While growing up, the most frequent advice centered upon sex, cultism, stealing, waywardness, bad companies, etc. Our parents tend to use either of the listed act as tools for advice. This placed fear in us.
At some point, most of the books that were written when I was younger centered upon them too. This means I grow around the ideology, " if a man touches you, you'll get pregnant". "if you join the bad company, your future is doom". "if you steal, you'll end up in prison". "if you don't take your studies seriously, you will be selling periwinkles in the market".
The last part stuck to each and everyone young person in my region. We dreaded the thought of having to sell periwinkles in the market. We dreaded the physical appearance of those women (no offense). We dreaded the hot sun. At some point, girls were told if they play around with sex, they will get unwanted pregnancy, and will end up in the marketplace like those women.
The future for the set of people who never took any of this advice to heart was something we feared. We tried as much as possible to stay away from bad influences and focus on our studies. So, we could get the opportunity to work in a white-collar job. Drive the latest cars. Live in the most beautiful and expensive areas and houses.
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Goodness me! What a life? A Life that is full of fear. A life where children were taught to take the road more traveled. Life children were taught to live in a certain way without going off the mark so they do not end up as failures.
Do you know, all of those years, I wrote stories like this too? I wrote lots of stories with moral lessons such as the ones we were taught.
Gosh... I grew up..... Everything changed.
I understood our choices determine the outcome of our lives, alright, but we didn't need to be trained to live fearfully to accomplish amazing things at all. What we needed then was to understand the difference between right and wrong, and make our decision.
Just the way, the scripture tells us, there are two roads, we should take one, but, we should take the right one. Our parents should have given us the right and wrong teaching, tell us to choose, but, point the one they considered best. Instead of filling our hearts with fears.
Is the future bleak for a young woman who gets pregnant at a teenage age?
Not at all. If this girl decides to forgive herself. Pick up the pieces of her life. She can start afresh and still grow into an honorable woman. It is time that changes all things.
is the future bleak for someone who is influenced by bad friends?
Not at all. If the human in question discovers early on that the other side of life will be full of misery and retraces his steps, he has a chance at a better life.
Understanding is the key
What we ought to do as adults is not to put fear in the heart of our young ones. It is to show them the various sides of the coin. Explain what happens when each face is chosen, offer suggestions on the right face they should choose, and then, allow them the pleasure of choosing.
As long as there is life, there is hope
It doesn't matter if we have stirred off the wrong path, we can make amends. As long as we have life, all hope isn't lost. We can start today, and make changes for the future. Nothing can stop a determined mind.
It doesn't matter if you skipped school. It doesn't matter if you got pregnant on the way. It doesn't matter if everything came crumbling down in the process. Just as the author of the book, "The greatest salesman" said, "Failure will not overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough". Then you have hope. Once you have strong determination and convictions, nothing can stop you from being the person you want to be.
All it takes is to take that simple step towards changing the outlook of your life. Then, everything will fall into place.