Greener Pastures, Fight Depression

 

It has been some time since I wrote an article, and today am doing something different. Today, I am writing about depression. It is a monster that eats its victims slowly year in and year out. I had it once, a long time ago around 2010, right after high school. Depression stole away most of my opportunities in finance, education, relationships, and even in health. It looks like a simple term in the English dictionary less for the victims wallowing in pain hidden in caves and pits. Most of them call themselves introverts until the symptoms override their systems. A hard bullet from this innovative technology. See, God, made man and woman to be lifelong partners for many reasons, known to us and also to himself. One was to cushion each other from the earth's struggles till the day their light would shine. Then, they would have gotten redemption. Depression is a seed of the enemy planted as a seed similar to the mustard but grows equal to the tree when mature. So, what can we do about this demagogue we call depression far-cading lives in our modern society. 

Forgiveness is an important cue in the realization of greener pastures. More so, it brings us to our real selves. I would imagine the cavemen sculpting their livelihoods on rocks was not something intentional. They were maybe depressed and they found the root of their problems. I would believe that happiness was a primal factor in their existence. And with this claim, creativity comes into play. Now, some might be wondering what forgiveness and creativity hang. Well, with forgiveness, comes cooperation, and with cooperation, comes creativity. Now, For some time, creativity has been known to suppress depression by a significant margin. Like the cavemen, they were at peace forging themselves and their society on rock. They did not tire or even feel the pain of stone cutting into their flesh as they created historical significance, a stance that is a foundation for the existence of humankind. See now the importance? Well, am not saying all creative people are depressed and neither am I claiming everyone is depressed. but, for the victims, some creativity would go a long way, especially in the set-up of a safe haven. 

For me, I chose creative writing six years later and began my journey of forgiving myself. I am still cooperating and receiving rewards too. To say the least, as gospel musicians say sijafika niliko taka lakini siko kule nilianza (I have not reached my destination but I am not where I started). I made my publishing debut in 2021, and am currently on my second book (The Chief/s Trap, and Other Short Stories). Cheers to the greener pastures!

Golden Eras,

 

One of you might wonder why I am always stuck on tradition. It is just because it is a pleasant imagination. There was a day in time in the villages we grew up in when cows used to pull carts full of either firewood or even manure headed for the farm. It was during these days when cell phones were a thing of the West. The America that bit the lip of most of the villagers as a dream they worked towards achieving year in and year out. When one's family member went to the States or Amerika, then their doors were opened. These were the golden eras. Eras where a suitor had to wait for a letter from his lover for a month or two. Unlike today, where blue ticking is a common phenom in modern relationships. Eras where there was a social order and everything went on smoothly and clearly. In our modern society, corruption has eaten into our morals to the extent that we lost the core values of humanity, love, peace, and even patience. This is a reason I speculate on traditional Africa. 

Regardless of the speculation of this Golden Era, we have to emulate the greats of our African heritage. To be particular Emperor Mansa Musa. The richest man in the whole of Africa for some time. He was the Elon Musk of the time, the Zuckerberg, the Steve Jobs. Here, I flicker your speculation by insinuating colonization was a fraud. Yes, they say they taught us English, and how to write and read. But, why is Africa still a third world? I'll let you out on a secret, they left it that way many years ago. In the eras of Mansa Musa. I read that he wore real gold. Gold from Africa. Talking of gold, Mugabe's Zimbabwe,  a haven for gold riches. But why is the country poor? One would wonder. African heritage is to be reflected in this modern era. Where again the West has shown its craft with tech and we have adopted IoT into our societal routines. It is so easy to live in this modern era, an era where suitors get instant messaging, a plus for relationships. Again, we live in another Golden Era. Viva!

Pan Africanism in 2024

 

The year is 2024 the month of May to be precise. Floods have been the main story on air for the past couple of weeks. Kenya has a first-term President, His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, as the fifth president of the Republic. In the artistic arena, almost everyone is recovering from the Covid-19 stalemate. It was as if everything was switched off by a remote control. Could be the Lord Almighty's doing. But I feel fresh and ready to create literary art like never before. Since I started this journey of pen and paper, I had a dream of an Africa that was unified in matters concerning literary art. More like the times when the Greats Ngugi Wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe, Barbara Kimenye, Margaret  Ogola, and the likes were young people in society. See, then, they wrote what they could see and understand in their surrounding environments, and all one could do was relish and fantasize about the good old seventies and eighties in Kenya and East Africa. Then, they did not have technology or even the internet, unlike today where literary creatives can network and exchange their craft online through media platforms. In 2024, it is easy to share one's opinion on the internet, especially if they have a large following. Easy as ABC. 

Now, then, in the heydays of the Ngugi's and the Achebe's, their art was inspired naturally, through the massive awareness they received from reading books. As they always say, a good writer is a good reader. These Literary Pan-Africanists took their time to investigate society and perceive the results in easy-to-tell fiction narratives. These are the giants that I admire in my literary journey with the hope of one day inspiring a generation of literary enthusiasts with my craft. A literary Pan-Africanist in my own stature and liking. It would be quite an experience and an honor to represent my continent in neighboring global regions. In 2024, self-publishing is becoming the norm. Kenyan writers are taking the bull by the horns and recreating their immediate environments with the knowledge and awareness they possess. Pan-Africanism actually starts on an individual level, more like the greats of the United States. The fathers of the Black Revolution, were Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, and the rest. Forever engraved in history, as the individuals who dared to dream. 

Pan-Africanism this year with the integration of technology and the internet could have a larger and more significant impact unlike in the eras of our literary pioneers. Today, there are apps like Amazon KDP and KOBO Writing Life where literary artist can start their literary journey. Locally, we have wonderful patterns in which young writers could collaborate and contribute to the cause of a literary enthusiastic Africa. UBUNTU! 

What If...

 

What if I did not rewind high school? Would I be better off or was my decision 14 years ago worth my successes, challenges, my rock bottom, or even my achievements, and wisdom? I actually wanted to pursue an LLB at Nairobi Uni, but my love for mathematics and laziness for note writing fated me to return back to wearing school uniform. I persevered for two terms and I was done with it. I went to the prestigious Kenyatta Uni or the famed KU. Here, I studied Economics and Finance coupled with CPA. Did I make a mistake wearing uniform? For regardless of the prestigious course, I did not finish. What if I went to UoN and pursued my LLB, Maybe I could have won a case against some lethal entity earning me millions if not several thousands. What if I finished KU, I'd be a boring father to somebody. Now, am single and clean as a whistle. No kid, nothing, Just a book and a few shillings in my bank account. "What if"  is a statement that could go on and on like a loop in coding. I had my rock bottom, and my challenges and my sweats have brought me to where I am today. Speaking the truth, none of my successes yielded more success than my challenges and trials. My struggles have brought other struggles which have brought more complex struggles, which in turn have yielded extraordinary results. As compared to what my successes, the outright ones, like education and such, none has brought me to where I stand today. 

Why "What if"? The universe is created to accommodate each and every one of us, born and to be born. Turing to relationships, what if, what if they never left. What if you never left? All these are questions we should ask ourselves in our moments of self-discovery. Not every time, and it is bad to dwell in the past. So, what is my point? Today, am a proud author of a book and I won this blog. Over the years, I have seen and feared to talk to many young and recognized writers and authors like me. Visited Sarit Centre for the 2019 Writers Space Africa Conference hosted by one Antony Onugba. Got chances to volunteer my writing services to noble causes over the years. It has been fantastic. So, I do not regret going back and wearing uniform, let alone not finish Campo on the first try. I mean, I am on the marathon of letting my struggles shape my future. Juu wueh! Writing and convincing people to read your work is an uphill task. Regardless, I work hard to publish educative and entertaining content once a week. I would put it that decisions that were made at early points of development would seem like mistakes today. But that is not the case, those decisions brought about challenges that brought results. In turn, they are the decisions that bring the best out of us at that point in time. Future ambitions may seem like the horizon of our livelihoods until they are achieved. And with such a situation, living after the achievements one would lessen the value of things one values the most today. 

What if I did not write and pass on this wisdom to the very Kenyans needing the life hacks I push through the web. It is with these I find the passion to keep writing and sharing my experiences, walking on the thin ropes of ethical writing to create tantalizing articles. We should appreciate the struggles more than our successes for the primal aim of living

a satisfactory life. "What if"

In hindsight,

 

We people meet new folks every day and break off our older pals on a daily. Question is, is this really necessary? The part where we lose people on a daily is what is in discussion today. For me, for instance, there are people I thought we were on good terms only to figure out we were actually enemies. Quite a sad affair as a matter of fact. As people mingle, they get to share and experience new stuff they never had a clue about. And here is where growing up comes into ploy. I would believe the moment, one person meets another, there is an instant interest in the person, that is if they attract to you and vice versa. Another question comes out, and we ask ourselves, is this a circle or is it the way it ought to be. To clarify my point, newlyweds are usually on each other's feels, only for them to cut their own throats in the coming years of their marriage. With all this confusion, is it really worth the effort of meeting a new person? Or should we just rekindle a dying flame?

In hindsight, I would say, that meeting new people would be my thing, as there is no pressure or need to hide lies told to me in the previous year by an individual we are not in union with. More so, the relations have not yet been poisoned by societal ills such as mid-life crisis, substance abuse, and even financial woes. In retrospect, working out such issues with a person you have been with in the long term would work best. However, this is not happening in our generation, the millennials, and the Gen Z's. You would find instead they would prefer to wallow with alcohol and ignorance, thus; developing instances of false happiness, which would lead to life issues later in life. We all have to realize that life is a journey and every step of the way counts. If one would let's say, become an alcoholic today, tomorrow they would need money for treating maybe cirrhosis, or even jaundice, caused by the decision they made on day one. In hindsight, all these could have been avoided if people never broke bridges as fast as they do nowadays. 

Taking a look at our parent's lifestyle, one would think they are the boring type. Waking up doing the usual day-in and day-out. However, were it not for these simple routines, they would be stuck as we are in these modern generations. Generations where technology has almost savored our modesty. It was the other day I heard a CS in Kenya mentioning that Africa should get their own Microsoft or even their own Nokia or Samsung companies. In hindsight, they would realize this is impossible. Instead, I would have them speak of education rather than competing with first-world global companies. Africa's dream lies with education not starting an African Microsoft company. In hindsight, meeting with new people as opposed to stagnating with old bridges would closely imitate the Western way of living life. In the USA, it is typical to find people quite friendly with each other, eager to learn something new from the other person. And if there is an attraction or even a slight spark, then it is all gears go. As compared to Africa, where everyone thinks that tech is our Jesus, and everyone is stuck on their smart devices trying to break even or even understand themselves better. In hindsight, what Africa needs is a good education, and new circles aimed at developing an individual's readiness for their future. 

Technology Subdued Us

 

The year is 2024, and tech is at its peak. With Artificial intelligence at par with software programs like Chat GPT, Google Bard, and the rest, they are all here to stay. It is such that technology sort of subdued us after robbing us blind. This is a case similar to the one in which whites cornered Africans and led them into Christianity using things like mirrors. In this article let us look at how original things were beforehand before the coming of great minds like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Even the movies had that taste of being a fictional entity. I remember in my young days of five and six years watching Rambo and Commando. Such movies gave you the chills and the thrill of movie watching. Seeing how Anorld in Commando roughed up guys his size for the sake of his loved one. That is indeed a classic movie. However, with the wake of AI making movies, the original feel and touch fade away like sand in the desert. 

Taking a look at leaders such as Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi. These iconic leaders built their empires by word of letters and supremacy. They did not go to Twitter like former United States President Donald Trump to rant about private national affairs. it was during his tenure that there was an invasion at Capitol Hill, and everyone used social media to their advantage. leaders like Castro regardless of the brutality, administered during a time when tech was not a global affair as it is now. Regardless of its perks, we need to be careful with our engagement with technology lest we forget our true personalities and character. 

It is in this light that I adhere to the constraints of digital well-being. Let's do an experiment, go to your phone settings and check your digital wellbeing status. Look into the apps you consume a lot of time on and configure your time accordingly. During your spare time, you can also read a book!

Doctor’s day out

 

Doctor’s day out

            An apple a day keeps the doctor away. It could be true, or not. Nonetheless, these people also require social support like the rest of us. This is an article dedicated to the men and women who fought hard for the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. Were it not for these people and their dedication to their skillset and many hours behind labs figuring out this Corona virus. It is quite awkward that these men and women are not internationally recognized. I would by so much pleasantry to at least see them on TV. Furthermore, doctors too should eat apples and stay healthy like the rest of us. In hospitals, these medics dwell and borne their craft every day diagnosing patients. Quite an honor to restore health, its actually god-like. Ha-ha.

            It is with a plight of concern that doctors especially in our country face in their work stations. Here in Kenya, these challenges too come up, and it is up to them to navigate through them like the rest of us. Back in primary school (Now known as Junior…), if you heard your classmate claim they would be doctors in future, that alone would leave a mark in their character. These fellows would score 90% in almost all their tests. They all edged in the first positions in class. Cheers to them wherever they are. (Kerugoya Good Shepherd Academy, Class of 2006, Cheers again). Sasa ata mwalimu wa Maths akiulizwa hapa ni wapi, watasema wanajua kule wako. Doctors ought too have their plights recognized.

            An apple a day keeps the doctor away. I wonder where all these doctors go assuming people eat apples on a daily. One would think on this matter and come to a realization. A profound one of course. The Covid-19 was a big menace in that the world’s best doctors found four vaccines that saved the world. Kudos to them. I heard somewhere that it could take a lifetime to get an accolade equal to such achievements as the Corona vaccines. They sure do deserve some recognition, and too should eat apples, maybe have a day out

. End.