TwoCents | They Made Me Do It - by Wilson U. Uzoeto

This is an unpopular opinion about the male gender.. from a male's perspective. The story goes of a teenage boy who was playing with his friends, as most teenage boys love to do. It was just a day like every other day, as he played with his friends under a tree.. or some place else. The homebase of different bugs. He was dared by His friends to take one of them and chew on it. As he did that, his brain was infested by a parasite that lives in the bug.. it laid eggs in his brain through the next few months.. he went into a coma and later he died. This is supposedly a true story "I read on twitter", don't judge me. Now, it's easy for you to blame his friends for making him chew a bug. But that's the story you were told.. what if he was the one that told them that he could eat a bug. This is not uncommon among young boys. I bet I have made such claims in the past, the difference between myself and this guy however is that I don't believe that just because I can do something, I should do it. My parents would always say "If someone asked you to put your hands inside fire, should you then do it?" This I have interpreted to mean "Just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should and if I ever do it, it should be because I chose to" Let me tell you another story, a true experience, that would help you understand why I struggle to agree with the above story.. When I was younger, between 9-11 years old, living in Wole Cole street, Surulere, Lagos. I had this neighbour and friend called "Bobo" who I visited regularly because, well, he was fun to be with. On one of such days, Bobo had told me that he could smoke a cigarette and he has smoked a cigarette before, note that we are age mates oo. I didn't believe him, and quickly made my mind known "You are lying Bobo, cigarette is only for older bad men not small boys. Who will give you a cigarette?" And the argument continued. His answer was "I wait for people to throw their recently smoked cigarette away then I pick it up and smoke it". Well, there was no reason arguing, it's not something that's impossible I must have thought.. but he'd have to do it again before my own eyes for me to believe him. Interestingly, that evening a male friend of his older sisters came around and bought a couple sticks of cigarette from the Mallam outside their house.. smoked the first one while chatting with the girls and us because we were all gathered around this "Older bad man" to hear him speak and see him smoke. He finished the first stick, threw it and went on to the next.. and here we have the opportunity for Bobo to prove himself. I didn't hesitate as you'd have expected.. "Bobo" I said "Oya take that cigarette stick that's on the floor still burning, and smoke it.." Truth is, Bobo would have done it before the man who dropped it, stopped him and called me "A bad friend", when obviously I am the good person here. This story is not about bugs nor is it about an underage boy smoking cigarettes, it's about people being able to take responsibility for their own choices, even from a young age. We live in a world where everyone prefers to blame others for the consequences of their own actions. I sincerely have no issues with people smoking or eating bugs, as long as they are ready to take responsibility for their own choices and say "I did it, not someone else, no because and no buts" Well, don't blame me for writing this, blame that bad man that accused me of being a bad friend to Bobo. Have you ever been blamed for the choices of others before? Let me know in the comments. Also, if there is any body that immediately came to mind as you read this insight? Share this with them. As AlwaysYour BishopWilson Uzoeto.

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