THREE PILLS

 

 

I haven't always been a big admirer of politics. I don't often watch the news. I much prefer to lose myself in a novel, following the author as they take me down a path of love, hate, retaliation, lies, conspiracy, truth, and anything else that comes with suspense and crazy fantasy. I didn't enjoy reading romance novels. Yet I now understand that ignorance may destroy your soul. And we cannot conquer what we cannot define in this life.

The gloom that hangs over Nigeria made it difficult for me to muster the guts to write this piece. Even in the midst of darkness, it can be challenging to perceive the light shining. Our lives have been completely upended by the lack of money. We've had to develop patience due to the economic uncertainty. 

We believed that the worst things that could ever happen to us were Ebola, COVID-19, or the flood that devastated over 20 states in Nigeria, but as we are currently going through another trial, we understand that man cannot survive by food alone. Chuckles!

I was having an interesting conversation with an electrician close to my house who was helping me fix a home appliance. He was musing to himself, then shared with me that he believed the era of COVID-19 was better than the time we lived in, so I asked him how. He said death is a common denominator among the tribulations we have faced, but at least then we had cash in hand. I didn’t respond to it, but it was a sobering thought on my way home. I pictured a moment from a science-fiction movie. I saw a hand arrange three pills on a table, one blue pill, one red pill, and one green pill. If you had been given a choice, just like David was given three options to choose from, which one would you have chosen to come first? The red pill stands for Ebola, the blue pill stands for the flood, and the green pill stands for a cashless world. Which one is the lesser evil?

Well, I don’t think we will ever get the chance to be presented with three magic pills and asked to make a choice that will affect a nation, but I am sure we are confronted with choices daily. Choices that determine how bright or dark our souls are.

May you constantly strive to enjoy the now, reflect on the past, and plan for the future in all that you do. Regardless of all that happens to us, life is a gift. 

In God’s love,

Peace Okunola.