It is solemnly not a wise choice to always dive head first into anything without careful consideration of what you are getting into. Time and again, some of the greatest mistakes made were a result of acting on impulse or blindly, or worse, with one-sided expectations. It’s advisable to always consider both sides of a matter before picking a side.
It seems like common sense and at face value, it’s such a simple principle theoretically and seems easy to do, but practically, it’s something we all fall short of implementing every now and then, especially the youth.
I remember once in primary school while we were being taught about road safety and crossing roads, one of the rules greatly emphasised was to always look to both sides (left, right and left again) of the road before crossing. I have since come to realise that that rule is a guiding post for not just crossing interactions, but also going through life.
The youth have a tendency to easily get rallied up and act on impulse; simple moving off emotion without reason. The results have often been disastrous. Whether this is to do with relationships, school, work or just interacting with people, it’s why they are getting sued or being embarrassed when all facts come out.
This is to a larger extent also a reflection of how those in positions of power tend to approach their duties, or at least, the results reflect that.
This can be seen in our football fraternity, where despite what is going on in the boardrooms, the decisions coming out of those offices isn’t reflective of those who stripe on football boots. Whatever is decided in those meetings seems to discount the players and officials who are actually the product that make it all possible. Nothing there is right or makes sense anymore.
Sometimes common sense is really needed, as considering the consequences of your decision could be a matter of life or death for you or those who will be affected by your decisions.
Considering both sides of an issue isn’t just about weighing the pros and cons, but also considering those involved and affected by your actions and choices or lack thereof.
• Olavi Popyeinawa
• Twitter: @olavipopyeinawa
• Email: olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com