The Iroko tree is by all means a big tree. Strong and sturdy. Firmly rooted and invincible. Passers by looked at it in awe thinking, “for a tree this is massive”.
At the river side grew the bamboo. Slim, hollow pipes. So weak looking one could attempt breaking it with bare hands. Dozens of them can not match a single Iroko.
One day came a great storm. A tempestuous gust of wind.
The Iroko tree was sore troubled. It’s root shook in the soil. The ground gave way and spewed forth the root.
The great Iroko tree fell.
Down by the riverside the storm came raging. The slim strands of bamboo got in the way. The storm bludgeoned the bamboo.
Together they stood. Bent double, they still withstood the onslaught and came back up.
Several people came looking when the storm was over, to find the Iroko tree fallen and the bamboo standing.
Then a sage nearby reasoned out loud to them, THE STRONG TREE WAS STANDING ALONE WHILE THE WEAK BAMBOOS WERE A BUNCH.
The Bible says “One will chase a thousand, and two will chase ten thousand”.
Many strong strong people have failed and fallen because they stood alone.
At the very peak of ones attainment, there’s the temptation to feel invincible.
Youthink you don’t need others to continue standing. That’s when you are most vulnerable. The Iroko stood alone. Even other trees that grew around it were weeded away.
When the storm comes your way, the people who have been weeded away by your aides and cronies will not be there to shield you or prevent your fall.
Those little people. That inconsequential lot. They are the shield that can prevent free fall when the storm comes.
