Every once in a while, we find ourselves in situations that will force us to act out of norms. Things we used to do previously, things we used to be known for, we’ll realize that we’ll suddenly change due to one thing that was done to us, or something that wasn’t us.
Sometimes, such a change in mannerisms can lead to good things for us, a better result for us than what we had to go through prior to the change. However, it can also go badly and get us into trouble in a way we would never have imagined. That’s when people will say things like “They never knew you were capable of such a thing.”
Either way, it’s all good. Acting out of character once or twice is advisable and even healthy, that way you’ll be able to know what you’re capable of when certain situations rise up. While it can go awry, it can also teach you more about yourself just as I got to learn as well.
Yeah, I also had my experience with acting out of character. As much as it shocked the people around me, I’m sure that it shocked me even more because I saw myself in a way I had never seen myself before. And to an extent, it was scary.
This happened during my ND2, I think it was the first semester while I was a course rep for one of our lecturers. One time, the lecturer gave us an assignment to do and while he didn’t give a specific date for collection, I urged my coursemates to do it quickly because he could ask for it any time at all. Well, many students did it almost immediately and submitted it, some copied from others and submitted it. However, there were those who were relaxed and felt that since there was no deadline for the assignment yet, they could hold off on it.
However, the next time we had the lecturer things went awry pretty quickly. It turned out that the very topic he was to teach us that day was based on the assignment he had given and he was asking questions but only a few people could answer it because only a few people actually did it. The rest copied and ignored respectively.
The lecturer didn’t like the fact that so many people had not paid attention to his assignment. He had expected a more engaging class but he was disappointed because it seemed only a handful of people knew what he was talking about. In his anger, he asked me to collect all the assignments and submit them to him, anyone that was yet to do it had failed the assignment.
That was when many people started rushing me trying to shove papers into my hands that were already full. Some were only just starting to write their own assignments and I couldn’t wait for them because the lecturer was by his car waiting for me. It was during this that one of the guys affected by this decree approached me and started blaming me for everything. He said I should have known that the lecturer would ask for the assignment that day, and why didn’t I inform the class? Then he berated me for not asking the lecturer for more time so those who had yet to do it could catch up.
He was just shouting at me and insulting me, and eventually, I snapped. I yelled back at him as well and the next thing I knew I had my fingers bunched into a fist and ready to bash it into his jaw. You have to understand that I was under a lot of pressure then; I was collecting the assignments and I was also being dragged by coursemates who wanted one thing or the other from their course rep. Meanwhile, in my mind, I was already thinking about how I was going to convince the lecturer to give us more time so others who had yet to submit could catch up.
So, I didn’t appreciate the insults this guy was dishing out to me at all. So, I lashed out but thankfully, I never got to punch him. However, I was ready to fight him that afternoon. I had already dropped all the assignments and I was ready to go a few rounds with him. I don’t know who would have won the fight, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to take out the aggression on someone.
However, people separated us. This was a good thing because if we ended up fighting and we were caught, we could get suspended or even expelled from the school. Nigerian schools don’t take cultism lightly at all and fighting in the school environment will be counted as an act of cultism. Just five minutes of uncontrolled anger could end up ruining something that took you years to get.
People were surprised by me that day, before then they had always known me to be a quiet and cheerful guy. But that was the first time I just gave in to my anger in front of them. Personally, I don’t like giving in to my anger because for me, it’s like entering the Avatar State; I stop caring about what I'm doing and the effects it’ll have.
Later on, when I thought about the event, I realized that I was really different. Bruno Kema on a normal day would never do anything to jeopardize his schooling, even if it meant turning the other cheek. But then, it showed me that I was also capable of violence. It also helped me among my coursemates as well because many of them stopped seeing me as this easy-going fellow that they could take advantage of whenever they wanted. So, I guess it all ended on a good note.
And for the assignment, the lecturer was adamant and nothing I said changed his mind. I submitted the ones that were present and left it at that. Although. After a week, I managed to convince him to give them another chance and the others finally submitted theirs.
So, this experience made me learn more about myself. And while things could have gone really bad, I’m glad it didn’t though. Because I’ve seen fights that ended in deaths and people going to prison. Because when it gets that bad, no one cares who started it or who was under pressure. Everyone go surely collect. Thankfully, it didn’t get that bad for me.
