MAKING HARD CHOICES

Sometimes in life we must make the hard choices if we must see things work. But sometimes what makes us strong is the ability to navigate through those choices and come up with an ultimate solution. When we feel stuck with only one way to go and two options to make, I feel there is always a third option if we think critically and not out of fear. Come to think of it, fear and panic usually brings about two options and shows us one way out, courage gives us multiple options that would help us gain momentum in the long run. If there is one thing I learned from my mother, it is the ability to make the third choice which isn’t always easy.

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I remember some years back when my dad’s creditors were after him, at one point some of them who happen to belong to an occultic society connived against him. They asked for a meeting only to kidnap him at the end of the day. My mum however followed him for the meeting so they were both kidnaped together. According to the story my mum narrated, after all the beatings they gave my dad two options since he couldn’t pay them their money: join them (Their cult) or they kill him in front of his wife. My mum said my dad was already contemplating saving his life to join the cult, until my mum told them that if they kill him, they could kill her as well.

According to her, they were already putting tyres on them to set them ablaze with my mum holding firmly to her husband as both were ready to die. The head of the cult was moved by such boldness and ordered his men to stop. That was how my parents' lives were saved and my siblings and I escaped being orphans. From this story I learned that the ability to make the third choice begins with making the hardest of the two choices life presents before you. For example if I am the leader of (let’s say) a group of soldiers and we are at war and my only two options are to sacrifice some of my men to save the many, If I see there is no other way, I would be forced to make a very hard choice.

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In my head, I can see myself running towards death. As the leader I believe we all live or die for whatever cause we have chosen and that is the courage that I would use in fighting for all of us. At the same time I will let my men know that if they are scared it’s okay, because I’m scared too and they don’t have to join me if they wish to keep their lives, but I would never sacrifice all their lives so I could live. Whatever comes next would be completely up to God and fate.

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE LEARNER'S PROMPT FOR WEEK 137 EPISODE 3