When we beat up our parents
What you need to know:
- Some years back, a cousin of mine, lets call him Jimmie, with the help of his sisters and on the order of their mother, beat up my uncle to near-death.
Last week, I broached on the subject about parents. This week, I will further my argument – that they are gods deserving our consideration and care. I will draw my examples from my family – they are my lab mice when it comes to real life experiences – their mistakes, successes and wellbeing gives me a pilot scale in way of seeing and analysing issues. Take for example my younger brother – a lecturer at a university earning several times the amount I earn but always broke. He lives less than 20 kilometres from home but he has no time for our mother (I live more than 1,800 kilometres away).
Some years back, a cousin of mine, lets call him Jimmie, with the help of his sisters and on the order of their mother, beat up my uncle to near-death. They broke his limbs and caused him serious bodily harm. The father did not openly curse his children – fate did.
At a slight provocation by his wife, the man decided that rat poison was an alternative for tea and gulped it to the dregs. He died later after spending several months under the life support machine. Sure you know so many men and women who have ended with shame of being beaten up by their children after they beat up their parents. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Another cousin under the influence of ganja (bhang) clobbered his mother breaking her limbs over land that he did not own. The poor woman spent many months walking using sticks and clutches. She and his old father (my uncle) cursed him for almost killing her.
On that fateful day, she would have been killed. One fateful evening he was drawn to go and cheer up village folks fighting. As it were, they were using machetes and any crude tools. He found himself in the thick of things when someone missed the targeted fighter and the sharp machete found its way into the cousin’s neck, almost dislodging the head from the body.
He died on his way to the hospital. What I am trying to say here is we Africans believe that by virtue of your parent’s having brought you into this world, they have a certain power over you – take my word to the bank
