I want to talk about this lines that says "Let a poor man go out for hunting. If he kills an elephant, his poverty dies. But if the elephant kill him, he dies with his poverty".
Life is a survival ground. For the poor, every opportunity is a risk. When a man rises to fight poverty, he knows it could go either way- breakthrough or breakdown. But still, he must fight, because to do nothing is to remain bound.
The instinct to survive pushes people into hard labor, migration, daring businesses, even dangerous choices. Not because they want to, but because man must survive. And sometimes, the only way out of poverty is through war with it.
The last time I went to the market, I saw an old man carrying a big, heavy bag of garri on his back. The weight looked like he was hauling a rock. Even after he dropped the bag, his back remained bent, proof that he must have been doing this for years. The burden has shaped his body.
In my village, many men climb very tall palm trees to harvest palm fruits just to earn something. Some of them are well advanced in age, yet they still take the risk. Some become drivers, house helps, and laborers often serving people they’re old enough to be grandparents to. They sometimes get insulted or disrespected, but they keep going. Why? Because they must survive.
I can still recall my life when I was much younger. I was a street hawker. I hawked buns, coconut, banana, pear, crayfish and later on stopped, venturing into selling in a super market after which I served as a waitress in a restaurant.
My pear bucket
It was from the restaurant I went to learn a skill- fashion designing. Now I have settled with the skill and I survive with it.
Yes, some people choose illegal means like stealing, fraud, or kidnapping to get by but that’s not my focus here.
The point is: many people with nothing dare to do what others would never imagine not because they want to, but because hunger gives no comfort. When survival calls, there is no time for rest. You must work, sweat, carry, climb, bend, risk, push, because if you don't, you stay stuck.
This is what it means when we say: "Man must survive." It's not just a phrase, it’s a truth. It’s a reality that makes people hustle hard, travel far, sleep little, and dream big.
Thanks for reading
@ritaetim