POWER, GREED AND AVARICE, AND A PHARAOH WHO DOESN'T KNOW JOSEPH

NEVER FORGET ONE DAY A PHARAOH WILL RULE OVER EGYPT WHO DOESN'T KNOW JOSEPH

Joseph graduated from prison to the palace and  became the prime minister.

His position rubbed off on the Israelites.

He could make a lot of things happen without let or hindrance.

But one time came when there was a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph.

And the lot of the Jews changed for the worst.

But it's not the Bible story that concerns me today. It's the tendency to forget that no matter what power or influence you wield today, it is transient.

That and the penchant for Greed and Avarice.

Greed, or avarice, is an inordinate or insatiable longing for material gain, be it food, money, status, or power.

Greed is the inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs.

Avarice tends to refer specifically to wealth, money and materials , typically associated with miserliness and hoarding.

In positions of power and authority a man plagued with Greed and Avarice develops a neurosis that keeps pushing him to grab and grab even unto unimaginable extents.

He gets so carried away with the psychosis that he is no more cognisant of the fact that he will leave office one day and his successor may not be his crony.

Many African leaders and leaders of government at all levels have fallen prey to this tendency.

The result is the disgrace and oprobium many are subjected to after leaving office.

If everyone in positions of power reminds himself always that there will be a Pharaoh one day who is not a friend of Joseph,  governors will not steal their states blind.

No one will attempt to acquire a quarter of a state's forest reserves.

For what purpose one is wont to wonder.

What would an individual want to do with so much.

It can only be Greed and Avarice.

It's a sad plague that has been the albatross of many.

Power is transient and every person in power must know that it will expire one day.

Power is transient and Position is ephemeral

Today you are the cynosure of all eyes. All this is not for you but for that position you are in. It's for the derivables from you to them.

Look away from that cheering crowd. Close your ears to the applause, my friend.

Think about it: What happens when the music stops?

Enikan ki i yago fun mo gun eshin l'ana.

What is left is the lives you have touched while you had the chance to.

The sad faces that walked up to you and left with a smile won't forget you.

The distraught that you gave a lifeline will forever be grateful, my friend.

One day the canopy that shields you will be removed, and the panoply you have staked so much to acquire becomes a liability. Wealth you have made out of greed and avarice suddenly becomes the source of your troubles.

You can run but for how long can you hide?

The law comes for you.

The people despise you.

The peace and rest after labour eludes you.

NEVER FORGET ONE DAY A PHARAOH WILL RULE OVER EGYPT WHO DOESN'T KNOW JOSEPH.

THIS IS WISDOM