I’m Also Human

They were two brothers, born of the same parents into a poor home. They slept under the same roof and grew up with the same struggles. After secondary school, both searched for a better life, but their paths soon diverged. The younger brother encountered a kind stranger who helped him establish a small trading business. Before long, the business flourished, and his fortunes changed.

Whenever he returned to the village, his arrival transformed the home’s atmosphere. His mother celebrated him with enthusiasm, prepared special meals for him, and served him generously. His plates were filled with meat, while his elder brother, who was still living with their parents and still struggling would plead for even a single piece. The celebration of one son became the humiliation of another and success had quietly become the measure of affection.

Years passed under this painful pattern. Then one day, the elder brother announced exciting news. An old friend had promised to help him travel abroad for work. Suddenly, everything changed. The same mother who had treated him like an afterthought became attentive and affectionate. She spoke to him differently. She saw him differently. It was as though the possibility of future success had restored his place in the family.

The family accompanied him to the station, full of hope and excitement. But the dream collapsed almost immediately. The friend had deceived him, disappearing with all the money meant for his visa and ticket. Brokenhearted, he returned to the village with nothing except shame. Sadly, the warmth he had briefly received disappeared just as quickly. The neglect became even harsher than before.

As I reflected on today’s topic, the story of this movie came back to my mind. I realised it was never really about two cars brothers. It was about the frightening ease with which human worth becomes attached to usefulness. The movie simply exposed what many families, workplaces, friendships, churches, and communities quietly practise every day. 

We often say every human being has value, but our behaviour sometimes suggests otherwise. We celebrate people when they can provide, connect us, sponsor us, or elevate our status. When they lose those abilities, our treatment of them often changes.

I found myself wondering whether poverty itself is what diminishes dignity, or whether it merely exposes the values we already hold. Financial hardship has an unfortunate way of making people invisible. The unemployed graduate is treated as though his opinions no longer matter. The relative who cannot contribute financially is excluded from important conversations. None of these behaviours happen overnight. They grow quietly wherever society begins measuring people more by their economic value than by their humanity.

But honestly, our value was never designed to fluctuate with our income, position, or possessions. Wealth may change what a person owns, but it should never determine what a person deserves in terms of respect, kindness, and fairness. 

Every person carries an intrinsic dignity that exists before success arrives and remains after success disappears. When we forget this, we begin creating communities where love must be earned instead of freely given. No one should have to become wealthy before they are treated like they belong.

Don’t forget this; If we only value people after they succeed, then we never truly valued them at all. We only valued the benefits their success could bring to our lives.

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