As
one moves from one place to another in one's life, it is amazing how one leaves
behind "debris" that was, at one time, very useful to them.
This
bunch of keys that I went through recently, in order to find any keys that I could
use again for some locks that I have repaired, revealed quite a number of
things that one can relate to in one’s life!
Those
keys have been kept for a period of many years that I have spent living in nine
residential houses in four different towns and cities in Zambia from around
1980 to 2018 (A total of 38 years!).
Some
of the keys are brand new because they were kept as spares and have never been
used because their locks got damaged before they could be used.
From
this experience, I can relate the following to our situations in life: -
1. The very person that one is
very used to today and is very valuable to them, will not always be of useful
to them all the time of their lives.
The
locks and keys are always changed for various reasons and circumstances.
2. Where you are “locked away”
from the rest of society in, an apparent, secure position, it will not always
be that way throughout your life.
You
need to change the lock and key from time to time. There no situation than is
permanent in one’s life. Remember Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 27–36)
3. Not all the people who you see
nearby you now, will open doors for you today but may be of use to you later in
life.
Never
throw away a disused key or lock when you think you will never need it later.
Do
not disregard anybody you think is of no consequence to your life now. He or
she will probably the one who will bury you in future.
4. Every person you think will be
of value to you in future because they have the same character as your close
friends will not necessarily be useful to you later.
The
locks and keys may be of the same model and type but they will never be
exchangeable for use.
5. Some people who may seem to be
very difficult to approach now may just need a bit of persuasion for them to
help you. Later on you will find that they are really valuable to you than
others that you have been associated with before.
Some
keys just need a bit of modification for them to work on other locks and may sometimes
prove to be more robust than the original keys that you have used before.
6. It is not how useful and
reliable a person maybe to you now that they will always be so. Some locks look
so good and reliable at purchase but only work for a very short time.
7. When relating to others do not
look at the size of their income or where they come from. They will not always
be there for you.
Locks
get lost or stolen as you move from one place to another. People come and go on
this world trough death, loss of status or being relocated to far off places
where you will not have access to them.
8. No matter whether you like it
or not you will always live in a society with people of different characters
and traits from yours. You will never find anyone, even if you belong to the
same race, tribe or political party, that is exactly the same like you. Being a
demagogue does not assure you of a secure future.
Locks
and keys are of different makes and types but they all perform the same
function in one way or another.
9. Avoid association with people
of cheap value because they will never improve your life in any way. This will
be costly to you in the long run.
If
your close friends are, for example, drunkards, lazy-abouts, satanists and
false prophets, etc, this will greatly affect the quality of your life.
Associate
with powerful people such as men of God, successful businessmen and women,
economists, engineers and other professionals who will inspire you to be of the
same class with them.
Buying
locks and keys that are cheap and not durable has cost me more money before I
learned to purchase quality ones recently.
10. It is always good to have as
many people as possible that you associate with because even if they are may not
be of use to you for now, one day you may find them useful for something that
you will need urgently.
I
keep thousands of contacts on my phone book (2,600 plus) and a similar number
on Social media (some 5,000 on Facebook).
Out
of these thousands, I only relate to a few of them on a regular basis.
However,
from time to time I get in touch with those I rarely communicate with.
The
fact that you got their details, in the first place, means that you have dealt
with them in one way or another.
There
are some people I rarely communicate with nowadays, but from time to time I get
in touch with them.
For
example, a friend of mine recently requested me to find him someone who is a
very good machinist to be employed. There was a very good one that I knew when
I was working in Nampundwe, around the 1990s. Since I did not delete him from
my contacts list in my phone, the man was engaged.
I
always backup my contacts list on the Computer and the Internet, so that even
if I lose a cell phone, I am able to quickly put them on another phone.
There
is a current tendency amongst graduating students, from higher learning
institutions once they get their diploma and degree certificates, to sell their
textbooks or to tear up their study notebooks
They
erroneously believe that they will never refer to them again and their
knowledge will be from their own brains.
This
has proved costly to them because reading to acquire knowledge is a continuous
process until death and it does not stop at college or university.
Those
who stop reading in the long run, become illiterate educated people through
“loss by osmosis” to the environment.
Never
throw that bunch of disused locks and keys ever again because you will need it
in future!
