The cockroach theory At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly fl ew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.
Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky. Th e lady fi nally managed to push the cockroach away but …it landed on another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. Th e waiter rushed forward to their rescue.
In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. Th e waiter stood fi rm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confi dent enough, he grabbed it with his fi ngers and threw it out of the restaurant.
The lesson Sipping my coff ee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies. I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it’s my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. It’s not the traffi c jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffi c jam that disturbs me. More than the problem, it’s my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life. Finally I understood, I should not react in life.
I should always respond. Th e women reacted, whereas the waiter responded. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of. A beautiful way to understand life. Story by Sundar Pichai. Th is brings me to the vermin in our midst. Young rapists in Lagos Groups of school boys in Lagos molested and attempted or might even have raped girls on the streets in an appalling ‘ritual’ following completion of the school exams. Th is news was awash in the media last week and made very disturbing reading.
It evoked in me the same reaction I get when I see cockroaches and rats: exterminate! According to the story shared by Michale Matthew, female students of Falomo Senior High School, who had just fi nished their fi nal exam were targeted by male students of Ireti Grammar School, South West Ikoyi, who had also taken their last paper on Wednesday 3rd May 2017. Matthew gave a graphic account of how some of the students pinned down their struggling victims, as their colleagues herded around, cheering the assailants.
Th e eyewitness, who apparently works in the neighborhood, was closing for work that day when she chanced on the scene. A resident of the neighborhood, said that usually when students of public secondary schools in the area fi nish their fi nal exam, tearing their school uniforms while male students assaulting the females have always been the usual thing. Asked why residents such as herself failed to do anything whenever they witness such things, she said, “Some of those boys move around with knives and scissors. Because some of them live around here, they always do it where people cannot catch them. But we are aware they do it.”
Respond Outrage by residents of the state continue to pour in as more people indicate that the “tradition” is actually not new. A resident said, “It is a so-called normal activity for the leavers. Th ey tear their uniforms and some girls are raped and abused. “Some girls absent themselves from school. Some wear three or four layers as protective wears; some bribe to pay for their freedom and to prevent being raped.” I hear that the Police authorities in Lagos are reluctant to sort out this mess. In the usual recalcitrant manner, they want the girls to come to them before acting. Th ey do not believe the girls were molested and may have been raped!
Th e question is this: When are we going to get the Police Service we truly deserve? Here is where we need to respond. Th e simple fact is that this is not right! All wellmeaning people in Lagos and in Nigeria as a whole must call out and respond to this social obscenity. I do not care how long it has been going on or that your mother was also raped in her time and look how well she turned out. I also care less about the boys involved and that they did not really mean it. Or that the girls knew or asked for it or whatever other stupid excuses people, the boys, their parents and the Police may come up with. We need to disown these boys and ensure they know the gravity of their behaviour!
