The Big Bad Wolf

The Three Little Pigs. Everyone knows the story. They leave mama's house, build their own houses and are threatened by the Big Bad Wolf. Different versions of the story have alternate endings. In one version the pigs all run to their brother's house - the one with house of brick. In another version they are merely eaten by insatiably hungry wolf who, after two pigs, still go and eat Little Red Riding Hood, and The Ten Lambs. The thing is, it doesn't matter how the story ends. The three pigs always have to face the threat that lurks in the forest. In our lives, we all have Big Bad Wolves. And they are always hungry.

In real life, the Big Bad Wolf can come in any form and always threatens to blow our lives down. With each huff and puff it steals our peace and security. The Big Bad Wolf in your life could be your circumstances at home, an upcoming event, an obstacle in your path to success, sickness, even a person. The bad things in life usually come unexpected, quiet like a thief. You just wake up one day and realize "Hey, I'm not as happy as I used to be...". Something changes that just makes your life hard. Much harder than you think is fair. These are the things to destroy us. These are the things that make us stronger.

People don't always know what to do when faced with something new or unexpected. In English, we read a short story by Charles Bosman called 'In The Withaak's Shade'. It tells the story of Oom Schalk Lourens stumbling upon a leopard (or rather, the leopard stumbled upon him). This leopard meant the humans no harm, but everyone was immediately frightened and reacted in the only way they know when faced with supposed danger. Get rid of the threat. The story ends with Oom Schalk finding the leopard with a bullet wound in his chest.

As in the story with the Three Little Pigs, there are different 'versions' of how people react to these wolves. Some make sure they are prepared. They build there lives with brick and cement, making sure that it can withstand the mightiest tempest. Others build it with the first user-friendly low-cost material they find. Life is a party and there's nothing to worry about. Then the Wolf arrives. Hardship strikes, life gets tough and you sit inside your house of straw listening to the wolf huffing and puffing outside. As the wind blows your straw, your life to oblivion, you run around frantically, waiting for the wolf to pounce.

At this stage some people give up. If there's one thing I've learned in my short almost-seventeen years, it's that giving up is most selfish thing you can do. You become miserable. Your friends become miserable. Your life becomes a spiral of misery. And suicide lurks ahead (which is just another act of selfishness, heaping the anger and remorse of your loss on those who loved you).

Other people run to their 'brothers'. They ask for advice. They seek help and refuge at a caring friend. They learn from those that built a brick house, turn over a new leaf and lay a fresh, stronger-than-before foundation. These are the people that, in spite of their downfall, decide to stand up and try again. Chances are they will achieve much more than they dreamed. These are the Natalie du Toit's, the George Washington's, the Mother Theresa's. This could be you.

Once again I leave with a quote.

No power in society, no hardship in your condition can depress you, keep you down, in knowledge, power, virtue, influence, but by your own consent.

- William Ellery Channing