WHO IS SHAKING THE JAR?

 

I was thinking this morning..... I recently read that if you put 100 black ants and 100 red (fire) ants in a jar, nothing will happen. But if you shake the jar hard, the ants start killing each other. The red ants consider the black ants their enemies, and the black ants consider the red ants their enemies. The true enemy is the one shaking the jar.

The same is true of our society. I started my career as a contract staff with one of the multinationals in Warri. Like most contract staff every where in Nigeria, we worked so hard but paid little, unlike the direct employees who we saw as living in a land flowing with milk and honey. We also believed the direct staff are selfish and borderline wicked and will never do right by us. We gossip about them and always looked at them with 'gbejoro eye,' like we say in Warri.

It's been about 30 years since I came to know about the staff versus contract staff divide and the battle is still raging. With me now on the other side, most contract staff still believe the direct staff does not wish them well and are their enemies, while many direct staff believe most contract staff are not pulling their weight. The question is not about who is right or wrong but rather, who is shaking the jar.

One of the fiercest battle is that between Mother-in-law (MIL) and Daughter-in-law (DIL). When your sweet family gets agitated and the DIL turns against the MIL, stay calm and find out who is shaking the jar. Are you currently in the middle of a battle between gender (men vs women), rich vs poor, North vs South, Christians vs Muslims or Yoruba vs Ibo? Before you judge, take sides or fight each other, we should pause and ask who is shaking the jar?

There is always a third force that benefits from the infighting. If God places you in 'a jar' with someone of a different gender, colour, language or belief, please don't find reason to make an enemy of him or her, instead collaborate. If the system gets agitated, don't turn against yourself, instead find out who is shaking the jar. Maintain a healthy relationship with your friends and colleagues. No gree for anyone shaking your friendship jar to make enemies of you. Romans 12:18 says 'Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.'

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

Happy Sunday!

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey