Ọbọ ní yiò para rẹ
The sparrow enjoys life carefully, a cautionary Yoruba proverb: advising the best way to enjoy a good life is to be cautious. Living wild experiences lead to disaster, disgrace, and even early death. The Yoruba proverb in this painting uses the adage of the ọbọ (monkey), to illustrate how not to live an unrestrained life.
Ọbọ ní yiò para rẹ; a ò ni pọbọ
Nobody will kill the monkey; the monkey will kill itself
A hunter tired and hungry hunting unsuccessfully for a game, laid his loaded gun beside him and fell asleep. Several inquisitive young monkeys gathered around to see what was going on. They were fascinated by the hunter's gun and wondered what it was. Before they started exploring it, they were warned by an elderly monkey to stay away from the gun because it was an instrument of disaster and death. The young ones ignored him and continued with their exploration. They crowded around the long shaft of the gun while one of them was admiring the gun's trigger mechanism. While wondering what it was for, he pulled it. The loud sound, as a result, surprised the hunter, he jumped up, reached for his machete and delivered a vicious blow on the monkey that pulled the trigger. He escaped wounded, but the rest of the monkeys were not as fortunate. They made the mistake of not listening to the counsel of an elderly monkey and they paid with their lives. Monkeys are one of the smartest animals, but mistakes or unrestrained behaviors have nothing to do with wisdom.
Unrestrained and thoughtless behavior has led to morbidity and mortality rates rising according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports in the use and addiction to opioids and electronic cigarette products amongst young adults. Statistics show that more than twelve million people are using opioid drugs for recreation. Ninety people die in the U.S. every day from an opioid overdose.
Doctors have also reported the outbreak of lung injuries resulting in severe pulmonary disease, even death associated with the use of electronic cigarettes or vaping.
Uncontrolled sexual appetite makes it very difficult for people that care about their reputation to stay away from questionable actions. A lot of notables who fail to learn from this fact face a lot of embarrassment. People secure pleasure with material means, but it is with wisdom that people guarantee a good life.
