<p>It’s funny how life seemed so straightforward when we were kids, right? Back then, everything was either black or white. But as we grow, reality starts to blur those lines, and suddenly, the world isn’t so simple anymore. You might wonder what I’m getting at and what reality I’m talking about. It’s the reality of the thin line that runs through almost everything in life. This thin line separates good from bad, honesty from corruption, love from hate, and sanity from insanity. The line might be thin, but it’s powerful enough to shift the balance.</p><p>Still not clear? Let me break it down a bit more.</p><p>Remember when you did something and got scolded for it, only to do the same thing later and be told it was okay? The difference wasn’t in the action but in the reason behind it. That’s the thin line in action the intent, the context, the underlying reason that makes all the difference. It’s tricky, isn’t it? This line doesn’t just exist in theory; it’s woven into the fabric of our daily lives.</p><p>Let’s bring this home to Naija, our beloved country, where the line between sanity and insanity seems almost invisible at times. Picture this: a sharply dressed professional, someone who seems perfectly sane, suddenly starts acting completely out of character because of something that happened a trigger, if you will. We’ve all seen it, right? I like to call this the “corporate agbero” phenomenon. It’s as if the stress of life strips away that thin layer of rationality, revealing something raw and unpredictable beneath.</p><p>Sanity, by definition, is the ability to think and act rationally. But when I look around, I wonder how many of us can truly claim to be rational all the time. The daily grind, the pressures we face, the frustrations we’re all just a moment away from crossing that line. The thin line here is rationality, but it’s tough to pinpoint what’s rational about an angry conductor in Lagos traffic or a frustrated police officer at a checkpoint. They too walk that thin line, teetering between holding it together and letting it all unravel.</p><p>So, where does this leave us? Perhaps the key is to recognize the thin line and to be aware of it in our actions and judgments. It’s easy to forget that everyone we encounter is walking their line, struggling to keep their balance just like we are. Maybe if we all paused for a moment, took a breath, and acknowledged that thin line in each other, we could navigate this complicated world with a bit more understanding, and a bit more empathy.</p><p>In the end, life is not about erasing the line but about learning to walk it with grace. That’s where the true challenge lies and perhaps, also where the beauty of life is found who knows?</p>
A Thin Line
By
Godwin Erite