I must admit life is dealing with me seriously. Sometimes, I even think someone might have bribed life to deal with me beyond dealing with me.
Life has unfolded all its true colours to me. Somehow, I do not blame myself much, but I blame someone tasked with the stabilization of the economy. My savings are swept away by this fluctuating economy.
Opening a savings account was as hard as entering a camel through the eye of a needle. Of course, what would I deposit to keep it active? Persuaded to open a savings account, I was told, in the end, to deposit at least 500 SSP to keep the account active. It took me 5 minutes to decide on what to do. My heart was racing. It looks bad to deposit today and come back tomorrow to withdraw. Even cashiers can fade up of you.
I deposited 5,000 SSP. Guess how many days I spent to return for it? Three days later, I returned to the bank to withdraw 3,000 SSP for transport. I tell you, I did not like how the cashier looked at me. The cashier looked at me from head to toe. That day, I understood that someone without money is a statue or something else. Whatever happened, I did not know. I received a call from the customer care service that my account is dormant. I knew it would be dormant shortly, I replied.
I then tied my testes to save at least 1,000 SSP every month. I remember there was a time I deposited 500 SSP. From the corners of my eyes, I caught a neighbour bank customer starring at me as if it is a crime to save 500 SSP. One thing I only believe from motivational speakers is that money accumulates very quickly. By the time the economy overtook the sun, I had 17,000 South Sudanese Pounds. Hustling does not yield like it used to be. I could not earn anything for a living from hustling.
So, I began withdrawing my savings to put food on my table. Surprisingly, the economic crisis became very arrogant, misbehaving wildly like a buffalo with one eye. By now, I must have remained with less than 10,000 SSP. I’m afraid I may not survive this merciless economic meltdown.
People say there is no balance in this life. Yes, I agree there is no balance in this life for sure. If my net worth is 17,000 SSP but someone’s net worth is 17 billion SSP, is there a balance in this life? If I go to the bank and withdraw 5,000 SSP but someone next to me is withdrawing 5,000,000 SSP, is there a balance in this life? If my store is completely empty but someone’s store is full of food items, is there balance in this life?
If I bargain almost the whole day in the market but someone does not even bother to ask for the last price, is there balance in this life really? If I look for a very local restaurant to eat from but someone eats from Radisson Blu always, is there balance in this life? If I look for a bongo bus for transport but someone takes bodaboda to and fro, is there balance in this life?
If I own a room raised and roofed with iron sheet, making me a potential candidate for heatwave but someone owns a nice room with a freezing AC, is there balance in this life? There is no balance in this life completely.
It is unfortunate that South Sudan is destroying the potential of youth. If the youth of about 30-40 years are still having negative networths, how would survival be in such a volatile country? “Survival of the fittest”, is that what you want to tell me? Are you telling me that I’m not fit to survive? This is a proven evidence that entrepreneurship is under attack! Youth should be invested in so that they are armed with the potential to put food on their tables.
Thanks for reading “Sowing the Seed of Truth”.