HUMBLE WORLD
Who is to say that there is one powerful living creature above all on planet earth? All are humbled in the world they find themselves, from the smallest to the greatest. All are really helpless, except for the Creator who has the power to alter or orchestrate things His own way. It is often advised that we exercise toughness, be brave and not show any signs of weakness; it is a dog-eat-dog world out there and only those who are ready to fight it out will survive – survival of the fittest.
Could that really be true? Ironic as it may sound, you could be a weak creature and still be fit to remain on Earth longer than the fittest creature beside you. That is if you are not taken out by one thing or the other, be it something greater than you or something smaller.
Let’s take a quick look at the stories of some of the fittest men from historical accounts. One story that is common to most people is that of Samson and Delilah. Samson was one of the strongest men in human history. He had so much physical strength to kill 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey; he was strong enough to loosen new ropes off himself like thread, without being possessed by any demon and to tear a lion into pieces because it got in his way. The list goes on, with the wonders that Samson did with his physical strength. As life would have it, he died at a young age. I am sure he didn’t live to see 50. How come? A female, the weaker vessel, as quoted in the bible! Delilah didn’t kill a lion, she didn’t snap any bowstrings used to subdue a person. As a matter of fact, she didn’t put up a fight but used persuasion to make Samson give up his secret after three trials. One would think that Samson should have taken note of the danger that was ahead, knowing that Delilah was testing him to know the source of his power and to use it against him. It was very painful how his end came.
Let’s look at another historical Legend. Alexander the Great – his name says it all. He was so mighty and victorious that he was feared by many and had “Great” added to his name. What did he do? He subdued nations when he took over his father as king; he never lost a battle till his death. How long was his winning conquest? Almost half of his life on earth, even at a short life span of 32years. He was a king of four great nations at the same time. He renamed multiple cities after conquering them. He was an epitome of a general; one who could lead a small army to conquer a larger one.
Alexander the Great did so much and none could oppose him; none could stop him. Neither could they get in his way – not women, money or rivals. So what ended the life of this mighty man of valour at a young age? It was a mere fever; one that a young teen could recover from, after taking one or two pills for a few days. Is that not humbling?
Let’s consider the animal kingdom where the lion is the king of the jungle. There it is feared. With its size, weighing 250kg, it can pounce on its prey and suffocate it. With its paws, it can give a blow that can break the bones of its prey. Most animals in the wild fear it but a bite or two from the black mamba brings the mighty king of the jungle down in 25 minutes or less, without much effort of fighting.
The black mamba is a snake whose venom is as dangerous as a mixture of poisons that kill in less than an hour. It looks harmless, like a creature that can’t move, but it is fast; all it needs to do is give a bite or two and its victim is at its mercy. Interestingly, black mambas withdraw from the scene at the site of army ants, those tiny little creatures that move in groups and have no respect for any living thing. Besides humans, the black mambas are also killed by the yellow mongoose, whose body weight is less than that of the king of the jungle.
The dog-eat-dog-world saying prevails in the world where we find ourselves if you look closely at nature. A spider that is seen eating a fly at one moment has a challenge when it is weak because at that point, it can be subdued by another fly and be fed on by ants. It will interest you to know that no matter how powerful many living creatures are, they are checkmated with something else, smaller or bigger, to keep them humbled, in other to realise the greater power beyond their physical eyes.
Could there be a greater being that puts us in check or is it all by accident? As you think about it, it is important to know that as small or great as you are, the strengths you have could be used to bring out more aspects of you that people might look down on and the weaknesses that you are oblivious to could bring about your downfall or take you out of this world, despite the strength you possess.
Written
By
Ikenna I. Anyadike
Edited by Chukwudifu Onianwa, of ChuDifu Projects
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