Be like the Ninkinanko!

Ningkinanko is the Mandinka word for Dragon. Some people say it’s imaginary, others have argued that it is real and that it is a huge fire-breathing reptile that symbolises evil and disorder, but to others it is a symbol of fruitfulness. However, the reason why it is perhaps one of the most feared reptiles and still shrouded in mystery is because of its privacy. Even if it is real, it has given space to itself and that’s a wonderful disposition. No one will be too familiar with it – ‘Mungi Xam Lim Xam Teh Jaapa Jambouram’ 

Now that scandal’s become humankind’s favourite, having the Ningkinanko’s attribute of confidentiality is the way to go, because the more your thing becomes  common or you become ‘Siiw’, the more people will get used to you, and the more they get used to you, the more you’re likely to let them in on your business, and the more you do that, the more they’ll start to tell stories about you, and the more they do that, they more other people will start looking down on you.

And do you know what will happen when folks start to look down their nose at you? They’ll pretend to have enough of everything you’re, and the more they do that, the weaker your sense of worth, and if they succeed in weakening your self-worth, even those who were once devoted to you will start to disrespect you – ‘Su Borba Hebateh Ak Yabateh Am Si Yorn’

Then you become troubled and depressed to the extent that if Kololi is where you live, you’ll start hating the setting and thinking of relocating to Wuli Foday Kunda, but that wouldn't change a thing if you’re not willing to change your ways. Now what you should do to start looking up again may not be my business, but maybe sharing the following quotes will inspire you the way they had inspired me:

Someone said: “all human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.” So I guess you have to be able to tell between what goes out, what stays in and what must never be told - Another person said: “solitude sometimes is best society,” and someone also said: “if you read someone else's diary, you get what you deserve,” but for my part, I am saying if you give everyone a carte blanche to your diary, then you’ll also deserve what you get.

Some time ago, I posted on here that if you have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest profile, and you gladly volunteer every information about you thereon, or start asking folks to ‘Add’, ‘Follow’ or ‘Pin’ you, then if shit happens, you cannot accuse people for poking their nose into that thing that you've already made public.

As a final point, and for the record, I am not trying to instigate unfriendliness, I believe you don’t have to be alone to be left alone. Believe safeguard of your privacy depends on what about you that you’re willing to share, not how detached you’re. I have to make that clear, otherwise some folks may read this piece differently and the next minute they start giving everyone a cold shoulder – Man Wahuma Ken Mu Tongo Ken Deh, Purr Mu Lerr!