The story centers on a gentleman, Roland, who has always been the epitome of peace, never dabbling in the dark arts of deception or intrigue. When Roland met Murphy, he was 38 years old. Despite his age, Roland remained the kind of man who sought tranquility over conflict, still striving, albeit in vain, to launch the best version of his life. Yet, while Roland persisted, others around him surrendered their hopes each morning, beaten down by the daily grind.
Lagos Island in Nigeria, with its hypnotic allure and abundant opportunities, became the stage for their journey. A place where the bustling energy of over two million traders could disrupt the flow of everyday life. Drawn by the Island’s promise, Roland moved there right after completing his diploma, desperate to carve out his path. It was here that he met four like-minded souls, and together they embarked on a relentless hustle, united by one simple goal: to make money. Their days were consumed by this pursuit, but each night, they would retreat to Murphy's room, where ideas flowed as freely as the late-night hours passed.
Those long, sleepless nights weren’t just about counting the hours; they were a testament to their dedication, a time to measure their progress and refine their strategies. It was during these late-night discussions that they shaped their dreams and plotted their futures. Yet, Murphy, the one who had spent nearly three decades on the Island, remained an enigma. He never contributed to their conversations about wealth and ambition. Instead, Murphy spoke of the latest films and television dramas, his mind forever lost in the fictional worlds playing out on the screen.
Murphy’s obsession with television was all-consuming. He could recount every plot twist, every character’s journey, even though he rarely left his room to experience the world beyond the screen. His friends, though not avid viewers themselves, knew every detail of the latest shows, thanks to Murphy's relentless updates. He spent almost ten hours a day in front of the television, every day, for years on end, as life outside his window moved on without him.
Sixteen years passed, and while Roland and his friends had transformed their lives, becoming highly skilled professionals in various fields, Murphy remained unchanged. He still slept in the same bed, his only upgrade being a larger television screen. They had created a WhatsApp group to keep in touch, to reminisce about their shared past. But even this faded away, as Murphy’s incessant pleas for money became increasingly brazen. His sense of entitlement grew legendary, with new excuses every day as to why he needed financial help. Yet none of them had the courage to tell Murphy the painful truth: that he had allowed his dreams to be stolen by the very people on his beloved television screen.
Murphy had forgotten a simple truth: the faces on the screen are just people doing a job, just as an engineer builds or a doctor heals. The glamorous lives they portrayed were fiction, while the real Murphy was trapped in a cycle of watching and waiting, missing out on his own life. It’s absurd to pity a character like Jamie Foxx playing a beggar in a film when he’s living a life of luxury, while you struggle to put food on your table.
The lesson from Murphy’s tale is clear: life is too short to be spent in front of a screen, living vicariously through others. If you’re not the one on that screen, then your time, your resources, and your very life are slipping away. Murphy’s mistake was letting the illusion of the screen overshadow his dreams, a cautionary tale for anyone who risks losing themselves in the flickering light of someone else’s story.