Don't Offend The Wrong Person

There are men and women who don't forgive

Especially when they know they are in the right and you are in the wrong

They will give no quarter

They will not be gracious

Avoid trying to cheat them or making a fool of them

They won't see it as a sport or take it on the chin

They will go to war, and they will not stop until they annihilate their perceived offender

"Know Who You're Dealing With—Do Not Offend the Wrong Person."

It warns that assuming everyone will react the same way to your strategies is a dangerous mistake; some people will spend their lives seeking revenge if you cross them.

There are different types of "dangerous" people you might encounter:

1. The Arrogant and Proud (Self-Righteous): Nysome Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria rested his ambition to become the president of Nigeria on the agreement that the Presidency had been zoned by the political party on the basis of two terms to the Northern Part of Nigeria followed by Two Terms to the Southern Part of Nigeria.

He was a governor when President Buhari, who hailed from the North, was the President, and he knew it would be the turn of the South to produce the next President of Nigeria.

If the PDP played according to the rules, the political party and its entire structure would have to back a Southerner from Nigeria to be president.

There were several options within the PDP, and he was one of them.

He put in place a plan to win the internal politics within the party and emerge as the party's flagbearer.

After several months of planning, the time came for the National Convention of the PDP, and an outside force who had been a political wanderer, Atiku Abubakar from the North, returned to the party.

After his return, the political leaders in the PDP decided the zoning arrangement would no longer hold. They changed the policy to whoever wins the party's ticket during the convention would be the flagbearer for the election.

Wike cried foul, stating that the party had reneged on its agreement to zone the election to the South contrary to the agreement they had before that time.

The National Primary election was held, and Atiku Abubakar won the election.

Other politicians would have licked their wounds and let the matter rest, not Wike.

He held a grudge and pursued the course of retribution fiercely against those whom he considered traitors who reneged on the promises they made to him and, by so doing, sabotaged his presidential ambition.

For the 2023 election, Wike sided with the candidate of the opposition in exchange for the position of Minister of the FCT.

The candidate of the opposition won, and he was given his consolation prize.

From this position, Wike launched a vendetta against all those who sabotaged his ambition from every possible front.

By 2026, after three gruesome years of legal and media strife, Wike had thrown those whom he believed sabotaged his ambition out of the PDP for one reason or the other and became the National leader of the Party

B. Genghis Khan and the Shah of Khwarezm

In the 13th century, Muhammad, the Shah of Khwarezm, ruled a massive empire. When Genghis Khan sent an embassy with gifts to propose a trade alliance, the Shah felt insulted that an "upstart" from the east would speak to him as an equal.

The Offense: The Shah ignored the offer, and later, one of his governors seized a Mongol caravan and executed its leaders. When Khan sent ambassadors to ask for the governor's punishment, the Shah beheaded one and sent the others back with shaved heads.

The Consequence: Genghis Khan, a man who valued honor above all, responded with a relentless campaign that eventually destroyed the Shah's entire empire and led to the Shah's death in exile.

2. The Insecure and Vengeful: J. Frank Norfleet and the Con Artists

In 1920, a cattleman named

J. Frank Norfleet

was swindled out of $45,000 by a sophisticated con-artist ring led by

Joe Furey

The Offense: Furey assumed Norfleet would be like most "suckers"—too embarrassed to go to the police or admit he’d been fooled.

The Consequence: Norfleet was immoderately insecure and couldn't stand the humiliation. He spent the next five years and his entire fortune hunting the con artists across multiple countries. He personally caught the leaders and stayed on the trail until the entire ring was behind bars.

3. The "Serpent" with a Long Memory: Prince Ch’ung-erh

passed through the state of Cheng, where the ruler treated him with utter contempt because he appeared poor and powerless. While in exile, Prince Ch’ung-erh

The Offense: Despite warnings from his advisors that the prince was a "worthy" man who might one day regain power, the ruler of Cheng continued to insult him.

The Consequence: Years later, Ch’ung-erh returned to his throne. He had not forgotten the slight. He assembled a vast army, destroyed the kingdom of Cheng, and sent its ruler into exile.

4. The Literal and "Plain" Man: Henry Ford and the Art Dealers

In 1920, a group of top art dealers, including

Joseph Duveen

, tried to sell a massive collection to

Henry Ford

The Offense: They assumed Ford would be seduced by the prestige and "fancy" nature of the art. They presented him with a magnificent, expensive three-volume set of books showing the original paintings.

The Consequence: Ford was so literal-minded that he simply asked why he would need the original paintings when the pictures in the books were already so beautiful. The dealers wasted months of work because they failed to realize they were dealing with a man who had no imagination for art.

PS: Which of these character types (The Self-Righteous, the Arrogant, the Insecure, or the Literal) do you find most difficult to read in your own life?

-GSW-