Red Light Says: STOP

Most times when I drive, there are two of us doing the job – me and my oldest daughter, Rachael.

Seated firmly in her chair at the back, she would constantly remind me of changes to traffic lights as we drive around. ‘Daddy, it’s green, you have to go’, ‘Daddy King, it’s red, you have to stop’.

Often times, in the form of rhymes, she would engage me in call and response recitals by asking ‘Yellow light says’ and I would answer – ‘ready to stop’, ‘Red light says’ – and my response, ‘stop’.

Strong father to daughter bonding opportunities as these moments are, they have become avenues for personal reflections. One of such reflections is that, I have come to understand that like traffic lights, some structures, systems and institutions are put in place for my safety and the safety of others around me. Ignoring them may result in havoc.

Similarly, while driving is a choice; compliance with road signs and regulations is not. There are consequences if I choose to willfully breach the laws guiding the privileges I have been given to operate a motor vehicle. Traffic lights, road signs and driving rules are instructions I must adhere to, always.

Instruction is a key element of success. No student excelled in an examination who did not follow the guiding instruction(s) for that examination.

Those who hate instructions hate greatness. Those whose pride would make them to consider traffic lights as mere structures and regularly run Red Lights, would only have themselves to blame when caught by Police officers.

To be truly great in life, we have to willingly and humbly submit to every instruction necessary along our journey. A life lived without recourse to instruction is heading for commotion.

As with RED lights, STOP when next they show up on the traffic lights of your life; they may help to avoid head-on collisions.