June 9th, 2012.
04. 43am.
The promise of a brand new challenge is what makes me go on. I often
wonder how people are content to live life without a challenge. My
theory about life is you never really know who you are or what you are
capable of till you push yourself; regardless of the endeavor, I might
add. I love women. They are the rainbow in my black and white world. As
long as I have lots of them in my life, my world is colorful.
Its been almost five days since I met Christy in that eatery
establishment and since that moment, she’s formed an “occupy movement”
in my head. I returned the favor and have bombarded her mobile with
calls since tuesday. At first, she hadn’t been so free and nice to me
but I wouldn’t stop. I called her shortly after I left the eatery; we
talked briefly for ten minutes. I called her after the close of business
for that day; we talked for nearly three hours. Between tuesday and
today which is saturday, I’d sent her over thirty romantic text messages
and about seven lengthy and romantic poems. During this period too, the
calls increased exponentially. By thursday, she’d started calling me.
We exchanged information about ourselves. She told me about her work,
where she worked (I’d promptly sent a box of chocolates the moment I got
that detail), her family, her life in most personal terms. I traded a
couple of stories too; some truths, half-truths and some lies here and
there (Don’t look at me like that). She loved to laugh and jokes came
easy to me so she had her fill. We agreed to hang out friday night and
she said she couldn’t wait.
Now, the trick is to fill her head with thoughts of me. Most guys
don’t believe in it but it sure works. Women dream of and crave for
attention. Most dudes don’t have that time, understandably so. But
physical presence is not everything. Those little things: like that
frequent one minute call to ask her opinion on something; that sweet
two-worded text message which is the first thing she sees when she wakes
up; that lengthy email you send in the thick of work to distract her
temporarily; that joke; that unexpected gift…etc, those are the things
that matter. Women have an over-active imagination and the fact that
we’d just met once and I’d chased her with so much vigor made me a
mystery, a sort of demi-god, a standard, a symbol of perfection before
her eyes. But we all know that such perfection does not exist. We would
rather be in love with the utopian illusion, no matter how temporal it
is. Its the reason we adjust quickly because deep down, we know its all a
lie.
Just when she was getting so used to me, so used to those calls,
those poems, those text message; like a drought affected fountain, they
ceased. Yesterday, I took the day off from work and her as well. I had
planned to take the day off from work on friday and I did citing health
concerns. I ignored her calls, text messages and emails all day long. By
evening, she was frantic. Seventy two missed calls, eight text messages
and five emails! Not bad, huh?
After a time, the calls, texts and emails stopped coming. It was time
to seek her out. I left my house around six thirty pm and drove
straight to her office hoping she hadn’t left yet. She hadn’t. The
traffic was crazy and she usually loved to wait till it simmered down. I
parked and waited looking rather dandy in my brown suede jacket, blue
shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes. I caught not a few stares from many
ladies but I’m sexy and I know it.(LMFAO!)
I had to wait for about forty minutes before she came out of the big
revolving doors of the bank. It was nearly eight o’clock and apart from
the from the fact that the weather had changed again, it was getting
darker. However, the mental photo of the beautiful princess I met a few
days ago slowly began to recede. She looked wired. Probably the stress
of the day… and hopefully, me. She held her jacket in her hands, her
shirt was terribly rumpled and her hair was a mess. However, there was
something I’d missed out on that first day: she hadn’t stood up so
there was no way I could have known about that coke bottle shape. Damn!
She got to her car, a blue Toyota RAV4 opened it and kept her bag in
the passenger seat. I had my phone out and I dialed her number. She
answered immediately.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now!” She vibrated. “You’ve ruined
my day. I’ve been calling all morning, all afternoon! I sent you sms’s,
I sent you mails yet you wouldn’t reply none of them…!”
I tried to cut in but she cut me off and continued with her rants. I
really didn’t have anything to say anyway so I kept silent till she
finished.
“Where are you?!”
“Right behind you…”
“What are you…” She turned and there I was with my best and most charming smile.
“I hate you so much right now! Urggghh!” There was shock, a sigh of relief and a smile; all in a split second.
“Am sorry love. I wanted to surprise you.” I said humbly. She gave me
a look like “you got me but I still wish I could strangle you”. I
laughed.
“You gotta admit, I got you cold!”
“I’m still mad at you. Don’t try to make it look like a joke. It
isn’t funny.” She said earnestly but I knew she loved it. I extended my
arms, my eyes inviting her and she came into them gratefully. We stood
together in the car park, locked in each others arms for what seemed
like eternity. I could perceive faint wafts of her perfume. My hand
caressed her hair gently and she snuggled deeper into my chest till she
became conscious of what seemed like a boner and she looked up at me,
inquiring and a sheepish grin was my reply. She pushed me away gently.
“I missed you honey. I just realized that hope is such a beautiful
thing. I couldn’t have survived this long without you were it not for
hope.” I said. I moved closer and held her waist and looked into her
beautiful eyes. She had this adorable look in her eyes like I’d just
said what she needed to hear. The smile her beautiful lips created
weakened me totally.
“I missed you too…” She said shyly and quietly.
“Christy…?” Another voice jolted us back to earth. I turned to see who the intruder was. Whoa! Another hottie!!
“Finally, I get to meet your mystery lover…”
The intruder assessed me with her eyes and my eyes returned the
favor. A little heavy but with that kind of voluptuousness that appeals
to us guys. She had on a buttoned grey suit and a blue blouse inside it
that made it look like her great breasts were struggling to jump out.
Her skirt was very, very …mini. She was pretty with rosy cheeks. Her
face was a bit heavily made up but it didn’t hide the fact that she was
pretty and very sexy. The kind that could make a guy’s blood rush
instantly on short notice.
Her sudden appearance didn’t seem to please Christy one bit who put
her arms around my neck as if to say “Back off!”. Yeah, women can be
very territorial but there’s plenty of me and I can never be labeled
stingy.
“Err…Mickey, this is a colleague. Her name’s Kemi.” Christy did the introduction and was quite stiff about it.
“Its a pleasure to meet you Kemi.” I said, flashing once again my
winner smile. I extended my hand and Kemi took it, still appraising me.
“Same here, Mickey.” She held on to my hand a little longer than
usual as she looked me in the eye. Christy had to break us up before a
subtle message or two could be passed.
“Now I know why she’s been hiding you all this time. She’s got a live
mouse this time.” She winked at me and I laughed heartily at the
analogy. No smiles from Christy.
“Ok o. Let me not interrupt you guys. Nice to have met you dear.” She
said to me. She leaned to Christy and whispered something to her,
laughed, gave me a wink and she was gone.
Christy didn’t look too happy with the interruption. The mood sort of
changed so I asked innocently, “You don’t seem to like her much.”
“Don’t think I didn’t see your eyes roving all over her body.” She replied, feigning anger.
Oh dear, I thought. She’d caught me but I responded in time. “Oh come
on love. I was about to tell you something about something…” I said
nodding mischievously at the lessened bulge in my pants. She smiled. I
leaned closer without warning and kissed her softly on her lips. When I
drew back, she looked perplexed.
“Why did you…” She never finished the sentence as my mouth found hers again and this time, she responded drawing me close.
After what a while, she withdrew remembering we were still at her office premises, though it was all dark now.
“Where are you taking me tonight?” She asked, blushing and fumbling for her car keys.
“I had a great dinner planned at the Oriental but I’d honestly love
to skip all that and take you home right away.” I said earnestly.
She laughed hard. “Are you always this direct?”
“I am direct but not always.” I replied smiling.
“I don’t imagine you have any food at your place. I’m feeling rather peckish and my back aches.” She rubbed her neck.
“My love,” I declared with a British accent, “it would be my pleasure
to feed you and give you a massage. My hands have the magical quality
of a masseur to them. Feel them…” I stretched them to her.
She laughed and pushed me away again. I leaned closer, caressing her
hair. “So what’s it gonna be love? I’d really love to have a quiet night
with you… alone. Haven’t we waited long enough?”
She looked at me, blushed and looked away.
“I promise we’ll only do what you want us to do…” I smiled.
“You’ll give me a massage?”
“You don’t have to ask love.” I smiled.
“Where did you park your car?” She asked. I pointed to the black Infinity FX 45 across the road.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be moving against the traffic and I’ve got some
t-shirts that would fit you perfectly.” I gave my mischievous grin
again.
“You read my mind! You’re so naughty!” She hit me on my chest again, laughing. “So, lead the way. I’ll follow from behind.”
And the rest, as they say is history.
Watching her sleep like an angel on my bed with my t-shirt on while I
write my memoirs with memories of last night fresh in my head, I can’t
help but think that there just may be some unfinished business between
me and what was her name again…? Ah yes, Kemi. The voluptuous one…
Its way too soon to think of that. I may just fall in love with
Christy given time. She is a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. Pretty
much like me. Perhaps, that’s what drew me to her. I may seem all hard
and tough on the outside but I’m actually all soft and gooey on the
inside. The hope of true love is what drives me, keeps me…but so does
the promise of a new challenge.
She stirs. I’d better head to the kitchen. Breakfast in bed coming up.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Follow Malcolm on twitter @saymalcolm
Copyright © 2012 Malcolm O. Ifi.
Friday, 30 November 2012
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
LET'S JUST BLAME IT ON EVIL SPIRITS
Why people just hate to take responsibility for their misdeeds, gross
ineptitude or the bad choices they make is beyond me. Perhaps, its a lot
easier to play the blame-game; place the blame on someone or something.
Doing this is basically the same thing as living in denial; to
prevaricate and avoid getting to the point. The essence of any serious
attempt at change is to accept responsibility. Once you identify you are
the problem, the problem is half-solved. The second half is amending
that characteristic flaw that negates positive movement.
When I see people do this, I just laugh and tell them they are not ready to move forward. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled on a news report yesterday where the Minister of State for Power, Hajiya Zainab Kuchi said an evil spirit is behind Nigeria’s darkness preventing the country from taking her place of pride in the comity of Nations. She was reported to have said this when members of the African National Congress (ANC) (South Africa's ruling political party) led a team of investors to her office in Abuja.
Her words, “We must resolve to jointly exorcise the evil spirit behind this darkness and allow this nation take its place of pride in the comity of Nations.”
Evil spirits...yeah, right! This is without doubt, the lowest form of excuse you will ever hear! It is only in Nigeria that a minister who was supposedly appointed based on her knowledge and expertise in the power sector will say this about the ineptitude of her office to tackle the challenge of inadequate power supply that has crippled the development of this nation since its birth. I won't even talk about the billions of dollars doled out year in, year out to fix this seemingly unsolvable aspect of our basic infrastructure. Were contracts awarded to evil spirits? If not, how are evil spirits to blame? Perhaps, its time we had a ministry for the exorcism of evil spirits. Those "men of God" that throng the halls of power and get paid for prayers obviously have not been effective enough.
Another statement credited to her ministry is, “Nigeria needs help, any nation that loves Nigeria must collaborate with it now to resolve her energy crisis…We are getting irritatingly slow.”
This appeal for help is embarrassing and shameless to say the least! Nigeria does not need outside help to solve her problems. No! She needs to realize that she is her own problem; that she is the solution to her own problems. For as long as she keeps having mentally challenged people in sensitive positions who are overwhelmed by the demands of service, she will keep begging for help from the outside world because she is either too lazy, or unwilling to do what needs to be done.
Seriously though, where do we find these people?! Just when you think the bar for stupidity can't be raised higher any further...
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credits: The Internet
 |
| Hajiya Zainab Kuchi, Minister of State for Power |
When I see people do this, I just laugh and tell them they are not ready to move forward. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled on a news report yesterday where the Minister of State for Power, Hajiya Zainab Kuchi said an evil spirit is behind Nigeria’s darkness preventing the country from taking her place of pride in the comity of Nations. She was reported to have said this when members of the African National Congress (ANC) (South Africa's ruling political party) led a team of investors to her office in Abuja.
Her words, “We must resolve to jointly exorcise the evil spirit behind this darkness and allow this nation take its place of pride in the comity of Nations.”
Evil spirits...yeah, right! This is without doubt, the lowest form of excuse you will ever hear! It is only in Nigeria that a minister who was supposedly appointed based on her knowledge and expertise in the power sector will say this about the ineptitude of her office to tackle the challenge of inadequate power supply that has crippled the development of this nation since its birth. I won't even talk about the billions of dollars doled out year in, year out to fix this seemingly unsolvable aspect of our basic infrastructure. Were contracts awarded to evil spirits? If not, how are evil spirits to blame? Perhaps, its time we had a ministry for the exorcism of evil spirits. Those "men of God" that throng the halls of power and get paid for prayers obviously have not been effective enough.
Another statement credited to her ministry is, “Nigeria needs help, any nation that loves Nigeria must collaborate with it now to resolve her energy crisis…We are getting irritatingly slow.”
This appeal for help is embarrassing and shameless to say the least! Nigeria does not need outside help to solve her problems. No! She needs to realize that she is her own problem; that she is the solution to her own problems. For as long as she keeps having mentally challenged people in sensitive positions who are overwhelmed by the demands of service, she will keep begging for help from the outside world because she is either too lazy, or unwilling to do what needs to be done.
Seriously though, where do we find these people?! Just when you think the bar for stupidity can't be raised higher any further...
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credits: The Internet
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
USE YOUR GENERATOR NEXT TIME
After a long hard day yesterday, nothing could have prepared me for the
drama of last night. It wasn't something so terrible as you might fear.
It was actually amusing.
Picture this: You are at home on one of those rare evenings when power is on so there is a total absence of the racket that comes with the sound of generators; especially when you live in a large compound of about four flats of which you are one of the occupants and believe me, every occupant owns one of those big noisy generators. Just imagine the ruckus when they are all in use.
Let me deviate a little; I grew up in a university campus when things were a lot better than it is now. From the early 90's when I moved there up to the early 2000's, the campus was so well run. We had constant power supply, security, water and other trappings that come with what is expected of an academic environment. It was quiet and sane because we could count the number of people who had power generating sets. At a time, the school purchased a power plant that could power the whole school so no one really needed a personal generator.
However, as things deteriorated as they are often want to do since we lack a culture of maintenance, there was an overnight change. We could suddenly count those who did NOT own a generating set. The bottom line is, I was so used to that peace and quiet, that tranquility that comes with an academic environment so adjusting to the "outside world" was a bit problematic but I did it.
Where was I...? Oh yes! So I was having a rare moment of tranquil last night and was doing my night reading before sleep comes when power went off. The silence that accompanied was deafening. This was at about a few minutes past eleven pm. I decided that my neighbours had all gone to sleep because after about five minutes, I didn't hear the rumble of a generator in the compound. The weather was cool so I sighed in contentment. It was going to be a silent night. How wrong I was.
I first heard sounds...funny sounds. I jumped up and checked around my house. Not here, I thought relieved. I settled down to attempt to sleep and this time, there was no mistaking it. Sounds of love making...at first, then sounds of rough, hard core sex! It was like listening to just the audio of an adult movie. The violent bed rocking against the wall, the rhythmic clap of body against body, the unhinged howl of pleasure and pain, the sexually explicit encouragement from the girl's lips...It was loud...too loud for the silent night!
One of my neighbours pinged me on my blackberry.
Neighbour: "U dey sleep?!"
Me: "How I wan take sleep with this kain noise?! I'm not sure they know how quiet it is outside."
Neighbour: "They know. They just don't care! See my kid is awake now."
I decided to go outside and as I stepped out, the volume of sex amplified. Choi! See audio mojo!! My neighbour was so angry because his four year old daughter was awake and you know kids of nowadays, very impressionable. He wanted to bang on Sex Lord's door but I stopped him. What is the use? Na you dey pay him rent? Put earphones over your daughter's ears. It will be over soon. Soon was about forty five minutes later when they both screamed like banshees, piercing further the silent night!
In civilized climes, my neighbour with the four year old daughter would have called the cops and they would have intervened in this...domestic nuisance by probably issuing out a warning of some sort or something. But in my country Nigeria, don't even think about calling the cops. The matter fit just get "K" leg from there.
Anyway, one thing is certain. The girl is going to be a regular visitor because my other "good ol' neighbour" put up a good show! I'll just have to advise him to at least, use that monster generator of his whenever she's around. It will help everybody.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credit: The Internet
Picture this: You are at home on one of those rare evenings when power is on so there is a total absence of the racket that comes with the sound of generators; especially when you live in a large compound of about four flats of which you are one of the occupants and believe me, every occupant owns one of those big noisy generators. Just imagine the ruckus when they are all in use.
Let me deviate a little; I grew up in a university campus when things were a lot better than it is now. From the early 90's when I moved there up to the early 2000's, the campus was so well run. We had constant power supply, security, water and other trappings that come with what is expected of an academic environment. It was quiet and sane because we could count the number of people who had power generating sets. At a time, the school purchased a power plant that could power the whole school so no one really needed a personal generator.
However, as things deteriorated as they are often want to do since we lack a culture of maintenance, there was an overnight change. We could suddenly count those who did NOT own a generating set. The bottom line is, I was so used to that peace and quiet, that tranquility that comes with an academic environment so adjusting to the "outside world" was a bit problematic but I did it.
Where was I...? Oh yes! So I was having a rare moment of tranquil last night and was doing my night reading before sleep comes when power went off. The silence that accompanied was deafening. This was at about a few minutes past eleven pm. I decided that my neighbours had all gone to sleep because after about five minutes, I didn't hear the rumble of a generator in the compound. The weather was cool so I sighed in contentment. It was going to be a silent night. How wrong I was.
 |
| See Matter O! |
I first heard sounds...funny sounds. I jumped up and checked around my house. Not here, I thought relieved. I settled down to attempt to sleep and this time, there was no mistaking it. Sounds of love making...at first, then sounds of rough, hard core sex! It was like listening to just the audio of an adult movie. The violent bed rocking against the wall, the rhythmic clap of body against body, the unhinged howl of pleasure and pain, the sexually explicit encouragement from the girl's lips...It was loud...too loud for the silent night!
One of my neighbours pinged me on my blackberry.
Neighbour: "U dey sleep?!"
Me: "How I wan take sleep with this kain noise?! I'm not sure they know how quiet it is outside."
Neighbour: "They know. They just don't care! See my kid is awake now."
I decided to go outside and as I stepped out, the volume of sex amplified. Choi! See audio mojo!! My neighbour was so angry because his four year old daughter was awake and you know kids of nowadays, very impressionable. He wanted to bang on Sex Lord's door but I stopped him. What is the use? Na you dey pay him rent? Put earphones over your daughter's ears. It will be over soon. Soon was about forty five minutes later when they both screamed like banshees, piercing further the silent night!
In civilized climes, my neighbour with the four year old daughter would have called the cops and they would have intervened in this...domestic nuisance by probably issuing out a warning of some sort or something. But in my country Nigeria, don't even think about calling the cops. The matter fit just get "K" leg from there.
Anyway, one thing is certain. The girl is going to be a regular visitor because my other "good ol' neighbour" put up a good show! I'll just have to advise him to at least, use that monster generator of his whenever she's around. It will help everybody.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credit: The Internet
COME TO EDEN
We love her but she hurts us
Not by her will
But by the will of those
She surrendered to
Our hearts bleed for her because
Her protectors rape her
And plunder her
And when that time comes
They come with gifts and flowers
Kisses and sweet words
And almost immediately
Her amnesia sets in
Or is it hope of change?
She is soft
She is kind
She is rich
She is beautiful
Above all, she is naïve
She has never known better
So her expectations are low
Come to us, we say
We will treat you better
Our heart yearns to have you
To hold you
To love you
We want to show you
The world anew
And see you realize
Your true potential
And put that smile
That melted hearts
Back on your face
So that we may feel joy
And content
At knowing you are ours
And we are yours
Come to us, O sleeping beauty
Let us change course
To calmer waters; to paradise
And leave those old farts behind.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Follow on twitter @saymalcolm
Not by her will
But by the will of those
She surrendered to
Our hearts bleed for her because
Her protectors rape her
And plunder her
And when that time comes
They come with gifts and flowers
Kisses and sweet words
And almost immediately
Her amnesia sets in
Or is it hope of change?
She is soft
She is kind
She is rich
She is beautiful
Above all, she is naïve
She has never known better
So her expectations are low
Come to us, we say
We will treat you better
Our heart yearns to have you
To hold you
To love you
We want to show you
The world anew
And see you realize
Your true potential
And put that smile
That melted hearts
Back on your face
So that we may feel joy
And content
At knowing you are ours
And we are yours
Come to us, O sleeping beauty
Let us change course
To calmer waters; to paradise
And leave those old farts behind.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Follow on twitter @saymalcolm
Monday, 26 November 2012
RE-CHANNELING THE ANGER
“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right
person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right
purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody's power and
is not easy.” - Aristotle
The politically aware Nigerian youth is the probably the most angry person in the world. This is more so because the heart is sore at injustice, and aggrieved to the marrow at the current political climate that has led the fortunes of this nation move in all directions but forward. In a nation that has been blessed in abundance in terms of natural and human resources, it is a wonder that she has continued to languish in mediocrity and infamy and wallow in unbelievable filth.
Our socio-political order has been so abused and crafted to perpetuate the situation where intellectually and morally bereft old cows are continually recycled to concretize a system that totally excludes the active participation of young, vibrant and independent minds from governance. In the face of a rapidly changing world, this anomaly has led to a steady decline in the importance of Nigeria as a hub to foster development in Africa.
Since the inception of the fourth republic as ushered in by the PDP, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented wave of corruption and brigandage. This has been brought to the fore by the current administration under President Goodluck Jonathan that has seen the sum of N5 trillion stolen under its watch in less than three years in the face of dire economic consequences. It has been pointed out that looted funds between 1999 and 2012 surpass all loots between 1960 and 1999 in quantum, value and frequency. Now, we wonder how the return of democracy became our undoing.
With the impunity with which public officials act without any form of accountability; indulge in ostentatious lifestyles while at the same time, singing tunes of how the cost of its ineptitude and unwillingness to battle the well-fed monster called corruption should be borne by the masses, and a total abdication of its basic functions as government, it is no wonder why there is so much anger in the land. Unemployment is at its worst in the history of this nation with our decayed institutions of learning churning out thousands of graduates each year to flood an already saturated army of unemployed youths.
The dangers inherent in such a grim situation can never be over emphasized. The period of youthfulness is a time of activity. Whether such activity will be negative or positive is squarely up to the social climate and other germane factors. The continual negligence of this source of labour for nation building has gradually become a scourge to the system; the strength of this nation has become its achilles heel with the real potential of creating chaos. Anger is gradually giving way to all forms of inhumane considerations and leading us back to our basest state. Is it really rocket science to understand the increase in crime and steady erosion of what moral sanity is left?
One fact about life is if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Gone are the days when we sit morose and wait in hopes that successive governments would herald better tidings. The time for active spectatorship is over. Nigeria is overripe for a revolution. It is time for all youths, employed and unemployed; educated and illiterate; christians and muslims to come together in unity and channel our collective anger towards the irresponsible powers and institutions that be. We are different but with a common ancestry. It is time to put all differences aside; be it tribal, religious, ideological or whatever. Our oppressors know us well enough and take advantage of our differences to continually devise means to sow seeds of discord to keep the battle amongst ourselves rather than directing our collective energies against them.
No good ever came without sacrifice. It is time to shed all personal aspirations for collective interests. It is time to revive the dead spirit of patriotism. It is time to create a new era of leadership by youths to replace these obsolete relics who seem determined to run the nation aground before 2015. Our anger must amplify our voices now more than ever in challenging the rot in our system. Our anger must be felt on the social media and in the streets. Our anger must be felt in the heat of the sun. We must take back our nation; our lives depend on it. I know I deserve better. How about you?
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Follow on twitter @saymalcolm
Photo Credit: Internet
FRSC SOCIAL MEDIA BLUNDER
 |
| The deleted tweet |
After well meaning Nigerians who heard the news made efforts to confirm the tragedy by paying a visit to the Third Mainland Bridge, they were relieved but surprised to find it was a rumour. After several attempts to get confirmation from FRSC via their twitter handle, they deleted the tweet and claimed it was a "retweet". Such a brazen lie! When Nigerians who were misinformed by the false report demanded an apology, they, resorted to blocking such followers.
 |
| Response Tweet |
I felt particularly insulted because I became an unwitting "rumour monger" in my bid to spread the news in order to ensure the victims got help in good time; as did so many other Nigerians. For the record, the Federal Road Safety Commission owes Nigerians an unreserved apology for such a blunder. If it is to extort Nigerians with the useless new car number plates that serve no sensible purpose, they have no qualms. In more civilized climes, this is sufficient ground for a law suit.
For the online news media companies that broadcasted the news without any form of verification and thereby, almost caused a nation wide panic, we now see how you do business. So long as it is bad news, whether verified or not, it sells right? God is watching all of you!
I hope somebody gets cautioned for this social media fiasco.
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Follow on twitter @saymalcolm
Saturday, 24 November 2012
FINDING "YOU".
“The great majority of us are required to live a life of constant
duplicity. Your health is bound to be affected if, day after day, you
say the opposite of what you feel, if you grovel before what you
dislike, and rejoice at what brings you nothing but misfortune.” -Boris
Pasternak
Who are you? Are you who you want to be, who you are meant to be? Or are you just a walking shadow of yourself while exhibiting traits of another?
The search for true meaning and understanding of our purpose in life
is a mental voyage that few subject themselves to. More are even unaware
of the existence of such thoughts. They just go with the flow. This is a
very dangerous trend that the world is following now, more especially
among youths.
This has led to an appreciable loss of originality. Most have become content and some even dependent on being spoon fed with opinions and fantasies of glamor which they accept without question as fact and the truth. No one wants to get out there to discover for himself.
The truth of the matter is that technological advancements has made us lazy and complacent. The mind is an interesting thing. If it is fed properly with ideas that enjoin independence and search for the truth, it makes the individual possessing it thirst and seek out knowledge; knowledge born out of observation and experience and this becomes the reality for such a one. Greater minds take it farther and propagate as the truth stifling research into that topic for a considerable amount of time. Conversely, the mind is quite content to sit back and do nothing other than enjoy pleasures in the midst of plenty when it is fed only with notions of attaining pleasure.
The mind is deeply connected with our primal instinct. For some, a strong sense of survival or the urge to lead, the hunger for power guides them. This connection is inbred in every human but is more prominent in some. The difference between the strength of such inbred instinct is conviction. Conviction is the fiercest form of belief that can cause a man to discover the unbelievable and do the impossible. History is littered with tales of ordinary men who because of their convictions became extra-ordinary.
The goal of every man should be to discover first his conviction, his passion before handing himself over to education and religion which would then act as moral compasses. When a man imbibes dogma or values, there is the danger of becoming mentally restricted as a result of the heavy impositions associated with them. There is no danger in this because every individual has installed, a conscience. We know instinctively, what is right and what is wrong. This keeps the search to truth pure. This is the way of success. This is the way of discovering you.
Happiness can not be found in anything man-made. Contentment can never be achieved by wealth. They can only be truly got from looking inward and listening to that voice that guides us. The measure for content, the standard for happiness is not by what we have, what we do but by who we are. And who we are is as created; god-like with the power to dream and bring dreams to life. God resides in us all and residues of His marvelous power exist within us to create as we were created. All we need do is tap into that hidden reserve.
What is your passion? What is your conviction? Have you found you yet?
“Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma; which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs.
‘Nuff said!
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Copyright © 2012 Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credits: Internet
Who are you? Are you who you want to be, who you are meant to be? Or are you just a walking shadow of yourself while exhibiting traits of another?
The search for true meaning and understanding of our purpose in life
is a mental voyage that few subject themselves to. More are even unaware
of the existence of such thoughts. They just go with the flow. This is a
very dangerous trend that the world is following now, more especially
among youths. This has led to an appreciable loss of originality. Most have become content and some even dependent on being spoon fed with opinions and fantasies of glamor which they accept without question as fact and the truth. No one wants to get out there to discover for himself.
The truth of the matter is that technological advancements has made us lazy and complacent. The mind is an interesting thing. If it is fed properly with ideas that enjoin independence and search for the truth, it makes the individual possessing it thirst and seek out knowledge; knowledge born out of observation and experience and this becomes the reality for such a one. Greater minds take it farther and propagate as the truth stifling research into that topic for a considerable amount of time. Conversely, the mind is quite content to sit back and do nothing other than enjoy pleasures in the midst of plenty when it is fed only with notions of attaining pleasure.
The mind is deeply connected with our primal instinct. For some, a strong sense of survival or the urge to lead, the hunger for power guides them. This connection is inbred in every human but is more prominent in some. The difference between the strength of such inbred instinct is conviction. Conviction is the fiercest form of belief that can cause a man to discover the unbelievable and do the impossible. History is littered with tales of ordinary men who because of their convictions became extra-ordinary.
The goal of every man should be to discover first his conviction, his passion before handing himself over to education and religion which would then act as moral compasses. When a man imbibes dogma or values, there is the danger of becoming mentally restricted as a result of the heavy impositions associated with them. There is no danger in this because every individual has installed, a conscience. We know instinctively, what is right and what is wrong. This keeps the search to truth pure. This is the way of success. This is the way of discovering you.
Happiness can not be found in anything man-made. Contentment can never be achieved by wealth. They can only be truly got from looking inward and listening to that voice that guides us. The measure for content, the standard for happiness is not by what we have, what we do but by who we are. And who we are is as created; god-like with the power to dream and bring dreams to life. God resides in us all and residues of His marvelous power exist within us to create as we were created. All we need do is tap into that hidden reserve.
What is your passion? What is your conviction? Have you found you yet?
“Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma; which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs.
‘Nuff said!
Malcolm O. Ifi.
Copyright © 2012 Malcolm O. Ifi.
Photo Credits: Internet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)