Resist the urge to Shalaye

This is a Yoruba slang that to some means that there’s no need for unnecessary explanations, that one shouldn’t be to forward or shouldn’t talk too much. Others say it means that one shouldn’t always explain their actions.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well let’s look at it from both angles.

Some people’s job is actually to shalaye, say for example a lawyer. Also, as a student should you really be resisting the urge?

We have a lot of classes that are mind boggling at times, take CFA, APB or Data analytics, these are courses you need to study, practice, and interpret in a way that you can at least understand.

So, when you are caught in a tight corner, shalaye-ing to the faculty can help him/her teach you better. In other words, there is sense in your shalaye, you might think you are rambling but in most cases it has meaning. 

Also, a good writer or storyteller must be able to shalaye. In fact, it is a talent an artisan in the trade cannot do without.

So why do some people feel it’s necessary to resist the urge?

Say for example, during the writing class when you’re asked to write 100 words on a topic, instead of writing concisely you start shalaye-ing, well OYO lo wa

Or if you are about to get into an argument with our favorite Edo politician that speaks big grammar, resisting the urge to Shalaye would make so much sense and cause less headache. The wonders keeping quiet would do in such situations.

In class, most of us do this when we are not prepared to answer a question. We just deviate from the topic and start saying something entirely different instead of just admitting that we don’t know.

I’m also guilty of this. I started writing on a topic today, and I realized I was diverting from my topic and writing off point just because I wanted to meet up with the word count. I had to stop and tell myself to resist the urge to shalaye abeg. Thus, the inspiration for this post.

I guess the point I’m making is that being vocal about a problem, issue or a course is not always a bad thing, you just have to be careful about when. No one can read your mind and if you can’t really put things in a sentence, explain it or just pour out whatever is in your head, it just might make sense to whomever you’re explaining it to.

Also, it is said that silence is golden. Most times we should try to listen also, it would help reduce the confusion or at least prevent us from being in a situation where we cannot speak succinctly. 

Most importantly, we should know when to apply either scenarios in situations. 

PS! There’s also the saying “To air is to shalaye, to gbenu dake is divine”, please do not apply that here, your comments are most welcome.

#MMBA3 #Lillybeth’scorner