PENALTIES OF GREATNESS

 PENALTIES OF GREATNESS

Written by Mbibi Longinus Chinagorom/mbibilonginuschinagorom@gmail.com

A careful look into the movements of men and women in their daily life either in the city or in the country-side will reveal how much people are determined not only to get their daily bread but also to have a surplus left over. Almost ninety in every hundred of the working people have it uppermost in their minds to accumulate wealth beside the necessary daily bread. Their range of economic activities show this. The desire is inborn. But unfortunately people can not realise that to be great is to be confronted with difficulties.

There are various forms of greatness with their corresponding penalties. The attachment or association of greatness cannot normally be limited to people alone except that the greatness of the latter is often self-imposed and hence the resulting penalties may not deserve sympathy. Thus we have greatness of countries, towns, animals, tress, birds and human beings.

Unlike human beings, almost all other great things have their greatness conferred on them by nature; nevertheless, each pays in varying forms, the penalties of greatness in its possession. Thus we have great trees in the sense of their heights and girth and their consequent house-hold or economic usefulness; as such they are easily seen by the lumber jacks and are felled down while the tiny herbs and shrubs continue their enjoyment of life. So also it is with large animals: the lion, the elephant, the buffalo and the tiger may be regarded as great by animal standards. They have absolute control over smaller animals, more energetic and universally feared in the world of animals and even by man. For this reason they are always the object of attack by hunters because the hunters will feed fat and sell profitably if the hunters meet a rat in their bid for game they neglect the rat for its insignificance for either feeding or selling because it is not great.

Towns and nations usually have greatness conferred by nature in the form of abundant natural resources. Others acquired it by the enterprising and adventurous spirits of the citizens. For instance the riches Spain acquired from her American colonies in the fifteenth century is an eloquent testimony to this.

Once any nation or town becomes great either by having natural wealth or having great citizens, that nation or town becomes the focus of the rest of the world, first in the sense that her greatness is admired and later may become a centre of intrigues for other greedy neighbours who are desirous of sharing the wealth by foul means. These great nations are usually plunged into a condition of unrest by neighbours who will see nothing but balance of power; whereas the poor countries are never apprehended for any reason.

The last but the greatest players of the penalty of greatness are human beings. As a result of their earthly and relentless effort to reach their goal, many of them become great. Many fall on the road to greatness; the penalty is paid very dearly. Those who reach the goal-the landlords, the ministers, directors of companies and kings pay their price in various ways; the occasional plights of some of them have been witnessed by some wise people who have therefore reflected their impression as "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." The lorry owner often blames himself for investing in such a venture when during a year he has a large part of his capital in flames as a result of road accidents. So also the landlord blames nature when storm or fire destroys his wealth. The penalties which statesmen pay are innumerable; the political imprisonments, assassinations and electoral disappointments are only some of the penalties. Above all, great people have the least time for pleasure and relaxation of mind.