At least, at one time or another in your life, you’ll go through one situation or the other that you believe is totally unfair. Life can’t always be fair to you, and for as long as people will always put their needs before those of others, you’ll always be sure to find yourself in a bunch of situations that will simply boggle your mind.
And for me, I’m no different. I have witnessed it many times. There are so many unfair acts that if I decide to list them all out, this post will be flagged for being too long. People play favoritism in just about anything, even for something as basic as sharing food at a party. I’ve always wondered, why bother inviting people when you know that you’ll be looking at faces before serving? To me, that is one great flaw and it can even make me stop rolling with you as a friend. You might think it’s just an overreaction. But honestly, if someone can be that way over jollof rice and one tiny meat, then you can have an idea of what they can do when they have something more substantial, like a job, or a good business opportunity that will really make a difference from me.
It’s crazy, really. But I guess it’s in our nature to always favor those closest to us, even though it’s at the detriment of everyone else. After all, that’s why our country is in the position it’s in today. Anyway, in my case, I’ve been thinking of the time I was really treated unfairly and I’ve been coming up short because most of the time I simply let these things blow over me and not really worry me. However, there was a time when it really hooked me, and that’s what I want to talk about.
It actually happened in the bank and it was during the period when the country was just trying to recover from the Corona Virus pandemic. Everyone was still heavily on guard so all the measures were still in place and we were to observe safety. Crowds weren’t allowed in the banks and we were given space to stay outside under a canopy with enough distance from each other. To enter the bank, everyone got a number and when it got to your turn, your number was called and you could go in. This was slower than normal, but it was for everyone’s safety so no one was complaining.
That day, I can’t really remember what I was at the bank for. I know it wasn’t for withdrawal because I could easily have done that at the ATM. Anyway, as I and others were seated waiting for our turn to enter the bank, we started noticing something odd. Every once in a while, someone would come into the bank and take the security man aside and they’d speak for a few minutes. Next thing, they’d just enter the bank. Yeah, before all of us who were still waiting.
We didn’t think much of it at first because we assumed the guy was a staff, but it happened with about three more people and that’s when we started questioning it. Because with these people going in, there was no space in the bank to accommodate us who were waiting outside. The guard was taking money from them, and allowing them to cut the line while we waited in vain.
This wasn’t fair at all, I had been there for over an hour, the sun was way too harsh and the heat was sweltering. I just wanted to do what I was there for and return home, and the fact that this man was doing this was really frustrating. Eventually, it got too much and we began to protest. Our raised voices drew the attention of other security officers and they tried to calm us all down. They told us that we would be answered.
However, we quickly noticed that they were all in it together and were only going to sweep it all under the rug. We didn’t stop raising our voices until a high-ranking staff in the bank came out and that was when we explained it all to him. He apologized profusely and from the looks on the faces of the security guards, I could tell they were in trouble. But I didn’t care, at that moment, I didn’t even care if they lost their jobs.
Among us, there was a woman whose daughter was seriously sick in the hospital and she needed money before anything could be done on her. However, she couldn’t make withdrawals and she was there to fix it, only to find the security guard keeping her there for no reason. Every one of us that was there was there for something important, not because we just wanted to get a feel of the bank’s AC and drink chilled water.
We need to learn to treat people like people. It doesn’t cost a thing to be nice, and even if you won’t be nice, do your job right. That’s all we’re asking for. You don’t owe it to anyone to be nice, that’s your choice. But you owe it to the customers, and as an employee, you owe it to your employers to do your job right. Maybe if everyone looked at life through these lenses, then we’d have fewer unjust cases flying around.
But then, what do I know? I’m just a blogger.
