Haters Gonna Hate: A Tale Of The Dancing Chicken And The Hawk

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“Haters ‘gonna’ hate. But before you ask why, ask yourself why you even care.”
Anonymous

Know Your Haters

Long, long ago, hawk and hen were very good friends. The lazy hen made unwise decisions and so hawk and hen became bitter enemies.

Hen had promised her offspring to hawk, as payment for using her drum without permission. But when it came to making good on her promise, the hen reneged. Hen hid her children, covered them with her body and sometimes, went toe to toe with hawk, all to protect her children and prevent the hawk from claiming her prize. This angered hawk and her family a great deal, and so from generation to generation, their ancestors feuded bitterly. It was no secret in the animal kingdom that pure hatred brewed between hawk and hen families. While the hawks were bent on collecting her prize, the chicken family were bent on keeping their chicks safe and their bloodline running, “haters gonna hate,” they would say, “in the meantime, we intend to live.”

Every year, in the animal kingdom, just before the onset of the annual dry season, a dance contest was held and the winner crowned dance king or queen. The dance king or queen was held in high social esteem. They were invited to the fanciest parties, had the best spot at the watering holes and got to sit in judgement with the king. It was customary for the previous year’s winner to decide the current champion.

As the sun prepared to go to sleep, all the animals gathered under the big iroko tree at the community center. There was excitement and expectation in air and as soon as Lion, the king was seated, the competition began.

Papa Hawk, the patriarch of the hawk family sat proudly by himself. He was the reigning champion and his duty to decide his successor.

Put Your Best Foot Forward Even When They Hate

First came Squirrel, he twirled and shimmied, then he did some acrobatics. At the end of his routine, half of the audience cheered and the other half booed. Papa Hawk sat, unmoved and unimpressed. Squirrel bowed and waited for Hawk to flap his wings, a signal that he had been chosen dance king, but it didn’t happen. Squirrel joined the audience, not the least bothered, he had not come to win, he had come to have fun.

Next came Elephant. She jumped as high as elephants jump. Then she flapped her ears and stamped her feet, the audience clapped and laughed, as the ground shook. At the end of her routine, she didn’t wait for a verdict, she knew hers wasn’t a winning performance.

Hen waltzed in next, her entire clan, loudly in support of her. They carried their own talking drums, tambourines, gourds and stringed instruments. And they played their own music:

We intend to win

We came to win

Look at us

We are chicken

We very well know

Haters gonna hate

But do we care?

We came to win

And the hen danced with all her heart. She danced adowa, kete, kpalogo, borborbor and many more. After a while, entire audience gleefully joined in, the melodious music and Hen’s electrifying dance were impossible to resist. They danced and danced, and everyone was certain Hawk would have no choice but crown Hen the queen of dance that year. Finally, exhausted and near passing out, Hen stopped dancing and bowed. She waited patiently for Hawk to flap his wings. But yet again Hawk perched, unmoved and as disinterested as could be.

“Oh maybe I should do the kete,” Hen said, “surely that will impress him.”

Haters Will Hate: Know When To Walk Away

But Cockerel pulled her to himself and hugged her, and then said, “How much dancing would a hen do to impress a hawk?”

“But I really put my heart in it. I want the crown,” Hen said.

“Let it go girl. Remember haters always gonna hate! Hawk hates us, and by extension you, he only sees you through the lenses of his hatred. You can’t change that with dance routines. You won, but you won’t get the title, let it go, and try again next year,” Cockerel advised.

And just like that, Hawk flew and perched on Elephant’s trunk, he then flapped his wings twice, and crowned the elephant dance queen.

Some people you meet in life will scapegoat you, and go out of their way to frustrate your efforts and thwart your goals. But don’t let them stop you, keep shining!

“No matter how good you are, someone is always going to be against you. But never let them be the limit of your success.”-Terry Mark.

Being able to sift through the noises and random opinions of people takes a healthy amount of self awareness and self-confidence. If you’re on a journey of self-awareness, self-empowerment and enrichment, I’d like to recommend my associates here. They have all kinds of great life courses to help you on your personal growth journey. Here are the ones specific to self-love and wielding your personal power.

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