Daily Diary 8 & 9
Dear Diary,
Yesterday I got so busy and forgot to write. I actually thought of writing but the internet wouldn’t let me. I was once again reminded about the African obsession for celebration. And I keep wondering why it is necessary for Africans to organize grandiose wedding/engagement/birthday parties and then invite people they don’t even like or who don’t even like them, to come partake in their sham of an event. Worst of all, I don’t understand why we write and say eulogies. Because it has no effect at that moment. What are your flowers and eulogies to a dead man?
Today was the last day of our short trip to this very cold village called Bafou. Whilst there, the outraging cold made me remember that life is harder than we often care to admit. But it’s also easier than we dare to live. It was a day with beautiful colors, but full of gloom. And when I look back, I am not sure why it was the way it is.
Do you believe that some of your mood changes or swings can be an accumulation of all past unexpressed emotions? Or maybe just a reflection of your subconscious’ emotions? Because why are there days when you might feel down or gloomy for no justifiable reason? Who or what is therefore liable for this downtime?
Along with 14 other choristers, we decided to boycott a horde of bike riders who had agreed to exploit us for lack of better or other modes of transport back to town. So we strolled away from them in a bandwagon as we shunned them and shut down their exorbitant rates. Minutes later, some of them had ceded and came begging us to give them the rates initially agreed upon. But we said "nay" and continued on foot until we found a better option — a small cargo car whose driver eventually ripped us off but not as much as the bike riders would’ve done.
From today’s experience, I relearned 3lessons:
- Divide and rule is pretty much a thing.
- You just need to settle for the lesser evil.
- Unity is power.
So if you want to get your way with people, you might as well learn how to manipulate them into disagreement. And if you are at a dead end with two or more alternatives, always remember that as there is a greater good, there is also a lesser evil. Weigh your options and choose the one that’ll hurt you less.
Today is Lizette’s birthday and I appreciate that I always manage to meet the nicest people. If she reads my Diary today, then I want her to see these 7 lines that represent the 7 letters of her name -
Petals fall from a blossoming rose
So, the people around are afraid
To hold it because of its thorns
But also because of its worth.
They are scared to break it
And so without knowing,
They lose it.
Dear Diary, keep my thoughts as secret as news can be…
