Categories: Articles, Columnists, Harlem, Hazel Rosetta Smith,
Making a mountain out of a molehill refers to over-reactive behavior in which a person makes too much of a minor issue. The hill that the mole builds is nowhere in size to the height of a mountain.
To associate a mountain with a molehill, it would make sense to look at the mole that is creating the mountain. Moles are small strategically minded creatures who burrow tunnels in previously tilled or freshly dug lawns, where the digging is easier. Moles create tunnels for two purposes, traveling and feeding. The mounds or “molehills” are excess dirt that piles up as the mole burrows.
After giving thought to the mole and its determined lifestyle, we can understand that the metaphor of the mountain and the molehill is in keeping with the familiar actions of humans.
Comparing the maneuvers of the mole to a human, we see similarities in that humans dig up mounds of dirt too, but it is purposed as a source of gossip or opinions that have no actual attribute other than to cultivate the dirt.
Most of the time when we spread the dirt, we build the mountain for visual purposes and attention seeking. That mountain will become a conduit for other critters who will cause greater damage. It will open the door and allow the entry of disappointment in people we previously had high regard.
Exaggerating a situation needlessly can be the culprit of a headache and unnecessary confrontation. Mountains of accusations will continue to rise; however, we can rise above them. The hill that the mole left in its digging is dirt that is of no value to the success it is seeking.
It is tempting to stomp molehills flat, because, let us face it, they are irritating. When you do that, the moles will simply push the dirt back up to reopen the tunnel. Some things are just what they are and adding to them is not wise or rational thinking.
Moving from one issue to another without resolution or common sense is like looking back at all the mounds of dirt left piled in useless neglect. What is to be done with all the upheavals that disrupted what was once a beautiful landscape?
Creating confusion that boggles the mind is a dangerous preoccupation.
If we want peace of mind which is urgent for our collective wellness, we can refuse to add fuel to the foolish fodder that attempts to build mountains that are detrimental to unity in our community.
When those in leadership positions speak with divisive language that is cultivating chaos, we must consider where such rhetoric is coming from and the hidden agenda to which we are not privy.
One who makes a mountain out of a molehill is exaggerating the power they believe is in their hand. The mounds of dirt that the mole dug up will not become a mountain. They are merely insignificant symbols of time wasted.
[Hazel Rosetta Smith is a journalist, playwright, and artistic director for Help Somebody Theatrical Ministries, retired former Managing Editor and Woman’s Editor of the New York Beacon. Contact: misshazel@twc.com]
