Michael Ace: Why you need to survive no matter the circumstance

by Micheal Ace

If you ask me how much life means to me, I’ll tell you this story.

It was the ninth time he would sit for Jamb. He was optimistic this time, just how he had never been before. He was sure he had prepared. The old woman in his village whom everyone feared and revered had died some weeks prior. Pastors said his road was set.

His mother dreamt the night before his exam day that he succeeded. He made it in soaring colours, like those of rainbow. He awakened the warrior in him at dawn and went for the war.

But just as he was about answering the questions, the system placed before him went off. It was going to reboot the engineer said but it was taking too long a time. He couldn’t understand why his system of all candidates had to be encoured with software issue. He watched others pick their choices and seal their fate. He wept. Just 30 minutes before the stipulated stoppage time, the system rebooted and he was able to attempt only about half of the entire questions.

“The devil has won again” he said. No one was ready to give him extra time, despite his pleas. Fate was against him so he thought. He left the exam center and on his way home, he was so lost in deep and dark thought that he couldn’t feel death approach. A cab ran over him.

He died.

But no one killed him. Not the driver; not even the devil. No one takes another’s life unless he let go. It was suicide. He was tired of life. Depression overshadowed him. The world is evil, and death awaits a man everywhere he turns to. But he was too weak to fight for survival.

He quit.

Three days later, his phone rang. It was his jamb score, 265. His mother stretched into a sky and every pore on her skin let out tears.

Good things come to those who wait. But before it arrives, keep hustling; keep living; keep fighting for survival; keep breathing and keep living your life like it’s everything you have.

Of course it’s everything you have.

If you ask me what life means to me, i will tell you it’s everything I have.

And whenever I meet you in tears, I’ll hide my sorrows and pains, force a smile and make you see life from my own side, and with my own sight.

For if you live, and I live, then that is when we have portrayed the beauty of life.


Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

One comment

  1. wow, but the story was sad. Tragedy from literaly point of view

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