This is Necessity: a story of a parent and a young writer
A few weeks ago I argued with my father about the meaning of Necessity. Necessity which in Yoruba language translates to Bukata. My dad thinks that only parents have obligations on their shoulders but I tried to convince him otherwise, by explaining what Necessity means for me – how it’s the worries of how our future will look like if we don’t do something now.
The word Necessity generally has two meanings depending on who you ask; many people especially those close to us think Necessity is all about taking responsibility for your family or providing three square meals every day even when times are tough – just as my dad does. Necessity is one of the obligations to which I am referring in my blog post title, and it’s a responsibility that both parents and children have.
But Necessity means something different for me – Necessity is all about the worries of how our future will look like if we don’t do anything now. It doesn’t mean “necessarily being responsible or providing food” as many people think; but rather, taking care or worrying about what tomorrow may hold for us by doing things today so that tomorrow can be better than today!
For example, My father thinks he has no time to go see his friends because he needs to provide three square meals every day when times are tough even though he can’t afford it. Necessity is deeper than What You Think:
– worries of how our future will look like if we don’t do something now (not having time) – take care or worry about what tomorrow may hold by doing things today so that tomorrow can be better than today! It doesn’t mean “necessarily being responsible or providing food” as many people think; but rather, taking care or worrying about what tomorrow may hold for us by doing things today so that tomorrow can be better than today!
I am the only son in my family. I may not have any brothers but sisters, but that’s never been a big deal for me because I always felt like we were all one big happy family. When times are tough, I know my dad and mom can handle it together as they usually do by taking responsibility for everyone if need be while managing to provide three square meals every day! It was until recently when I started having these deep worries about how our future will look like without doing anything now when those thoughts would pop into my head at night or during school hours – Necessity meant something new to me then. Necessity became a very heavy word as I started to realize the importance of what it really means.
This story isn’t one in which Necessity becomes some mystical force from the sky telling us how things should go on earth – this is an experience many Nigerians have grown up with and seen first-hand; Necessity has always been there but its meaning was never discussed until recently.
Necessity only comes when you worry enough, think deep enough or reflect long enough until then you realize Necessity is Necessary to not just maintain the life we have now but to create a better one for ourselves and in turn, for our children who will come after us.
Necessity is Necessary to keep on living no matter what.
It’s Necessary for us to start worrying and stop taking life as it comes because Necessity has always been there – It will continue being here until we get things right the way they should be!
I told my father that Necessity is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. But he said Necessity doesn’t only mean taking responsibility, it’s also about providing food and shelter
The thing is He has a point here but then when I brought up what worries me most about Necessity which was how am going to face the future?
He still didn’t see the bigger picture or perhaps he always seems so laid back whenever we talk because even though there are doubts as usual in his eyes.
It made him think twice before answering this time around “Necessities can be anything” while pointing at me.
I can tell he’s changing his mind about Necessity.
But I don’t want him to think it means anything less
Rather than Necessity being something you just have and go on with your life as if nothing happened, I would rather argue that Necessity is deeper than What You Think in this story of a father and son who are both at odds over the same thing- Necessity.
It doesn’t matter how many meals my family has eaten or what they’ve slept on; because while we’re living under one roof together, we need each other more than ever before So for me Necessity isn’t only parents taking responsibility but also worrying about our future too. My dad might not agree with me on Necessity but I’m not going to stop here. Necessity is about what we do for ourselves and others. Necessity is something I will always have to live with.
And finally, Necessity is something we all have to live with, regardless of what it means.
What does Necessity mean to you?
Is it responsibility or providing food for the family, as many people think? Or is it something more abstract and complex – like worrying about what tomorrow may hold for us by doing things today so that tomorrow can be better than today! I believe necessity only arises when we worry enough, think deep enough or reflect long enough until then we realize Necessity is necessary not just to maintain the life we have now but create a better one for ourselves and in turn our who will come after us.
Stellar Mech 