No Condition Is Permanent

I listened to a song by Rocha Maria, and loved the lyrics so much. The words were the same words our fathers and mothers told us when we were young --- words we sometimes dismissed because we were too young to understand their meaning. But as the years pass, we discover that the wisdom of our elders was not merely advice. It was a compass for navigating the unpredictable road called life.They told us: When the rain falls, do not think it will rain forever. When the sun shines, do not think the sunshine will last forever. Life turns like the wheel of a bicycle. Sometimes you are down. Sometimes you are up. And because the wheel turns, never laugh at the person who is struggling today. Tomorrow may be his day. The man who cannot afford a meal today may one day feed thousands. The woman who is struggling to pay her rent may tomorrow own the house in which others seek shelter. The young man without a job may one day become an employer. The child who walks to school barefoot may one day drive past that same school in a car.

Life changes. Circumstances change. People change

No condition is permanent. Today, someone is crying because there is no food in the house. Tomorrow, there may be enough food not only for his family but for his neighbours. Today, a mother lies awake wondering where the money for her children's school fees will come from. Tomorrow, those same children may become doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs and professionals --- and become the very people who wipe the tears from their mother's eyes. Today, someone is sleeping in a rented room, wondering whether the landlord will give him another month. Tomorrow, he may hold the keys to his own house. Today, someone is searching desperately for a job. Tomorrow, people may be searching for him because of the opportunities he creates.

Do Not Lose Hope Because of Today

Today is only one page in the book of your life. There are people who are existing but not really living. They wake up every morning with problems waiting for them.

No job. No food. No spouse. No child. No money for rent. No money for school fees. No money for medicine. No peace at home. No certainty about tomorrow. And yet they continue. They wake up. They wash. They dress. They go out. They smile at people. And nobody knows the battles they are fighting inside. That is why we must learn to be kinder to one another. You do not know what the person standing beside you is going through. The man you mock may have spent the whole night wondering how to feed his children. The woman you dismiss may be carrying a burden that would break you. The young person you call lazy may have sent hundreds of applications without receiving a single opportunity. The old man sitting quietly by the roadside may have once carried the responsibilities of an entire family.

Never Laugh at the Disadvantaged
So, before you laugh at somebody's poverty, remember that poverty is not a permanent identity. Before you despise somebody because he has failed, remember that failure is not a permanent destination. And before you become proud because you are comfortable today, remember that life has a way of turning the wheel. Yesterday may have been their day. Today may be yours. Tomorrow may belong to somebody else. That is life.

A river does not remain in one place forever. It moves. It passes through valleys. It encounters rocks. It becomes narrow in some places and wide in others. But it continues moving until it reaches the sea. So must we.

There will be days when you feel that everything is against you. There will be nights when you ask God why your prayers appear unanswered. There will be moments when you wonder whether your life will ever change. Hold on. The night does not have the final word. The darkness does not negotiate with the morning. Eventually, the sun rises. And when it does, yesterday's darkness becomes a memory.

Keep Hope Alive
Perhaps that is why we should never surrender our hope. Not when the marriage has failed. Not when the business has collapsed. Not when the job has disappeared. Not when the relationship has ended. Not when the examination has been failed. Not when the bank account is empty. Not when people have abandoned us. Not even when those we trusted have betrayed us.

Keep Moving On
But hope does not mean sitting down and waiting for miracles. Hope means believing that tomorrow can be different while doing what you can today to make it different.

There are also painful things happening around us. Families are divided. Brothers fight brothers. Sisters turn against sisters. Husbands abandon their responsibilities. Wives carry burdens they should not have to carry alone. Children grow up without the love and guidance they deserve. People who are supposed to be examples become involved in sexual abuse, rape, corruption, violence and other social vices. Some people use their positions of trust to intimidate and exploit the vulnerable.

We No Longer Care, Do We?
And sometimes, the most disturbing thing is not only that these things happen, but that we have become increasingly insensitive to the suffering of others. We see somebody struggling and walk past. We see an elderly person hungry and look away. We hear of a child being abused and move on. We see a family collapsing and gossip about them instead of asking how we can help. We have become quick to condemn and slow to understand. But perhaps life is reminding us of something very simple: None of us knows what tomorrow holds.

Life Can Be Unpredictable
The rich man can become poor. The poor man can become rich. The healthy can become sick. The unemployed can become an employer. The unknown can become famous. The rejected can become celebrated. The broken can become healed. The hopeless can find hope again. The person everyone has written off can surprise the world.

That is why humility is important. And kindness is important. And forgiveness is important. And compassion is important. Because the wheel keeps turning. One day you may be the person giving. Another day you may be the person asking. One day you may be carrying somebody. Another day you may need somebody to carry you. One day you may be comforting the grieving. Another day you may need somebody to comfort you.

Life turns. So let us not mock the struggling. Let us not despise the poor. Let us not humiliate the unemployed. Let us not abandon the elderly. Let us not destroy people because of their mistakes. Let us not make somebody's difficult season more painful than it already is.

If you have enough, share. If you have knowledge, teach. If you have influence, use it to lift somebody. If you have money, remember those who have none. If you have a position, do not use it to intimidate the powerless. If you have peace, do not become the source of another person's misery.

And if today is your difficult day, do not give up. You may not see the road ahead. You may not know how the story will end. But your present circumstance is not necessarily your final destination. Keep walking. Keep praying. Keep working. Keep believing. Keep learning. Keep your dignity. Keep your humanity. And above all, keep hope alive. For the wheel is still turning. The river is still flowing. The night is still giving way to morning. And somewhere beyond the difficulties of today may be the blessing you have been waiting for.

Yesterday may have been painful. Today may be difficult. But tomorrow has not yet been written. So do not allow today's hardship to steal tomorrow's hope. Do not let failure convince you that you are a failure. Do not let poverty convince you that you have no worth. Do not let rejection convince you that nobody will ever value you. Do not let betrayal turn your heart into stone. And do not let temporary circumstances define your entire life.

The rain will stop. The sun will set. The wheel will turn. The river will flow. And life will change. For one of life's greatest lessons remains: NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT.

FUSEINI ABDULAI BRAIMAH
+233208282575 / +233550558008
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