Just like how we usually laugh about it on social media, life itself is partial. While a 20-year-old boy in well-developed countries can already have a good and promising future, a 30-year-old man born into a struggling country in the world may just be working daily to put food on his table and will still find it hard to have a three square meal. It becomes even worse when one is born into a poor family in a country like mine, Nigeria. From the very moment of birth, life is already leading the child 10–0. Pressures begin to mount on the child as he grows into adulthood.
Life in my country, except for those born with a silver spoon, sets targets and benchmarks for everyone, and it is very hard to ignore or pretend not to see these expectations. It is almost impossible, no matter how hard one tries! The pressures are just there.
My current life pressure:
As much as I am trying not to feel pressured, I cannot deny the fact that there are many things I ought to have done by now, according to the standards society has set. As it stands, finding a life partner is one of those pressures. To be very truthful, I joke about it a lot, I laugh over it, and I often lose interest in the journey. Yet, despite all this, my mind still gets a heavy knock whenever I am calm and reflecting on how difficult it has been for me to find one, how nonchalant I have been about it, and how time keeps ticking away.
I know people reading this might say, "Guy, you need to calm down and not rush." Yes, I know that. I understand that I should not rush, and that is why I am taking my time. However, you cannot deny the truth that time and age are important factors in this journey. No, I am not old enough to have reached 'papipause' (menopause for men, Lol😂). I just feel pressured for not being serious enough about it or not having a good result to show for it.
Of course, things have not gone the way I want, and I have been feeling frustrated. But there is a place for wisdom, where we should not allow any kind of pressure to push us into something we may regret later or lead us into depression. Yes, I have a very good understanding of this part of life and survival.
Do you know the craziest thing? Almost every pressure in a world like mine is traced down to availability of money. Once you have enough money, life pressures reduce instantly.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Week 210, Edition 03 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
Image: Own photo