What I call nuisance factor is in every human being.

Permit me to go down memory lane. I was about three the time I realized that I have a flair for acquiring certain behavioral tendencies that would land me into trouble with either of my parents. The first time I realized I was in trouble was the time one of my father’s friends came around with a calabash of palm wine to congratulate him and my mother on the completion of their six-room house. I was as curious as a cat to have a taste of that local wine. My father’s body language became apprehensive when I sneakily walked to the seated man and he hiked me up onto his laps. “I must drink this palm wine today” I was saying in my mind while ignoring all the red flag my father was throwing my way. Not until he couldn’t take it anymore that he dropped a knock on my head that had me adjust to factory fittings. I ran to my mother for succor. Surely, I got served!

From that day till today, I will not go near my father and his visitors irrespective of their sex except situations where he calls me to sit in on whatever the visitor wants to discuss with him.

This nuisance factor we always activate and put into action whenever we feel threatened and needed to have our way with whosoever that is the threat to our desire(s). Such desires always get us into panicky mode that begs for our ego to be massaged.

From the foregoing, my father’s reaction and handling of my nuisance factor has helped develop what I am today. Most parents today spoil the child while sparing the cane simply because the new normal is to tow the ways of our today’s global village and her strange but audacious naivety.  

Your nuisance factor has good qualities about it like I have broached in the second paragraph. It strengthens you out irrespective of your age so long as you are capable of accepting your weakness and crave the helpful rebuke thrown your way by whosoever God decides to use to save you from yourself. What I’m pining about is that you will always be willing to accept correction and definitely crave to readjust your nuisance factor to work out greater values in you. You’ll end up becoming a better person. When your corrector must have seen that you appreciated his/her teaching/correction, it enhances your relationship with them.

Some people use the emotion of anger to fuel their nuisance factor so as to have their way in most things in life, but I dare say to you that everyone stays the heck away from such people and keep their corrections to themselves. No wonder the Igbo tribe panders to this saying: eze onye agwana m na eze onye aduna m n’ebu nsi onyulu n’ahu ya aba afia! What becomes his fate!

Once people realized that you hardly appreciate correction, you have ended up an Eze onye agwana m na eze onye aduna m. That is the beginning of your downhill summit with destruction.

Be intentional even with your nuisance factor. Don’t allow it room to rear its ugly head to commit you into what you are not. When you are gutted by it, quickly do the needful by tendering an unreserved apology. If your corrector is humane and godly, you’ll be forgiven by both him/her and God. If not, God will forgive you and you will continue to live a life peppered with peace of mind.

It is in your best interest!