THE CURRENCY OF PEOPLE

Let’s logically imagine the scenario of Pharaoh’s wine bearer and his involvement in helping Joseph out of the prison to the palace. Logically the chances are slim right? But it happened anyway. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this but people are currencies.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the term “people” is being referred to as a body of persons that are united by a common culture, tradition, or sense of kinship, that typically have common language, institutions, and beliefs, and that often constitute a politically organized group.

Currency as defined by the same source is seen as circulation, being a medium of exchange for general use, acceptance, or prevalence.

The seven continents, fifty-four countries in Africa, and even the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria show the diversity of people. Unfortunately, so many have been blinded by religiosity and so they tend to judge people with their cultures and belief systems. A teenage northern girl has a piercing on her nose, also, a western teenager of the same age doesn’t. This is because of the different environments they both grew up in. Now, it is very unwise to pass a judgment; either good or bad on any of them without getting to know them in person. This has made people who should have risen from the prison to the palace still found in the prison.

You see, learning entails far more than knowing the human anatomy or knowing how the composition of both hydrogen and oxygen form the most important liquid on earth called water. While these are important, having twenty-first-century knowledge cannot be overemphasized as we are in an exponential decade. If you have good values, chances are someone else has even higher values than you. If you make an average of ten thousand naira monthly, someone else is making ten times that monthly.

The highest form of wealth is not in money but people. Many people are where they are today because someone mentioned their name to another person who became instrumental to their lifting.

Miss Anabel Uzezi, in her mail to me earlier in the month talked about a friend who needed to travel to Kaduna for the Nigerian Defense Academy exams. Her friend had an uncle in Kaduna but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t reach him. So one day in his workplace, while discussing it with a colleague, a cleaner overheard and showed interest and even said he knew someone in the Air-force. Now, the same thing that went through his mind is what would have gone through so many; including yours and mine “who can this one possibly know in the Air-force”. Well, the cleaner innocently went ahead, giving him a name to ask about and to tell the person he was from “the cleaner”. Miss Anabel’s friend just listened without planning to use the information. Arriving in Kaduna, he found out that his uncle relocated and he had no option but to use the cleaner’s link. To cut the long story short, he was welcomed and given a premium treatment by the person in the Air-force all because he said who he was from; “the cleaner”.

Threads like “beware of people”, “I can do well all by myself” and “80% of people don’t care and 20% are glad you’re in the mess you are”; are not completely true. If I drop a thousand naira note, a hundred dollar note, and a hundred euro note, which would you pick? Just like there are different currencies in the world, so also there are different people in the world. Choose the one that will be of benefit to you.

Also, if you choose the hundred euro note and spend it lavishly and someone who chooses either the hundred dollars or thousand naira decides to invest them wisely, they will get returns in due time. That is to say, taking advantage of people will only benefit you for now; just like you can spend the hundred euro on so many things before it gets finished, but when it gets finished, IT IS FINISHED.

Furthermore, don’t go investing time in people who don’t share the same views as you do all because you want to have a circle. If integrity is one of your core values, invest your time in someone who has more integrity than you. If knowledge is your core value; invest your time by being friends with someone more knowledgeable than you are. As long as the person is good, they will show you how they attained the level they are in, and by doing the same, you become a better you.