Banji's Tales

Nature's Deeds

As I left home for work in the early hours of today, a scenario played out in my very eyes that became my contemplation the entire day as I bid my neighbours bye. What actually happened? 

The wife of my diseased landlord woke up to the sight of littered palm kernels on the cemented floor of the compound. I had assumed they were stones when I stepped on them, when the day was still stark dark. Knowing who among the tenants is at fault, she expressed her displeasure to the newest occupant among us, whose tenancy she greatly disliked because she is a Northern. Mind you she isn't Hausa as the wife of my polygamous landlord assumed. As she registered her displeasure to this new occupant who has now lived more than two months, I overheard this new tenant explain that the palm kernels were kept wrapped in a black nylon, that it was the dogs my deceased landlord kept that tore the nylon, thinking the content was something they could feed on. At this revelation, she vented her anger on the dogs. First, she hurled curses at them but later proceeded to beat them up. The dogs screamed so loud that I was rather disturbed at the corporal punishment meted out to them. It was time to go to work. As I strode up the stairs, I laughed at her action and reasoned to myself why my landlord's wife chose to beat up the domestic animals. Questions rose in my heart if beatings can really make a dog behave contrary to its nature. And I concluded otherwise. Tomorrow, in fact, few seconds or minutes later, the self same dogs will do the same act, not because the beating isn't serious enough but, because, they can't just act contrary to their nature. 

Nature is the reason dogs act the way they act, nothing otherwise. No amount of rebukes or reprimands can make them act otherwise. It's the nature of dogs to bark; and the nature of lions to roar; and the nature of eagles to soar. Nothing can change a man's nature unless imparted with another nature. Other than this, any measure to curtail acts bore out of one's nature will utterly fail. Laws will not even avail in this regard. It was therefore no surprise to me, on getting home, that the same dogs had done act similar to what they were reprimanded for just this morning. What a nature! 

This also brings to mind the story of scorpion and one other animal. The scorpion was said to have pleaded with this four-legged animal to cross a bridge. This four-legged animal promised to help the scorpion on one condition: the scorpion wouldn't sting him. To this the scorpion agreed. After crossing the bridge, the scorpion stung this helper of his. When asked why he reneged on his promise, he said: "Sorry, it is in my nature to sting." That is the truth. Nobody behaves contrary to his or her nature!