Self Made: A Great Scam
Popular amongst urban success stories are the stories of those who left from nothing to something. People who literally left from zero to hero. As Drake would say, started from the bottom and now they're at the top. Those who slept in gutters and now live in villas. To cut things short, they were mostly self-made. In an Africa where even your Aunty's neighbour's cousin treated you like family, the idea of being self-made is very ungrateful. But what is self-made even?
Self made can be defined as having become successful or rich by one's own efforts. Or simply being made by oneself. Going by this definition, is it even possible for someone to be self-made? The concept of being self-made means that a person became successful without the help of anybody. That they had to struggle alone until they attained success.
Maybe it's just me, but I think the general idea has been grossly flawed. Because a lot of people are basing self-made on the fact that family or friends didn't help them on their journey towards being and/or becoming. So they don't look past it towards the wider picture. How is it possible to live without the help and support of others? Is this not some way to belittle other's efforts in your life? What do you really mean when you say you're self made?
Hard as it is to admit, it's impossible for people to be self made. Because at one point in time, you've probably been helped out by family, friends or a good Samaritan. The African perspective of self made is like the story of the good Samaritan - as long as it's not my family and friends who helped and supported me, it doesn't matter at all.. I did it all by myself and by my might.
I've been in many bitter situations in the past, cursing and blaming everyone else but myself - I still do sometimes. I always thought to myself: "When I'll become successful, I'll cut myself off everybody and not help anyone because nobody helped/helps me" The Story of the Ungrateful Servant. Because when I eventually make it, I have the moral obligation as the orphan that I am, to show gratitude to all those who ever came to my aid actively or passively. The funny thing is that there are the orphans and abandoned children who always scream self made most often. How can you be so naïve to rub your ingratitude in the faces of your benefactors?
I’m not writing much on this - because there’s not much to write about. It’s true that some people struggled through rejection and frustration before becoming who they are. Others were served this on a platter of gold. But saying that because you had to labour your way to the top nullifies the efforts and support of others in the pseudo appellation of self made, makes no sense at all. Be grateful to those who helped along the way. There’s this saying I’ve been seeing on the WWW recently: "We met for a reason; either you are a blessing or you are a lesson" Because success makes us, failures do too. Every person met was a stepping stone to your grandeur. Don’t you dare look the gift horse in the mouth.
