ONLY IF YOU UNDERSTAND

By: Joseph Chukwu| Aba, Abia State

Life has a way of humbling even the most confident of us.
One day, you’re on top of the mountain, breathing fresh air with the wind kissing your face. The next, you’re at the bottom of the valley, wondering how you got there and whether you’ll ever climb back up again. It’s the rhythm of existence — the inevitable ebb and flow. And yet, so many of us treat the present moment, with all its troubles and limitations, as though it’s a permanent sentence.

Nokia as of old, that people died for

Only if you understand that conditions and situations are not permanent, you will stop making permanent decisions based on temporary discomfort. Only if you understand this simple truth, you will not ruin the rest of your life trying to solve a problem that was destined to fade away with time.

THE OLD NOKIA PHONE STORY

Imagine this.

It’s 2005.
You’re walking down a crowded market street.
Phones are a status symbol, and Nokia 3310, 6610, or 1100 are the talk of the town.
Owning one means you’re “somebody.” Not owning one makes you feel invisible.

Now imagine a young man — 19 years old. He can’t afford one. He watches his friends flip their phones open, play “Snake,” change ringtones, and chat like kings. He feels left out, ashamed, small. The envy grows. The desperation grows.

One day, he sees an opportunity — a careless man leaves his Nokia on a shop counter. The young man grabs it and runs. He thinks it’s the solution to his social invisibility. But he’s caught, beaten, and handed over to the police. The judge gives him a sentence: five years in prison.

Fast forward:
By the time he comes out, the world has moved on. Smartphones are everywhere. The Nokia 3310 is now a relic, sold for ₦1,500 in second-hand shops, only valued as a “retro collectible.” The thing he risked his life and freedom for has no place in the modern world.

THE LESSON

If only he had understood — the lack of a Nokia phone in 2005 was not a permanent condition. If only he had known that just a few years later, technology would advance and that exact phone would be laughed at, tossed into drawers, and forgotten. He lost five years of his life for something that wouldn’t matter in five months, let alone five years.

Only if you understand

There’s a proverb that says: "Do not burn down your house just to warm yourself for one night."

That’s what so many people do — they destroy their lives over situations that would have changed naturally.

The truth is, pain has an expiry date. Struggles have a shelf life. Nothing stays the same — not the hunger, not the heartbreak, not the shame, not the rejection. But when you’re in the middle of a storm, it feels like it will rain forever.

Only if you understand that every storm runs out of rain, you will have the patience to endure without wrecking your future.

Why do people make reckless choices over temporary problems?

1. The illusion of permanence – When you’re broke, it feels like you’ll never have money again. When you’re heartbroken, it feels like you’ll never love again. When you’re humiliated, it feels like you’ll never regain respect.

2. Social pressure – Many of the bad decisions people make are not for survival but to fit into an image society demands. We steal, lie, or fight over things that lose value faster than the seasons change.

3. Lack of perspective – Without looking beyond the moment, it’s easy to believe the present defines the rest of your life.

If you wait long enough, you will see your current struggles from a different angle. The job you were rejected from may go bankrupt next year. The person who humiliated you today may need your help tomorrow. The thing you desperately want now may become irrelevant in the future.

Think about it:

• People have killed each other over land that now lies undeveloped and covered in weeds.
• People have died fighting for political leaders who, within years, are forgotten or disgraced.
• People have gone to jail over gadgets that today are sold as scrap.

History is full of stories that make us shake our heads:

• The Gold Rush greed – Men killed one another in the 1800s for small bags of gold dust, yet many who kept their lives found far richer opportunities later without lifting a weapon.
• Old technology wars – Once upon a time, VHS tapes and CD players were precious possessions. People smuggled them, fought over them, and paid fortunes. Today, they’re landfill waste.
• Fashion battles – In some neighborhoods, young men fought and died for sneakers or jackets. Today, those designs look ridiculous and are mocked online.

The common thread?
What felt priceless and worth dying for became worthless with time.

The phone you think you can’t live without will one day be replaced. The money you are ready to betray a friend for will one day be spent on something forgettable. The person you’re desperate to impress may not even remember your name in a decade.

Understanding this will give you one of the greatest powers in life: the ability to wait without panic.

DO THIS TO TRAIN YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND

1. Ask yourself: Will this matter in five years?
   If the answer is no, it’s not worth ruining your life over.

2. Think of the last “big problem” you had
   You probably don’t even think about it anymore. That’s proof problems fade.

3. Remember seasons change
   There’s a reason farmers don’t plant all year round — no condition is forever.

4. Look at the pace of change
   Technology, economy, politics, trends — nothing stays still. What’s hot today is cold tomorrow.

When you don’t understand the impermanence of life, you become a prisoner of “now.”

• You take loans you can’t pay back just to keep up appearances.
• You join gangs to earn respect that fades with youth.
• You commit crimes for possessions that lose value before your prison term ends.

This is how temporary desires create permanent scars.

When you truly understand that situations are temporary:

You learn patience.

You stop comparing yourself to others.

You protect your peace and your freedom.

You stop fighting for things you can easily live without tomorrow.

Remember

Whenever you’re tempted to risk your peace, your life, or your freedom over something, perform the Nokia Test:
Ask yourself — "Will this thing still matter, or even exist, in 10 years?"

If the answer is no, walk away.
Because only if you understand, you’ll save yourself from the kind of regret that lasts far longer than the problem ever would.