Reno Omokri warns Nigerians against 'see your mate' mentality

By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi

Twitter influencer and writer, Remo Omokri has revealed the negative effects of comparison in a relationship.

In his lengthy post on Twitter, Omokri shared that the phrase “see your mates” is among the most harmful expressions in English.

Omokri explained further on how this mindset often leads individuals into unhappy marriages, unsatisfactory careers, and even criminal behavior as they strive to measure up to or surpass their peers.

In his post, he asked the society to create an environment where people do not need to over-compete with each other.

Omokri also advised that if a person does not have contentment, he will have resentment.

While encouraging self-development, Omokri stated that there should be a clear distinction between self-development and purpose of life.

In his words,

“Three of the most destructive words in the English language are, ‘See your mate’. It has landed people in unhappy marriages, prison, jobs they don’t like, courses they have no interest in, and pushed them to commit crimes and atrocities to catch up with or overtake their mates.

Any culture that engages in ‘See your mate’ may generate much money, but it can’t create wealth, personal fulfilment, and societal harmony. Riches come from individual effort.

Wealth comes from collective effort.

There will always be over-competition in a ‘See your mate’ society, leading to avarice and lack of contentment. Because, without contentment, there will be resentment.

Self-development is the purpose of life, not competition with your neighbour. It is not you versus your neighbour. It is you versus who you used to be yesterday. The see-your-mate culture is like pursuing your shadow. You will have no rest, because you can never catch your shadow. A lower culture focuses on competition. A higher culture focuses on cooperation.

Look at the word community. There is a difference between a community and a society.

The word community ends with unity. Without unity, you cannot have a community. People who come from a society live in competition. People who come from a community live in harmony and cooperation. That is why you have society parties and community meetings.”