Thread by @greaterbayo

Taking Responsibility

Part of getting a second chance is taking responsibility for what you did wrong in the first place—Jack Bauer

This happened exactly a year ago.

We were going to Magodo that afternoon. There really was no traffic but we slowed down at an intersection.

A motorcycle courier was behind us. It was apparent the guy was impatient the way he rode his bike. Suddenly, he tried to meander from our back in a bid to overtake us.

He didn't see the approaching trailer and so, in a bid to duck, he hit my car from behind and broke one of my rear lights.

He wanted to run but we chased him and seized his bike. The painful thing was that a danfo driver broke the same rear light a week before the incident.

The danfo driver rolled on the floor and begged my wife, stating that he just took over the bus and that it was his brakes that failed. My wife let him go and she replaced the light. She was the occupant the day the danfo driver did his own.

I was livid with the okada guy. We took him and his bike to Magodo Police Station. When people gathered at the scene of the incident, passersby started begging me with most of them saying the damage was not a lot and I should let go of the guy.

After a few minutes, it seemed I was no longer the victim. The okada guy became the victim because to them I should show understanding.

When we got to the police station, the okada guy told me he just started work that day and that was his first errand. He said he had been looking for a job for a long time. He tried whipping up sentiments.

I wasn't interested in getting any compensation from him but I was miffed that he wasn't even taking responsibility for his action but rather was making excuses. After a while, I told the police I won't push the matter.

I called the guy and explained why he should man up and take responsibility for his actions. The prerogative of mercy was mine.

Whipping up sentiments and being sentimental remain major reasons why our society is where we are. If you do wrong or you're caught, own up. Apologize. Make reparations if possible. You can't steal someone's money and think begging your way out is the solution.

Our society is too emotional and heavily sentimental. You will see an employee who has refused to keep to the terms of his employment but if the employer wields the big stick, he is deemed wicked.

Stop hiding under the guise of mental health to evade the situation. Mental health issues are not to be toyed with but that's not enough reason not to admit your foibles. People heal faster when all the parties take responsibility for their actions or conduct.

Bayo Adeyinka

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