Smile while You can.

I just received some very sad news today about a neighbor who slumped and died,(God rest Her soul) and it hit me life was indeed short, we keep saying it without actually realizing that it is. She woke up healthy and thought it was just going to be another day in her life when it was going to be her last. Truth be told we all know we are going to die at some point but we keep believing we will live until we grow old and achieve all that it is to then only we shall die but sadly  that is not how it always works.

Death to most is a scary thought yet it is a path that we and all that we love one day shall depart. I understand why some will think it strange that am writing and on topic such as death in a period like this but the point is if we realize that we can’t help tell when we shall die then I think that alone is reason enough to keep smiling and making the next person smile and break that frown, wall or whatever it may be. My point here is let us all try leaving like each moment was our last  and am thinking no one wants to die crying or frowning for whatever reason.

We live our lives setting for ourselves numerous goals and getting depressed or frustrated when we don’t seem to be reaching them and fail to realize that nothing is promised, perhaps we need to live expecting nothing? My  case here is live while you can appreciate your accomplishments when you need to, show some love to someone, say thank you to the person who does that nice little gesture, express your love to a loved one, when you see someone who seems troubled don’t go pretending all is alright or that you can’t help, stop by and ask what is going on, sometimes a listening ear is all that is needed and they say love just like hate does come back around so show some lots of love and you will sure get plentiful back in return  and finally live your life while you can, do that thing that you so dread to do, take risks, take a break from that hectic job trying to safe all up for retirement and have that dream vacation and when you think life is been unfair to you watch CNN’s life untold stories or better still volunteer at the hospital  and see what it is they call pain. Whatever it is you do keep the smile on, and be thankful that you are here and alive. 

when jungle justice becomes the order of the day.

If recent events are any thing to go by i can rightfully say society instead of pushing forward  is indeed taking a backward shift for the most part. We are beginning to see our selves slowly for significantly falling back into the stone ages where each man made his laws and lived by them instead of agreeing to be governed a live by a set of agreed upon standard law  that governs a particular group of people in within any defined boundaries.

     Can any one imagine us nowimagine living in a world where each one us us took laws in to our hands, where jungle justice was melted down on the streets for anyone who who dared step on any toes or crossed some otherwise stipulated boundaries? Yet such is the order of the day today. We watched keenly on our television sets the Arab spring and the  Libyan revolution  unfold I just like many others wanted justice for the people, the civilians who took the streets asking that the dictatorial governance of forty years be dissolved, for a stable and lawful democracy to have a chance, the movement was gained much applause and sympathy form people the world over until the Dictator and allies where killed in broad day light. call it a mob mentality or whatever you choose but it would have been a better lesson morally or otherwise had the now late Gaddafi not been killed the way he was but instead made to face a lawful court for  the the billion crimes he committed against his people, yes he killed  many children and made many more orphans through  his dysfunctional system and had no plans for a retreat of any sort but did killing Him make the people who did seek for a better system any different from him?

 As much as we sympathize with the Libyans for their many looses and rejoice that the once dictator just got served his own dose of medicine, their is always a right way of doing things and that way only should be followed in seeking justice. 

  Coming from Africa Nigeria to be precise i am seeing a trend on the rise from that part of the world where people are judged and sentenced by what i call the "street assembly", people pronouncing judgement on the streets like they own them.One particular but not peculiar case got my attention where a young lady was beaten and and left naked in the streets to the applause of passerby's all for a stolen phone, the fact that this is one among many videos that are now a reoccurring trend on social networks begs to answer the question that what are the security personnel and law courts for if we are to settle our scores like the untamed animals in the southern African reserves? Should the infamous survival of the fittest that was long forgotten about be reintroduced  to our daily lives, should people be allowed to melt out what ever punishment they seem feet to their offenders, or should any one who does  wrong be dealt with by the people present as they deem fit? these questions and many more must be answered before we go about pouring out the so called street justice on the next victim of this barbaric act.

my apology

I will like to take this time to apologize to you guys out there for the silence on the blog lately, like most of you already know i am a student and things are  getting busy as we approach the end of the semester with lots of assignments, presentations and preparation for the semester's exam and it was for these reasons that i was away for the time  and not for lack of passion for the blog. Though my exams are less than a month away i hope i can keep up with both school and blogging like i have always done, maybe not as frequent like we are used to for the time been but the days of the long dead silence are sure behind us. thanks and i appreciate you for taking time to read through the articles and would like to stress that your subscriptions and feedback in form of comments would be greatly appreciated as always.
                                                                                                    Yours Gilbert .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              NB: remember to keep doing  that  which puts a smile on your face.

Making change Vs. Excuses

The world we live in is not always fair to us and neither does it always give every one of us an equal playing ground. It is true that we face many challenges, adversities or what whatever you choose to call it. We often fall short of controlling ourselves not to mention the immediate environment which we find ourselves or the society, and we fail to realize that the world promises us nothing and only we are responsible for ourselves.          We are so quick to credit ourselves with the little accomplishments we achieve in our individual lives yet slow to take responsibility of our failures.  So often we see the world affecting our decisions, taking us down that we fail to embrace the truth that we are what we make of ourselves and only we can create and shape that which we want of ourselves. I am a firm believer that there is always  the right way and that it is the actions and inactions of  our daily lives that shape us  and yield results, be them positive or negative. The way we see the obstacles of life and handle them impacts us a great deal more than we often can see.

     We feel not an iota of shame to state the reasons why the ex -college class mate achieves so much greatness over us but fail to ask ourselves why we seem to know the ingredients to success yet fail woefully at our very own endeavors, so often do we give excuses for while we fail at our college exam, office duties that we close our eyes to the fact that the person right behind us excelled in the same circumstances. These days we spend little or no time in trying to better ourselves and burry ourselves in troubles such as finding excuses and blaming our failures on the people and environment around us. We hold onto the past so much that we forget moving on is always a readily available option for us in life. why would a sixty year old adult blame his entire life failures on their parents  when they should have taken charge of their lives  a long time ago directing which way the tides of life pushed them?  Why does the young man who spends the better part of his week at bars and clubs feels it right to blame his long gone father who was a drunk for  his present sorrow cleansing addiction , for how many generations must the chain continue and to whom shall the responsibility of breaking it lie under?

    The married lady justifies her long absence from her children for the love of her career saying it helps her keep her sanity, the young man blames his newly found love (alcohol) on his nagging wife, the young man who does not know how to earn a day’s wages feel it right to blame the government for his lack of a decent meal. Until we realize that we are better off making changes than excuses we will always find ourselves fixing blame on the nearest person after the opportunities are long gone. Until we learn to take responsibilities of our mistakes we shall not grow and try to fix them, not until we learn to fix things when we notice them wrong, we will never be agents of positive change but irrelevant people who will always be forgotten or ever remembered for our lack of efforts.

When a college degree is the only means of survival

There is no doubt stressing the need for an education of any sort yet when formal  education becomes the only means for survival and there is no other path to a stable life then perhaps the system already in place needs to a double check and the much needed changed be applied. Nigeria just like other countries needs the brain power of its citizens to operate at its best if the country is to move forward and in most cases the means to such a state is via a formal and well-structured educational system but for education to be the only means for survival and source of livelihood brings to question if the need for a strictly formal education is sometimes over stressed and  if there should indeed be an alternate way to say various less formal training  and wholesome development. In Nigeria just like most of the third world countries and growing economies the need for a college degree is overemphasized even as the numbers of graduates continue to grow over the already limited and insufficient chances of employment.  Arguments like whether only a certain level of education (college degree) breeds innovation could very much be considered a fail as a look at the greatest innovators of this centuries and even the ones before does not necessarily reflect those with the highest number and levels of diplomas in their generations, take the case of one of the greatest scientists to ever grace the earth Albert Einstein who resented the strict learning methods of one of his schools  and went on to fail an entrance examination into a then secondary school in Switzerland and had to move abroad for one, though he later went on to be awarded a PhD. By a University and soon became a professor the fact that he too once rebelled the system brings to question its methods.

    In our times the list of billionaire drop outs is endless from Sir. Richard Branson of the brand virgin which includes Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Records  and other companies over three hundred in number to kirk Kerkorian who dropped out of school in the 8^th grade and is currently worth over 18 billion USD and boasts of stakes in ventures like New York New York, MGM Grand, the Mirage, Circus Circus and more, the list goes on to include the more known ones like Bill Gates of Microsoft, the late Steve jobs of Apple, Michael Dell of Dell computers, Ralf Lauren  of polo Ralf Lauren, Larry Ellison of Oracle corporation and every one in between. Also the  believe that a  college degree is a sure way to a higher paid job (better life) has dealt a serious blow on the psychic of many students  years after graduation, this makes one  wonder and brings to mind many questions. For example if we were to see Education as an investment, (which in this in this troubling world economies everyone should) would we say it has always been profitable? Giving the seemingly rising costs of a good education all around the world and a continues hike in college tuition fee which do not after all guarantee any jobs or a better means of livelihood upon graduation.

   Countries like China and others in Asia are much applauded for their strict and rather rigid educational systems which see their students excelling in science and mathematics competition across the globe and even beating their European counterparts in such competitions and the  overall result felt in their now booming economies yet we must ask ourselves at what price, and how far is too much a pressure for kids and young adults who are made to see  no other road to success but through the letter “A” grade  and strict learning environments which has according to experts has resulted to the skyrocketing of suicides among those who feel they don’t measure up or don’t stand a chance with the other academic geeks. One in every five high school students in such countries are said to have contemplated suicides at one point or another as a result of a society obsessed with, with grades, academic excellence and its strict policies. All through time academic experts have tried to stress the balance between an academic and social life (a wholesome curriculum) yet parents and school boards continue to overlook such importance and society refuses to let go its obsession with grades and academic qualifications alike.   

     Recently an America  investor Peter Thiel made a move most people would consider controversial but I see as a good change for a start when he offered a 100,000 USD each to 24 talented undergraduate students to drop out of school and pursue their entrepreneur ideas/dreams his argument been that colleges and universities hold people back in achieving what they want and are ready to do and that they do a poor job at promoting innovation. If such a  case could be made of American institutions and yet hold ground when America is considered to hold the highest number of best institutions of higher learning followed by Britain then I don’t know what could be said of Nigerian institutions of higher learning that are marred by striking unions poor infrastructure then  certainly those in Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the developing world can be said to kill dreams since students spend a better part of their lives going through the educational system and another significant part seeking jobs that are nowhere to be found. Until conscious efforts are made by governments and societies to curb the current epidemic of over reliance on a strictly academic education even when some people are clearly better off without it we will continue to lose the benefits that would otherwise be gained by people who could excel more if there were provided with the environment for an informal education and if society choose to see them as equals and not secondary because of some paper qualification gained.     

OVERSTATING THE INMPORTANCE OF THAT WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE

We leave in a universe where our opinions are shaped by different and distant factors such as the media and popularity complex and the irony is though you may be in denial at first but a deep  look down within reveals how u are the least factor in making your decisions, just about more than half the times. It’s a shame that we live in times where we are measured by the material things we are able to gather, even more shocking is the fact that in most cases questioning the means to such wealth does not even come to mind as we turn to see people not through the inner self but through that which they surround themselves with physically.

People spend so much time looking or searching for that which is beyond their reach and often a time miss out on that which was right beside them all along. This includes our personal targets, aims and goals in live as we spend most of our lives dreaming about that life changing moments instead of reaching and creating one for ourselves with the instruments right in our palms, same could be said of a lady who dreams about an exotic prince sweeping her off her fit without stopping for a moment to consider if the right prince is by her side. Ever present within us is the consciousness that its better at the other side  of the fence and yes sometimes it really is  but most times the harsh reality is if giving the chance to taste the soil on the other side we would then appreciate what we have and live the rest of our lives in gratitude. Too many times in life do I see people praying, dreaming and fighting for their dreams yet when that dream finally shows up on their door step and we so quickly begin the ride only to realize sooner than later that there is nothing like a perfect road leading to a place of dreams at least not here perhaps in an alternate universe yes. When these happens I see people who were once thought fighters give up before the race even begins all because in life we fail to realize that all responsibilities and positions come’s with them their territories which we must all embrace without  so much of a choice. Take the life of a young man who all his life dreams about becoming a famous actor, (it guy) for the ladies but then forgets that with such territory comes a life of constant scrutiny and that there is nothing such as personal space, yes the paparazzi’s would do anything for a scandalous photo even if it means getting a helicopter to roam your ten hectare mansion, we must realize that sometimes the realities of life can be harsh and  most often than we may want  there is nothing we can do about it. For those who choose to live the their lives in the media they must accept the fact that it’s a love hate relationship that you can have at best nothing more, take the life of super star Beyoncé for instance whose pregnancy announcement on the 2011 MTV video music awards broke twitter  records with 8,860 tweets per  second it’s no surprise that the awards was soon known to become MTV most watched awards bringing a total of  12.4 million viewers, Google also announced it reached “breakout levels” concerning Beyoncé’s pregnancy announcement as she soon became the most searched item on its site, while I guess Beyoncé was feeling the love then but  suddenly during an interview  that aired on TV  which people claimed her baby bump folded inwards she was soon in the headlines again for claim that she faked the pregnancy  though her rep soon shutdown the rumors such is the love hate relationship that people in the media  or those whom the society see as role models shall face.

We must come to realize that material belongings of any sort do not define us as persons and that only we alone and our behaviors’ define who we are and spending time trying to create a certain public image so that we are perceived a certain way is sure a waste of time and so is spending our limited resources buying the things we know we do not need/want or living a certain lifestyle out of our means. All this is vain as our true priorities are those that we have  within us that sometimes make so much meaning to us and non to others, life to many would be much better if we all stop trying so hard to live beyond our means at the same time realizing and appreciating what we have instead of looking away for that which is alien to us.  

THE REVOLUTION HERE AND THERE

The world today is a revolution and suddenly everything seems possible, it all started with a rather controversial incident when one Mohamed Bouazizi a Tunisian fruit vendor decided to immolate himself and through the media we saw a quick rise that led to not only a revolution in Tunisia but through the entire strong Arab world which prior to these events would have thought to be impossible, yet these events have given rise to similar uprisings all around the globe.

It is no doubt that these events have seen a sharp divide in weather or not they are the best or even right way to go about societal problems. While I very much applaud the courageous fight of those who constantly struggle for social justice and whatever cause that they truly believe in we must stop to ask ourselves if in these century and times there is no better way to go about seeking for our rights, social equivalence, good and accountable governance .I can see people arguing the case of the Arab spring and events in that part of the world which I myself support to some extent but l can only go as far as appreciating the efforts for positive change but stop to ask myself if there is no better way to bring about change but start a revolution which sees many a nation lose more  resources in the very economy which such protests and riots fight to safe and even more sad the numerous lives  of its meaningful citizens. It should not be mistaken at any point that I am for tyranny or any form of governance that sees one man in rule over an entire nation for all his life as though he is the only one sane enough for such a job, and while I have so much admiration for a type of governance that comes from the people (democracy) I fail to see while suddenly riots, revolutions and protests have so quickly become a fade so admired and justified by many even when the reasons for such actions can barely be defined by those holding the very “stop the menace placards” and even so clearly cannot so clearly state the remedies to the issues they feel so strong enough to protest about, at this point I fore does not see a rationale behind someone who sees so clearly  the wrong in something but at the same time falls short of recommending a remedy or how to go about one.

This brings us to question if all the riots we see in the streets today should really be taken serious and if the people in question are asking for better governance which is clearly lacking in all or most facets of society or if the rioters in question are people who fail or do not try at all in making a life for themselves or fall short of been creative or innovative enough to create some meaning into their lives and make an over reliance on their own governments constantly seeing the cracks in the system and waiting to be spoon fed everything without making the slightest of efforts. What am saying here is not that governments and their various ministries not be held responsible but that people take more responsibilities of their lives and put more time into creating a life for themselves rather than take to the streets at the earliest or slightest of provocations and that other means be looked into as such protests that seem to start on a peaceful note can easily turn violent because of the mob mentality that is never lacking in such a gathering.

Again when I see where some of these protests come from like the wall the ongoing wall street protests and as they continue to gain momentum in other American cities and the rest of Europe and North America even when these people have far better means of life and even more responsible governments than say the rest of the world and more  specifically Africa where people still go about their daily businesses in the mist of far more worse conditions like living with less than three square meals with huge smiles over their faces like the world in which they live in is a paradise, the London riots  which saw heavy looting and destruction of personal and governments properties is what I find even more ridiculous and what I have come to see and have made of some of such riots is that people in this generation are becoming more lazy even when times  continue to prove there is no room for such and governments seem to be hitting their limits  and Legislation continues to be an issue where most law makers in these countries cannot find common ground. Isn’t this the time when people should more than ever focus on what they can produce rather than receive? Yet governments too must realize that with the technology and social media it is now easier than any other time in recent history for its citizens to organize and create a one voiced opinion no matter how narrow such may be and rise to its responsibilities which it continues to fall short of.