I like beautiful things. Whatever is beautiful is beautiful, whether we make an apology for it or not. I’m growing, and I do hope in my prime and life, I’d enjoy the best on this side of the world, and most especially, the best in the world to come. Now, the best in this world comes in many shapes and sizes. Some in cars, others in houses, yet others in assets, contacts, positions, epaulets, and what have you.
And you’d be surprised what human beings are ready to do to get them.
My sister and I got pondering on the subject some days back and she recounted an eerie story that allegedly took place in the city of Yaounde. Yaounde is the capital of Cameroon, and one of its busiest cities. It’s adorned by people of all walks of life, and mind you, there’s often stuff that leaves mouths wide agape.
So, her story goes thus: “There’s this beautiful woman, quite attractive who would often go shopping at a particular supermarket. Almost all the young ladies working there would admire her skin, tell her how beautiful she was, how attractive her skin was, and how they’d love to have such skin, have the glow. She would simply smile, and say ‘thank you’, and move on with her shopping. This went on for quite some time. Each time they’d tug her to tell them her secret, but she’d simply smile, get about her shopping, and so it went. Then came a day when one of the ladies so pressed her, and she said ‘come, I’ll show you what I use to have such great skin”.
Now pause!
What’s in having such great skin that workers at a supermarket will get so distracted about, and will bother a client so much so that she’d want to answer you just to ‘get rid’ of you?
Now, I’m no advocate for mediocrity or lack of self-care, or selfishness, or what have you. It is good and proper to share safe and healthy tips for the betterment of our neighbour. So far from discouraging… but…
So back to the story. “She took the young girl out to the parking lot, placed her goods inside the car and asked her to open the boot. The young girl did. She opened the boot and lo, she was thunderstruck – a big snake! And the lady told her this ‘this is the secret of my beauty. This snake has to lick my skin every one hour, and that is why my skin is this glowing and attractive. Whatever I am doing, when it strikes the hour, I must get into my car for it to lick my skin”.
Eeeeewwwweeeee….. I type this and can’t help but picture such a terribly disgusting, diabolic and outrageous sight. But yes, that’s what she has to do to earn that “glowing and attractive skin”.
“And after saying that, the woman dropped dead”, my sister said.
The young girl screamed out loud; people rushed to her, and so we know what had transpired. As to what ensued after that, I cannot tell, but for sure, nothing positive. To say the least, the woman with the glowing and attractive skin was lying there, dead!
********************************************************************************************
You can dismiss this as fable or tale. But this is real. If this isn’t, several like this are. We’ve heard and read countless accounts of how people have had to do despicable things and make galactic sacrifices in order to get the “beautiful things of this world” – name them – cars, positions, houses, promotions, fame, attraction, etc.
At what cost?
Why not put a knife to your throat?
Once again, this is no apology for mediocrity. It is good to work hard, and every worker, and hard worker deserves and will have their pay. But why go to such lengths to have a semblance of wealth, power, authority when at night, one can’t close two eyes and enjoy peaceful sleep?
Why have a car you can’t put down the windscreen for natural fresh air?
Why have a house you can’t sleep in for fear of the eerie dread that strikes at nighttime?
Why occupy a position you’d have to eat your own excrement or defile your own mother or lust after a mentally deranged to preserve it?
Why sell your soul to the devil when life is served to you undefiled?
I know this sounds spooky and unbelievable to some. But in my part of the world, this is sometimes the least some bow to, to get the things they have on this land of the living. And when I say the least, trust me, I’d imagine the devil himself being marvelled at the eerie concoctions of the human mind when it comes to feeding their shamefaced greed.
So, what’s the way out? Put a knife to your throat!
If that young girl had simply admired the beauty and told herself “I too am beautiful even if my skin doesn’t glow that much”, she wouldn’t be telling such a sorry tale.
You mustn’t trade your peace for commonplace things of this earth. You mustn’t trade your soul for the fame of men. Oh, you mustn’t, you mustn’t.
I’d have said, shut your eyes, hold back your hands, and you’re safe. But you know, often these things come wagging their tails like a dog begging for attention. You can’t help seeing them. For most, you cannot do selective attention.
What you must, and can do, is selective retention, and that, is by putting a knife to your throat – and this simply means – RESTRAINT!
Don’t be greedy, don’t be envious, don’t shine your eyes on what someone else has. You mustn’t necessarily have it, and from experience, you wouldn’t want to pay the price they’re paying to have what they have. So, have restraint on your desires, your wants, your affections.
Matthew Poole, commenting on Proverbs 23:2 says “Put a knife to thy throat; restrain and moderate thine appetite, as if a knife or some other thing stuck in thy throat, and hindered thee from swallowing what thou didst desire…”.
And Ellicott’s commentary puts it that “Use the strongest methods to keep thine appetite in check, if thou art likely to give way to it…”.
And I’d conclude by saying – “Use the strongest methods to keep thy desires in check”.
(c) Images – Mashed/ Biblepic
Positive Scribbles 