Life Experience and how it impacted my life. (Little act of Kindness)

It is always good to be good to people anywhere and always, because you never know where your help will come from. I learned this lesson during a night in my higher institution that began like many others but ended with a lesson I still carry with me. The events of that night changed how I think about kindness and the small choices we make.

That day I went to school with the plan to study all through the night until daybreak. I wanted to use the quiet hours to read and prepare for exams. But later in the evening the school environment became uncomfortable to study. Rumors spread that cult guys were moving through the classes, robbing students of their belongings especially phone and frightening them. With that uncertainty in the air, I decided to leave campus at about ten pm to go home. On my way, I decided to passed by a nearby night market where people sell food, meat, and other eatable items. I stopped to buy some peppered meat.

At the market I met a group of soldiers who had also stopped to buy food. I greeted them and offered to pay for their food. We talked and I became friends with them before each of us went our separate ways. Later few minutes after I parted with the group of soldiers, I bumped into a friend and we began to talk, forgetting that time was passing and it's becoming late. About 30 minutes after 11pm, I realized it was late and started to hurry home.

On the road something happened. The school authorities had called security (soldiers) to the environment to search and deal with the cult guys and the security men on arriving, began moving through the campus and also around the houses close to the campus arresting anyone they found outside. They were trying to control a tense situation and in their effort, they stopped people without distinguishing who was involved and who was not. Anyone they see outside especially outside the campus walking at that time of the night, they will arrest. Because it was dark, it was hard for anyone to see clearly. I was caught up in that sweep. I tried to explain that I had been in school studying and that I was returning house because of what was happening within the school, but my words did not reach them. All they seemed to see was someone moving at night and could be part of the troublemakers cult guys disturbing the school.

On our way to the barracks, one of the soldier men turned on his flashlight and happened to flash my way. He was one among the soldiers that I earlier saw in the market. He recognized me from where we had earlier bought meat. He then called to his colleagues and pointed me out. Instead of being another suspect, I became someone familiar to them. They recognize my face and one of the soldiers asked why I had not spoken up earlier to let them know I was the one. I told them I tried to explain myself, but they had not listened. The senior man among them then instructed the driver to stop the vehicle and had one of his colleagues pay for my transport on a bike to get me home. I was sent on my way instead of being taken in to spend the night in detention at the barracks.

That night really impart my life in different aspects. First, small acts of kindness matter. My decision to greet the soldiers and buy their food helped create an unexpected connection that later saved me from a difficult situation. It is not that I expected any reward, I simply acted out of courtesy. But the experience showed that when you are kind without calculation, the world sometimes returns kindness in ways you do not foresee.

I also gained a deeper appreciation for human judgment and the limits of hurried decision making. The security men were acting like under pressure and made broad decisions they thought would restore order. Their actions affected people who were innocent. This has made me more patient when judging others and more willing to ask questions before condemning. I also try to be fairer when I am in positions where my decisions affect others.

So be good to people always because kindness can return in unexpected and vital ways.

Thank you very much for reading 🙏🏼