Mindviewers Stories

I remember when I was a teenager, full of dreams and ambitions, ready to conquer the world. But then, life happened. Disappointments, failures, and setbacks started to pile up, and suddenly, my once bright future became a dark and uncertain path. I lost hope, and with it, my drive to keep going. I was just another youth lost in the sea of hopelessness and despair. But then, I met him. An old man with a weathered face and a gentle smile. He told me his story, how he had faced countless challenges and failures, but he never gave up. He said that life is all about perseverance and resilience. It's not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up. At that moment, I realized that hope is not something to be lost but something to be found within ourselves. We may stumble, we may fall, but we must never lose hope. It is the fuel that keeps us going, the light that guides us through the darkness. The old man became my inspiration, my guiding light. Every time I felt like giving up, I thought of him and his unwavering determination. He taught me that failure is not the end, but an opportunity to learn and grow. He showed me that no dream is too big and no obstacle too great if we have hope and resilience. Now, as I look at the present youth generation, I see the same struggles and doubts that I once had. But I also see potential, passion, and determination. I want to be an inspiration to them, just like the old man was to me. I want them to know that despite the challenges and uncertainties, they must never lose hope. They are the future, and their dreams are worth fighting for. So, my message to the present youth generation is this - never lose hope. Believe in yourself, and never give up on your dreams. You may face obstacles and failures, but remember, they are just temporary roadblocks on your journey to success. And one day, when you look back, you will see that they were the stepping stones that led you to greatness.

I remember when I was still preparing to write jamb, my parents enrolled me in a jamb class which starts by 4pm and ends by 6pm on a daily basis, excluding Sundays. Since it was not so far from home, I used to trek to the jamb and trek back home, and at times it will already be 7pm before I get home.

There is this narrow and long path my parents used to be very pissed off with, the path was known as ‘shear road’. The path was always very quiet with no houses around and you barely see people in it. My mother used to warn my siblings and I not to use that path, even in the day time, except we’re walking together with group of people. But as for the night, even if you’re walking with 50 people, my mother won’t still approve any of us to use the shear road.

Initially I used to say that she’s just stressing too much about the shear road and there might not be anything cruel related to it. She will counter by giving stories of the negative happenings she heard about the path, it will say it’s just mere stories and there is no evidence of who ever had been a victim of that lonely road. Even then, I had never for once used that path in the night, only in the day time, and with friends.

One day, I had a cartoon series, named ‘Dragon Ball Z’ that I really wanted to watch on startimes decoder, and the series was to start by 5:30pm and end by 6:30pm. I really wanted to watch that episode and wished I could skip the jamb class that day, but I couldn’t. I went for the class, and immediately it was 6pm, I packed my things and started running home to catch up with the remaining half of the already started episode. And then I came across the shear road, a very shortcut to get home faster, and without thinking I took the path. I was still running when two guys immediately stepped out of the bush and stood in front of me, it was too late for me to stop immediately and I ran into them and they felled to the ground, including me. I stood up before them, and this time, with adrenaline pumping through my veins, I ran like Flash, without looking back and with my school bag firmly held in my arms. I know I ran very fast, because my vision was blurred and the only thing I could hear was the faint shout from the two guys, “hey stop there, I will shoot you, oboy hey!”. I didn’t stop, I ran with all the strength I had till I got home.

I was so tired, sat down in front of the house and panting aggressively, checked myself to confirm if I was still intact, good thing the smart phone my parents bought for me was still in my pocket, the phone was barely a month old and I would have been dealt with if I had lost it. Whether those guys were truly with gun or not, I was home safely and vowed never to set my foot on that road. Entered the house and saw that the cartoon series I risked my life to run home and watch just ended as 6:30pm clocked, what a waste. I should have heed to my mother’s instruction about that road, good thing I’m safe and so are my properties. Till date, I have not told my parents about that incident, for the fear of being scolded for going against their orders.