I was driving home from work on Friday, approaching the Lekki toll gate in Lagos. The vehicle in front of mine was this beautiful wine-colored 2021 Ford Explorer. The SUV was so beautiful; a sight for sore eyes. I marveled at the beautiful body of the car, the wheels, and how gallant it was.
The road was fast-moving triple lanes; I was unable to maneuver out of the back, as other lanes were crowded. The SUV kept cruising with no sense of urgency, driving below the speed limit on a fast-moving motorway. It happened to be one of those days when work did its best to drain you of all your energy. I was frustrated and irritated, hungry, and rushing home to eat something. I flashed my car light and used my car horn, but these had no effect. Then, I used my indicator to try and get into the next lane, and after much effort, I managed to drive out of its back.
This experience got me thinking, and I will share some thoughts below.
Sometimes in life, we remain stagnant, moving slowly on a fast-track lane, when we should move quickly. This is because the person or people in front of us, the people we admire, look up to, take advice from, and look up to as role models, have told us to do so. No matter how sensible their advice may sound, pieces of advice like; don’t rush, take life easy, slow and steady wins the race. You need to set out on your own and see how fast you can move.
It is critical to realize that life has its phases. There are times to crawl, walk, run, and fly, and sometimes we must stay still. However, if you run when you should be crawling or stay still instead of walking, things might not turn out as you expect them to. Sometimes they end up in irreparable conditions.
The comparison of ourselves with others comes into play here. Whether it is our siblings, colleagues, neighbors, old/present school classmates, or celebrities, we all want to fly because someone we know is doing it. This is a big mistake because no two people have the same destination.
Comparison can land you in an accident. Let’s take the beautiful 2021 Ford SUV for instance; if a smaller-engine vehicle decided to race with it, the outcome is obvious, the small-engine vehicle will not be able to catch up. If it accelerates past its maximum speed, it will probably damage its engine. Moreover, if Ford SUV decided to race a G-wagon 12-cylinder engine, we would get the same result; it will not catch up. Lastly, if the Ford SUV was trying to accelerate faster than a car with a more powerful engine, this would likely result in a ghastly accident. This would hurt the driver and possibly harm innocent road users.
That being said, it is advisable to move through life at your own pace, with your own goal in mind.
#MEMBA11