Let's continue to look at some of the proverbs that come from the Letter of the Year from the Sociedad el Cristo, Palmira, Cuba. This one talks specifically about the tendency some of us have to overextend ourselves and interfere in things that don't concern us.

​It's hard to draw a clear line between the desire to help someone and the need to interfere in another person's business.  With the best of intentions, we can easily overstep boundaries and get involved in situations that have nothing to do with us. It's hard to sit back and watch other people make mistakes or do things that we consider wrong.  When Ofún (10) appears in a reading, it talks about a person who has a big heart and undefined boundaries. Under the influence of Ofún, we can spend all our time helping other people and give away so many of our resources that at the end of the day, we have nothing left for ourselves.  We offer help, even when it's not requested, and with single-minded determination, we move in to fix problems that aren't our own.  This proverb reminds us that we have to be realistic and ask ourselves why we're acting on behalf of another person, and where is that need coming from?  Why do we have to try to fix the problems of the whole world? 

​Proverbs aren't meant to be taken literally, so the neighbor's dog isn't necessarily a real dog.  The neighbor might not be a real neighbor, but simply an acquaintance.  Our desire to give bread to the neighbor's dog is a symbol of our overextended boundaries.  We're giving bread - the staff of life, some say - to someone else's dog. Metaphorically, we're running the show for someone else, taking over responsibilities that aren't ours.  The dog isn't ours, and we don't have control over it.  The neighbor can lock the dog up, give the dog away, move away and take the dog, or otherwise remove the dog from our sphere of influence.  We have no say in what happens to the dog.  We can give it bread, but we can't determine the dog's fate.   It's important to remember that these proverbs come from an ancient culture, before laws existed about animal rights, before bags of dog food were available on supermarket shelves.  The proverbs come from a culture where people experienced economic hardship from time to time, and perhaps lacked food to feed their own families.  To take on the ownership of a pet, like a dog, required thought and planning, because dogs need to be fed.  To take on the responsibility of a neighbor's dog is foolish in this light, because we're putting ourselves in a situation where we're making sacrifices (giving up our bread) for a dog that we don't own.  There's no reward for our generosity. We'll lose the bread, and we'll lose the dog, because the dog wasn't ours in the first place. 

​Take some time to consider what's going on in your life? What responsibilities have you taken on that aren't your own?  The proverb doesn't ask you to go to extremes and stop helping people.  It doesn't tell you to put a halt to generosity and compassion.  It just asks you to think about what you're doing, and draw some limits.  No matter how well off we are, our time and resources are limited.  Are we using them in the best way?  Are we trying to help people who are at the fringes of our lives rather than people who are very close to us? Are we helping everyone else and neglecting ourselves?  Regla de Ocha is a religion that encourages people to behave in sensible and practical ways, to keep feet grounded in reality and see things as they really are.  Interfering in someone else's business is not always about generous impulses. Sometimes it's about the need to control. Sometimes it's about confused priorities.  Sometimes it's bad judgment. Maybe you need to focus on your own needs and your own problems, and let other people deal with their issues by themselves.  Don't turn a blind eye to the needs of your family and very close friends, but don't try to save everyone you know.  The world is a big place, and there's only so much of you to go around.  Be sure your energy gets used where it will do the most good.

The letter of the year has meaning on both a personal level and a more universal one. In terms of how this odu might affect the world at large, we need to think about how governments, organizations, or particular groups of people  are, perhaps with very good intentions, overstepping boundaries and trying to "fix" problems that are not their own. Again, this is not to say that no one should ever help anyone, but to keep in mind that sometimes its best to let people resolve their own problems. The wisdom comes in knowing when to help, and how.

Using the letter of the year of 2016 from the Sociedad el Cristo in Palmira, Cuba, as a point of reference, let's look at some of the advice that comes from the ruling Odu of the year (10-5) and what kind of wisdom we can glean from understanding the proverbs associated with that sign. This proverb talks about how we acquire wisdom, but also points out the need for patience and respect toward elders. These are fundamental concepts in the Lucumí worldview.

Many times we assume people who are very knowledgeable or very skilled were born with superior minds, and we underestimate the life experience that went into acquiring that knowledge. We attribute their ability to win arguments, outwit other people, and come out on top to some mysterious power they have, an uncanny sense of perception or insights into human character that the rest of us lack.  In folklore, there are countless stories about encounters between humans and the devil, in which the devil tricks the human in some way, often by letting the human's naiveté create the conditions where he falls into the devil's trap. The message is: who can outwit the devil? He has supernatural powers, and we're merely human.

​In the Lucumí religion, the devil doesn't exist. But this proverb, borrowed from Spanish culture, illustrates a way of thinking that is central to Lucumí philosophy. Knowledge and skill are acquired over time. The longer you live, the more wisdom and insight you have. Our elders know more than we do because they've lived longer, they've experienced more, and they've seen more than we have.  When we're young, we may be very smart, but we lack the long view that elders have. We're less able to see connections and patterns, simply because our life experiences haven't given us enough material to work with yet.
 
Not all old people are wise, however. It requires effort to acquire knowledge, and it requires patience and humility to acquire wisdom. People have to pay attention, observe, reflect, listen to others, consider other points of view, and be open to new knowledge during every phase of their life. Those who think they know it all stop learning and they limit themselves in terms of what they know. Those who talk all the time about what they know aren't paying attention to what other people are saying or doing. Those who sit back and listen, learn. They gain insight into why people do what they do, what motivates them, and what creates obstacles for them. This gives them an ability to judge character, and also understand human behavior in a way that can be used for good or bad purposes, depending on their own character. They can manipulate and trick people, or they can help and guide people. Not all wise people are kind. The proverb cautions us to recognize the devil when we encounter him, but not to fear him. He has no supernatural powers over us; he simply has lived longer. If we live long enough, we'll know as much as he does. How we use our wisdom is up to us.

The proverb also suggests that we learn just by living our lives. We have to go out into the world and interact with people. We have to try new things, and we have to accept that making mistakes is part of life. We can learn from them, and know how to avoid them in the future. If we pay attention to the world around us, and our own reactions to that world, we can gain a depth and breadth of knowledge that helps us live more intelligently.  The odu Ofun-oché talks about the importance of remaining calm, being patient, and waiting for the work we do to yield rewards. This advice applies to the acquisition of knowledge and skill. The longer you do something, the more naturally it will come to you. Trying to do things in a hurry and take shortcuts puts you in the way of temptation. As you look for an easy way out, you can fall into traps set by those who will try to manipulate or use you. Actively build your base of knowledge, but recognize that you always have more to learn. Keep your eyes open, and take your time getting where you want to go.
 
In the Lucumí religion, good and evil exist, but they aren't personified by supernatural beings. They reside inside human beings. Every person has the potential to do good or bad deeds. Any "devil" that exists in our world is a human being who has chosen to use his intelligence and skills to do bad things. When we choose to do something we know is bad, there's no devil standing on our shoulder, whispering in our ear, to tempt us to do it. It's our own nature calling out to us, giving us permission to choose between good and bad. Sometimes we choose bad because all humans have seeds of it inside them. Humans are responsible for their choices, and their actions. They aren't "made" to do it by the devil. This puts responsibility firmly on the shoulders of the individual, and reminds him that he has options in life. He can acquire wisdom, or not. He can help others, or not. He can do harm, or not. The proverb demystifies the concept of the devil, and turns him into nothing more than someone with a great deal of experience in the world.

Envy and frustration are at the heart of this proverb.  We all have dreams and goals we want to achieve, but as the years go by, we start to suspect that some of those things are never going to happen.  Maybe it's due to factors beyond our control, maybe it's due to our own lack of initiative or skills. Or, maybe those dreams were too far out of our reach and we didn't have the wisdom to see that sooner. 

Imagine, for example, a young man who dreams of starting his own company and being the boss. He imagines himself in a leadership position and  thinks about what a great boss he's going to be. He will be a problem-solver, he's going to motivate others to be successful, everyone will admire him. He'll have a lot of money, buy a big house, and take vacations in exotic places.  By the time he's fifty, though, none of this has come to pass. He's working in an office in an assistant manager position, he's making a decent living but he doesn't have the house, money or dream vacations he hoped for.  Even worse, his boss is unbearable. He's demanding, he lacks vision, he doesn't appreciate or value the people that work for him. The employee feels stuck. He's not the leader he dreamed he would be, and he's forced to work for a person he doesn't respect.  This is a recipe for frustration and unhappiness.

There are a couple of natural responses to this situation. The employee can either turn his frustration inward and blame himself for being a failure. Or, he can turn it outward and find fault with the system that put another man in his place.  Why did that other man get chosen to be the boss?   Envy comes into play when the employee starts counting all the advantages the boss enjoys. Maybe he went to a more prestigious university and has a more impressive title. Maybe he has personal connections with the "right" people who helped him move up the ladder.  Maybe he just had better luck. Whatever the reasons, it seems unfair. Not only is the employee going to resent the boss, but he's going to resent the circumstances that put the other man in a superior position.  The dissatisfaction the employee feels with his job leads to disapproval of all the things the boss represents: the man's political party, his economic status, his values, his way of being. The dream of being the boss fades, and becomes, instead, an undesirable goal.  Who wants to be the boss in a corrupt system that rewards the wrong people for the wrong reasons?

This is not just a case of "sour grapes."  Eye-unle talks about the importance of knowing where you belong in a hierarchy, and assuming your rightful place. If you are born to be the head, you can't end up as the tail. You'll never be satisfied with that role.  Not everyone is meant to be the head. Leadership requires a special set of characteristics and skills. People who end up as the head and don't belong there will be a disaster at their job. But people who were meant to be the head and don't achieve that goal will also be a disaster at their job if they settle for a position that's beneath them. Some people don't mind occupying a lower place in the hierarchy of things. Working a simple job with few responsibilities and little stress has its own rewards. Some people prefer to keep a low profile and stay out of the limelight. They aren't driven and don't depend on their job to give them a sense of identity. They have no trouble letting others run the show, because they don't aspire to be a leader. But for those who were born to be the head, that's their personal destiny, and if they don't follow through on it, they will always be disappointed . 

This proverb tells us that we need to have dreams that correspond to our authentic selves. We need to know who we are, what we're capable of, what we really want, and what we're able to achieve. Self-confidence leads to a feeling of self-worth. If a person is meant to rise to the top, he needs to find a context where that can happen.  He can't settle for less. He needs to create the circumstances, and not lose focus.  Maybe he can't be the CEO of a billion dollar company, but he can live out his dream by finding what he does best and doing it. If he isn't recognized for his talents within an established structure, maybe he needs to move outside that structure and find or create a new one. Above all, the proverb tells us to not get stuck.  Not all our dreams can come true, but some of them should. If we can take pride in what we've accomplished in life, then the few things we never accomplished won't mean so much to us. We won't envy a lifestyle that's so different from ours because we like the one we've created for ourselves. It suits us. Humans will always disapprove of someone or something, that's human nature. But if we use our energy to carry out our own projects and plans, bringing our dreams to fruition, we're less invested in the people and things that frustrate us, and less willing to spend time thinking about them. Overall, this leads to a more productive and happier life.