My first encounter or rather lessons when it comes to compassion started with my mom. Growing up, even before I got into the Uni, I saw my mom being really nice to corpers.
Corpers are University and Polytechnic graduates between the ages of twenty to thirty years of age. These categories of people are made to give a mandatory service to Nigeria for the duration of one year in what is called National Youth Service Corp (NYSC). When the service year elapses and the corper is of good conduct, they will be given a discharge certificate which makes them eligible for employment in the country.
As little as I was then, I saw and felt how happy my mom gets whenever she renders even the littlest form of assistance to corpers. Some days, my mom would return home after the day's activities and tell us how she met a corper and paid for her transport or she would tell us about how she put a hold on her activities and helped a corper with directions. Sometimes, she tells us how she gives them monetary gifts and other things of value that will serve them during their service year.
One day, I asked my mom why she bothers herself with corper members, especially as she is not even related to them. Well, interestingly, her response definitely set me on the right path. According to my mom, I will go for service too and she won't be there. She expressed her concern and said she hopes I get the exact reception if not more than what she gives to the corpers she comes across in our area.
The thing with NYSC is that people get catapulted to different regions and localities from where they are rooted. People from the South will be taken to the North and people from the North will be brought to the South. The idea is an offshoot from the civil war fought in Nigeria in the 60s. It is aimed at promoting nation building, unity and togetherness. So imagine going to an area far from home, meeting people of different cultures and then they are hostile to you and your security is threatened. That is not an experience that anyone would want to have, I know I wouldn't want to have it too. It is for this reason that corpers are treated with Love not just by mom but by other people too. Aside from corpers, my mom is quick to render help to students also and then every other class of people in need of assistance that she could assist.
As I grew older, I have come to experience compassion as something of value to the both parties involved. Compassion brings inner peace and unexplained joy which of course are traits of good deeds.
There was a time when I was going to work and it was raining heavily. I was holding an umbrella and then I got in a tricycle to join this girl that was heavily drenched by the rain. She was already shivering and I couldn't help but stare at her when she's not looking.
I noticed that she was holding a file with some documents and a passport attached. I quickly concluded that she's a student. Not long into the ride, she asked me for directions for a business school in an area that I'm familiar with, so I gave her directions. But then, I quickly realized that she would be dropping soon before me to get another tricycle going her way. It was still raining heavily so I asked her if she had an umbrella and she said no. She concluded that she would just look for any shop around and seek shelter till the rain subsided.
Unfortunately, the place she would stop is at the express where she would walk down to the school and there's no shop or shelter around. That instance I felt for her, I looked at her and saw how bad she vibrated from the cold. When talking to me, her lips wouldn't keep still and she could barely hold a sentence from all that shiver. I knew the decision that she had reached for herself was more like a death wish. I advised her to pay the driver for a drop so that he'll just take her straight to her destination.
Unfortunately, she said she could not afford the drop. I checked my bag and saw that I had extra cash which was meant for snacks during lunch break. I asked the driver if he would go to the girl's destination for a drop and he agreed. The driver gave me the cost and luckily, it turned out that my extra fund could cover so I paid and alighted for the girl to continue since it was a different route.
Throughout that day, I was happy and felt really fulfilled. The joy in me radiated so outwardly that my colleagues started snooping around, asking if I won a lottery. And then the most exciting part for me was that, I had also sown the seed of compassion in her as she would go on to treat others in the same kindness
Above is my response to the Inleo prompt day 3 . You can participate Here
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