MOTHO
NAKA LWA THOLO. MATSWAKABELE A MATSWAPETSWAPE, GA A ITSIWE ESE NAGA.
Directly
translated. This Setswana proverb is saying that, a person is like a Kudu’s horn
which has twists and curves. You can never really understand a human being, as
much as you can know your way through the mysterious forest.
Although the forest is
strange, scary and mysterious, but once you take time to explore it and move
about it, it’s unlikely that you may get lost in it. No matter how strange it
may be, the good thing is that it never changes. It remains the same forest, with
the same trees and hills that remain unmoved. Now the scariest thing is a human
being. With a human being, it’s a different case. No amount of studying,
spending time or interaction can guarantee one a mastery of a human being. Even
as individuals, we can never really reach a point where we can claim to
understand ourselves. Sometimes our reactions to life situations even shock us.
We often find ourselves saying, “I never knew I was capable of this”. This is
because people are ever changing creatures with complex minds.
Marty Rubin
said, “Another person is a door you can’t enter even by knocking”. Just like
the twisted horn on a Kudu's head, no character is straightforward. Never think
that you know or understand a person well enough. A piece of advice; save room
for surprises. You cannot define individuals by a single character trait
otherwise you risk making mistakes about their conduct as they react
differently to different situations.
“A couple decided to
commit suicide after an experience with a rough life. They decided to jump off
a building. When they got to the top, they both counted to three. The man
jumped, but the woman stayed. She watched him drop for about 8 seconds and then
saw a parachute open.” Now the question is, who cheated who?
As much as we refer to
life as complicated, humans are as well. In the scenario above, it is important
to highlight the dilemma the two went through, no one can ever really
understand the complexity of their thoughts at that moment and that makes it
difficult to judge who was wrong or right. The more you think about it, the
more the scenario will baffle your mind. If you think a human mind is a simple
field, I recommend that you watch Tyler Perry’s Acrimony and share your line of
thought…trust me, you will definitely say, “it’s complicated”.
Motho naka lwa tholo,
matswakabele a matswapetswape. Ga a itsiwe e se naga. Remember, great
expectations may lead to great disappointments. Certainty may give you big
surprises. Overconfidence will drown you in the sea of reality. Never think you
know a person enough.
A human being is more
mysterious than a forest.
#TheeAuroraSays
