LIFE IS WAR

I have heard the phrase “Life is War” many a times but it took a while for me to fully comprehend it. Life is truly full of changing scenes. Some of the battles we encounter are inevitable while others are brought upon us by our actions or associations with others. Each phase of life presents its own issues.

When I was in high school, the battle at that time was for me to do well in school and to begin to develop a sense of my future dreams. It was a reputable all female school with strict laws and policies. To help us win the battle and to stay focused, there were set times for the different daily activities and mundane tasks. For instance, there was a time to sleep, be in class, attend mass, perform social duties, eat, study and shower.  These transitions were determined by the sound of a very loud bell. Every student knew what to do at the sound of that bell and one could get into much trouble for not following simple rules. Indeed, it was a battle ground and the rules were meant to protect us at that stage of our lives. Some days, I would get distracted in class and other days, I would be more attentive. I loved some subjects and I loathed others, I adored some of my teachers and prayed for others to not show up in class (lol).

Notwithstanding my emotions and thoughts, each day I awoke, I had one task in mind; to dress up in the appropriate attire and show up for war, (the classroom). Although I established great friendships, most of which still exist today, my task was to learn. Thankfully, I graduated successfully. When it came time to receive my results, my grades were awarded based on how well I conquered each subject. The certificate did not ask for how many hours I spent studying, how many friends I made, or how many classes I attended. It only showed how well I tested. Such is life, some laws and policies are just means to an end, and not the end in themselves. They are simply opportunities or guidelines to help us on our way to battle. If we view them otherwise or become overly consumed by them, we could pay a high price in the end. Like most things in life, my high school battleground was a transition stage and once I achieved my purpose, it was time to move on to a much more complicated war called University.

University was an introduction to real life. There were no rising bells, no reminders for transitions, nothing. This battle required a different strategy for success. First, one had to know their hall of residence (or find one), their department and the teaching/class schedule. It was then incumbent upon the individual to determine how to proceed. Unlike high school where the dormitories were near the classrooms, a lot of the lecture rooms in Legon required a bit of walking. Life was indeed war. I must confess that even at this stage, I was not fully decided on my future path, but I knew that failing or not completing this phase of my life was not an option, not even in the remotest sense, so I stayed on track and graduated once again.

Today, I’m in a different war zone called work. Each day, I must wake up, dress up, show up and make the best of it.  Your war zone might be different from mine and so are the battles. Life is war and we all are engaged in it by default. The war ends when our time on earth is done. So, until then, I encourage you to wake up, dress up and show up. It may not be feasible or even realistic to win every war but at the minimum, be determined and prepared to give it your best shot.