Everyone is a Master, One Way or Another
- Category: Inner Happiness
- Date 29-06-2025
- 908 views
As a child, I regularly listened to the tales of men who frequently gathered in my father’s compound to drink ‘tonto’, an alcoholic beverage that was locally brewed in the family yard. Drop by drop, the malt would get to men’s heads, leading someto proclaim how famous they were. One time, a man said, “My household is my subcounty and I am the chief.”
Others also boasted differently as the cocktail washed their throats. Someone would say, “I am a wealthy man; I have a cow and a sheep.” Another would retort, “I am a hero; I killed a snake unaided.” Somebody else could assert, “I am a serious husband; my wife does not talk back at me.” One even could say, “I am a strong man; I felled a mutuba tree singlehandedly.”
They were endlessly boastful. What triggered these unschooled villagers to make such utterances on a regular basis? Did they believe what they said? When I grew up, I started to consider their bragging as laughable. All these men did not have money, lived in mud and wattle shelters, walked barefooted, wore dirty and torn clothes, and did not wash hands before meals. Yet, they always proclaimed their greatness. Why did each of them think he was an authority in a certain way?
Oprah Winfrey says, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
It is believed that there is a voice which whispers inside every person all the time. People refer to these whispers as dreams, wishes or goals. When the inner voice agrees with the outer voices in society, the individual becomes comfortable. The uneducated elders discussed above were happy and bragged because they all accepted, approved and celebrated themselves. Perhaps, they also deceived each other to soothe their egos.
The fact, however, is that the inner voice does not often concurwith external voices. It is calm and lingering whereas the exterior version is noisy and distractive. The inner voice is in constant dispute with the public voices. An individual must choose which voice, inner or outer, to listen to more. When the public voice is louder than the inner voice, one lives with the results of other people's thinking, as he will trust others more than himself.
Mexican novelist, Laura Beatriz Esquivel Valdés, says, “It is important to pay attention to the inner voice because it is the only way to discover your mission in life.”
What is the dominant voice to you? What does your heart tell you? When you listen and obey the inner voice, you become the best version of yourself, worthy of living with other people. The inner voice ought to be louder than the public noise. In his book, ‘Nonviolence: The Transforming Power’, Indian author Dr Amit Ray describes the inner voice as the ‘God part in you’.
As the scripture teaches, “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man” (Mark 7:15).
The inner voice eternally whispers to the mind. If it whispers bad messages, society gets a bad person: dishonest, selfish, insecure, and brutal. If it whispers positive messages, society is blessed with a good person: assertive, reliable, considerate, peaceful and happy. He who abides by the inner voice is a master of himself and can be a master of others. Precisely, everyone is a master - first and foremost - of himself.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Author, Teacher, Social Scientist
Source: Leadership Magazine
Publication Date: May - June 2025