…your score is higher than his and suddenly all anger within you evapourate…
At least I am better off than…XYZ!
You check the board again… Your scores need emergency resuscitation, but you check again and discover it was a slaughter house… Figuratively a cow was killed on the result sheet, it was bloody… You dare not feel sad… The “motor did not jam only you”…In fact it killed a lot of people.
You check the board on another day, and you did very very well, far above your expectation… But you check the board again and you discover it was bonanza for everyone, Father Christmas, passed this way, you spy ZYX’s matriculation number and his scores are higher than yours and you feel sad and deflated…
Many times this behaviour spill over and follow you outside school…
You had no “wahala” patrolling on “Legedis Benz” and immediately you see someone you knew or know driving, your stomach turns bitter and boils…
You are happy with your comfortable small light Toyota Camry and then you see your friend patrolling on his Lexus or Mercedes SUV and you feel pity for yourself…
No way…. Wu Wu not take it… You look down on yourself and measure your worth and progress by an automobile.
You put your #200 on the offering plate, it is all you have got, and you see someone who is your peer, put several #1000 on the plate and you shiver and get angry…
Your children attend a decent school, they can read and write and are doing everything they should at their age and immediately you discuss with your friend and he tells you the millions he spends on his children’s school fees, you immediately condemn yourself and pass a vote of no confidence & retrogression on yourself.
And so you compete, compare and measure your worth based on unnecessary numbers…
And you stress yourself not necessarily on what you need, but what your mates have or do not have; and what you think you should have because they do.
You smash your head when you see pictures of them in vacation, or doing things in your world of fantasy…
Don’t kill yourself for nothing…
Don’t live your life in a cycle of unending competitions…
Be all you were created to be… And grow in your own time.
Let the great things others do motivate you and not take the wind out of your sail.
Again what do I know?
PS:
wahala: Problem.
Legedis Benz: Having no car and walking on foot.
Wu Wu not take it: Protesting internally or externally.
Lovely. Would apply
Thank you for your feedback.
Great stuff. Wu wu not take it! I have learnt a new one
Thank you so much Dr Irene for your feedback
…hmmmm, CHOICE- the divide to chose (to live or not to live) between the foolishness of the lures and yore; and the contriteness of the fluid and floss of our competitive life.
The scriptures sum it up for us:
2 Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
Thank you so much Fred, for your feedback.
I just came here to make noise… Nice one sir… Let’s also count our blessings and our days
Thank you so much for the feedback
Thanks for writing this piece and reaffirming the mind to be content where unnecessary competition is becoming natural.
Thank you so much Sir for the feedback.
Indeed the quality of live is determined by choices and decisions…thank you for the reminder Sir
Thank you so much for the feedback
Thank you so much for your feedback
Unnecessary competition/game of numbers really; such that some people take the “competition” to unhealthy levels. Anyways, nice write up Bro & thanks for what you are doing with the hear word series.
Great job you are doing too Dr Kevwe… Thank you so much for the feedback
People do not have to be unnecessarily competitive. We all have different paths mapped out before we were born. God help us all.
Thank you so much for your feedback