One of the impossibilities of life is to reverse it, because what was and what is, can be miles apart.
I remember a time when, to achieve anything was an uphill battle. Schooling was a luxury, training in any field of work was hard to come by and readymade loans or grants were unheard of.
For the parents who could afford, they ensured their offspring prospered and for many children from families less able to afford, it was always by chance that good opportunities came.
If you became a tradesman, it was because you had finished school, but your grades or academic achievement could not advance your cause. So, just by chance, you may get a job as an apprentice or a common laborer and work your way up or down, from there.
In most cases you could learn the basics of your trade, but not know the science behind the task, meaning the theoretical knowledge.
With my mind set as an adult, it would have been glorious to be young again at this point in time.
Whether by chance or by development concept of the government of the day, so many educational and employment opportunities exist today that if anybody misses out, it is possibly because of lack of personal ambition.
Most young people of today want everything material but few are prepared to remain on the righteous path to achieve their goals. To be precise, they all feel entitled — especially the young men, who seem to all think that things are to be handed to them on a silver spoon.
So, they feel government must free things up, their parents should pay for all their needs and feed them, and mothers must keep the generation alive with little financial contribution from them.
They sometimes get attracted to fast-money schemes, black market deals, and any other job that will not commit them to long-term employment. Taking chances in a criminal way of life seems attractive and more profitable despite the risk and occasional apprehension — and in some cases death.
The less you have is the more some people think they should get from you. Sometimes, they value their services way above what seems normal. Nobody wants to endure, sacrifice or be patient. To them, live gains should be instant, at their fingertips, at all times, and handed to them on a platter. No need to study, learn the ropes, be educated, advance their learning or take advantage of existing opportunities.
And even when some make tons of cash through their methods, they still live a wasteful life, with little investments geared towards their older years or ensuring that their family will have a comfortable future.
I was taught ‘No pain, no gain’, freely-comes freely go and not catering for a rainy day can leave you destressed, unprepared, and disappointed.
Nothing remains the same, because things, like people, age and the seeds you plant today will determine your harvest tomorrow.
So, I urge all — especially the young — to take advantage of present-day opportunities, because failing to advance yourself in the time of plenty can become a nightmare in unpredictable years to come.
Opportunities, if not grabbed, can leave you blaming the system, make you rebellious or disappointed and dissatisfied, because your fate is in your hands.
So, remember that how you make your bed is how you will lie down on it — and opportunities lost can never be regained.
Why? Because the world owes you nothing if you don’t ‘make hay while the sun shines…’
As Bob Marley correctly and wisely pointed out: ‘In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty!’