Silent Streets, Loud Determination: A Risk Worth Taking

Sometimes, as humans, we find ourselves in situations where we have to take risks. There’s always a choice to make, a risk to take. Whether you are a married man or woman, a bachelor or a student, sometimes we find ourselves standing at the edge of uncertainty. We know the outcome might not favour us. We have thought about the scenarios in our heads and thought about different possibilities, but with a tiny spark of hope, we step into the unknown and take risks, hoping for the best outcome. Over the years, I have realized two things about taking risks. One, taking risks is a part of life. It is a part of how we grow, mature, and become stronger in different aspects. Two, not all risks are worth taking, especially the ones that might claim your life. Life is a game, but we don’t have to gamble with it every time. That is where calculated risks come in.

For today’s topic, the Hive Learners’ community asks us to share the most recent risks we’ve taken. As I mentioned earlier, taking risks is a part of life. The past four years as a student have been all about taking risks. Pulling off all-nighters, going days without sleep, going days without eating a good meal surviving on junk, and many more are all risks that I constantly took in the last 4 years. When it comes to taking risks, the one that tops the list and the one I still took recently is going for night classes. Looking back, going to night classes was the most major risk I ever took in the past 4 years as a university student.

Like many other students, I find it difficult to read in my hostel. In my first and second years, I had roommates. I couldn’t read in the room because sometimes my roommates might be playing games and yelling at the top of their voices. Other times, their presence alone would distract me. When I moved out to another hostel and started living alone, things got better. However, I still wasn’t able to read well. How do you expect to read well during the day when people are playing loud music with JBL or zealots? And at night, the sound of generators coming from left, right, center… everywhere distracts me. There are more than 120 students in my hostel, now imagine what it would be like when more than 15 rooms turn on their generators at once. So, I decided to start going to night classes.

My hostel is located in a secluded area. There are so many bushes around that if anything should happen and you yell at the top of your voice, no one would hear you. I often leave the house by 9pm or 10pm, then after reading in school till I get tired, I’d start coming back to my hostel by 3am or 4am, depending on whenever I start feeling sleepy. As soon as I leave the gate and start walking on the street, I turn on my Spotify and start playing songs. I guess songs gave me the courage to walk majestically. Sometimes, I surprise myself. I walk in the midnight like I have an army behind my back, protecting me with guns and rifles. Whenever I am going home, I have made it a habit to keep a weapon in my hand. Sometimes it is a big stone or a very big stick.

I've heard stories about how people get kidnapped on their way back from night classes. If my mom had heard that I always go to night classes, her mind wouldn’t be at rest, so I kept that detail from her. All those times that I took big risks, went to night classes, and got back home safely, it was just God's protection that helped me. To tell the truth, night classes helped me—they helped my school life, my grades, and also my coursemates. Whenever I went to night classes, I would teach some of my coursemates, and they'd come to thank me for my help. So, it's always nice to attend night classes and teach. The good thing now is that I'm done with school, and I don't have to attend night classes anymore. I took risks, and they all paid off.

Images in this post are mine.

Thanks for reading.