I was very sad when I realised I had missed out on the last contest. However, the teen with steem is back with steam and here's my entry
We all know that most Yoruba Proverbs are not to be translated directly to Yoruba. However, as regarding this proverb I'll translate it in two ways; directly and based on content.
A direct translation of the proverb simply means that Only the end of an Ayo game matters. Ayo is a popular game among the Yorubas and generally Ayo players just like chess players are known to be patient. They strategise and think before making moves. Every move counts. Any mistake could be costly. A person who looks likely to win, might not win. It is not over until the end.
Now, how does this affect us? Many at times we tend to count our chicks before they harsh. We win a battle and think the war is over. With just a glimpse of victory we call ourselves victors. There's just one thing I have to say, it is not over until it is over.
On the other hand, many at times we get discouraged just because things are not going our way. We want to give up because we're fustrated and tired of failing. This brings me to the contextual meaning of "Igbeyin Lalayo n Ta" which is "He who laughs last laughs best".
In 1902, a conference was held by all the scientists in the world and an agreement was reached that metal could not fly in the air. The Wright brothers disagreed and they were laughed at. But in 1903 when they designed the world's first aircraft, the world celebrated them.
Thomas Edison, the world famous scientist, was laughed at when he failed repeatedly in his effort to make a light bulb but when he finally succeeded, the same people who laughed at him came around laugh with him.
People may laugh at you and scorn you for your vision. I've come to a point in life where I now believe that whatever RIDDLES to people, they would RIDICULE it.
HERE is a poem I wrote about this. You can check it out.
It is just a human reaction to laugh at whatever we cannot fathom and deem impossible. Don't give up on your dreams just because a bunch of ignoramuses dont believe in your dream.
To newbies around here (Steemit) like myself. You may look at yourself today like "What am I doing here?" "Will I ever become a whale" "Why doesn't anybody notice me?". I know how much it hurts to write great posts and not get noticed. I've been there a lot of times. Even this post may not get noticed but that doesn't mean I won't write it with all my might. Infact my first entry for this contest was left out because of a silly error I made but I didn't let that deter me from entering again.
My advise is that you keep doing what you know how to do and do it well. Imagine you get discouraged and you stop posting good stuffs and one day someone big like @stellabelle decides to check you out and she sees nothing good on your blog. It would be to your own loss. You never know when your lucky break would come, so till then keep the hope and keep doing what you can do well. People may laugh at you that you're wasting your time and you're not getting any reward but in the end when your reward starts coming, both monetary and non-monetary, they will be forced to laugh with you. Afterall, who wouldn't want to be friends with a whale? Remember, he who laughs last, laughs best.