Envy of the achievement displayed by those who have managed to climb the social ladder makes life for most of us on the lowest side of the economic and social ladder as inconspicuous as the MTN “Jerry Jerry can” advert. Like the country’s economy, we are uncertain about the future. Our financial status can only be compared to the appearance of a pork joint or butcher – a lot of activity in a filthy-looking place.
We live day by day, like hungry individuals too weak to climb a fruit tree, sitting under it and waiting for a chance for the monkey to shake some fruits, hoping some will fall our way. If it doesn’t, we end up with envy of the achievement of others.
A few lucky ones have managed to climb the social ladder, though not yet reaching the apex. This is the group we passionately envy, wishing we were in their positions. They seem to have broken the shackles of uncertainty, secured jobs and positions, and bask in the limelight of social media hype.
As if not enough,they exude a sense of “achievement” to the extent of sounding arrogant while doling out advice on how to succeed in life. They post exaggerated lifestyles, name-drop, and we can’t help but envy their connections. They talk big money, high-class travel, and are surprisingly well-informed about failing artists or sports personalities.
Envy of the achievement caused by Achievers themselves
While the “less privileged” quietly consume their kikomando, the “achievers” keep reminding us about the expensive dinners they had with certain “celebs,” even posting pictures as proof. Very few will openly confess to living a “struggling life” like the rest of us. Some resort to “praise-singing” the names of the rich as a modern way of “begging.” A street term for this habit is “kusudiya baggaga.”
With the latest brand-name phones, clothes, bags, and shoes, they move around with the aura of fashion designers. Their presence at a function turns heads, and they strut with the swag of WWE wrestlers, commanding attention. Their self-entitlement can only be compared to that of bodaboda riders. They include upcoming artists who act like they own the city, radio/TV presenters who act like they own the media houses, and a new crop of charismatic preachers who act like they are “God’s assistants.”
Also, the corporate bravados who move around with Ids swinging around their necks, shirts, and blouses tucked in like capsule tablets. Occasionally, their employers treat them to foreign trips, and they return with tales of pilgrimage.
The elders/veterans or pioneers of the field watch them with disdain because they know they won’t take advice and think the elders are old-fashioned. The veterans have seen a similar lot disappear without a trace. We react to every post of their “achievements” with scorn. We fight hard to bring them down to our level, and they fight hard to maintain the set standards until reality sets in.
Their rating starts skydiving under a gravitational force, and the music vibe goes “ancient.” Jobs are lost, and we, the mortals, start celebrating “another one biting the dust” as we press the “Next button” for another victim.
The Fall from Grace: Facing Reality Abroad
It becomes hard for the “high life” celeb to live the low life of a single-bedroom existence in the “ghetto.” They cannot take a dose of their own medicine. They had not planned for this phase in life or expected it this early. Reality has set in, and the rims of privilege with which they viewed the country are now off.
The naked eyes reveal a different picture of the economy. They now blame the veterans for witchcraft as though the veterans too have envy of the achievement others have made forgetting that the veterans did not act like the “Johnny come lately” and witnessed their similarly acting peers go down the drain.
Fortunately, for the falling selebu, they have connections made abroad and travel visas in their passports. Attempting to fly out becomes easy, and off they go to join others whom they had earlier criticized for running to Kyeyo (working abroad).
We then look for another one to hype, raise, and eventually shoot down. If only they had taken heed of the lyrics from 90’s hip-hop song – “don’t believe the hype” is so simple.
The article : Envy of the achievement of Others was Written by ; Absolom Lubwama
