It goes without saying that man is an enemy to man. Man hold; unique distinction among created things of making war even to his own kingsman, he accepts hate, vengeance, envy, avarice, lust as few of the delightful emotions reserved exclusively for him by the emperor of hell.
Man has always sought the downfall of his fellow man, persecution is his baptisimal name and cruelty is his title. But persecution is not wrong because it is cruel but cruel because it is wrong.
It was Bishop High Latimer who said '' whatever you see in persecution, there is more than a probability that truth is on the persecuted side''
man does not care to support truth, neither does he venture to verify the accuracy of fact before making decisions.
The jealousy practised by man is tested everywhere in the market places. Jealousy surpasses love, tolerance, co-operation and harmony. In divine places,jealousy cause the condemnation of the good works of the world's greatest philosopher - JESUS CHRIST.
Man in his jealousy dreams of greatness, he believes he can acquire greatness at the expense of others forgetting that he who acquire greatness by foul means does not live to enjoy himself. The story of macbeth, who made himself king by slaying duncan, the reigning king illustrates this fuller perhaps man in his jealous state of affairs mis-interpretes the greatest passage ever written by william shakespare which reads '' in my stars, i am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness and some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. A fellow wish to be great and believes that greatness depends on the amount of work he does either in the office of employment or in the market place. He do not care to dismiss his fellow man from work in order to add more work to himself. He turns deaf ears to G.A Gallock when he repeats everyday that '' a man's true greatness does not depend on the largeness of his spare work. It is measured by his character and his service of his fellowmen''
if men could forsake jealousy, if men could think less of earthly power and if it had not been for his insuffereable egotism, he would have known precisely that Rudyard kipling who said that:
''if drunk with sight of power, we close
wild tongues that not thee in awe-
such boasting as the gentiles use
or lesser breeds without the law''
Lord God of host be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget !
Advise him to adopt the passage as his daily prayer God has given man life and God alone has right to take it back. Power and wealth have been given to man but jealousy has abused the privilieges given to man by God. I believe that benjamin Harrison was right when he said -- God has placed upon our head a diaden and has laid at our feet power and wealth beyond definition or calculation. But we must not forget that we take these gifts upon the condition that justice and mercy shall hold the reigns of power and that the upward avenue of hope shall be free to all the people
jealousy is not a means to an end. The evils that man do live after them. There is time then after a certain point in a man's alloted span of life has been reached , he is called by his conscience to give anaccount of his stewardship. It is not the begining but the ending that matters, man must withstand all circumstances. He must not think that everything is lost then he is being persecuted by his fellow man.
Was william Earnest benley not right when he said that ;
in the fall of circumstances
i have not convinced nor cry aloud
under the bladgeonings of change
my head is bloody but unbowed
beyound his place of wrath and tears
looms but the horror of the shade
and yet menance at the years
finds and shall find me unafraid.
Man can still change his cruel, ingrateful and savage ways for good. Man's inhumanity to man is not God's command. Man is God's own creature. He is an eagle and has still and eagle's leat. He belongs to the sky and not to this wearth where he is a stranger; he must stretch forth his wings and fly.
Love, peace, harmony and charity can be placed above jealousy, enviousness and variety of earthly greatness. Life is nothing if love we lack. Life is nothing if co-operation is lacking and life is nothing if we cannot tolerate others . What then can it profit a man if he gains the whole world and has no confidence of his people.
Life is not a bed of roses nor are things what they seem . . .
In the words of Harry Longfellow, i sum up my recitation :-
'' tell me not in mournful numbers
life is but an empty dream
for the soul is dead that slumbers
and things are not what they seem ''.