Having a bad record is one of the terrible things that can happen to anyone in life. The event may pass away but many years to come, people will still remember it and will judge you based on it.
Whenever I see young people living life waywardly I lament for them. They might not see the effect right away, but they might grow into maturity someday and forget that they once lived that way but society will never forget.
One among many things that we should strive to get for ourselves is a good name. The wise say “A good name is better than silver and gold,” and one way to get that is by living right.
Stigma is just like a scar, days will pass, and life will go on but the mark will always be there.
It's funny how people are very intelligent in remembering the negative things that happened to people.
They write it down in the archives of their hearts and patiently wait for the right time to use them to bring the victims down.
One thing I believe is that life can happen to anyone. We are not perfect sometimes we can do things that can paint us black but we should understand that such things can happen to anyone.
People get stigma in many ways, for some it's intentional while for others it's just misfortune that catches up with them. Whatever the case might be, we should learn to embrace people, love them genuinely, and write off the past.
There is this boy in my former area, a very vibrant, handsome young man but wherever he goes in my area everyone tries to hold their belongings very well.
If he enters a house and goes out people start checking their things to confirm it's intact.
Whenever he is and something goes missing people don't bother to ask anyone else, they go straight to him and ask him to provide it whether it was him or not. People in the community believe that he is a thief and shouldn't be trusted.
All these are a result of the life he lived while he was growing up. He was caught many times for theft. One funny thing is that he never stole something and got away with it. He was always caught.
As he grew into maturity he stopped but society didn't forget. To date, people still see him as that thief they once knew.
The guy is feeling inferior and unsafe anywhere he goes. People wrote him off in the community. No one trusts him. I was opportune to talk to him one time and he told me how the whole thing is eating him up and how he is planning to change the environment. I really felt for him.
Well, this is a lesson for us all, life is like a seed anything you sow today, you will reap it tomorrow. Any name you created for yourself today, ten years ago, people will still call you with it.
Way Out
Removing stigma is very difficult but it is not a death sentence.
One of the best ways to eliminate stigma is by living right, whatever you were known for can be written off if you change genuinely and bring fruits that show repentance. This is for the case of stigma caused by our actions.
Sensitization can also work if society is given proper education and taught not to use one's past or bad experience against them and how to love and care for them instead will go a long way to eliminate stigma.
As the victim, forget your past and what the society sees you as. Life can happen to anyone, leave the past, be happy, and move on.
If the environment isn't comfortable for you, leave, go to a different place, and start up life, surround yourself with people who love you and are ready to take you for who you are.
