I was having a long talk with a friend recently and we went back to memories where we began sharing our lives as kids in the village, the stories we were told and believed, only to grow up to know they were false and why our parents had to cook up such theories for us. We were children then and the best way for them to instil good morals in us is by sharing conspiracy theories with us so we can be cautioned and be of good behaviour.
Many of these conspiracies worked and they helped us to inculcate the right morals, all thanks to our parents and guardians. Talking about them now sounds so funny and we appreciate their efforts on us. I don't think kids nowadays would believe such conspiracies with the way everything has changed and not as before.
One of the conspiracy theories is that of leaving behind some meals at night because we were always told by our late grandmother to make sure we don't consume everything with the reason that some ghosts and spirits would come at night to eat and when they show up and not find anything to eat, they get angry and cause harm on us.
The way this theory was planted in us, we believed it and were always afraid, making sure when we were serving our food, we were cautious of leaving some in the pots. There are times when the food would finish as a result of not cooking in excess because we were always calculative in preparing the exact numbers of people in the home, we substitute the finished meal to either stew or raw food.
We used to do something too and that is, after serving everyone in the house, we would not cover the pot or just covering the half part so that when the ghosts or spirits came around, they wouldn't have to stress themselves opening but to see there is something left in the pot.
But it used to amaze me how we would wake up the next morning and find the exact food in the pot and the cover pot would be there knowing no one tampered with it. We were just kids and made sure we obeyed our grandma so that we don't see the wrath of the spirit. What made the fear strong was that there was a burial graveyard very close to our home, so, we believed they could come anytime to come and feed on the leftovers.
Talking with my friend at that moment made us laugh thinking about those times and knowing why they cooked up such for us and made us learn something great — Sharing and Hospitality. Leaving some meals behind at night was to have some left for when visitors showed up unexpectedly so that we could have something to share with them and practice the act of hospitality.
My parents also taught us this when they would tell us to always measure more than what would be enough for us to eat in case anyone shows up so we can share what is available instead of none. I grew up to understand this and that has become a part of me. I don't allow any visitor to visit me without entertaining them with what I have in the house, be it water, snacks, or a quick meal preparation before they leave.
Before I got to fully understand that and knowing theory was a lie and wanting to try it, I finished up my meal and was sure nothing was left in the kitchen, I didn't see any ghost come to disturb me but the day I had no water to drink and I woke up at the middle of the night and was so thirsty, I regretted not getting that available the previous day when I had the chance. I couldn't sleep that night and I had to drink from the tap water which I wasn't meant to do. It was able to hold me a little till the day was dawned and I vowed never to let such happen again.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous because of unverified and false information which quickly spreads across everywhere, especially on social media. People may accept them as being true which then leads to a distorted view of reality.
Just like the above scenario, though some cultures practice such beliefs, leaving meals at home may be considered food waste. Some individuals prefer freshly cooked meals to leftover meals being warmed. So, one needs to be careful how they spread these theories and not assume everyone should practice them. There are other means and ways to honour ghosts or spirits than thinking leaving some portion of meals in the house is the best way.
Although it teaches kids good morals, there are still other methods to teach the skill of sharing and showing hospitality.
Images gotten from pixabay: 1 || 2
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