Yesterday night was the night of the European football final, which everyone in Nigeria looked forward to. I do not have a TV subscription because I do not watch TV anymore, but I prepared by downloading the appropriate app, clearing my schedule of anything that could disrupt me by 8 p.m and getting ready.
It was a great night of football, I completely shutdown everything I was doing, and it was fun to just watch football. For once, I forgot how things were going for me; it felt as if I did not want to remember the problems in my life. I just wanted to get out of that mood, and it was really fun.
Have I started thinking about my problems again?
Yes, unfortunately.
But, even if it is only two hours per week that I will be free and in a different frame of mind, I believe I will always take it.
Earlier in the day, we learned from the news that Nigeria had lost one of its former presidents. (The one before the current one) and the news trended on Twitter, but few people seemed concerned, and neither did I.
Even though the man was 82, many people did not care because his reign was terrible. Many people became poorer, terrorism increased, inflation peaked, insecurity and banditry grew, the naira lost significant value against the dollar, the healthcare system deteriorated, and more people suffered and died as a result of hardship and poverty.
However, I discovered that during and after the football game, Twitter NIGERIA was no longer trending with news of the ex-ruler's death, but rather with the football game, which was played far away in the United States.
Many people may not understand this, but it demonstrates how people talk about or seek out things that bring them joy and happiness, even if only for a short time.
I am not saying that if the former ruler had had a better reign, he would have received more attention; rather, his existence and service as a former public servant never had a positive impact on anyone.
This is why the deaths of public figures are frequently mourned more than ordinary people. A European footballer died about a week ago, and the entire internet almost went down.
Does this mean that the guy was a sort of glorified alien?
No. He was just a football player who made people happy. See the word "happy"?
We underestimate the importance of happiness in the life of the average person.
Over 80% of the world's population already faces adversity, and some people try to compensate by seeking short-term happiness and simple pleasures.
While this may not make sense, we fail to recognize that a brief moment of satisfaction, in which you divert your attention away from bills, health issues, anxiety, pain, and other life's difficulties, can make a significant difference.
Football is one of the most lucrative sports in the world, but only for those who play it, not those who watch.
When you go to a football stadium, you will see a regular 9-to-5er who has worked themselves into a stupor during the week. They sit shirtless in the stands, screaming and waving their arms around the stadium. This is not even all.
Tickets to these stadiums are extremely expensive, but people will budget a portion of their pay or earnings just to be in a stadium and watch a live game. The logical question is always "What do these people stand to gain?".
For example, a woman who enjoys watching Korean drama would question why a man would watch football, despite the fact that it is just another form of entertainment, similar to watching K drama. Entertainment is a underrated aspect of life.
We do not talk enough about how people will suffer from depression if they do not have entertainment; it is literally one of the distractions from life's troubles and woes. It is like taking five minutes, ten minutes, twenty-four hours, or one week to disconnect from the stresses of life and reclaim your sanity.
People are meant to retreat, which is why we sleep.
Biologically, the body has a way to "get away" from the stresses of life by simply shutting down. People are supposed to "mentally get away".
This is why entertainment, or business models created around entertainment, will always remain relevant, because they simply play a huge role in helping people forget about the problems of life for a while.
Interested in some more of my posts
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