By Osarennoma Ogbeide
It’s quite alright when faced with terrifying situations, you have a choice to make, your body system awaits a decision and your hormones are ready for action. What mostly comes into play is the fight or flight mode.
The fight mode has your heart pumping fast, making energy available for you to take the obstacle head on. The flight mode is more for self-preservation, which is normal to experience as human beings. We would naturally want to save ourselves first rather than facing a situation that would drown us. The energy provided here is so strong that you won’t even realise that you could flee from such a situation as quickly as you thought. It seems much easier to flee than to fight to be honest, it’s less stressful and hey, there’s a higher guarantee that you survive with less damage.
“What will make a Nigerian connect with another random Nigerian?” my physiotherapist-cum-music blogger friend asked. After a couple of guesses and a flash back of the intensity of events these past weeks, the answer was glaring. “The problems of Nigeria”, that was it; deep down I really hoped my initial guess of ‘food’ was correct. However when the lapses of a system are more glaring than its successes, the earlier causes the latter to fade away.
It was indeed a comic relief to see Nigerians joking here and there, looking for the easiest way to relocate to another country even if it required them walking. See people boasting of their trekking abilities, offering domestic service and even marriage to people overseas just to get a green card. Would our decision remain the same if truly we are given an option to leave? My question remains unanswered, if everyone abandons their motherland, shouting “Canada way”, who will be left here?
“Flight” in this situation doesn’t eliminate the existence of the problem, it could be said to be temporarily put to rest until it resurfaces again in another light, maybe not for us, but in other generations.
No doubt, Nigeria is a gold mine, blessed with so many natural resources—our culture is second to none and envied by many not forgetting our human talent. Little wonder why Nigerians excel in other countries, but over here it seems like the ambition is choked. What we need is an environment suitable enough to harness and build on our already existing skills and resources, both human and natural. Let’s not be too tired to fight, neither should we forget the cause. Instead, let’s stand together in one voice. This isn’t just for us, but for the generations unborn. Flight or fight, which is your choice?
