FIGHTING CHANCE

‘In the presence of adversity, some people buy crutches while others grow wings’

We are sometimes faced with some of the most excruciating and frustrating situations in life where we are caught up in making crucial decisions, which most often than none tends towards giving up.

We throw in the towel- we cry and wail- say the good byes- burry our head in shame- rue our chances- toss the blames- breakdown and moan and sometimes mourn- reflect and regret- crash and shot down and out!

Once there were four lepers excommunicated from the companionship of their people as stated by the constitution of their city. These four lepers felt nothing than that they have been used and abused, dejected, rejected and of course ejected from the community the once called family and friend. Fours lepers who once reside within the comfort of the city walls now live within the anguishing enclave of caves outside the city gates with all source of food and placate denied. These lepers had nothing to live for as life seems to hold nothing than an appointment with death!

While they put final touch to their suicidal plans and bring closure to their uninspiring lives. They got news that their one time city home has now been besieged by a more powerful army, surrounding their city on every side, thus every source of food was also denied.

‘why sit we here until we die… and if we go into the city the famine will kill us also but if we go into the enemy’s camp we can never know, perhaps we may live or perhaps we may die but WHAT IF? At least the option of living actually will be tried”. They thought and created for them selves a FIGHTING CHANCE!

The dictionary defined the FIGHTING CHANCE as ’a slight chance of success dependent on a struggle, a chance to win but only with a struggle: had a fighting chance to recover’, a chance for success with great effort. A fighting chance even though is a bare possibility, gambling chance, outside chance, remote possibility, and slim chance, is still a chance. Sometimes that may be all we had and have… some look at the minuteness or tininess of this chance and click ignore while some just see the magnify-able nature of the chance and take it, hence get the all desired change!

The four lepers carried their feeble feet tied together in unity and walking in Unisom dragged them towards the enemy’s camp uncertain as to whether they will live or whether they will die. It was a twilight, that nebulous period when it is too dark to be morning and too light to be night, it is always the period of change, it is the break of a new dawn when and where something is about to happen Like Paul Adefarasin will say. The rhythmic sound of the dragged feet chains infiltrated the enemy’s camp and appeared to them like an army was coming to attack them when they were unprepared- fear came upon them and they fled. The four lepers came to their unguarded loot, wealth and riches. They did not only have their life back but got the freedom and life of the city from which they were once rejected and ejected. The story of the four lepers may have ended and came to us as just a miracle but the significance of the story can not be trivialized. The practicability and important nature of the theme resides in the FIGHTING CHANCE, a chance though slim still remain feasible, viable and impactful.

Why give up on your fighting chance? - Keep faith and fight! Hope, as that may be the only thing that will keep you alive and conquering.

‘In the presence of adversity, some people buy crutches while others grow wings’- Sam Adeyemi.

Seth Ogungbemi (AMNIM)
May 2011