A Fight for Peace

A few years ago, in the busy street of Lagos, lived a fine young man by the name of Adeola. He was brought up by one of the best parents anyone can ever ask for, and to the best of their capacity as the only child, they didn't spoil or pamper him; instead, they instilled values and morals in him to mold him into a fine, respectable, and decent individual. All is life prior to that moment. Adeola has never had any reason to leave the sight of his parents beyond a few hours, but now there is a need for him to further his academy, and for the first time, he'll be leaving his parents to stay by himself at the university. This gives him a sense of freedom and the ability to explore life to the fullest.

Prior to him leaving, his mother sat him down one last time and gave him some pieces of advice to keep him going when he's all by himself at the university. She went on like, Ade my son, remember the son of who you're and where you're from; don't become the shadow of yourself due to a taste of freedom; you'll have enough of it later on in life; but for now, focus on your studies; be good and respectful to everyone around you; and if by chance you've got issues, don't shy away from speaking with your lecturers, school authority, or better yet, call me; I pray the Lord go with you.

So optimistic and full of life as an excellent student, Adeola arrived at the university and hit the ground running. It was obvious that he was a bright student with potential all around him. Unfortunately, despite his performance, his arrival on campus is plagued with continuous bullying from cult members who threaten him if he fails to help them during a tez or exam, they'll deal with him. It even got to the point where they would collect things from him, such as money, phones, and the like, and there's nothing he can do about it.

All of these happenings made Adeola lose his peace and begin to have sleepless nights. He was sick and tired of being picked on by all these bullies and cults; he was becoming vulnerable, and nothing seemed to be working in helping him escape being a victim of this circumstance, but on one faithful day, While he was walking along the route on campus, he witnessed how the cultist wanted to bully and cart away with another student's items, but the boy didn't cooperate with them, and while they were trying to harm the boy, another group of cultists came to defend the boy.

Adeola was wowed by this and couldn't help but approach the boy later that day to enquire why he was being defended by the other group of cultists when he was about to be bullied, and the bou responded by saying he had to join a cult for protection because he has been a victim of bullying on several occasions, but since he joined that cult. He's now covered, and no one can bully him because they all usually stand up for one another.

After thinking his previous ordeals through, Adeola sought refuge in the company of a notorious cult group on campus, and for the first few weeks he was enjoying this newfound freedom and immunity. He was even encouraged to confront some of his previous oppressors in the company of his new team, and he was able to get his revenge. As time went on, Adeola became more confident and had a sense of strength and ability to conquer anything.

Unknown to him, he was gradually getting himself rooted in a world of violence and conflict. With his new-found way of life, his academy performance went down the slop, but he careless; all he's concerned about is his peace of mind and his responsibility to his fellow brotherhood in this notorious gang.

One faithful day, Adeola was caught up in a serious confrontation between the different groups of cultists in that institution, and while he was trying to defend his group members, he ended up being brutally murdered by the opposition gang. In his dying moments, he came back to his senses as his life gradually drained out of his body.

He realizes that in his bid for acceptance and protection, he has taken the wrong approach in sailing through, and now look where that brought him. He has disappointed not just his parents, but himself; his dreams and aspirations have been brought to an untimely halt. The price of his choice hit him hard, making him wish he could draw back the hands of time to choose differently.

The story of the life of Adeola made us understand that we should be careful of how we seek validation and acceptance, because if we make the wrong decision, it could lead to our end. It helps us understand that although peace can be attained through violence, yet most of those who follow that path live the rest of their lives in regret, and it makes us understand that acceptable and valid validation comes from staying true to our beliefs and values and not through violence and intimidation.

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This is my entry for #aprilinleo day 17 for the Inleo initiative. You can also join us by reading all the details in the announcement post.

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Thanks so much for your time, have a wonderful day.

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