‘‘They still look at the warrior with awe, but they don’t know that the eyes of the masquerade are no longer where they were carved’’
— Igbo proverb.

This is what I call ‘feigned glory.’ So many great men today are hiding behind the facade of their past glory, and people believe that their greatness is still intact! King Saul in the Bible still paraded himself as the King of Israel, but his people( apart from Samuel and David) didn’t know that he was then ‘an empty vessel that made the greatest noise’! His glory departed from him when he disobeyed God by doing what he thought was wise.

There are people like King Saul today. They were once great men and women, but they no longer have the ‘anointing’ to do exploits.’ Of course, people live under the delusion that ‘the eyes of the masquerade are still where they were carved.’ Some of these great men and women are aware of their departed glory, while others are not, because it’s a spiritual matter.

Is there anyone one who once enjoyed wealth and ate from a golden plate, that would swallow his pride and eat from a rubber plate before curious eyes? I don’t think there is.

There are factors that contribute to the downfall of a man. They are, but not limited to:

1) Pride: The catchphrase, ‘Pride goes before a fall,’ is now a cliche to all and sundry. An arrogant person stands the risk of losing their glory. Be humble, says the Lord, and God will exalt you. Don’t hunch your shoulders and intimidate your fellow man just because you’re a man of substance. Remember( quoting Late Prof. Chinua Achebe, ‘Things Fall Apart,’ though not verbatim), ‘‘A man whose palm kernel is cracked by benevolent spirits should not look at his fellow man with disgust. He should always bear in mind that he’s not more industrious than others; fate just decided to smile on him.’’ Therefore, no successful man should be arrogant, unapproachable and draconian! Remember the fate of Okonkwo in ‘Things Fall Apart’? The warrior and rich farmer looks down on his fellow man and fails to heed the advice of a chief priest, and that brings about his waterloo. Again, when Achilles, according to Greek mythology, desecrated god Apollo by audaciously cutting down the statue of the god, he, unknowingly, brought about his downfall. In fact, Apollo was the one who directed the arrow from Paris’ bow to hit Achilles at his heel! Even the young Paris, who took the glory, didn’t know that his victory was orchestrated by Apollo.

It was also pride that made God strike King Nebuchadnezzar and transformed him into a beast!

Pride goes before a fall. I repeat: pride goes before a fall!

2) Paying Deaf Ears to Advice: It is also pride that sires this second factor. It is pride that will make a man consider other people’s opinions or advice as infinitesimal and insignificant. My people has a proverb that says, ” A stubborn grasshopper follows the corpse to the grave.”

No matter your status in life, you still need other people’s advice. No one is a repertoire of knowledge! You can’t afford to live the life of a tiger that hunts alone. Human beings are gregarious animals. In that wise, we must learn to listen to associate with others( provided that such association is not the type that will put you into trouble), and tolerate others, too.

3) Complacency: There is always this temptation to be comfortable with one’s state of success. No further plans for growth. A man achieves tremendous success, and feels that there is no need to further acquire knowledge. Listen: knowledge is limitless. A man who achieves success and feels comfortable with it is like an athlete who won his race. He stops practicing, and believes that he is still the best. Hence, he basks in the euphoria of that temporal glory. What do you think would be his fate? Of course, the athletes who work like Trojans would surpass his exploits!

The above factors are just two of the many factors that lead to a man’s downfall. Let us, therefore, live as those who are conscious of Heaven, shunning arrogance, conceit, cruelty, disdain, and embracing indiscriminate love, humility, generosity and calmness of the spirit!

*This proverb is courtesy of my kinsman( dinna m), Frank Ejike( A.K.A. Bishop), who, while we were discussing one night, said in passing, ‘‘Nna eh, anya mmonwu adirozi ebe akpopuru ya — the eyes of the masquerade are no longer where they were carved.’’

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