Friendship? - by Friday Okwori

What is better than having money? More money! What were you expecting me to say? Some motivational talk? Oh, please! What is more desirable than power? More power, indeed. Imagine rising from the position of local government chairman to the presidency of a whole country, or from having a few thousand to a billion naira. What can be better than that? Imagine, once more, being the heir apparent to the throne of a wealthy and powerful nation. What are you going to exchange this immense riches, power, and authority for? My guess is right - more power and wealth. What if we exchanged it for friendship instead? Friendship with the most powerful person on earth? I’m sure you’ll pass on such a deal. Friendship ke? Jonathan was the crowned prince. He was the eldest son of his father - the first king of the most powerful country on the planet. The country whose ally is God. This country's economy was booming, and its citizens were living well. They were self-sufficient and could afford anything they wanted. Better don’t go near them with trouble, you’d be crushed. They were without a doubt the most powerful country on the planet. Everything was working well for them. Anyone would want to lead this kind of country. Jonathan was next in line to be king after his father. He was a soft boy who had lived in the palace for nearly his whole life. He understood the meaning of being a king. He had spent his entire life preparing for the throne. There was a glorious future ahead of him. Enter David. A young boy who spent most of his adolescence in the bush with cattle and other animals. His existence was anything but comfortable or opulent. Because of his innumerable experiences with wild animals, he had witnessed death firsthand. It's fair to assume that his family didn't truly care about him; after all, who would send their lastborn child to the bush by themselves to care for animals? If he ever came close to the palace, it must be in his dream. All he had was a slingshot and a harp. He had to work hard and rely on some kind of luck to make a meaningful living because nothing was certain for him. Well, he also had a growing influence from killing a monstrous giant. But that doesn’t count for anything, people forget others easily! Another notable thing about this teenager was that he was anointed to be the next king of this nation. The same position for which Jonathan has spent his entire life waiting. Put yourself in Jonathan's shoes. It seems David didn't have enough trouble fighting wild animals in the woods. You would most likely use every resource available to get rid of this intruder. Much to your delight, he was already ‘dragging shoulders’ with the king so be rest assured to get all the necessary support from the government. Now is not the time to act pious or pretend; you would do everything in your power and beyond to ensure that his existence is erased from the surface of the earth. Imagine the wealth and power that will be at your disposal after you are crowned king. Friendship is the last thing anyone with common sense would consider at such time. It doesn’t even add up. Who would exchange power and wealth for friendship? Well, Jonathan did. What will you buy with such friendship? Which market? It would be reasonable for his father, the king, to think that his son was under a spell. Not to mention how upset his mother would have been. He turned down the kingship in favor of a friendship that at the time truly had nothing to offer. In addition to choosing friendship, he showed David remarkable kindness. The rest is history! The seemingly foolish friendship he chose, preserved his lineage. When we read biblical stories, we frequently believe that the characters were supernatural. No, they were just like us – humans, with flesh and blood. In our increasingly self-centered society, people only become friends with those who can help them the most. We tell ourselves that being kind may be interpreted as weakness so we won’t do it. This is the reason we get frightened and anxious when someone shows us true kindness. We downplay the importance of good friendship and kindness because we have been told that everything must add to dollar or naira. Everything must be transactional, and the dividends must be paid in full upfront. We still wonder why there is so much chaos and tension in the world. The seemingly irrelevant friendship today may turn out to be the gamechanger tomorrow. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Pay kindness forward! Article is culled from the bible, The story of David and Jonathan - 1 Samuel 18:1-5

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