31/12/2021
The owner of this wonderful write-up is not revealed but I think it's worth sharing.
**WHERE IS THE EXTENDED FAMILY?*
In the early hours of this morning, one of my sons, walked up to me and said "Daddy I have a very important request; Can you please build a very big house, where my cousins, my grandma, my aunties and everybody will come and live with us? I want all of us to be living together. Daddy, this is my greatest wish in life. If you can do this for me, I will be the happiest person in the world"
That got me thinking because this was the same kind of mind we had while growing up. We grew up loving to see people in a communal setting.
Nothing gave us joy like seeing others around. Our parents had little to nothing, but our glow, strength and wealth was in relationships, especially families. The joy of holidays and celebrations still vibrate in my heart.
We usually lose sleep to happiness during such seasons because, friends and relatives would be coming home. It was such a delight to see siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunties, grannies, etc.
We shared everything in common. We ate from same plates, shared same cups, bathed together, slept on the same mats, and even were covered with the same clothes at night. We accompanied each other everywhere, including the toilet.
One's fight was everyone's fight. One's victory was everyone's victory...
Sadly, as we began to grow up, we began to grow apart. We began to raise fences over our once unfenced houses; to imprison ourselves, thinking we were shutting others out. Class, complex, offense, I-am-busy, don't-disturb-me, we-are-not-that-related, excuses etc, began to set in.
Today, we've made enemies out of one's neigbours; foes out of families; foreigners out of friends; and witches out of the ones we once considered our true riches. It is now pleasurable to demonise each other behind each other.
