The Pursuit Of Relevance

~ Gottfried

How do you want to be remembered? As a Sinner or a Saint? As the girl who never has money to subscribe for a data bundle or the guy who pays for everyone’s ice cream? Cereal, Milk, Sugar, Water or Milk, Sugar, Water, Cereal? The haggler or the person who pays the asking? Tall or short? My bad, completely forgot you have no control over that. Hero or Villain? Speaker of the Truth or Pathological liar? Right leg, sock, shoe, left leg, sock, shoe or Right leg, sock, left leg, sock, shoe, shoe? Retentive memory or Selective amnesia? Can dance or can’t move rhythmically to save your life? The list is endless.

What really is relevant to you? I use my home town as a case study. The Town Hall meeting was getting really fired up as issues were raised. Three gentlemen raised their hands to speak simultaneously. The chairperson of the council with his virtue of hindsight and foresight was able to mentally spot the “wealthiest” of the lot and asked him to go first. Brothers and sisters, Money may be the root of all evil, but you see poverty, it’s the tree, it’s the forest! Don’t let anybody tell you differently. Relevance 101, School of Hard Knocks.

Could it be marrying many wives? Solomon had a thousand of them and still maintains top spot on the wisdom charts. Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Does it mean?… Or is it fathering a multitude of children? Brings me to this question, why is it usually those without the means to care for and nurture children, that always go on a birthing spree? A gardener where I live welcomed his fifth child. According to him, it is the work of God and it is marvelous in our eyes. Excuse me, can someone fetch me a belt, this man clearly needs an arse whooping.

It’s interesting, how somewhat easy it is, to become relevant as a Spiritual leader in these parts. Kind of like the betting sites, you gamble on a few followers. Make a few “prophetic” utterances. If somehow, one of your members hits the jackpot, you’ve got yourself a ministry. How else, is there an organization where the clergymen are arraigned in gear used by the armed forces? During deliverance services, they use “koboko” to rearrange the destinies of unsuspecting members. Poetic. I mean a “Prophet” asks to see your teenage daughter and says, “behold this one is stubborn”, as soon as she walks in. Hardly surprising, is it? No rocket science involved. Teenagers are mulish by default.

For the Motor Park tout, the margin of success must be an interesting take. So if I work hard enough, I can graduate from being a bus conductor. In a few years, I get my own Danfo or Molue bus as the case may be. After driving for another lifetime, I get a promotion to be the Chairman of Motor Park in my area. Now I have boys, willing and ready to do my bidding. And that’s really it? That’s progress alright. One day, pride and arrogance set in and I slap an Army officer…purely by accident, of course, coupled with sheer hard luck. Don’t look at me, he was plain-clothed and I had to show him who I was. Now I’m back to square one. No, seriously I’m laying blocks in an army base. Don’t ask me which army base, I can only see from the one eye! Send help!

Relevance through sport. It’s no news that sports stars all over the world are worshipped by an ever-growing fanbase. People go over and beyond when it comes to their favorites. I mean, imagine you’d never put a picture of your beloved mother as your display picture. But Lionel Messi, a football player from Argentina, gets the nod instead. The bare fact is, Leo doesn’t even know you exist! My brother, leave foolishness alone. I remember having an argument online. I pointed out the weaknesses of his favorite football player. This young man proceeded to abuse my parents and unborn children. Imagine my shock! What did the kids do?

Seeking relevance at the workplace has to be chief of the lot. Imagine working all those extra hours in terrible conditions because boldly written on your CV are the words, “I can perform well under pressure”. Best believe if you drop dead on the job, you’ll be replaced in no time. Imagine being the guy that snitches on coworkers for having a good time at work. How do you sleep at night knowing you have no friends and you’re well on your way to an underwhelming funeral? Tragic.

Some individuals are so conscious of their public image, they sometimes forget to live their actual lives. There are no ugly or hungry-looking people on Instagram, it’s incredible! Yet we’re the poverty capital of the world. You’re preoccupied with what the next person thinks of you. Why live a fake life on social media? So that you can “show your haters”? First of all, you’re not that important. Second of all, in the words of WWE enigma and Hollywood sensation Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “it doesn’t matter”.

It’s about time you stopped thinking and started living. Bear in mind, sometimes, second, guess yourself. An extra piece of meat wouldn’t hurt but mortgaging the house to pay off the luxury car loan reeks of pure unadulterated genius! In my personal pursuit for relevance, I have started a blog with no purpose whatsoever, but here you are, reading my garbage. All I do is win!

Live and let live.

© Gottfried. All rights reserved.

184 thoughts on “The Pursuit Of Relevance”

  10. Yup! My fave employment reference speaking to a false sense of loyalty is something I said to an Owner several years ago: “Go ahead. Take aim. I’m so shot full of holes in this place, you’ll miss. Besides, if I left right now, my position would hit Craigslist before my employment obit hit the internet, probably even before I got to the car.” LOL. I got a raise.

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      1. There’s that, you tend to get good at things you do in earnest for a good while. Though, more so it was that I cut through and wiped away his bluster bs threat, kept to the substance part which focused the perspective more clearly… rather than addressing the barking dog part of his statements. Like Winston Churchill expressed, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” He realized I heard his intent rather than the mistaken way he was coming across. We both laughed after I dropped that one on him. Mutual respect.

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        1. You read the room excellently.

          Interesting that you quote Churchill, a man people at close quarters believe to be a mass murderer.

          Glad to see mutual respect at the workplace though. 😁

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          1. All leaders who participate in war are mass murderers at close quarters or far. All leaders, on all sides. Though, if a leader errs on the inaction side in regards to combatting oppression, they have supported the oppressor by default.

            I have this to say about violence, though: Confucius say, man who has mosquito land on testicles learn very quickly that violence is not typically the best course of action. 🙂

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          2. Haha, that testicles quote is an all time favorite.

            You make a good point about how wars play out. I like to think that’s exactly his situation with the Bengals.

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          3. 🙂 on the mosquito to testicles perspective. It’s one of my faves as well.

            Thanks on my point. You may be dead on with your comment relative to Churchill and the Bengals. I lean towards agreeing with you, though don’t get on the fence as it always feels a bit like presumption, as I don’t truly know his mind.

            For example there was a saying that Gibraltar will always be part of the UK so long as the wild monkey population, the only one on the European Continent, were present. When their numbers dwindles to 7, he imported a whole population to strengthen their tribe so to speak. On the one hand it saves their home, and allows them to re-thrive. On the other it’s a bit like ships picking up slaves and transporting them. At least, though, they were in-homed to be re-homed and still be free, just not of their own volition.

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          4. I’m hearing about this curious Gibraltar tale for the first time.

            I feel like these men always try to weigh greater good over how their actions or inactions are perceived to posterity.

            Ultimately, I like to believe that no such man should have all that power. To be able to call the shots like that.

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          5. In terms of power, I feel power is what you allow. 2 examples:
            1. Mark Twain on patriotism ~ I support my country always, 100%, and the government only when it deserves it.
            2. The current situation and the government attempting to life the shutdown so people can go back to work. That is wonderful in one way, though also, “Hey, go to your deaths to makes us more money.” PLUS, once the government says I can go back to the office, that’s not their decision to make. It’s like a speed limit sign. Once the restrictions are lifted or eased, I DECIDE what I will and won’t do, not a sudden, “Who let the dogs out exodus from our homes” kinda thing. Just be they say I can doesn’t mean I will. Personal ethics and integrity of my sovereignty.

            Here’s a link to the article where I discovered the curious monkey story. It was recent, and news to me as well:
            https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/164590972/posts/301

            Liked by 2 people

          6. I recall a certain President asked that churches be opened and the Pastors involved respectfully declined. 😅

            Thanks for the link. I’ll be taking a long hard look. 👍👌

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          7. Yes, me, too, though his name is forgettable. He is the one I do not speak of. Other than, Moron. I’m a moron, too, just different than him. I’m a moron, just more on than off.

            Strange he fired the Pandemic Team several years back because they were an Obama gig. Made his own bed. See where that left him?

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          8. It’s like a circus in oval office and they still somehow find a way to give themselves a pat on the back for the tremendous job they’re doing.

            What I love most about the guy is that regardless of the subject, he always proclaims himself as the most knowledgeable. Ic(r)onic 😂

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          9. They give themselves a pat on the back due to no one in their right mind would. It’s a self-soothing gesture. Rather than comforting themselves, though, I find it to be a consequence of the consequence of being out of touch.

            Those who say they know, certainly don’t. Who is he trying to explain himself to? When you turn off the sound so you lose the rhetoric, and just watch and feel into the Presence As Architecture of the situation… it just comes across as really, really, intensely needy.

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          11. Ahhh, it’s not the times that are questionable.

            It’s always some people. Nature doesn’t know the question, and maybe why Nature is most often so much more inspiring than people who don’t express their highest potential.

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          12. I don’t concern myself much with them. It’s both a matter of “there is no accounting for taste or past trauma driving aesthetics or distorted perspectives” — who am I to judge?… though, I certainly will discern for my own good — and also I firmly feel everybody’s good at something. I have to say I respect those people for being good at something, too. They should be given some credit. Heck, they’re are intensely good at being dicks. 🙂

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          16. I don’t agree. Most statements that start out of the gate with “Most” are focusing on the 10% of assholes in any and every group. There’s GREAT work going on out there. I choose to support those things rather than the not-things that are just comprised of a superficial snake-oil bill of goods.

            I don’t give a rat’s about the non-quality people/products/services. Ignoring them is more than valid. Supporting what one values is also valid. Frankly, I see it as the only way. I prefer to pollute the system with quality and goodness. Little by little, the filters and toxins are pushed out… and, vigilantly at times when necessary.

            Ya know? Like Spring Cleaning. Once a year whether it needs it or not.

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