I was supposed to write this article a week ago, but I didn’t, so here I am. Good things take time? Yes! Good things, sometimes, take time.

First of all, hi please. I hope you are well. Thank you for returning here to read my work. If this is your first time here, hi very much please. You’re welcome.

ire

/ˈʌɪə/

noun

Meaning: anger

Synonyms: rage, fury, wrath, hot temper, outrage, temper, crossness, spleen, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, vexation

Exactly a week ago, I almost witnessed death. Someone almost lost their life, as I watched. Yes, you read that right. That was the first time I witnessed anything like that, and it shook me.

This story will mostly be relatable to my Kenyan audience, so non-Kenyans, stick with me till the end, for lessons, or just for the story. Here’s what happened. Soooo, on that day, I woke up, did a few things in the house, got ready hurriedly, and left. I had errands to run in town (Nairobi’s CBD), so, like most Nairobians, I boarded a SuperMetro bus. I love SuperMetro. I really do. You probably know why.

The bus left almost as soon as I boarded, and that made me happy. I’d get to town in good time. Yum! It was an ordinary trip, with people boarding and alighting at different bus stops, until we got to one major bus stop and half of the passengers alighted. Now, if you’re Kenyan, you know that there are these guys who wait at different bus stops, and they help touts to fetch customers, so that the bus is filled to capacity, fast.

At this major stop, as expected, one guy, let’s call him Omosh, started bringing passengers to the bus, and within a few minutes, the bus was full, and we left. Yay! I was seated right behind the ‘cockpit’ (where the driver sits), but on the side closer to the door, you get? The cockpit was right in front of me, and the door was right behind me, so I could see the road clearly (I love window seats).

Usually, after the guy has brought enough passengers, he’s paid by the tout (about KSh. 20 to KSh. 50, that is, a maximum of 0.37 euros). As I was enjoying the trip, looking at buildings and trees, I heard someone shouting:

“Wee hebu nipatie dough zangu!” (Give me my money!)

So I turned and saw Omosh. He was infuriated. He was still in the bus, asking for his pay from the tout.

“Nimesema unipatie pesa zangu wewe. Tusikosanie heshima.” (Give me my money. Let’s respect each other.) (Translating is weird, haha! Learn Swahili, y’all!)

Tout (Kimani): Sina pesa mimi. (I don’t have money).

Guy (Omosh): Huna pesa aje na nimekujazia gari vizuri? Ungesema huna mapema kabla nikufanyie job. (What do you mean? You should’ve told me beforehand).

Tout (Kimani): Hakuna job umefanya. Hujajaza watu hapa, juu hawa watu walikuwa kwa stage. Ukitaka washukishe basi. Sina pesa ya kukupatia… (You did nothing. If you want, ask the passengers you brought to alight…)

This went on, and Omosh got really vexed, understandably so, because the tout, Kimani, was clearly being unreasonable and rude. Like, just give the man 20 shillings, for crying out loud. Sasa, Omosh, akashika Kimani mashati, asking, ‘Ni madharau ama?’, wanting to slap him. All of us now were just like, ‘Please pay the guy.’ Kimani was arrogant. He refused to pay him.

Omosh, in his anger, had a thought, to ‘pay himself’. What happened next felt like a movie. At this point my neck was almost sore cos I had to turn to see what was happening. Omosh snatched Kimani’s baseball cap, and jumped out of the MOVING BUS. Omosh jumped out of a moving SuperMetro!! You know inertia. You know that a tarmac road is not your friend. Friends, I screamed. Omosh fell, and rolled forward, and the tyres almost crushed his head. He somehow moved it fast enough, and he had his fingers crushed instead. Cos of all the screaming, the driver stopped the bus, and do you know what happened? The tout, Kimani, alighted, walked to the side of the road where Omosh was lying in pain, and he took his baseball cap, and off we went, to Nairobi’s CBD. What the hell???

Everyone in the bus condemned Kimani, but I could not stop thinking about Omosh. I could not stop thinking about anger, and its effects. I didn’t see how badly his fingers were crushed, whether he had some left, but I knew for sure that at best, he would spend at least KSh. 2000 on treatment. Worst case? That he would never be able to use his hands normally, ever again. Why? Well, because he acted, in/with/from anger.

I thought about myself and where I had let anger control me. I don’t have anger issues, as it were, but I’ve said hurtful things when angry. (Uncontrolled) Anger is the reason some are in prisons right now – stabbing a cheating husband, pouring acid on a girlfriend for flirting with another man, poisoning a sibling over inheritance feuds. Anger, like every other emotion, is useful. It’s healthy to feel angry, as it can motivate you to make changes. It protects you from a potential threat (e.g., the partner who’s a serial cheater), and it even makes you aware of your values and can help you to define boundaries. Basically, anger is activated when our situation isn’t aligned with our values. Omosh values respect, which is why he said, ‘Tusikosanie heshima…’. He values respect, which warrants that he gets paid for a job he has done, and done well. Anger has damaged relationships, even in families, and while this is not direct physical harm, it brings emotional damage. Omosh almost lost his life. I’m very glad he didn’t.

Well-managed anger is useful. Allowing anger to control us can cause harm to others, and to ourselves, so, keep that emotion in check. In the moment of rage, take deep breaths, find your center, walk out of that room, go take a walk, write it all down… Do whatever it takes to ensure that you do not say/do stuff that you’ll regret.

Think about Moses. I honestly think that he received a harsh judgement (no, I’m not questioning God’s sovereignty), but yes, in his anger, he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. He was denied entry into the Promised Land (Raila’s followers know this feeling too well). Read Numbers 20 to get the full story. Earlier in Egypt, out of anger, he had killed an Egyptian, and it caused him distress. He had to flee to Midian. On the bright side, he got himself a babe there – Zipporah.

Don’t be like Omosh. Don’t be like Moses. Check that good-not-so-good emotion – anger, vexation, ire.

Until next time, adios!

Yours,

Njoks.

P.S: I love that y’all have been leaving comments. Feel free to tell me what anger has made you lose/learn. We listen but we don’t judge, I promise.