Becoming The Muse

Chakafukidza dzimba

There is a reason we have walls that separate us from our neighbour’s.

The Shona have a proverb chakafukidza dzimba matenga which literally translates to what covers homes is their roofs.

Without the roof everything in the home would be exposed to the elements. The meaning of this proverb is about how you can never truly know what happens in a home behind closed doors, unless they actually reveal it – the good and the bad.

There is a popular idiom about keeping up with Joneses where people use their neighbour as a benchmark for standards they try to keep up with… This can also be observed on social media where people try to keep up with internet goals and standards.

– “A sad generation with happy pictures“

The thing is you only see a small part of anyone’s story, that which they let you see… but what really happens behind closed doors? How do they sleep at night? Do they cry themselves to sleep in their queen size bed tucked into 100% Egyptian cotton sheets?

You might be surprised to see that your humble existence is more fulfilling than than the grass on the other side which might be fertilised with manure.

Why do walls separate our houses?

---