Courage Does Not Always Roar
Let’s embrace Peace!
Author: David Oletu
“Let us make peace with the king and warriors of Jaja kingdom.
Let them just have the river to themselves,” the king of Ogogo kingdom said to his warlord and warriors.
“But, my king…”
“Ehen, ehnnn, listen to me,”
the king interrupted the warlord, having observed that he wanted to speak against the king’s order.
“Aren’t you tired of the bloodshed and the enmity between us?
I want peace to reign.
Warlord and warriors of Ogogo kingdom, peace is all I want!” The king said.
“Alright, my king, as you wish.
Who are we to disobey your order, my king?
Courage Does Not Always Roar
We will make peace with Jaja kingdom, surrendering the river to them,” the warlord said, kneeling before the king, respecting his wish.
“Yes, warlord, we will, and we are going there together tomorrow once the sun sets.
You may all leave now,” the king said, dismissing them.
“Yes, my king,” the warlord responded, taking a bow alongside his warriors and stepping out of the premises.
Courage Does Not Always Roar
For over 5 years, the Jaja and Ogogo kingdoms had been fighting over a river that flows between both borders.
Jaja Kingdom claimed the river belonged to them, while Ogogo Kingdom also claimed the river was theirs too.
Each time both kingdoms sought to use the river to fish or bathe,
disagreement—physical combats and verbal abuses—always ensued between them.
As a result of this conflict, lives from both kingdoms were lost.
This thus made the king of Jaja angry and determined to avenge the lives of those who were killed by the people and warriors of Ogogo due to the conflict over the river’s ownership.
Courage Does Not Always Roar!
However, the men of Ogogo Kingdom were now beginning to call for peace, having realized that the war wasn’t worth it.
They decided to hand over the river to them—the Jaja kingdom—not because they were weak but for peace to prevail.
The next day, as the sun set, the king, warlord, and warriors of Ogogo Kingdom set out to make peace with the king and warriors of Jaja Kingdom.
As they were approaching the king of the Jaja kingdom’s palace,
a watchguard raised an alarm that the king and warriors of Ogogo were approaching with weapons.
As soon as the angry king of Jaja heard this, he summoned his warlord and warriors:
“Go and attack them; let’s show them that we are not cowards and weaklings!”
The king of Jaja Kingdom ordered immediately, ignorant of the fact that the king and warriors of Ogogo Kingdom were not coming for war,
but to reconcile with them by giving up the river that was the cause of the misunderstanding between them.
Courage Does Not Always Roar!!
“My king, my king!”
The warlord of the Ogogo kingdom called in tears and panic as his king slowly stumbled to the ground;
with an arrow pierced through his heart and blood gushing out from his chest and mouth.
The men of Jaja were the ones who shot at the king of Ogogo Kingdom, under the order of their king to attack them.
“Warlord…” the king of Ogogo called him as he struggled for his life on the ground, soaked with blood.
“Yes, my king, speak to me,” the warlord said, trying to revive him.
“Peace, peace…” the king said, still struggling with his life.
Unfortunately, he gave up the ghost in a pool of blood.
His last word was “Peace!”.
Courage Does Not Always Roar
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The warlord of the Ogogo kingdom screamed in pain, standing up slowly with his face stern and red.
“Attack them!” He ordered his warriors to attack the warriors of the Jaja kingdom to avenge their king’s death.
The warriors of Ogogo kingdom began to run towards the warriors of Jaja kingdom, with their weapons raised, ready to strike.
The warriors of the Jaja kingdom also did the same.
Both clashed with each other one-on-one, striking themselves dead—no one was spared.
Some warriors of the Jaja kingdom had narrowly sneaked into the land of Ogogo to kill more of the people of Ogogo and burn down houses and properties.
Some warriors of the Ogogo kingdom also did likewise, having discovered from an escapee that their kingdom was on fire.
Lots of civilians and innocent ones from both kingdoms who knew nothing about this war were killed.
The warlord of Ogogo Kingdom also succeeded in killing the newly born first son of the king of Jaja and his wife,
and he also succeeded in destroying many properties and killing other innocent lives in Jaja’s palace.
The king of Jaja, having lost his wife, first son, people, and able warriors, began to regret starting this war ,
and, hence, sought to commit suicide at the river, which was the cause of the misunderstanding between both kingdoms.
Courage Does Not Always Roar!!!
LESSONS:
Courage does not always roar.
At times, courage could be our silence or the ability to initiate reconciliation.
Do not be quick to strike. Be sober. It is not everything we react angrily to.
Reacting angrily to everything might just destroy things and relationships precious to us and even our peace of mind.
Also, don’t be too quick to make assumptions.
The warriors of Jaja kingdom were not patient enough to get to know why the king and warriors of Ogogo kingdom were coming to visit them;
they just assumed they were coming for war, so they gave it to them by first striking down the king of Ogogo kingdom.
If they had calmed down to know the reason for their presence, things would have turned out for the better for them, and nothing would have been destroyed.
Let’s embrace Peace!
Also Read: Idi Amin Dada last days: karma!! – Diademng (thediademng.org)
And: World peace is not only possible but inevitable | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)
