Welcome to Nigeria

Welcome to Zee Mozerland

Before writing this. I should admit. I'm not the best person to comment on this subject. I'm sure others have written about it yet I find it beffting to add my own experience to history

I was having dinner with a couple at their home. A multicultural couple. While having a deep conversation about something the man proceeded to ask me: "do you consider yourself more Nigerian or American ?"
I laughed a little and then he said: "I'm sorry it was too challenging of a question to ask, you don't have to answer it..."

Before I continue I should let you know, this was the day before I moved to the Motherland (Nigeria). It had been 14 yrs since I left. Of course I had been back to visit several times but my experiences had occurred under less consciousness or awareness. Back to the story, I smiled and told him: "No, it is not challenging" and then I answered proudly laughing and saying "yeah I feel more Nigerian". What a mistake. The next day I got on my flight to The Motherland and that is when I started to question what it means to be Nigerian and what it is to be proud of.

When I got to Nigeria I realized how fundamentally flawed most Nigerians are. Most. Not all.

Amongst the problems, these are a few... and some of them are redundant:

Rudeness-- just plain disgusting rudeness sometimes
Aggressiveness--most interactions are conducted in an aggressive manner by both parties
Meanness-- I kept noticing systematic meanness, unneccesary meaness and the lack of love amongst neighbors
Social Inequality
Wealth as a sign on Identity and Rich people being seen as gods and even worse acting like gods
Profound lawlessness
People are ready to cheat you because they know you are going to cheat them
Too much arguing!
Treating people as if they are things and not human beings
Lesser percieved value of human life
Widespread cases of idleness/slothness-- a life w/o a purpose can hardly said to be human
The love of praise is too much

I came up with reasons for all the above but because of the lenght I chose not to discuss them here, maybe a later post

My dealings for the past two weeks have allowed me to come up with conclusions like:

-Being honest or principled is likely to result in physical poverty, in the motherland. (righteousness has a price and that price can sometimes be unemployment or stagnancy or poverty, esp in a country like this. You either join them or...)
-It is very easy to create enemies if you choose to act principled


A famous philosopher once said that when introduced to an environment where unacceptable behavior is the norm, initially a newcomer becomes disgusted by the behavior, after some time he/she becomes less disgusted then tolerant of the behavior and then gradually he/she accepts and even participates in the behavior. It is just human nature, accelerated by passivity.


I definitely do not want to change in these aspects and I have set up a plan of action on how I have to remain balanced and stick to my core, because like my cousin Tupac Amaru Shakur said: don't ever change, keep your essence.

What I/you must do to be able live here and keep balance

Stay on your toes. If you live in a negative environment it is only a matter of time before you become more negative. The only solution to this is to change environment or character. You are not changing environment so you must focus on living very consciously and deliberately in order to protect your character

Being very careful who you give praise to. I always praise the common man I have an interaction with, whether it be a security guy at a shop or a cashier or whoever, but when dealing with people who think they are esteemed over others for whatever reason I remain even/neutral. I'm no sycophant

You must know how to live with boredom. I brought over 70 pounds of books with me. This should solve that problem... I hope. I know I can't spend all my time reading but reading has so many benefits and I plan to exploit this pasttime

You must be patient. Nigerians are very impatient and this is ironic because things move slowly here (compared to the western world) so you must learn to be patient and do something in the meanwhile to aid your spirit

You need to be aware of your fundamentals. This is most important and I should have put it first. You need to know your values and be 100% sure about them. That is key to anything or any situation really

Extreme politeness. To negate the effect of rudeness I practice extreme politeness with all Naijas I meet. I notice that most of my interactions with people, usually start negative. I have noticed that if you are genuinely nice they will come around.

Don't participate in the bullshit multifaceted respect. Have the same level of respect for all individuals. Don't feed egos and don't let you ego be fed


Living in the motherland can finish you if you don't take care. I would appreciate any other advice on how to keep my balance/guard my heart

Embracing Uncertainty

The only solution (for me) is to embrace uncertainty

Get tough in life.
"i've learnt that life is tough but i am tougher"

We are faced with a lot of uncertainty in life, especially nowadays. I am sure things were worse for people in the past but what makes today bad for us is that we were brought up with promises, expectations. In the past 5 to 6 years things changed drastically and opened our eyes to what society is really founded upon.
The lives we were promised, the prosperity, these things are now only achievable for a few. And it is not even sustainable... I do not want to be part of a world that perpertuates unfairness and equality... but what choice do I have?

There is uncertainty in all facets of life, and uncertainly brings fear. Fear is not a good thing, there is no argument or situation where fear can be seen as a good thing (okay, maybe there is one: Fear the Lord your God, but this is different). But instead of exposing ourself to fear, can we change in a way so that we embrace uncertainty? Can we look at uncertainty positively? If we can change our mindset and embrace uncertainty, I beleive this will make our lives much, much better. Instead of worrying about uncertainty and living in paralysis how about we embrace uncertainty, breathe, compartmentalize, take yourself out of the situation, plan, make conscious decisions, execute and if the worst does happen then it was meant to be like that. I have a motto which i adopted years ago, I will do my best and if I fail i will be able to say I did all I could to succeed and therefore if i failed the failure was outside my power.

Adopt this mindset, chances are you will never fail. Do not be a victim, embrace uncertainty...

Yes life is tough, but you are tougher!

Living in constant fear

We live in a world where nothing is gauranteed anymore. There is so much fear and uncertainty that sometimes people just wish their lives would end... as death might be the best way out. I am somewhat pessimistic about the world, I make controversial statements like: the earth is overpopulated and this is one of the sources of our problems. I also unfortunately think that things will only get worse.

A lot of times I ask myself why people have kids, especially kids they cannot take care of. I think it is a very discertaining thing. I mean why would you want to bring a child into this already jacked up world? A world that operates on egoism and competition, instead of unity and cooperation. (La vie de merde, as my french friend would say)

The world is really in a bad place, is there hope? hmm.... I have no position on that statement.

Eitherways this was not originally what my post was supposed to be on. It was supposed to be inspirational. I wanted to talk about the people who live honorable lives in constant *fear*: FIREMEN, POLICEMEN, ETC

These are people that you have accepted that your job is to be ready to die for another person. I look at this and think it is very honorable. I think you would have to get up each morning and live each day like it is your last (something I am trying to incorporate in my life). Because the truth is all that matters is today, yesterday is gone and we are not even sure the future exists...

Beggers are good public speakers

It has been said that public speaking is the number 1 fear among Americans, even cited to be more feared that death. I find that very interesting. I currently live in Paris and as a Parisian, you come across a lot of people in the metro or on the streets who either busk or outright ask you for money. In my habit of over-thinking, I could not help but be impressed by the style and effect these people have. These guys are good public speakers. I mean, we can definitely learn something from them.

What can I learn from them?
-Not giving a darn what people think about you definitely helps your confidence
-Having nothing to lose definitely frees you and there is no boundary to courage/bravery
-Egoism, pride can be a huge obstacle to your development

3 short but important things. I need to learn to incorporate this into my life, in a way that enables me to be balanced and effective. This is what what I want to found my life on. This is what I want my life to be based on.

Only way to slow down time

I used to think there was only one way to slow down time but before writing this I was mentioning it to somebody and they disagreed.. they mentioned that you can also slow down time by smoking marijuana...
I cannot comment on that as I have no experience in that area but I have figured out a sure way to slow down time.
This concept came to me when I was reading a newspaper, there was a cartoon and two students were in a classroom talking and the conversation went something like this:

guy number 1:"I have made a new discovery! how to slow down time..."
guy number 2: "how?!?!"
guy number 1: "take a geology class!!"

my take from this//
I realize that when we are having fun, time flies, but when we are working hard or doing something we don't like... time "slows down"


You either want time to slow down or move faster, depending on where you are in your life right now, it is different for most people; those suffering want time to move faster while those enjoying want it to move slower. We can understand why people would feel like this.

I have my own reasons for wanting time to slow down. At the age of 22, I was invincible. I didn't realize I was growing older till about 2 months before my 23rd birthday. I just realized... CRAP. I am turning 23 soon and nothing can change that.... CRAP!!! is how i felt.

I fear growing old for several reasons: responsibilities, children, being accountable for my previous years, having to face regrets, having to make big decisions, and just being looked at as being old...

So to "slow down time" I came up with a list, the basic premise is to INVEST:
spend time doing something that is productive but not neccesarily interesting.
I would say: pick up a book and read
spend some time working out
spend sometime working on your writing
spend time being still. focus on your breathing
spend time journaling


When we slow down time, we get to appreciate the moment and we get to use our time more wisely.

##slow down time##

I need to learn to accept defeat

learning to accept defeat.
this is hard...
but it is neccesary.
What does it mean to accept defeat? It means knowing the situations that you need to let go of, knowing what you can handle and what you cannot;
ego is a very big part of me. pride is a very big part of who i am. sometimes i look at myself and say to myself that i stink with pride. it is a flaw... more of a curse than a blessing

a few years ago i was dealing with this girl i didnt really like but cuz she was snobbing me i wanted to pursue her by force just to satisfy my pride. i was not interested in her in anyway but just wanted to get her to like me. i took it personally when she did not and went ahead to curse her out a few weeks after the affair was over. I said to myself "that would teach her... not to mess with me".. yes.. that would teach her.

i acted based on my pride. the things i said to her were hurtful and had no real purpose but to soothen my own ego. by accepting defeat i should have conceived that it is okay, the girl "won" and i could have made my life and hers better by just accepting this and moving on.

there is too much negative out there for you or I to be adding some more.

learn to accept defeat in the right contexts. it makes you a better person

going back to the fundamentals

I need to go back to the fundamentals of my life. I have gotten caught up in so many things that are happening that I have forgotten what I am supposed to be building my life upon... hmmm

I am going back to the fundamentals

My advice to the youth

About five or six years ago, I came up with a business idea... this is how it happened..

I had worn one of my favorite button up shirts and at the end of the day when I took it off the collar was dirty. I washed the shirt several times but there was still a slight stain on the collar. This caused unease in me and I started to think about how I could have prevented this...

Then I got the idea of a collar protector. I thought about it briefly and its execution but for some reason I never followed through (just like I haven't followed through yet on any of my business ideas).

But anyways...
A few months ago, I was looking through a website and found a collar protector. I also found out that it was patented about 3 years ago... I could not believe that I had this idea and someone actually pursued it independantly. Which brings me to this post!

this post is about creativity. It has been said that human beings get less creative the older they get...
it is possibly true. i remember being extremely creative when i was younger. it is a shame that i did not pursue all the things i set out to do [or maybe not! hmmm] but I am learning to take every opportunity and run with it. I am also learning to try to keep building my creativity muscle! i will not let it get weaker as I grow older!!

This leads to my advice to the YOUTH!
==--00000--

My advice is that journalling/note taking/idea writing is extremely important. The mind is a wonderful and beautiful thing but our ability to forget things is alarming. If I had not written down that business idea i might not have being able to convince myself that I had the idea too. I try to journal when I can, sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month. I want to get to a place where i journal e.v.e.r.y d.a.y

so basically this post is primarily dedicated to people starting their lives and people full of ideas (secondarily to anyone interested, old or older etc). I hope this is insight and I hope you take the step to start journaling more often.

the failures of my life

i have failed alot in my life. I have done alot of things which i regret. there are alot of things I am embarassed about. things i do not want anybody to ever know about. in learning to grow, I am deciding to let go of these things... meaning: get to the point where i can post all these things online and not be afraid... or embarassed... anymore..

watch out.... it is coming soon...

How do you compete with cheaters?

I was taking a test in a french history class... (this is Paris) I look around and basically everybody is cheating. With notes hidden in pencil cases, iphones on laps, notes on laps, collaboration and other sorts of cheating. Of course the teacher was there but under the pretexte of being stupid, he did not notice it, most probably by choice, which I cannot say I understand.

I finished my test and I had an essay that was a 2 pages long. I turned it in and saw other people turned in 4, 5, 6 pages. I was thinking, of course you can write all that information if you have wikipedia as your assistant or google. I was really pissed and felt like sending an email to the professor after class telling him that he should not give me a grade based on the grades he gives others BECAUSE I CANNOT COMPETE WITH CHEATERS.

How can I compete.... with cheaters?
I refuse to cheat! I accept full responsibility for my grades whether it is a 70% of a 98%. But this situation poses an issue for me because obviously my grade depends on the work of others.

Well I started thinking about it and I realized that obviously I can still compete with cheaters... it would require much more work but yes, I can compete!! What is the gain?? I am not sure...

I spend 5 more hours studying for a test, still receive a lower grade but I have my pride, my character, my integrity... so really I am only working hard for my pride, character, integrity... not for my grades...

hmmmmm

I also started thinking again... maybe I am a cheater as well..? maybe we are all cheaters...?? think about it... what makes someone a cheater?

I know I have lied at least once or twice during interviews... what does that make me? a cheater? a liar?

what is the difference?
---------
a vous d'en decider!

Places we hate to be

I am a student in Paris and despite the fact that I have an american passport, I have to go through some much crap just to be in this country (France). A few days ago, i spent 3 hours in the line at the immigrations office only to be told that i would have to come back the next day to set up an appointment. While I was in the line i was thinking about how much i hated just standing there and being idle. It then inspired me to think about places that I hate being because of the idleness it entails and the unlimited time you can waste there..
so i decided to publish a list...please feel free to add some as my knowledge and experience is very limited

Places we hate to be
-Hospitals
-Embassies
-Driver license offices
-Police stations

I would say I have learned though. After the first two painful visits, I decided to be proactive and to carry a book with me the following time. Sometimes it is hard getting the discipline to actually pick up the book and read but in a situation where I have to stand 3 hours just to speak to a human being who holds a key to my goal, I realize it is to my benefit in all avenues to have a book with me so I can at least be productive. It is a win-win situation.

I grew up on criticism

I grew up on criticism

I grew up on criticism, either from parents, family or classmates… I grew up in a tough environment when I was in school. Every little thing I did wrong I got insulted and made fun of by the rich middle eastern kids who had this token black boy in their class. I remember it all started in the first week of my arrival…. I was in class…. picking my nose and the boy beside me, I still remember it vividly. he shouted, “Oh _____ (my name)! Bougar bougar! What is this?” (imagine this in an Arabian accent)

From that day on I never picked my nose in public, he still continued to make fun of me for the next few years. For that year every time we had an argument he would make the gesture of picking his nose just to put me in my place… I guess

Things like this continued throughout my academic odyssey in that country… anytime I was doing something wrong, I was always sure to get corrected, no matter how trivial the thing was. 

Looking back at all this, I honestly can say this accelerated my growth as a human being. I grew up looking for criticism because it showed me where there were holes and what I needed to work on.

Things changed when I got to America…. In America when I went to high school I don’t think I was ever criticized…. and in university everybody was just doing his or her own thing. I came to realize that sometimes you might be doing something wrong but people would never approach you to “correct” (help) you.

This can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it but it is important to understand that there is a thin line between constructive criticism and criticism.

I have developed this attitude of the Americans in laissez faire because I do understand where they are coming from. It has showed me why there is a distinction between the platinum rule and the golden rule:

Golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated

Platinum rule: treat others as they would like to be treated

I like criticism (for the most part) but I understand the need to accept others as they are, instead of trying to change them.

So I encourage and accept criticisms directed towards me but try not to let any come from me. If I can’t stand somebody I just stay away from them instead of trying to change them…

There is some liberation in expressing yourself, I have to admit that and sometimes I do fall into the trap when I feel there is no way out (there is always a way out)

But you gotta ask yourself this question:

who are you to try to think you can change someone?

How to choose a church

How to choose a church?

Well I am in no way an expert and this post is to focus on basic fundamental signs of whether a church is fundamentally right for you. Here we go.. directly into my one and only method.. PROVEN

(this has to be done in the winter)

Upon arrival to a church, go straight to the toilet, turn on the hot water, wait 30 seconds or so and check to see if the water is hot or warm or cold. If the water is not warm/hot, guess what…? NO. just walk right out of the church and go to the next one…  If on the other hand the water is warm/hot guess what? It means you are at a “real” church.

What is the difference between the two? One cares about its members comfort and the other is fundamentally a business trying to cut down its expenses

VALUES

a list of values and definitions

Accountable                            Takes responsibility for both actions and outcomes

Achievement                           Aspires to the highest levels of excellence

Authority                                 Possessing power over decisions, people, assets

Balance                                   Balancing time and effort between work, home, hobbies

Creativity/Innovation              Thinking outside the box; trying new ways of accomplishing a goal

Change                                    Looking forward to and valuing change, continuous improvement, doing things differently

Commitment                          Being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action, dedication

Competence                            Possessing the skill, knowledge and ability to effectively perform

Courage                                   The willingness to take calculated risks and step outside of one’s comfort zone

Customer Satisfaction            Achieving excellence in customer satisfaction

Diversity                                  Respecting a variety of cultures/lifestyles

Effectiveness                          Executing with precision to achieve results

Efficiency                                                Producing results in a timely manner with a minimal of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort

Fairness                                  Treating people and being treated equally

Faith/Religion                         Belief in a higher power

Family                                     Being with family, both quality and quantity of time

Fitness                                    Being physically fit; optimal well-being

Fun                                          Playfulness, ability to laugh and express humor, joking

Growth                                    Investing in lifelong learning, personal development, self-education

Honesty                                   Being truthful, sincere

Independence                         Free from the influence, guidance, or control of others

Integrity                                  Words and deeds match up.  I am who I am; no matter where I am or who I am with.

Knowledge                              Subject matter expert, educated via experience or study

Legacy                                     Making a difference today with tomorrow in mind, succession

Loyalty                                     Faithful to a person, an ideal, a custom, a cause or a duty

Money/Wealth                       An abundance of valuable material possessions, riches

Passion                                    Intense emotional excitement, boundless enthusiasm

Perfection                               Reaches the highest attainable standard, details

Quality                                    A standard of excellence

Recognition                             Giving and receiving acknowledgement for achievements

Simplicity                                                Lack of complexity, complication

Status                                      Holding a position of importance, high standing, prestige

Structure                                 Formality, processes, and systems

Teamwork                               Cooperative effort by a group

Trust                                        Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing

Urgency                                   Fast paced, swift, action orientated

Volunteerism/Service             Serving the community, non-profit organizations

Wisdom                                  Having deep understanding, insight, and knowledge, the ability to make good judgments

Rules Rules Rulesss!

Regardless of what age you are you can immediatly start making a change in your life because even though yesterday is gone, it really is not gone unless you have: learned from it and changed your habits.

So a few years ago I decided that it is important for me to build my life on the right things. I try to wake up every morning and look at the following list just to remind me of what my life is about and to set the tone for the day.


-Never get mad [be still in every situation and regardless of how bad it might be use your brain to find balance]
-Don't spend too much time with something you are not going to stay with [time is precious, emotions are precious]
-Dont ever do anything because you want to "prove something" to someone who anyone [because the truth of the matter is no one cares, nobody cares! and it just leaves you emptier]
-Take each day seriously [as a matter of fact take your vacation time seriously. Get up every AM and convince yourself that TODAY COUNTS!]
-The world has no place for weak people [motivational! you gotta keep moving and growing, if not you will become history!]

The formula for Success

I did not read this anywhere but it has seemed common sense to me. I believe everybody has a formula to success, regardless of who you are or the journey you have. Yes we all define success differently but fundamentally success is defined as "setting a goal and reaching that goal"

my Formula to my success
Discipline
Time management
Relationship with God

Why did I start this blog?

I knew I had to write about why I started blogging.

Why am I blogging? For myself or for others?

It didn’t take two seconds to answer that question: I am blogging for myself. Blogging is like journaling.

Sometimes I feel like I think too much, like I analyse too much… sometimes I wonder: is it possible to just… PAUSE!?

I guess blogging allows me to put down my ideas and thoughts. I realize that once I type it out, put it on paper… it does not clog up my brain activity anymore.

So I started blogging for myself but do hope whoever reads this will benefit from it in one way or the other!

I’ve come to realize that it is in writing about myself that I come to know more about myself, consciously realizing who I am and the direction I am going.

Oh yeah I also chose to start blogging because I need to better my writing.

The challenge of being behind

Imagine....

You are an extremely hardworking student, you are a 24 year old senior and are pursuing a degree in Biochemistry, so you can go to medical school.

One evening, after a 4 hour study period at the library, you are on your way to your apartment... you cross the street without looking twice and BAM, a drunk driver hits you and LIGHTS OUT... you are unconscious...

You wake up... look around... you are conscious, you are in a hospital, you remember what happened... you see a yellow button that allows you to call a nurse, you press it and 20 seconds later, the nurse shows up with her mouth wide open (she is extremely surprised you are up). You start talking to her and then you realize... it is seven years later... you were in a coma for 7 years....


now what?

You are now a 31 year old who missed out on the last 7 years of his life. Where do you go from here? Could you still pursue your ambitions?
The amount of knowledge and technology in the world has definitely advanced exponentially to the point where you are just too overwhelmed to be able to think straight....

honestly... What is the next step??


Fortunately, this does not happen often... but unfortunately it happens all the time.
We have people who live unconscious lives for years before realizing that the world is too far ahead of them...
they get to a point where they are tooo deep and it is too overwhelming to try to figure things out...

We live in a time of constant learning, for you to remain just average, you need to keep learning till the day you kick the bucket...

I was an OECD youth unemployment conference where they were talking about why so much youth are unemployed in Europe. Someone brought forth the idea that the youth of today are just too lazy especially because of all the technology and material at their disposal. trying to put it in their words "they do not really understand the concept of hard work or discipline"

Unfortunately I agree with this statement, of course not for all youth but for a majority... the lack of discipline is a serious problem in our generation. It honestly is not our fault because anybody could be in this situation, even our grandparents (if they were born in our time).

It is not our fault BUT it is our responsibility.

Time moves incredibly fast nowadays, i know for sure when I was younger time did not move as fast as it does today.
There is only one way to slow down time
 (slowing down time link)


Getting back into the Game
-Pick up a book and read (recommended book list link)
-make goals for your life, write them down and look at them every morning.
-honestly think of a way you can change the world (even if its in a little way)
-sign up for a newspaper that covers global events (i recommend WSJ)

**the best time to catch up or get ahead in the game is when there is chaos/a crisis. Why? because in times of crisis most people "slack off" For example, when the earthquake happened in Japan, alot of people around me started asking, what's the point of life if one day this is going to happen and blah blah... people decided that it is better to enjoy the moment instead of continue investing. well it is important to know that most stories are blown up so that fear will hit us and so the few and advantaged will accelerate while the majority slack off. So do not let any crisis give you a false assurance of "i can die tomorrow so let me just enjoy".  Move and move fast in the time of crisis

How committed are you???

How Committed are you?

In 2011 we saw a lot of uprising and people around the world standing up, ready to die for something they believed in… 

my question to you today is… At this point in your life is there anything you are willing to die for?

I am willing to die for my faith. I just don’t want it to be a slow painful death (like torture), a quick bullet to the head works for me but anything other than that... anything that brings and details enduring pain, i’ll have to rethink it...

But really… what could you die for?

"we're all $%^#@&"

This famous and profound line is from the movie: London Boulevard. The guy said it in response to the question: Any last words?

what does it mean that we are all $%^#*(@??

it could mean several things...

ask yourself if life is worth it all the trouble? Very few things in life are guaranteed and one that is definitely guaranteed is your death: 100%...

what are the pros and cons of life? let me do a half arse analysis. I realize I am still young but I am not going to be young forever. I saw a 90 yr old man a few days ago and I was like darn!!! no matter how much i try I will eventually get that old one day. i value my youth soooo much (toooo much) that i tried to figure out some benefits of being that old and unfortunately i couldnt come up with any.. please feel free to enlighten me if you have any. maybe i am just too pessimistic or cynical about this issue. or maybe i am just immature

Joys of life
-love
-friendship
-success
-accomplishments
-little pleasures (food, etc)



Challenges of Life
-death of a loved one
-sickness
-emotional pain
-physical pain
-


you probably have alot more things to add under these two lists. my task for you is this: do an evaluation and decide which wins.... if Joys win, what are you going to do? and if challenges win.. what are you going to do??


IN PROGRESS

An analysis of ignorance

Some people advocate never listening to or watching the news because of all the bad things we hear about everyday... this is basically advocating "ignorance is bliss" and trying to avoid the notion that the world can be (or is) a place of so much pain and wickedness... this page is to analyse the benefits and the drawbacks of this pursuit of happyness

What are the benefits? and the drawbacks... of I-G-N-O-R-A-N-C-E


Benefits
happy
no worries... or lessened worries
can enjoy life without the discomfort of empathy
can live in the moment without thinking about others and their problems
dont have to think or worry about the people suffering from hunger, earthquakes, crimes etc

Drawbacks
makes you selfish
out of touch
you are unable to have sympathy for others
makes you naive because in the end whatever happens out there could potentially happen to you


These points are not definitive but just the few that came to mind while typing this... based on the two lists in my opinion the drawbacks outweigh the benefits...

So this means I cannot accept ignorance. I need to be able to stay in touch with the present world but also be able to lead a happy, balanced and content life.

How do I do this?

I guess the only solution is to accept the world the way it is and toughen up. We gotta go out there and keep doing what we need to do despite what the world is turning into... 

We gotta be able to separate ourselves from situations, put ourselves in people's shoes, sympathize with people and value the lives and opportunities we have.

To be able to live a fulfilled life has something to do with being able to be tough. So toughen up as you pass through life.

The Division of peoples

There are two types of people: people who have a place to lay their head and people who don't.
There are 3 types of people: the haves, the have nots and the have not paid for what you have-- My preacher's line


we, human beings, like dividing ourselves into groups, if I told you to finish the sentence:

"There are two kinds of people in this world: _________ and _________?

How would you fill in the blanks? How would you divide people? how would you divide humanity?
by religion? believers and non believers? by color? white and non white?

please do that exercise and if you can be honest enough and would like to share, tell me/us how you "divide humanity"

Where could I live?

Where could I live?

I‘ve lived in several countries throughout my life: Mali, Nigeria, Kuwait, America and France. When people ask me “where is your preferred place?” my response is always: they are all good… they are all different. Where could I live? I believe I could live anywhere (not accounting for ethnic conflicts or conflicts whatsoever). Of course I do need some time to adapt and there are some basic things I would like a place to have for me to stay there. What are these?

- i need access to a gym (weight lifting and cardio), I can still manage if i do not have this as I would have one of those Terrel Owens elastic band things
http://www.build-muscle-guide.com/terrell-owens-bands.html

-electricity (24/7 please)

- fast wireless internet (at the house)

and most important

-SINGLE LADEYSSS (I kid.. I kid)

"I am American"

I think everyone should have an American passport, I mean we are all so influenced by the American culture that in a way we would not be wrong to say “I am American”. I have an American passport but I am not the typical American. I have a Nigerian passport too, but I am not the typical Nigerian. What is the typical American? What is the typical Nigerian? Please see below

Typical American

Has an American accent

Knows little about other countries/cultures

Is somewhat materialistic

talks too much

Typical Nigerian

Has a Nigerian accent

Loves soccer

Has some sort of beef with other Africans or people of other tribes

Talks too much

EDIT IN PROGRESS

New Year's Resolutions!!!

New years Resolutions

I only have two new years resolutions:
-go to sleep earlier
-eat more salad

It is important to mention that I do not believe in New Years Resolutions… why? evaluating oneself once a year is not enough. If you are serious about your life you need to evaluate your life at least once a month, anything less than this indicates a lack of seriousness on your part. 

Good luck