Staying Safe in the Ember Months

The ember months are the months believed by many to be a season of tragedy or unwanted occurrence such as road accidents, fire outbreak etc. These months include September, October, November and December which happens to be the last quarter in the year. Anxiety, worry, last minute rush and other associated behavioural tendencies have taken several lives faster than most diseases out there. Also, many fear these months because of the past experiences or occurrences.

In fact, because of the many tragic occurrences, many people (in this part of the world) believe there are evil spirits associated with these months.

 So What Can We Do to Remain Safe?

Being Patient:

According to the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, “patience achieves all things”. Let us all cultivate the habit of being patient with one another. What impatience cannot achieve, can easily be achieved with patience without hurting anyone. Majority of the road accidents that occur during this period can be avoided if drivers and passengers could patiently take adequate precautions like avoid excessive speed, overload, dangerous overtaking and passengers making passive comments to the driver while driving. You never can tell what being patience can do until you try it.

 Being Obedient:

Obedience to policies, guidelines, rules and regulations of relevant institutions, state and the nation will go a long way in helping us to stay safe. Several agencies and corporate bodies have taken it upon themselves to make announcement on the broadcast media and billboards on how and why we should take proper precautions on the high way, in our homes and in our place of work to avoid hazards. Let us all ensure we adhere to such warnings or advices.

Being Careful:

A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. A little care here and there will help greatly in ensuring we stay safe during this period. At home, we should pay attention when cooking; be careful with the use of candles; properly extinguish our cigarettes; unplug appliances when not in use; prevent and lecture our children on the consequences of playing with lighter or matches. At work, avoid mental distractions from work; start a task only with complete instructions especially in machines; make proper use of extension cords and endeavour to make standard wiring of our electrical cables.

Avoiding Anxieties and Worries:

Like the saying goes, worrying is like paying interest on a loan you have not taken. Anxiety and worries have no advantage or usefulness to the body system, it will only deteriorate it. So, we should avoid worrying about how to make more money before the year runs out especially for those who feel they have not achieved enough or who had not been smiling to the bank the way they expected. This will not only make us stay safe, it will also help us to be healthy.

Being Security Conscious:

As a result of crimes being committed during this period, it will be of good benefit to us if we can be a little more security conscious. When coming out of a bank, avoid holding polythene bags or big brown envelopes and be conscious of suspicious individuals around the vicinity or while on the move. Likewise, let us cultivate a sense of observation around our homes, with our vehicles or even our kids. Statistics have shown that a great number of crimes are committed by people we know and trust. In other words, let us avoid making financial discussions in the presence of people we trust or do not trust. Also, as much as possible, let us avoid putting the total care of our kids in the hands of house helps or so called trusted hands.

In conclusion, in order to further prevent these occurrences, let us all be patient with one another, be more careful in our dealings, and adhere to rules and regulations. Like my grandmother usually says, don’t be in haste to get to your destination in pieces, when you can get there in peace. To overcome these hazards, we have to work hand in hand to ensure a safe and better environment.

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