"Humanity vs. Opportunity"

Humanity vs Opportunity: A Tale about Success

Opportunity and Humanity faced each other at the Chieftain Hall. This was to resolve Humanity’s complaint against Opportunity.

Humanity claimed that Opportunity was not doing his job, which was to regularly present himself to Humanity and his people, and give them all the chances in life that they deserved.

After proper introductions were made, the chieftain asked the gentlemen to take a seat. Humanity took the chair on the left of the chieftain’s desk; Opportunity took the one on the right.

When both gentlemen were seated, the chieftain asked Humanity to speak to formally lodge his complaint.

“Well, Sir,” Humanity looked at the chieftain, then glanced at Opportunity. “Mr. Opportunity here has not been doing his job. My people and I have been encountering all sorts of troubles because of him. His negligence has been hindering us from realizing our full potentials. We’ve been complaining about this for a long time, and we had been reduced to repeatedly begging him to come to us, but he just wouldn’t.”

The chieftain nodded his understanding of Humanity’s predicament. He signaled Opportunity to defend himself.

Opportunity cleared his throat. “I am sorry that Mr. Humanity and his people have been encountering problems, Mr. Chieftain, but I beg to disagree that it is because of my failure to perform my duty. The truth is that I keep knocking at their door but they don’t always open their doors for me. There are times that they would, but they often hesitate to let me in. It takes them a long time to decide whether or not to invite me, that by the time they’d made up their mind, it’s time for me to leave for someone else’s house. So…”



“But how do we know it’s indeed you who’s on the door?” Humanity interjected. “You show up looking differently each time. You just love disguises. How can we be sure it’s indeed you and not a prankster who’s at our door, when many times you’d come in the company of those shady creatures, Deception and Betrayal?”

Opportunity calmly replied, “There are no disguises, Mr. Humanity. I always come to you looking the same way I always do. And I don’t come with Deception and Betrayal. You always see them whenever you open your door because they live in your neighborhood. And knowing that they always spell trouble, I try not to stop them from accompanying me to your house, as long as they don’t hurt me, or interfere with me. It’s your family members Fear and Distrust that often lodge themselves between you and me, so that you won’t see me clearly.”

Humanity looked blankly at Opportunity, not having a ready and acceptable retort. He was afraid of incriminating members of his family if he’d speak further. The truth is that he would always ask Fear and Distrust to accompany him whenever he would open his door, fearing that Deception and Betrayal would hurt him if they’d see that he was alone and vulnerable.

Having heard both sides, the chieftain instructed Humanity to resolve the matter within his household, especially the problem with Fear and Distrust. He concluded that only when this matter is resolved will they see more of Opportunity. Until then, they will always have a hard time recognizing Opportunity when he knocks on their door, and continue not being able to seize the chances that Opportunity always brings.

Apparently, the matter with Fear and Distrust was a deep-rooted problem with Humanity and his people. They always felt vulnerable without Fear and Distrust by their side, that to this day, his people still keep blaming Opportunity for their circumstances, claiming that he wasn’t doing his job, when the truth is that they just fail to see Opportunity when he shows up, or, if they do, Fear and Distrust would stop them from seizing the chances Opportunity was giving them. //Sherma E. Benosa; 11 February 2008

Inspired by a piece I wrote in 2006, entitled Knocking on Your Door. Click here to read it.

This morning, I have written a children’s story based from this tale but it has no title yet. Please bear with me if I won’t blog it yet. I am hoping it will be good enough for publication in a children’s book. I’m crossing my fingers! Please pray for me. It is my dream to be able cross over to children’s literature. What can do? I have a childlike heart. I just love how the kids look at the world. Amazing!


9 Responses to “Humanity vs Opportunity: A Tale about Success”
on April 10, 2008 at 4:50 am1 omegetymon

Aahhh, DEAR ‘SISTER’ Benasa,
It has been SO long that someone has chiseled a les-son from the lips of the ‘Creator’ since my childhood. Not, only,have you gracefully sung this truth with your keyboard but,have sadly, doubted whether its strengths may grasp any child’s hand and let them lead “ADULTHOOD” to real maturity for the breadth of their lifetimes. I WILL make times to enjoy AND learn the rest of your libraries of life.BLESS YOU,is too weak a phrase. The child within just met anew ‘Instructress’.

D’Ellis…the ‘Antagonym’.
on April 11, 2008 at 5:34 am2 VF
Knock, knock, knock!
on April 12, 2008 at 4:30 am3 brainteaser

Hello Omegetymon! You are always welcome to read the pages of this library as you put it.
There’s something about kids and their point of view that’s so amazing. I love it. In their eyes, everything is pure and clear… unlike us adults that see things with their veiled eyes.
Hello VF! That’s a very tricky post. If I say, “who’s there,” you could say I don’t know how to recognize opportunity. And if I say, “come in,” you could say I’m not careful; that maybe you aren’t opportunity but deception/betrayal.
That’s a very tricky post indeed!
Good one.

on April 12, 2008 at 12:17 pm4 VF

“oh my darling, knock 3X on the ceiling if you want me”
how’s that Buddy?

Okay, let me try this:
“knock, knock, knock”“who’s there?”“the Merchant”“merchant of what”
….”true love!”
on April 13, 2008 at 3:22 pm5 lovewillbringustogether
That is a very enlighteing post Brainy and i hope to link to it for the benefit of my friends to read in the near future. I like it from the perspective of Humanity and what a great number of us to to prevent hearing Opportunity when it knocks - or only opening the door a crack and not allowing it full access to our House.

The thing i would say slightly different to the way you put it however concerns Opportunity’s visits. I believe Opportunity is in EVERY action we take - it is merely that we frequently miss or, as you said, do not recognise the many many times it is right under our noses - and we fail to take opportunity by the hand and walk with it no matter what guise it takes.
Everything we experience presents an opportunity to progress - or to hide from progress… along our Spiritual pathway.

Which way do we choose most from our experiences, good or bad?
Nice post, thank you for taking the Opportunity to share it with us all

on April 16, 2008 at 5:29 am6 brainteaser
Ah, VF! You always make me laugh with your kakornihan. Wait til Salve sees your post!
Hello lovewillbringustogether! Link away, friend. I would be an honor on my part if you do that! Thank you so much.

It’s one of the things I’ve observed among people. I keep hearing folks complain that there aren’t many opportunities around. But I don’t think so. Like you said, they are in every action we do. They’re everwhere.

So I thought that maybe there’s something that hinders these folks from seizing the opportunities that come their way. And I think fear is a big factor. Doubt too.
Again, thanks for the insight!

on April 17, 2008 at 5:40 am7 lovewillbringustogether

Hi Brainy!
i possibly did not make one point very clear before.
If we have a ‘Bad’ experience - that presents us with at least three ‘opportunity’s:
The opportunity to make something good come from it.The opportunity to stay in the negative and suffer/complain.The opportunity to do nothing, learn nothing from it.
Similarly, a Good experience offers us the same three opportunity’s.
So do all of our own experiences.
Do we choose numbers 2 or 3 too much - or at all?
Did you have the same thoughts?

on April 23, 2008 at 4:56 am8 brainteaser

Hello LWBUT! How are you? Sorry for the late reply. I’ve been away.
Hmmm…. good points you’ve raised, my friend! Wish I could say I had the same thoughts. Just similar; yours are more comprehensive.
And that’s why I like discussions such as this. They help me widen my point of view. Thank you, friend!

on May 9, 2008 at 5:35 am9 D'Ellis
Hello Dearest Sister, I keep returning to this story, the reasonis my friend ravenscawl.You two need to trade words, he hasn’t your new bamboo subtlenesses ,but you both have agreat root system. Have you thought about google picking these gems up for the rest of the world?May a fresh raindrop kiss your forehead, gently.