At some point in your life, you will crave to find the real person that you are. Like in a psychology class, the process of searching out about yourself is not a daily task. As a twelve years old boy, who was leaving primary school for a higher calling, it was time to know who I am. This challenge led to introverted activities, yet I was not able to see through the mirror my kind of person.
One thing that comes very near is the fact that I was timid and fragile, unlike my other classmates. I was a self-made introvert. What catches my fancy was just being humble and seeking to know what my purpose in life was. I never found out on time.
Meeting my closest pal of five years at the beginning of secondary school life was a major factor that determined what I later turned out to be. Tunde was more or less a clown. He was crude and ready to explore any opportunity that presented itself. On our first expedition, I remember vividly how he chased a snake with his bare hand until he caught it.
I became so afraid of this fellow because I could not predict what he could or could not do. During our long break period which was meant to relax and eat our lunch, Tunde and I would rather go for a hunting spree. During that short time, we would hunt grasshoppers, and rodents or go in search of almond fruits. That introverted young boy in me was beginning to disappear.
Sometimes, I would be the one to initiate the move when Tunde does not seem to be coming with any lead. I became a pro at hunting and building traps.
I was not satisfied. I wanted to do more. Tunde's reasoning was not bad for boys of my time. We made some money while engaging in hunting and doing all sorts of bush maneuvering.
One day, while a test was being conducted in Tunde's class, I wanted to play smart. I wrote out the answers to the questions and sneaked them under my belt with the bid to pass them to Tunde. For me, it was the best way to help my best friend. As I entered his class, taking an excuse from the teacher conducting the test who asked me to go ahead to see Tunde, the already made answers fell under my belt, and there, I became stocked. I could not pick the piece of paper nor could I step on it to hide my mindset. It was a hell of a day for me because my teacher dealt with me so mercilessly. Perhaps, this singular experience was my turning point.
No one likes to be tagged a bad person. My friendship with Tunde was turning me into one already. My nature was not friendly with some of the things I did with him but the human nature in me was trying to adapt. But now, my mind is made up. I am going to change the status quo.
A year before I got to the final class in secondary school, my thinking had changed a great deal. I have started representing the school in debate competitions, poem recitations, brain teasers, and newscasting. I was a better me compared to my early days in school. Without mincing words, I saw that I had greatly improved. Then suddenly, the feeling of exploring came to me again. I joined my friends to create a music group. I can proudly say that this move made my secondary school life a memorable one.
We wrote songs, mimed other artists' songs, and our group became known in the town. During a literary miming competition, we were the group to beat. I wrote quite a few songs that even went through the studio work.
It was at this stage of my life that I discovered that I am capable of some great work rather than running after rodents and harvesting almonds during my spare time. Then, came the aspect of writing letters. My specialty was in writing love letters. I guess the art of writing songs with heart-touching lyrics gave me all the materials I needed to write some good-quality love letters and get paid for them.
All this informed my love for the arts. I took time to study my strengths and weaknesses and resolved that I could be at my best when writing history. This informed my choice to study history and diplomacy at the university.
The work of self-discovery is a continuum. We keep seeing what we are capable of and those we can only do from a distance. The more we desired the more we discovered that knowledge does not end in trying out one wish but in entering another scope of life.