TWISTED ARE THE WAYS OF MAN

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

DON'T CRY OVER SPILT MILK

 

SE ILENG, SE ABO SE ILENG, MOSELATLEDI KE LESILO

meaning and lessons drawn from this setswana proverb:

• What is gone is gone, chasing it is living a ghost like life. A ghost lives in the past. The life of a ghost is helpless and in vain.
• Longing for something that can never return is unhealthy.
• There is no use crying over spilt milk. Or is there?
• Free your heart,mind and soul of pain by letting go.

A LOVING HEART HAS NO BOUNDS

PELO E JA SERATI, SEBATLELWA GA E SE JE.

This is a Setswana proverb of which I will break down, word by word to translate it.

Pelo= heart

E ja= eats

Serati=love

Sebatelwa=offering

Ga e =does not

Se je= eat

Directly translated it says, “The heart eats what it wants, anything else offered it does not bite”. Psht …god knows the heart has no mouth to eat (LOL). But the general meaning of the proverb is that, a heart wants what it wants or that a loving heart knows no bounds. This Setswana proverb reminds me of Botswana’s very own African mourning collared dove. These are devoted loving birds that symbolize romance. When the male mourning collared dove is ready to mate, he performs a wooing ritual of bows and coos in front of the female he’s interested in. if she accepts the advances, the two become one if you know what I mean. The mourning collared doves mate for life. The couple has a bond so strong that can go beyond death for a season. The doves have been known to occasionally visit the place where their mate has died in remembrance of the love they shared. Interesting huh? From these birds, we learn the power of the heart that chooses, “pelo e ja serati.” Since this is the month of love, be sure to share it with that one person your heart feels strongly connected to. I don’t know who that person might be or what got you drawn to make them your choice. Perhaps it’s their charisma, their smile, their kindness, their touch, or the look in their eyes that speaks to your soul. Whatever it might be, be sure it’s what your heart chose, and stick to it. Happy Valentine’s Day, and remember,"sebatlelwa ga e se je."

#TheeAuroraSays