Sometimes in life, we have people we really look up to because of how they act, their words, or the good things they do. For me, that person was one of my dad's friends. He is a politician, and honestly, I used to see him as someone who cares a lot about people. After my dad passed away in 2001, this man always tried to check on us once in a while. He knew my mom was a people’s person, and I guess that’s why he kept coming around.
The irony of life is ' you grow up admiring someone, thinking that you have found a role model, someone you can look up to, someone you want to emulate, with your expectations large and high, but later got to know that they are not what you think they are, it can be really disappointing and painful.
Growing up, I admired him because of the things he did for his people. I heard stories about how he bought motorbikes for young men in his hometown in Osun state, Nigeria. People always talk about how he gave money to those who really needed help. In my mind, I was like, Wow, this man is really a good man. He cares for people. So naturally, I respected him, and in some way, I even wished other politicians could be like him.
But as time goes on and I started to understand life better, my view started to change. The day it all crashed for me was when I overheard him talking one time. He said something like, Helping people is not because I like them. You need them to like you when election comes. That moment hit me so hard. I just froze because I never expected that kind of mentality from him.
I used to think his kindness was real. I thought he was doing it from his heart. But it turns out everything was just strategy for politics. He never really cared about the people like I thought. It was all for power and votes. Honestly, that day I lost all the respect I had for him in my heart. I realized some people only act nice when they want something in return.
Since that day, I told myself something: don’t ever put too much trust in anyone just because they look good in public. People can pretend for years just to keep their image. That experience really changed how I see politicians and even people in general. It taught me to always watch actions closely, not just words.
Have you ever had that kind of experience too? Where someone you look up to just disappoints you? It’s painful, but I guess that’s life.
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