Bad Habits: A Thin Line Between Life and Death
A Story on the dangers of bad habits.
Someone wise said, ‘the fate of children is in the hands of parents from birth to eighteen years old. And if the parent does a great job, fate will be transferred to the hands of the child. If not, then the parents hold the fate of that child till death.’
Mr Perry has a huge East Indian mango tree in his yard. Its sprawling branches spreading out in every direction, bearing fruits two or three times per year. East Indian mangoes are top of the line mangoes and highly sort after. They are delicious, expensive, and loved by many. Mr Perry thought if he shares his fruits with everyone in his community, then no one would come on his property and steal any. No one did until Jean and her four children moved into the community, including her twelve-year-old son Anthony.
Anthony would go on everyone’s property and steal fruits from their trees and anything else he could find. Mr Perry complained to her because he would often throw stones into the tree if he didn’t want to climb it. To get one ripe mango, he would hit down many green ones. Mr Perry didn’t like that. If anyone in the community wants a mango, they would ask him and he would give them a stick to pick what they want. He believes that he would have more ripe mangoes to share if the green mangos stay on the tree to get ripe.
His mother would curse, “You didn’t plant that Mango tree. Leave my baby alone. He is a child, he isn’t doing any harm.”
Having a fruit tree on your property is an incentive. Many people cut down their fruit trees to avoid problems, except Mr Perry.
Five years later, Anthony went into a different area, on someone’s property, climb their mango tree, and loaded his backpack and pocket with East Indian mangoes. According to the official police report: The owner of the property said she was in her kitchen when she heard mangoes falling to the ground. She went out into her yard and realized that someone was in her mango tree. She stood under the tree and waited for him to finish helping himself to her mangoes.
As he was climbing down, he saw her at the foot of the tree, her arms folded, waiting on him. He had no intention of sharing his loot so he reached for a knife in his back pocket, lost his balance, fell down the tree, breaking his neck. He ends up with a serious spinal cord injury and was crippled. Now his mother will be responsible for him for the rest of his life.
The question I asked, “Who will take care of him when she dies?”
As a mother, I believe if certain bad habits in children are ignored, it will grow and could eventually cost them their lives. I have seen it happened to many children in my country. Our prisons are packed with men and women whose bad habits didn’t stop in time to save them from a prison sentence. I have also seen and attended many funerals, of men whose bad habits were allowed to grow until death, at a very young age.
Donald Trump comes to mind. He behaves as if he was raised by parents who allowed him to be as bad as he wants to be. After they died, he continues on the only path he knows. His wealth shields him from many consequences. He had many years to change his life and ways of living.
He hasn’t, that means life will pay him back in a lump-sum payment. The ones that life pays back in a lump-sum payment, rarely survive, and if they do, they are never the same.
The fate of my children was in my hands, and I have no intention of holding on to their fate after they reach eighteen years old. Raising children doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but the lack of discipline plays a significant role in life or death.
Who holds your fate in the palm of their hands as an adult?
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