DON’T BOAST YET

‘A farmer does not boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season’

A farmer may determine if a crop is bad on the day of harvest but it is usually very difficult for any farmer to determine if a crop is good or strong enough on the day of harvest. There are many bad crops that appear to be good on the day of harvest but with time, they turn out to be bad. It takes a patient and tolerant farmer to wait for some time before concluding that a particular crop is good or not.

Our ancestors believe that a farmer does not have the right to boast that he has had a good harvest until his stock of yams lasts till the following harvest season. Yes, the success of every farmer cannot be determined on the first day of the harvest, the ability of the harvested crops to last till the next harvest season is what determines a good or successful harvest.

Also in life, you cannot determine the success of any marriage from the way the union is being celebrated, you cannot determine the success of your business based on its mode of establishment, you cannot measure the intelligence of a student from his/her first grade in school, you cannot measure the performance of an employee based on his/her first assignment in an organization, you cannot determine the integrity and commitment of our political leaders based on their first year in office…the list goes on.

Out of every expensive and elaborate wedding ceremonies organized in a year, it is unfortunate that only few of them have the strength to last till the next five or six years. There are many businesses that started greatly some few years ago but now, we only hear and read that they had existed. We have heard about many students who used to be very brilliant and intelligent in high school but later became dull while in college or university to the extent that they struggled to graduate. An employee who is active or productive today may disorganize your organization tomorrow. A celebrity who is known and celebrated by people today may be a nobody tomorrow. Also, a leader who is assumed to be responsible, brave, generous, eloquent, civilized or sensitive to the basic need of his/her people today may turn out to be the worst political leader tomorrow.

Don’t boast about your good works yet; wait till the next season before you jump into conclusion. Be patient and tolerant to study your achievements before you start boasting about them. Also, don’t start praising or condemning people from the start (at times, your appreciation or criticisms may be baseless if they are not subjected to the principle of natural timing).

Don't start your day without a word from the ancestors...remember, a word is enough for the wise. Sign up with us for a daily feed. Follow @our_ancestors on twitter or email: wordsofourancestors@gmail.com. May your days be plenty!