The Marketplace (Part One)

Today, I was at the market to meet someone and I couldn't help watching the multitude of people as they came and go doing their business. It occurred to me that the way our life works is simply a reflection of how a market works. I

t's not like it's the first time I've had this thought. As a matter of fact, there's a ninety percent chance that anytime I set my foot on a market, I'm having this line of thought. Today was just the day I concluded and stopped looking for why it's not a good comparison.

You might wonder, how on earth does the workings of a market resemble the way we live or reflects life. Take solace in knowing I wondered about it a long time as well, since I was quite young actually. The first time I heard anything like it, it was from my mother and that's where it all started from.

I observed that there was so much disorder today and I couldn't help but wonder, is there no way of making the affairs of this market a little more orderly? But after thinking it a while, I realised, there's just about so much order that can be put in place there.

The only means of restoring any good amount of order there will require a lot of changes that will cost a lot of both good and bad people their livelihoods and anyone that were to do that, even though his intent is good, will be labelled a tyrant, a dictator and an evil person.

This is what we see today in our daily lives. We make plans and it just doesn't turn out the way we hoped. It just seem like there's so much out there that isn't within your control, but can affect your plans in so many ways. It feels like there's just so much you need to control but can't, giving you that feeling of so much disorder.

This might make you wonder if God cares because you know he has the power to fix this wacked world, but doing that will require such a level of cleansing and destruction that poeple will begin to ask who's God and who's the devil.

I noticed that some were selling their wares so quickly and effortlessly while others were not doing so well, despite all their effort to woo customers. I couldn't help but relate that with how some people seem to have it so easy in life, getting what they want before or as soon as they want it.

There's the other group that seems to have to earn every little thing with their blood and sweats, and sometimes with the blood and sweat, they still don't get it. Maybe you'll call it good luck, but I know a group that will call it the grace of God and I'm not so sure I disagree with them or have any reservations about that stance.

Again, some customers would stand at a particular place for a long time trying to get something, while others will come, meet them there, finish buying and still leave them there. Some will come to the market and spend so much time getting very few things, while some will come and finish in no time, getting everything they came for.

We also see this in our human lives in situations where some people are born into this world and they live a short life but leave a mark behind, while some will live a long time and have nothing much to show for it, and when I say nothing to show for it, I don't mean wealth, power or fame.

It just brought to mind thoughts of quality over quantity. It's not how long our lives will be that matters, but how much impact it will make, how much it will affect and better the world and people around us, that's what matters.

You could leave a hundred years and the measure of your life's value wouldn't be up to 15 on a scale of one to hundred, while another could have a life span of twenty-two years and the measure of his life value will be above eighty as a result of how much his life had contributed to uplifting and bettering those around him, his family, friends community, state, country, even the world at large. Bottoms line is, try to live a live worthwhile, one that will not be forgotten in the hearts and minds of those whose life you touched, bettered and uplifted.

I'm feeling really sleepy, so I'm going to leave it here, maybe I'll pick it up in my next article. It was really a wonderful and eye opening experience. I hope to share it all with you guys. But think about this for the now.

Thanks for reading