Chapter 26
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This is a state of being vigilant; being watchful, keeping safe from harm or danger; and being careful to avoid being tricked or getting into a dangerous situation. Being on guard means that, in your thoughts, 'anything can happen'. Of course, no one can predict what will happen in the next moment; hence precautionary measures are very important in our lives. If we are not cautious in our actions, unlocking our potentials will be threatened.
Who Do You Associate With?
You need to be mindful of whom to trust these days. Some people are so overconfident in others that they 'sell' off themselves to such treacherous ones. Trust is expensive and should not be offered easily. It should be earned.
Check your associates very well. Do not just cling on to someone simply because you want to establish a relationship. Your personality is mostly measured by the kind of friends you keep; which goes to say you should not even trust your presence in the company of some people before you get the tag of being like them. This is what informs the saying: 'Show me your friend and I will tell you who are.' Take time to find out the true lifestyle, principles and worldview of anyone you are associating with. The days are evil, so you need to protect your life.
Check On Your Children
Frank Olize, a former NTA veteran broadcaster and presenter always started the popular Sunday NTA magazine programme, Newsline saying: "Do you know where your children are?" This remains a vital question. This question used to move many parents to start calling their children to know their dispositions at that particular point in time. A consistent check on your children makes them know you care and that you can check on them at any time. This keeps them on their guard and away from doing the constant evil they otherwise might have tried. They always await your call. Consequently, they adjust and reduce negative tendencies. A parent who ignores the protection of his children is not worthy to be called a parent.
Constant check on your children shows that you are proactive. They are your jewels of inestimable value, so you would naturally not love to lose them. That is a way of showing them love and care. Monitoring their school activities, to prevent a situation of being dismissed from school, is necessary. Their academic records should be on your fingertips, to know when they are progressing and when they are, possibly, retrogressing. This is to know when to assist them, especially during preparations for exams.
Apart from their academics, their moral disposition should be closely monitored by you. You should be on guard always, as far as these children are concerned. Help them avoid a life of regret, by averting ugly and embarrassing situations. When you know the kind of friends your children keep, and these friends are the right kind, your mind will be at rest when they go on visits. Encourage them to bring their friends to the house so that you can advise them on proper lifestyles, especially while away.
Being on guard is not the sole responsibility of parents, because, children leave their homes to go to different places particularly school. School administrators and teachers who are always glued to the chairs in their offices will not be able to have proper checks on the students. You must develop the eyes of an owl —looking in all directions —to control the children under your care. It is possible for you to be luxuriating inside your office, while the students are busy burning down a classroom, or killing one another with dangerous weapons. You need to sit up, if you must achieve the goal of administration.
In every aspect of life, close monitoring should be used where children are concerned. Parents should endeavour to provide the needs — not really the wants — of the children, to reduce the tendency of the children seeking assistance through immoral means. An example is in the handling of the girl- child. She is tender and consequently, becomes possible prey to those dangerous men who will never allow anything in skirt to pass them by. When your girl-child has her basic needs met, she will find it difficult to follow those immoral men. This is also applicable to the boy-child who may have the tendency of being lured into unacceptable behaviours, like robbery and kidnapping, to get money.
Obeying The Rules
Every action has a guiding principle. There are rules governing various activities. Driving, for instance, requires a driving licence. To be in accordance with the law, those who are driving are expected to have their drivers' licences. A driving licence is a privilege that can be revoked under certain conditions including road misdemeanours. Consequently, driving without a valid driver's
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
licence attracts serious consequences. It is illegal, and should not be practised. Knowing fully well that you may be asked to pay a fine, or even have your vehicle impounded if you flout this order demands that you should not go against this law.
A person's driver's licence is usually the most important thing in your wallet. It identifies you as a licensed driver. Without it, you have no right to operate a vehicle on public roadways. It serves as one's official personal ID, as it displays your contact information and a picture that officials can compare to the person who is presenting it as identification. It allows emergency officials to identify you if you are involved in an accident, as the name and address will help them locate and contact family members to inform them of your injuries. The information on the licence equally enables hospital staff to begin the admission process, when necessary. Since this document is so valuable, you have to be very careful in handling it. You need to take proper care not to lose it. Importantly too, you have to use it always. That is the law.
Some people drive vehicles without the vehicle particulars, which include the vehicle insurance certificate, and road worthiness certificate. Carrying the vehicle particulars with you is just to prove that you are the legitimate owner of the vehicle you are carrying. This is an evidence of proper and genuine documentation of such vehicle. This check makes it easier to arrest thieves who have carted away other people's vehicles. When offenders fall into the hands of traffic officials, they develop 'sudden fever', because of the consequences.
In addition to having your documents, obeying the traffic rules is another important civic responsibility. These rules include: obeying traffic signs; buckling of seat belts; avoiding over-speeding, phone calls while driving, drunk-driving, under-aged driving, and so on. You should always think of every possible occurrence when you are driving. You are simply being proactive, and getting yourself set for any eventuality. You are applying preventive measure, rather than curative approach. As the popular saying goes: it is better to be safe than sorry; prevention is better than cure.
It is not only on roads that we have rules to obey; this is also applicable to the school system, in the offices, and in various organisations. Knowing well that constant absenteeism from work, for instance, may lead to your sack, you can avoid that sack by making your presence and services available most times. The instruction that school rules and regulations must be obeyed to avoid being suspended from school, will give room to the students to adhere strictly to the regulations of the school, to avoid the embarrassment of being suspended, or even expelled from the school. The expression of 'Once beaten, twice shy', should move us into being on guard always. It is true that
'experience is the best teacher', but we should not wait to have an ugly experience before we can learn, as we can equally learn from the experience of others.
Be Cautious
In our various homes, we have many gadgets. We should have a feeling that any of such things could be destroyed by fire at any time. This is why we need fire extinguishers in our homes. The use of gas cooker, for example, is common these days, but, we need to play safe in the use of such. It is not advisable to place the gas cylinder inside the kitchen, but, outside, because of possible fire outbreak.
On another note, there are those who are not cautious about divulging information entrusted in their care. Some government workers are so loose that they disclose official secrets which some tricksters use to work against the government. The guiding principle of oath of secrecy is supposed to guard against such. However, many of them ignore this. For the work to be sanitised, we need to guard our mouths. Watching our utterances is a must.
The need to be cautious while walking or moving around is equally necessary. Some of the people you meet at some places like markets, parks, churches, and mosques, did not really go there for genuine reasons. Some are mere opportunists looking for the least possible way to extort your items. There are recorded cases where vehicles were stolen from church premises and mosques. You need to find better and safer ways of protecting your belongings. Endeavour to lock all doors before going to bed.
Precautionary measures should always be taken. I saw a car parked on a highway some time ago. Unfortunately, a lorry on a high speed just ran into it, thereby scattering the parts because, there was no notification or warning sign to the oncoming vehicle that the car was not on motion. One wonders if such an accident might have happened if the driver had been cautious enough to put leaves or some other signs to show that there was a stationary car there.
Mind Your Security Status
This is all about being aware of your safety status and how to handle eventualities. The places one is prone to threat, risk, and dangers are: at home, at work, at school, at market places, at parks, at gardens, and, even on transit. We are in a period of uncertainties, with many evil-minded people operating at all nooks and corners, instilling the negative feelings of fear and anxiety in innocent people's minds. There are terrorists, armed robbers, assassins, kidnappers, fraudsters of various degrees, operating here and there. This trend therefore calls for measures to curb these occurrences which are ravaging the society.
It is always advisable to walk in company of someone, rather than walking alone, especially during odd hours. This will, to a reasonable extent, reduce the risk of falling into evil people's hands. Even if anything happens, someone will be able to inform your family members what must have happened.
Being secretive is necessary when you are with strangers. Do not share your personal information with strangers, because the enemy intercepts such information to perpetrate crime. You should be using randomness in your daily operations, so that those trailing you will not predict what you will do at any point in time. Avoid following the same route all the time. Avoid using same ATM password for a long time. When you allow some form of randomness in your life, it will be difficult for the enemy to strike. Talk less. Be very observant. Observe everything - your car, the public bus, your compound, your gardens, and so on. Try to be as simple as possible, and avoid unnecessary show of wealth, because, that may sometimes attract the envy of some enemies. When we are aware that some people are sadists, we reduce the rate of displaying what we have, for example, flashy cars, expensive phones, gold, diamond, and platinum jewelleries. Sometimes, these things pose as threats to your life.
Always be informed about the current happenings in your environment. Listening to the daily news on radio and television, in addition to reading newspapers, will equip you with valuable information on the state of affairs in your country or state. Remain informed. Any suspicious movement around your area of abode should be reported to the police. Interrogate people whose identities are unknown to you, so that you will be sure that those people are genuinely operating there.
Avoid Being Deceived
Deception is an occurrence in every sphere of life. In the school, for instance, some students go into a hideout for their private studies, but later surface to deceive others who may wish to study. Beware of such. You may find yourself playing with them during exams, but later, you see them emerging successful after exams, while you fail.
In the office, some staff pay lip service to the Chief Executives, thereby giving room to overconfidence on the part of the administrator. This leads to complacency in the administrative style, with consequential low output. We should be mindful of such insincere people. Along the streets, there are instances of innocent citizens being tricked into releasing their money to fraudsters. Many have been duped already. The unassuming approach used by these cheats leaves the victims hopeless.
We need to be careful, to avoid being tricked or pushed into dangerous situations. There is a funny story told of a teacher who was invigilating an examination. He observed that two students were discussing in the exam hall. Furiously, he went straight to them and asked: "What are you doing?" They cleverly answered: "We are discussing, because, the question says 'Discuss the importance of Agriculture'." It took the intelligence of the teacher to dissuade them from the meaning the students attached to the question. If he was not clever, those students would have put him into trouble of 'aiding and abetting', during exams. So, beware of deceptive, uncertain, and tricky people around you.
Value Your Time And Spare Moments
If you have spare moments, be conscious of the fact that they have to be used optimally. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet, lecturer, and essayist, advises thus: "Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their values will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." Do not use your spare moments to gossip, to commit character assassination, or to look for ways of pulling others down. Think of how to make your life a better one.
Being Proactive
This is a situation of tending actively to instigate changes, in anticipation of future developments, as opposed to merely reacting to events as they occur. Octavia Spencer, an American film actress and television actress, skilled in both comedy and drama, stated that the way to bring about change is to be proactive and active. Of course, being proactive means being reactive ahead of time.
You are proactive, when you think and act ahead of anticipated events. That means you have foresight. This, when applied, helps reduce a lot of disasters that could happen. It is the proactive people that instigate actions and create ideas in the society. For you to avert ugly situations, you need to reflect on the actions that may come up, and how to give them attention when they come. You then go ahead to plan, think critically how to carry those tasks efficiently, through creation of plan and checklist. When you make plans, it is always advisable to equally make an alternative plan, in case the first one fails. That is what we popularly call 'Plan B'. You can even go ahead to have 'Plan C', just to make sure that the required action is taken up. Find out which actions can come up before the others - prioritising your actions is very important.
The foresight you have, through your trait of being proactive, will save you from a lot of embarrassments. For instance, if you are using electricity powered through the prepaid meter reading, you do not have to wait until the credit gets exhausted, before you reload. Definitely, you will put yourself in embarrassing situation. You can imagine your house being in darkness, when all your neighbours' houses are lit. However, a proactive person will always ensure that he does not wait for the credit to exhaust, so that he will not put himself in a stressful situation.
The use of cooking gas is another area for someone to display proactive nature. A standby filled up gas cylinder will make you not to run helter-skelter when the one you are currently using gets finished. It gives you time to get yourself relaxed when emergency situation comes up. You do not need to stress your brain, rushing to look for where to get gas, to complete what you are cooking, because you have been proactive enough to keep a standby filled gas cylinder for immediate replacement of the empty one.
It is a common occurrence these days to see some cars ignite, due to lack of necessary checks before the drivers took off. In the event of such, some control measures would equally have taken place if the cars were equipped with the required fire extinguishers. Unfortunately, some drivers just pick the car keys in the morning, and zoom off, without checking the engine oil, the quantity of fuel in the car, the brake fluid, the tyres, and some other necessary parts. But gladly, some conscious drivers do not take off until all the routine checks have been performed, thus, moving out with higher confidence of performance by the vehicles. The case of fire outburst will not be a big problem if that comes up at all, because the fire extinguisher is already there in the vehicle, to perform its task.
Executives of various offices and organisations should be on guard to know when members of their staff are demoralised. Check their dispositions constantly, and find out if they are planning an industrial action, so that you can appease them by looking critically into their grievances. After all, without such staff, you cannot operate optimally. Seek ways of getting things done in a rather precautionary way, than when damages have already occurred.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
It is not everything that is shiny and attractive that is valuable. It is not everything that looks precious that turns out to be real. This is applicable to people, places, or things, that promise to be more than what they really are. Judging people on the basis of mere appearance can be greatly misleading. A person may be good-looking but may be very wicked and mean. On the contrary, there are some people whose looks are not so attractive, but have hearts of gold.
Beware of fake people in your life. A fake person is someone who is not genuine and will do whatever it takes to make himself look good. He takes credit for other's work and downplays the good of others to illuminate himself. He takes part in hypocrisy, lies, and will quit friendship the moment it is not beneficial to him. He changes his personality to fit in to a certain group. You can easily detect a fake person through the way he deals with your ups and downs. When you are feeling down, your fake friend will merely pat you awkwardly on the shoulder and try to change the subject, rather than wrap you in his arms to listen to your complaints as a real friend should.
Real friends are reliable. They will always be with you through thick and thin, but fake friends will leave you at the least of challenges. Their smiles have always been to either get things from you or for you to favour them, but as soon as a little problem crops up, they will flee from you. They will not even identify with you as close friends. They are terrible.
Fake friends can only blossom with you when you are doing greatly, but, a little mistake can cost your friendship, unlike the real friend, who will forgive you and value your friendship more than your temporary mistake.
Fake people can be as dangerous as snakes. They only seek to betray you through their fake smiles, backhanded compliments, talk behind your back and even the mockery they make of you. They are the ones who will initiate your downfall and still come back to sympathise with you. They 'accompany the spirit to kill and turn around to condole'. They are horrible people and should not be associated with. A fake person can only dress to impress. Do not be tempted to be attracted by that. He may have borrowed the dress or he may have stolen it. That is mere aesthetic display. What of the inner mind? What is the intention of that person coming close to you? Be careful.
Without wisdom, we cannot really undertake such precautions. "The only true wisdom," according to Socrates, "is in knowing you know nothing." Socrates was the most famous philosopher of classical Greece. He was an Athenian citizen, who revolutionised the way people thought about themselves and the world, and was famous for his questioning teaching method - Socratic Method. Through Socrates' assertion, you will always strive to get the knowledge on what to do, in every challenging situation. Be on guard, always.
~ Fasten Your Seat Belt ~
1. Something will surely happen And your spirit may likely dampen
Be on guard
And prepare to play life a card…
2. For every spare moment You have to make it potent If you're always on check You will avoid life's wreck.
3. A life of randomness Will yield you happiness
You have to flee from obscurity For you to get your security.
4. When you don't play the caution You are opting for auction
Some people are treacherous And their actions are dangerous.
5. If you don't have a weapon It means you're with mere melon
Beware of all that glitters Not all that truly matters.
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This is a state of being vigilant; being watchful, keeping safe from harm or danger; and being careful to avoid being tricked or getting into a dangerous situation. Being on guard means that, in your thoughts, 'anything can happen'. Of course, no one can predict what will happen in the next moment; hence precautionary measures are very important in our lives. If we are not cautious in our actions, unlocking our potentials will be threatened.
Who Do You Associate With?
You need to be mindful of whom to trust these days. Some people are so overconfident in others that they 'sell' off themselves to such treacherous ones. Trust is expensive and should not be offered easily. It should be earned.
Check your associates very well. Do not just cling on to someone simply because you want to establish a relationship. Your personality is mostly measured by the kind of friends you keep; which goes to say you should not even trust your presence in the company of some people before you get the tag of being like them. This is what informs the saying: 'Show me your friend and I will tell you who are.' Take time to find out the true lifestyle, principles and worldview of anyone you are associating with. The days are evil, so you need to protect your life.
Check On Your Children
Frank Olize, a former NTA veteran broadcaster and presenter always started the popular Sunday NTA magazine programme, Newsline saying: "Do you know where your children are?" This remains a vital question. This question used to move many parents to start calling their children to know their dispositions at that particular point in time. A consistent check on your children makes them know you care and that you can check on them at any time. This keeps them on their guard and away from doing the constant evil they otherwise might have tried. They always await your call. Consequently, they adjust and reduce negative tendencies. A parent who ignores the protection of his children is not worthy to be called a parent.
Constant check on your children shows that you are proactive. They are your jewels of inestimable value, so you would naturally not love to lose them. That is a way of showing them love and care. Monitoring their school activities, to prevent a situation of being dismissed from school, is necessary. Their academic records should be on your fingertips, to know when they are progressing and when they are, possibly, retrogressing. This is to know when to assist them, especially during preparations for exams.
Apart from their academics, their moral disposition should be closely monitored by you. You should be on guard always, as far as these children are concerned. Help them avoid a life of regret, by averting ugly and embarrassing situations. When you know the kind of friends your children keep, and these friends are the right kind, your mind will be at rest when they go on visits. Encourage them to bring their friends to the house so that you can advise them on proper lifestyles, especially while away.
Being on guard is not the sole responsibility of parents, because, children leave their homes to go to different places particularly school. School administrators and teachers who are always glued to the chairs in their offices will not be able to have proper checks on the students. You must develop the eyes of an owl —looking in all directions —to control the children under your care. It is possible for you to be luxuriating inside your office, while the students are busy burning down a classroom, or killing one another with dangerous weapons. You need to sit up, if you must achieve the goal of administration.
In every aspect of life, close monitoring should be used where children are concerned. Parents should endeavour to provide the needs — not really the wants — of the children, to reduce the tendency of the children seeking assistance through immoral means. An example is in the handling of the girl- child. She is tender and consequently, becomes possible prey to those dangerous men who will never allow anything in skirt to pass them by. When your girl-child has her basic needs met, she will find it difficult to follow those immoral men. This is also applicable to the boy-child who may have the tendency of being lured into unacceptable behaviours, like robbery and kidnapping, to get money.
Obeying The Rules
Every action has a guiding principle. There are rules governing various activities. Driving, for instance, requires a driving licence. To be in accordance with the law, those who are driving are expected to have their drivers' licences. A driving licence is a privilege that can be revoked under certain conditions including road misdemeanours. Consequently, driving without a valid driver's
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
licence attracts serious consequences. It is illegal, and should not be practised. Knowing fully well that you may be asked to pay a fine, or even have your vehicle impounded if you flout this order demands that you should not go against this law.
A person's driver's licence is usually the most important thing in your wallet. It identifies you as a licensed driver. Without it, you have no right to operate a vehicle on public roadways. It serves as one's official personal ID, as it displays your contact information and a picture that officials can compare to the person who is presenting it as identification. It allows emergency officials to identify you if you are involved in an accident, as the name and address will help them locate and contact family members to inform them of your injuries. The information on the licence equally enables hospital staff to begin the admission process, when necessary. Since this document is so valuable, you have to be very careful in handling it. You need to take proper care not to lose it. Importantly too, you have to use it always. That is the law.
Some people drive vehicles without the vehicle particulars, which include the vehicle insurance certificate, and road worthiness certificate. Carrying the vehicle particulars with you is just to prove that you are the legitimate owner of the vehicle you are carrying. This is an evidence of proper and genuine documentation of such vehicle. This check makes it easier to arrest thieves who have carted away other people's vehicles. When offenders fall into the hands of traffic officials, they develop 'sudden fever', because of the consequences.
In addition to having your documents, obeying the traffic rules is another important civic responsibility. These rules include: obeying traffic signs; buckling of seat belts; avoiding over-speeding, phone calls while driving, drunk-driving, under-aged driving, and so on. You should always think of every possible occurrence when you are driving. You are simply being proactive, and getting yourself set for any eventuality. You are applying preventive measure, rather than curative approach. As the popular saying goes: it is better to be safe than sorry; prevention is better than cure.
It is not only on roads that we have rules to obey; this is also applicable to the school system, in the offices, and in various organisations. Knowing well that constant absenteeism from work, for instance, may lead to your sack, you can avoid that sack by making your presence and services available most times. The instruction that school rules and regulations must be obeyed to avoid being suspended from school, will give room to the students to adhere strictly to the regulations of the school, to avoid the embarrassment of being suspended, or even expelled from the school. The expression of 'Once beaten, twice shy', should move us into being on guard always. It is true that
'experience is the best teacher', but we should not wait to have an ugly experience before we can learn, as we can equally learn from the experience of others.
Be Cautious
In our various homes, we have many gadgets. We should have a feeling that any of such things could be destroyed by fire at any time. This is why we need fire extinguishers in our homes. The use of gas cooker, for example, is common these days, but, we need to play safe in the use of such. It is not advisable to place the gas cylinder inside the kitchen, but, outside, because of possible fire outbreak.
On another note, there are those who are not cautious about divulging information entrusted in their care. Some government workers are so loose that they disclose official secrets which some tricksters use to work against the government. The guiding principle of oath of secrecy is supposed to guard against such. However, many of them ignore this. For the work to be sanitised, we need to guard our mouths. Watching our utterances is a must.
The need to be cautious while walking or moving around is equally necessary. Some of the people you meet at some places like markets, parks, churches, and mosques, did not really go there for genuine reasons. Some are mere opportunists looking for the least possible way to extort your items. There are recorded cases where vehicles were stolen from church premises and mosques. You need to find better and safer ways of protecting your belongings. Endeavour to lock all doors before going to bed.
Precautionary measures should always be taken. I saw a car parked on a highway some time ago. Unfortunately, a lorry on a high speed just ran into it, thereby scattering the parts because, there was no notification or warning sign to the oncoming vehicle that the car was not on motion. One wonders if such an accident might have happened if the driver had been cautious enough to put leaves or some other signs to show that there was a stationary car there.
Mind Your Security Status
This is all about being aware of your safety status and how to handle eventualities. The places one is prone to threat, risk, and dangers are: at home, at work, at school, at market places, at parks, at gardens, and, even on transit. We are in a period of uncertainties, with many evil-minded people operating at all nooks and corners, instilling the negative feelings of fear and anxiety in innocent people's minds. There are terrorists, armed robbers, assassins, kidnappers, fraudsters of various degrees, operating here and there. This trend therefore calls for measures to curb these occurrences which are ravaging the society.
It is always advisable to walk in company of someone, rather than walking alone, especially during odd hours. This will, to a reasonable extent, reduce the risk of falling into evil people's hands. Even if anything happens, someone will be able to inform your family members what must have happened.
Being secretive is necessary when you are with strangers. Do not share your personal information with strangers, because the enemy intercepts such information to perpetrate crime. You should be using randomness in your daily operations, so that those trailing you will not predict what you will do at any point in time. Avoid following the same route all the time. Avoid using same ATM password for a long time. When you allow some form of randomness in your life, it will be difficult for the enemy to strike. Talk less. Be very observant. Observe everything - your car, the public bus, your compound, your gardens, and so on. Try to be as simple as possible, and avoid unnecessary show of wealth, because, that may sometimes attract the envy of some enemies. When we are aware that some people are sadists, we reduce the rate of displaying what we have, for example, flashy cars, expensive phones, gold, diamond, and platinum jewelleries. Sometimes, these things pose as threats to your life.
Always be informed about the current happenings in your environment. Listening to the daily news on radio and television, in addition to reading newspapers, will equip you with valuable information on the state of affairs in your country or state. Remain informed. Any suspicious movement around your area of abode should be reported to the police. Interrogate people whose identities are unknown to you, so that you will be sure that those people are genuinely operating there.
Avoid Being Deceived
Deception is an occurrence in every sphere of life. In the school, for instance, some students go into a hideout for their private studies, but later surface to deceive others who may wish to study. Beware of such. You may find yourself playing with them during exams, but later, you see them emerging successful after exams, while you fail.
In the office, some staff pay lip service to the Chief Executives, thereby giving room to overconfidence on the part of the administrator. This leads to complacency in the administrative style, with consequential low output. We should be mindful of such insincere people. Along the streets, there are instances of innocent citizens being tricked into releasing their money to fraudsters. Many have been duped already. The unassuming approach used by these cheats leaves the victims hopeless.
We need to be careful, to avoid being tricked or pushed into dangerous situations. There is a funny story told of a teacher who was invigilating an examination. He observed that two students were discussing in the exam hall. Furiously, he went straight to them and asked: "What are you doing?" They cleverly answered: "We are discussing, because, the question says 'Discuss the importance of Agriculture'." It took the intelligence of the teacher to dissuade them from the meaning the students attached to the question. If he was not clever, those students would have put him into trouble of 'aiding and abetting', during exams. So, beware of deceptive, uncertain, and tricky people around you.
Value Your Time And Spare Moments
If you have spare moments, be conscious of the fact that they have to be used optimally. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet, lecturer, and essayist, advises thus: "Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their values will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." Do not use your spare moments to gossip, to commit character assassination, or to look for ways of pulling others down. Think of how to make your life a better one.
Being Proactive
This is a situation of tending actively to instigate changes, in anticipation of future developments, as opposed to merely reacting to events as they occur. Octavia Spencer, an American film actress and television actress, skilled in both comedy and drama, stated that the way to bring about change is to be proactive and active. Of course, being proactive means being reactive ahead of time.
You are proactive, when you think and act ahead of anticipated events. That means you have foresight. This, when applied, helps reduce a lot of disasters that could happen. It is the proactive people that instigate actions and create ideas in the society. For you to avert ugly situations, you need to reflect on the actions that may come up, and how to give them attention when they come. You then go ahead to plan, think critically how to carry those tasks efficiently, through creation of plan and checklist. When you make plans, it is always advisable to equally make an alternative plan, in case the first one fails. That is what we popularly call 'Plan B'. You can even go ahead to have 'Plan C', just to make sure that the required action is taken up. Find out which actions can come up before the others - prioritising your actions is very important.
The foresight you have, through your trait of being proactive, will save you from a lot of embarrassments. For instance, if you are using electricity powered through the prepaid meter reading, you do not have to wait until the credit gets exhausted, before you reload. Definitely, you will put yourself in embarrassing situation. You can imagine your house being in darkness, when all your neighbours' houses are lit. However, a proactive person will always ensure that he does not wait for the credit to exhaust, so that he will not put himself in a stressful situation.
The use of cooking gas is another area for someone to display proactive nature. A standby filled up gas cylinder will make you not to run helter-skelter when the one you are currently using gets finished. It gives you time to get yourself relaxed when emergency situation comes up. You do not need to stress your brain, rushing to look for where to get gas, to complete what you are cooking, because you have been proactive enough to keep a standby filled gas cylinder for immediate replacement of the empty one.
It is a common occurrence these days to see some cars ignite, due to lack of necessary checks before the drivers took off. In the event of such, some control measures would equally have taken place if the cars were equipped with the required fire extinguishers. Unfortunately, some drivers just pick the car keys in the morning, and zoom off, without checking the engine oil, the quantity of fuel in the car, the brake fluid, the tyres, and some other necessary parts. But gladly, some conscious drivers do not take off until all the routine checks have been performed, thus, moving out with higher confidence of performance by the vehicles. The case of fire outburst will not be a big problem if that comes up at all, because the fire extinguisher is already there in the vehicle, to perform its task.
Executives of various offices and organisations should be on guard to know when members of their staff are demoralised. Check their dispositions constantly, and find out if they are planning an industrial action, so that you can appease them by looking critically into their grievances. After all, without such staff, you cannot operate optimally. Seek ways of getting things done in a rather precautionary way, than when damages have already occurred.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
It is not everything that is shiny and attractive that is valuable. It is not everything that looks precious that turns out to be real. This is applicable to people, places, or things, that promise to be more than what they really are. Judging people on the basis of mere appearance can be greatly misleading. A person may be good-looking but may be very wicked and mean. On the contrary, there are some people whose looks are not so attractive, but have hearts of gold.
Beware of fake people in your life. A fake person is someone who is not genuine and will do whatever it takes to make himself look good. He takes credit for other's work and downplays the good of others to illuminate himself. He takes part in hypocrisy, lies, and will quit friendship the moment it is not beneficial to him. He changes his personality to fit in to a certain group. You can easily detect a fake person through the way he deals with your ups and downs. When you are feeling down, your fake friend will merely pat you awkwardly on the shoulder and try to change the subject, rather than wrap you in his arms to listen to your complaints as a real friend should.
Real friends are reliable. They will always be with you through thick and thin, but fake friends will leave you at the least of challenges. Their smiles have always been to either get things from you or for you to favour them, but as soon as a little problem crops up, they will flee from you. They will not even identify with you as close friends. They are terrible.
Fake friends can only blossom with you when you are doing greatly, but, a little mistake can cost your friendship, unlike the real friend, who will forgive you and value your friendship more than your temporary mistake.
Fake people can be as dangerous as snakes. They only seek to betray you through their fake smiles, backhanded compliments, talk behind your back and even the mockery they make of you. They are the ones who will initiate your downfall and still come back to sympathise with you. They 'accompany the spirit to kill and turn around to condole'. They are horrible people and should not be associated with. A fake person can only dress to impress. Do not be tempted to be attracted by that. He may have borrowed the dress or he may have stolen it. That is mere aesthetic display. What of the inner mind? What is the intention of that person coming close to you? Be careful.
Without wisdom, we cannot really undertake such precautions. "The only true wisdom," according to Socrates, "is in knowing you know nothing." Socrates was the most famous philosopher of classical Greece. He was an Athenian citizen, who revolutionised the way people thought about themselves and the world, and was famous for his questioning teaching method - Socratic Method. Through Socrates' assertion, you will always strive to get the knowledge on what to do, in every challenging situation. Be on guard, always.
~ Fasten Your Seat Belt ~
1. Something will surely happen And your spirit may likely dampen
Be on guard
And prepare to play life a card…
2. For every spare moment You have to make it potent If you're always on check You will avoid life's wreck.
3. A life of randomness Will yield you happiness
You have to flee from obscurity For you to get your security.
4. When you don't play the caution You are opting for auction
Some people are treacherous And their actions are dangerous.
5. If you don't have a weapon It means you're with mere melon
Beware of all that glitters Not all that truly matters.
This is a state of being vigilant; being watchful, keeping safe from harm or danger; and being careful to avoid being tricked or getting into a dangerous situation. Being on guard means that, in your thoughts, 'anything can happen'. Of course, no one can predict what will happen in the next moment; hence precautionary measures are very important in our lives. If we are not cautious in our actions, unlocking our potentials will be threatened.Who Do You Associate With?You need to be mindful of whom to trust these days. Some people are so overconfident in others that they 'sell' off themselves to such treacherous ones. Trust is expensive and should not be offered easily. It should be earned.Check your associates very well. Do not just cling on to someone simply because you want to establish a relationship. Your personality is mostly measured by the kind of friends you keep; which goes to say you should not even trust your presence in the company of some people before you get the tag of being like them. This is what informs the saying: 'Show me your friend and I will tell you who are.' Take time to find out the true lifestyle, principles and worldview of anyone you are associating with. The days are evil, so you need to protect your life.Check On Your ChildrenFrank Olize, a former NTA veteran broadcaster and presenter always started the popular Sunday NTA magazine programme, Newsline saying: "Do you know where your children are?" This remains a vital question. This question used to move many parents to start calling their children to know their dispositions at that particular point in time. A consistent check on your children makes them know you care and that you can check on them at any time. This keeps them on their guard and away from doing the constant evil they otherwise might have tried. They always await your call. Consequently, they adjust and reduce negative tendencies. A parent who ignores the protection of his children is not worthy to be called a parent.Constant check on your children shows that you are proactive. They are your jewels of inestimable value, so you would naturally not love to lose them. That is a way of showing them love and care. Monitoring their school activities, to prevent a situation of being dismissed from school, is necessary. Their academic records should be on your fingertips, to know when they are progressing and when they are, possibly, retrogressing. This is to know when to assist them, especially during preparations for exams.Apart from their academics, their moral disposition should be closely monitored by you. You should be on guard always, as far as these children are concerned. Help them avoid a life of regret, by averting ugly and embarrassing situations. When you know the kind of friends your children keep, and these friends are the right kind, your mind will be at rest when they go on visits. Encourage them to bring their friends to the house so that you can advise them on proper lifestyles, especially while away.Being on guard is not the sole responsibility of parents, because, children leave their homes to go to different places particularly school. School administrators and teachers who are always glued to the chairs in their offices will not be able to have proper checks on the students. You must develop the eyes of an owl looking in all directions to control the children under your care. It is possible for you to be luxuriating inside your office, while the students are busy burning down a classroom, or killing one another with dangerous weapons. You need to sit up, if you must achieve the goal of administration.In every aspect of life, close monitoring should be used where children are concerned. Parents should endeavour to provide the needs not really the wants of the children, to reduce the tendency of the children seeking assistance through immoral means. An example is in the handling of the girl- child. She is tender and consequently, becomes possible prey to those dangerous men who will never allow anything in skirt to pass them by. When your girl-child has her basic needs met, she will find it difficult to follow those immoral men. This is also applicable to the boy-child who may have the tendency of being lured into unacceptable behaviours, like robbery and kidnapping, to get money.Obeying The RulesEvery action has a guiding principle. There are rules governing various activities. Driving, for instance, requires a driving licence. To be in accordance with the law, those who are driving are expected to have their drivers' licences. A driving licence is a privilege that can be revoked under certain conditions including road misdemeanours. Consequently, driving without a valid driver's Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. licence attracts serious consequences. It is illegal, and should not be practised. Knowing fully well that you may be asked to pay a fine, or even have your vehicle impounded if you flout this order demands that you should not go against this law.A person's driver's licence is usually the most important thing in your wallet. It identifies you as a licensed driver. Without it, you have no right to operate a vehicle on public roadways. It serves as one's official personal ID, as it displays your contact information and a picture that officials can compare to the person who is presenting it as identification. It allows emergency officials to identify you if you are involved in an accident, as the name and address will help them locate and contact family members to inform them of your injuries. The information on the licence equally enables hospital staff to begin the admission process, when necessary. Since this document is so valuable, you have to be very careful in handling it. You need to take proper care not to lose it. Importantly too, you have to use it always. That is the law.Some people drive vehicles without the vehicle particulars, which include the vehicle insurance certificate, and road worthiness certificate. Carrying the vehicle particulars with you is just to prove that you are the legitimate owner of the vehicle you are carrying. This is an evidence of proper and genuine documentation of such vehicle. This check makes it easier to arrest thieves who have carted away other people's vehicles. When offenders fall into the hands of traffic officials, they develop 'sudden fever', because of the consequences.In addition to having your documents, obeying the traffic rules is another important civic responsibility. These rules include: obeying traffic signs; buckling of seat belts; avoiding over-speeding, phone calls while driving, drunk-driving, under-aged driving, and so on. You should always think of every possible occurrence when you are driving. You are simply being proactive, and getting yourself set for any eventuality. You are applying preventive measure, rather than curative approach. As the popular saying goes: it is better to be safe than sorry; prevention is better than cure.It is not only on roads that we have rules to obey; this is also applicable to the school system, in the offices, and in various organisations. Knowing well that constant absenteeism from work, for instance, may lead to your sack, you can avoid that sack by making your presence and services available most times. The instruction that school rules and regulations must be obeyed to avoid being suspended from school, will give room to the students to adhere strictly to the regulations of the school, to avoid the embarrassment of being suspended, or even expelled from the school. The expression of 'Once beaten, twice shy', should move us into being on guard always. It is true that'experience is the best teacher', but we should not wait to have an ugly experience before we can learn, as we can equally learn from the experience of others.Be CautiousIn our various homes, we have many gadgets. We should have a feeling that any of such things could be destroyed by fire at any time. This is why we need fire extinguishers in our homes. The use of gas cooker, for example, is common these days, but, we need to play safe in the use of such. It is not advisable to place the gas cylinder inside the kitchen, but, outside, because of possible fire outbreak.On another note, there are those who are not cautious about divulging information entrusted in their care. Some government workers are so loose that they disclose official secrets which some tricksters use to work against the government. The guiding principle of oath of secrecy is supposed to guard against such. However, many of them ignore this. For the work to be sanitised, we need to guard our mouths. Watching our utterances is a must.The need to be cautious while walking or moving around is equally necessary. Some of the people you meet at some places like markets, parks, churches, and mosques, did not really go there for genuine reasons. Some are mere opportunists looking for the least possible way to extort your items. There are recorded cases where vehicles were stolen from church premises and mosques. You need to find better and safer ways of protecting your belongings. Endeavour to lock all doors before going to bed.Precautionary measures should always be taken. I saw a car parked on a highway some time ago. Unfortunately, a lorry on a high speed just ran into it, thereby scattering the parts because, there was no notification or warning sign to the oncoming vehicle that the car was not on motion. One wonders if such an accident might have happened if the driver had been cautious enough to put leaves or some other signs to show that there was a stationary car there.Mind Your Security StatusThis is all about being aware of your safety status and how to handle eventualities. The places one is prone to threat, risk, and dangers are: at home, at work, at school, at market places, at parks, at gardens, and, even on transit. We are in a period of uncertainties, with many evil-minded people operating at all nooks and corners, instilling the negative feelings of fear and anxiety in innocent people's minds. There are terrorists, armed robbers, assassins, kidnappers, fraudsters of various degrees, operating here and there. This trend therefore calls for measures to curb these occurrences which are ravaging the society.It is always advisable to walk in company of someone, rather than walking alone, especially during odd hours. This will, to a reasonable extent, reduce the risk of falling into evil people's hands. Even if anything happens, someone will be able to inform your family members what must have happened.Being secretive is necessary when you are with strangers. Do not share your personal information with strangers, because the enemy intercepts such information to perpetrate crime. You should be using randomness in your daily operations, so that those trailing you will not predict what you will do at any point in time. Avoid following the same route all the time. Avoid using same ATM password for a long time. When you allow some form of randomness in your life, it will be difficult for the enemy to strike. Talk less. Be very observant. Observe everything - your car, the public bus, your compound, your gardens, and so on. Try to be as simple as possible, and avoid unnecessary show of wealth, because, that may sometimes attract the envy of some enemies. When we are aware that some people are sadists, we reduce the rate of displaying what we have, for example, flashy cars, expensive phones, gold, diamond, and platinum jewelleries. Sometimes, these things pose as threats to your life.Always be informed about the current happenings in your environment. Listening to the daily news on radio and television, in addition to reading newspapers, will equip you with valuable information on the state of affairs in your country or state. Remain informed. Any suspicious movement around your area of abode should be reported to the police. Interrogate people whose identities are unknown to you, so that you will be sure that those people are genuinely operating there.Avoid Being DeceivedDeception is an occurrence in every sphere of life. In the school, for instance, some students go into a hideout for their private studies, but later surface to deceive others who may wish to study. Beware of such. You may find yourself playing with them during exams, but later, you see them emerging successful after exams, while you fail.In the office, some staff pay lip service to the Chief Executives, thereby giving room to overconfidence on the part of the administrator. This leads to complacency in the administrative style, with consequential low output. We should be mindful of such insincere people. Along the streets, there are instances of innocent citizens being tricked into releasing their money to fraudsters. Many have been duped already. The unassuming approach used by these cheats leaves the victims hopeless.We need to be careful, to avoid being tricked or pushed into dangerous situations. There is a funny story told of a teacher who was invigilating an examination. He observed that two students were discussing in the exam hall. Furiously, he went straight to them and asked: "What are you doing?" They cleverly answered: "We are discussing, because, the question says 'Discuss the importance of Agriculture'." It took the intelligence of the teacher to dissuade them from the meaning the students attached to the question. If he was not clever, those students would have put him into trouble of 'aiding and abetting', during exams. So, beware of deceptive, uncertain, and tricky people around you.Value Your Time And Spare MomentsIf you have spare moments, be conscious of the fact that they have to be used optimally. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet, lecturer, and essayist, advises thus: "Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their values will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." Do not use your spare moments to gossip, to commit character assassination, or to look for ways of pulling others down. Think of how to make your life a better one.Being ProactiveThis is a situation of tending actively to instigate changes, in anticipation of future developments, as opposed to merely reacting to events as they occur. Octavia Spencer, an American film actress and television actress, skilled in both comedy and drama, stated that the way to bring about change is to be proactive and active. Of course, being proactive means being reactive ahead of time.You are proactive, when you think and act ahead of anticipated events. That means you have foresight. This, when applied, helps reduce a lot of disasters that could happen. It is the proactive people that instigate actions and create ideas in the society. For you to avert ugly situations, you need to reflect on the actions that may come up, and how to give them attention when they come. You then go ahead to plan, think critically how to carry those tasks efficiently, through creation of plan and checklist. When you make plans, it is always advisable to equally make an alternative plan, in case the first one fails. That is what we popularly call 'Plan B'. You can even go ahead to have 'Plan C', just to make sure that the required action is taken up. Find out which actions can come up before the others - prioritising your actions is very important.The foresight you have, through your trait of being proactive, will save you from a lot of embarrassments. For instance, if you are using electricity powered through the prepaid meter reading, you do not have to wait until the credit gets exhausted, before you reload. Definitely, you will put yourself in embarrassing situation. You can imagine your house being in darkness, when all your neighbours' houses are lit. However, a proactive person will always ensure that he does not wait for the credit to exhaust, so that he will not put himself in a stressful situation.The use of cooking gas is another area for someone to display proactive nature. A standby filled up gas cylinder will make you not to run helter-skelter when the one you are currently using gets finished. It gives you time to get yourself relaxed when emergency situation comes up. You do not need to stress your brain, rushing to look for where to get gas, to complete what you are cooking, because you have been proactive enough to keep a standby filled gas cylinder for immediate replacement of the empty one.It is a common occurrence these days to see some cars ignite, due to lack of necessary checks before the drivers took off. In the event of such, some control measures would equally have taken place if the cars were equipped with the required fire extinguishers. Unfortunately, some drivers just pick the car keys in the morning, and zoom off, without checking the engine oil, the quantity of fuel in the car, the brake fluid, the tyres, and some other necessary parts. But gladly, some conscious drivers do not take off until all the routine checks have been performed, thus, moving out with higher confidence of performance by the vehicles. The case of fire outburst will not be a big problem if that comes up at all, because the fire extinguisher is already there in the vehicle, to perform its task.Executives of various offices and organisations should be on guard to know when members of their staff are demoralised. Check their dispositions constantly, and find out if they are planning an industrial action, so that you can appease them by looking critically into their grievances. After all, without such staff, you cannot operate optimally. Seek ways of getting things done in a rather precautionary way, than when damages have already occurred.All That Glitters Is Not GoldIt is not everything that is shiny and attractive that is valuable. It is not everything that looks precious that turns out to be real. This is applicable to people, places, or things, that promise to be more than what they really are. Judging people on the basis of mere appearance can be greatly misleading. A person may be good-looking but may be very wicked and mean. On the contrary, there are some people whose looks are not so attractive, but have hearts of gold.Beware of fake people in your life. A fake person is someone who is not genuine and will do whatever it takes to make himself look good. He takes credit for other's work and downplays the good of others to illuminate himself. He takes part in hypocrisy, lies, and will quit friendship the moment it is not beneficial to him. He changes his personality to fit in to a certain group. You can easily detect a fake person through the way he deals with your ups and downs. When you are feeling down, your fake friend will merely pat you awkwardly on the shoulder and try to change the subject, rather than wrap you in his arms to listen to your complaints as a real friend should.Real friends are reliable. They will always be with you through thick and thin, but fake friends will leave you at the least of challenges. Their smiles have always been to either get things from you or for you to favour them, but as soon as a little problem crops up, they will flee from you. They will not even identify with you as close friends. They are terrible.Fake friends can only blossom with you when you are doing greatly, but, a little mistake can cost your friendship, unlike the real friend, who will forgive you and value your friendship more than your temporary mistake.Fake people can be as dangerous as snakes. They only seek to betray you through their fake smiles, backhanded compliments, talk behind your back and even the mockery they make of you. They are the ones who will initiate your downfall and still come back to sympathise with you. They 'accompany the spirit to kill and turn around to condole'. They are horrible people and should not be associated with. A fake person can only dress to impress. Do not be tempted to be attracted by that. He may have borrowed the dress or he may have stolen it. That is mere aesthetic display. What of the inner mind? What is the intention of that person coming close to you? Be careful.Without wisdom, we cannot really undertake such precautions. "The only true wisdom," according to Socrates, "is in knowing you know nothing." Socrates was the most famous philosopher of classical Greece. He was an Athenian citizen, who revolutionised the way people thought about themselves and the world, and was famous for his questioning teaching method - Socratic Method. Through Socrates' assertion, you will always strive to get the knowledge on what to do, in every challenging situation. Be on guard, always.~ Fasten Your Seat Belt ~1. Something will surely happen And your spirit may likely dampenBe on guardAnd prepare to play life a card2. For every spare moment You have to make it potent If you're always on check You will avoid life's wreck.3. A life of randomness Will yield you happinessYou have to flee from obscurity For you to get your security.4. When you don't play the caution You are opting for auctionSome people are treacherous And their actions are dangerous.5. If you don't have a weapon It means you're with mere melonBeware of all that glitters Not all that truly matters.
