If you were like me, your parents probably thought you to be modest. Well, there is a limit to modesty. There comes a time when you have to say it the way it is.
I am better than you.
These are the two reasons why:
1.) A long time ago, I bought a book of poetry by Rod McKuen. I bought it under a bridge in Oshodi, Lagos. It was a used poetry book. I opened it and what I read in the preface has remained with me ever since. It has been the primary viewpoint through which I see my place in the world. McKuen wrote:
“Friendship is about being a friend and not having a friend and love is about loving and not being loved. The gift that one receives for giving is so enormous that it is almost an injustice to accept it.”
I have found out that no matter how difficult life is, there is always something one can give – a warming smile, a helping hand, a listening ear.
2.) It took a long time for me to encounter another quote that had that kind of overwhelming effect. It happened this year. I was reading about Paul Newman when I came across this quote:
“The greatest difference between people is not in old and young but between those who have had pleasure in love and those who have not.”
I have had pleasure in love. And that should serve especially on those days when life does not go the way I expected it.
Now that you know the two reasons why I am better than you, I guess I am not better anymore.
Damn!
