“Do we need high fences or higher love?”

High fences can protect those within, but Bryan Obaji, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Calabar in Nigeria, writes that they should not be a barrier to having concern for those outside the fence who may need a good neighbour.

The beauty of a house is first seen in how well decorated it is on the outside. Sometimes it could be simple, but still has a touch of class in it, depending on the taste of the owner.

As a child, I rated people’s wealth basically from the quality and quantity of decorations on their fences, or the height of their fences, and disregarded the taste of individuals (for me back then, you should always show off your wealth). I saw fences so high up that I could barely satisfy my childish curiosity, counting the number of cars owned by my rich neighbours, or better still, have a glimpse of “joyous” activities going on in those houses. It quickly dawned on me that the security of their lives and properties was paramount to them and they cared less if anyone wants to have a view of their possessions.

Much later in life, I realised the height of your fence has nothing to do with how high the love in your heart is. People react differently and are comfortable with different lifestyles.

In the world today, almost everyone dreams of owning big and flamboyant houses, a couple of exotic and fast cars parked in lush compounds and probably surrounded by a high and mighty fence, depending on the individual’s preference. But how often do we sit back and reconsider which should be higher – the fence or the love?

There is certainly nothing wrong with our possessions and the height of our fences. In fact, most people say when you have so much wealth, you definitely have so much of rest (I wonder how true that is?), and a number of them will argue in support of wealthy people building protective walls around their houses at least to keep prying eyes away from their luxurious homes. But when the height of your wall blocks your view from the outer world – because clearly you don’t see, so you can barely act – it creates a barrier and widens the distinction between the one who has a high fence and the one who requires higher love.

For some people, there should be a certain perimeter beyond which fences should not extend. But to many others, all of this is immaterial. What is paramount to a large crowd is that there shouldn’t be any barrier to how much love we show to people, whether high, low or no fences at all.

I share in the views of these people; our hearts should grow higher in love than the fences we build. Ironically, with the recent happenings around us and insecurity at its peak, people tend to be very careful in exposing their fortunes for fear of being haunted by various criminal elements. It is imperative to exercise a certain level of caution in regard to our family, friends, who comes in and goes out of our homes and how our homes are being viewed from the outside. But irrespective of our security challenges, we should not let circumspection eliminate the desire in us to look out for our neighbours and further offer a helping hand to others when the need arises.

Indeed, it is dual dimensional, because we could equally need help from people outside our homes in certain situations. So in all, let our hearts be huge so that we can see beyond the perimeter of our fences and act according to the abundance of love we have for one another. We need to stretch out and care, and lend a helping hand. Even among countries of the world, interstate relations should depict good neighbourliness. Our fences won’t help, but our love for one another can unite us and keep us strong. United we stand, divided we fall.

Photo credit: ShellyS Avenue C and East 9th Street via photopin (license)
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About me: I am Jetem Bryan Obaji, a trained accountant. Presently, I work for a not-for-profit organisation, sensitising the public on the need for basic education.

In the coming years I hope to channel my efforts and resources towards ensuring a better quality of life for people. Reading, writing and playing fun games are my interests.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/

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