Inside The Nest of Killers By Livy-Elcon Emereonye

One of the things that surprise me about human beings is the degree of our conceptions and machinations. It never ceases to amaze me what man can do to get even and settle scores, and regrettably, this can happen for mere imaginary problem(s). There is no limit to what we can do – and this includes the good, the bad and the ugly which can come in legions even when least expected and within our cells and the confines of our operations.

As communal beings, we live in communities, interacting and relating with others. We operate within a circle – and our dominion, dominance or suppression occurs in it. Covertly and overtly, knowingly and unknowingly, our lives and activities revolve around our circle of influence – family, friends, occupation, trade, and profession within the forces of age, sex, tribe and religion. We live and work in the company of others that directly and indirectly influence us in so many ways beyond our understanding and wishes. However we look at it, no one is an island that is why the relations of a naked “abandoned” madman on the street show up whenever he is attacked! Thus the need for civility, decorum and competition – healthy competition to bring out the best in us but regrettably some of us engage into negative and destructive competitions.

As normal human beings and inductive animals, we live in homes, work in places and do every other thing in one abode or the other that can compare to the nest of birds meant to provide shelter and safety. Whatever we do and whoever we are, we need shelter, food and cloths. To get and use these things, we need other people in our lives but somehow in the affairs of life, those we come in contact with and relate in one way or the other might not be comfortable seeing us to prosper or aspire for higher goals. This can make the nest – our abode hostile and our work difficult and hard – and the evil doers can go extra miles to eliminate perceived enemies and silly competitors thereby turning the space into a nest of killers!

It is lack of understanding with dearth of superior argument for peaceful conflict resolution that can lead to wasting of life and property – and it proves the beast in us to destroy each other and one another. I am always at loss to hear that one man kills another man no matter the provocation and justification! There could be reason for this type of extreme measure yet it remains a common occurrence that is fast becoming daily news.

A closer observation of the human institution would present a lot of surprises. People are not what they claim to be. There may be more hypocrites, minions and sycophants lurking around, looking for whom to deceive and lead into temptation. For stomach infrastructure, some can descend to the bottomless pit, doing abominable things. It is very painful that some human beings can kill without delay, and some do the sordid act for a living, forgetting that we all live to die!

To know the true character of those in your cell, provide the window for an alternate route – and you would be surprise at what you would hear and see: fabrications and half truths baked for betrayal and backstabbing. Be warned and be careful of those you fraternize with. Some may actually sell you for a bite of a rotten meat. In trying to curry favour especially where power, big money is involved and when money exchanges hand, anything can happen. Betrayal tastes sweet to them that do it! Some will sacrifice you on the altar of hypocrisy without blinking an eye.

It is purely animalistic to waste any human life for whatever reason. In scoring cheap points that actually prove the monsters in us, a person or group of persons can plan and hire another person or persons to kill another person or persons – and the deal and deed could be done without delay or a second thought. It is the height of wickedness to kill an armless and a defenseless man at his duty post where he chose to serve humanity and save lives, leaving his children fatherless and wife a widow. This is absurd.

Life is all about choices. But when you make your choice, you must be able to live with its consequences. However, in a very strange world that we live today, some choices can spark not only anger and revolution but can lead to murder and planned assassination. This happens in the nest. When the deed is done, we might cry out blood and set some cosmetic relief approaches into motion but such can never be a substitute for the life lost. How much can replace the right to life cut short?

There are fundamental human rights to be enjoyed but where yours stops begins that of another thus the existence of checks and balances. Even when a murderer is caught, in a civil and just society, he will be punished but can such bring back to life the person wasted or fill the vacuum such waste created?

To every association and organization, there are rights and responsibilities. While there are privileges, there are also penalties for defaulters. But it seems that demanding for certain rights and declaring ambition for certain things within the nest can be a cause for premature death.

It is very unfortunate that we dissipate so much energy to major in the minor, promoting device tendencies to pull down the house for purely selfish reasons while evil reigns unchecked. This is uncalled for and would only exposure our weaknesses and ignorance. It will never be the solution to the problem. And if a party dies, another party would emerge.

However, no individual is bigger and can be bigger than his profession and professional organization. A tree cannot make a forest, and a branch less tree cannot resist the wind. When your sins are made public, your image would be destroyed even if you don’t have shame.

I have always advocated for justice using “Punish and Guide” model for sanity to reign. And those who know the value of peace can do everything and anything right to have peace and enjoy it not the other way but arrogance and sycophancy might not allow some people to see reasons and appreciate people for who they are and what they do.

Oh, we are not in a competition so let us complement each other and one another – and possibly stop the wasting of life and property. Eliminating or killing someone cannot give you your heart desires, and no position is permanent. Those who serve bread of sorrow often eat an overdose of it when least expected and cry to death in pains without anyone consoling them.

“I don’t care is because you are not involved. If you are involved, you must care.” Pain is real only to the sufferer.

When we fail to use the tools of peaceful resolution, we open the vista for destructive tendencies, the consequences of which may be unimaginable as some of us can descend too low to the bottomless pit of animalism to destroying life and property – and the cycle repeats when the victims or their relations choose to retaliate and revenge on assumptions…

The big question remains: At what stage and for what reason can a man kill his fellow man and for how long? Why should we destroy what we cannot make and make the route of painfulness and hopelessness smoothly wide? Please, don’t stain your hands with blood inside the nest killers. Be warned!