Death Is Not The Enemy

 Every eulogy for a young person who dies always has something rhyming with gone too soon.

It is odd that we all feel there is such a thing as dying early, which sort of narcissist person believes he has all the control at his tips to live to an age to which he determines fit for death. Or determine the suitable time for his loved ones passing.

Sensible people have plans for their lives concerning the future, many of them are wise enough to take the necessary steps to see those plans come to be.

Wiser still are the ones who take risks and never stop swinging at being happy or fulfilled.

The wisest are the ones who do so knowing that death is by the way side or have in the back of their minds that the possible worse that could happen can happen.

It is silly to think all your plans for yourself or your children will go according to the way you have written them. Your child may die on their way to school or suffer an illness that will make living unbearable. Or all that could happen to you, when it does I ask, is this not life?

Whichever comes first be it disappointment or death know this – you are not too big for life to throw you a curve ball. Don’t waste the rest of your time pitying yourself or feeling down, life may not be done with you yet.


 picture from pexel.com by skitterphoto

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Guilty by Association

In this here article tribalism, sects or groups mean the same thing.
I welcome corrections and criticism

We form a bias on people based on their views and we do this by grouping them along with anyone we know share such views.
In a study published in a book in February 2018, Political Tribes, by Yale Law School’s Amy Chua, humans are hardwired for tribalism. If this is so, even thinking or attempting not to be tribal is an uphill battle.
When you are in the out in a society of common thinking, tribalism affects you. You will be battling with people trying to stop them from placing you into groups and embrace the liberalism that comes with this present-day modernization.
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I was called, tainted by the devil by a close friend because of my religious view. I was called confused because my view of God doesn't place me here or there in people's understanding of what "Atheism" or "Agnosticism" is. Being an individual with a view is now classified as confusion or pretense of a deep longing to eat your cake and have it. People believe you want to be part of a group and not obey the rules of that group.
So, before you open your mouth, some people have already classified and grouped you because of the view of "…that is how people like that think." "This is the way people who look like this think..."
The funny one for me is when a black man from my community says "…you cannot understand because you do not know the experience people like us face." These views will continue to isolate us from reaching a common ground of individualism.

In Africa where I am, we try to fight tribalism and keep some parts of it by saying, you do not throw the dirty water with the baby. Failing to see that the said baby itself (which is culture) is the problem. Since we will not disown or address or cultural bias, the baby has wondered off leaving stains of muddy water everywhere. As a community we stand there holding a big bowl of water filled with the dirt of tribalism and group appropriations.
An example of the baby causing more damage than good is the whole anti-LGBT movement and trying to enforce religious rules. First, this has not made us more forward thinking or advanced than the west. Second, it is causing the best of us to leave the continent and seek life elsewhere. Majority of the people who seek asylum elsewhere after leaving Africa sight LGBT or religious issues.
I have heard people say the seekers are just looking for greener pastures and are lying that these issues affect them. I in turn reply to them, "but these issues do exist and the only way they can be lying is if these issues don't exist."

The bias in our views is so rampant that when I say to people in my community, “I see nothing wrong with someone being gay, trans or any other sexual orientation they choose. They should be allowed to live free, get married and try to be happy.”
Most people ask me, “what church do you go to?”
This is odd for me because my community has as much Muslims as they are Christians, but I have never been asked... "are you a Muslim?"
Neither religion in my community accepts LGBT into their congregation. Regardless, people believe you must be of the less rigid Christian folks.
When I reply, "I do not believe in God."
They give out this, "oh!" and try to make me see how the devil has won my heart and how the west has corrupted my view.
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All the "this is how we do things..." "we do not say things like this..." must end. All it has done is to further divide people into more groups than there should be.
This is a world problem and not just Africa and we must realize that all these groupings be it sexual, political or race will never make things better. In Africa where it is more pronounce, we must admit and stop lying to ourselves that we are better than the west in somethings. It does not add up, when those things are the same reason your economy and standard of living has left you grouped in the third world category.

Picture from pexels.com by rawpixels.com

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Does Your Opinion Really Matter?

Being offended by someone’s view is the new trend.

Constructive arguments are boiled down to feelings which places fact and truth locked away in isolation.


Nobody cares to make sense anymore all they care about is, “my opinion matters.” No matter how ridiculous that opinion is or their inability to give that opinion life, they still think it matters.

Everyone is truly entitled to an opinion, but that entitlement should be rendered invalid the moment you cannot give that opinion a foundation to stand on its own.


I do not have to agree with you because you feel you are right. I do not have to agree with you because some authority you admire says you are right. Numbers (i.e. amount of people) do not add up to accuracy, fact and properly stating you point does. You cannot claim you are right because you have the numbers.

Having a great amount of number of people believing in what you say or sharing the same collective reason does not mean anything in a conversation if you can’t explain/defend that view, without getting emotional.


We need to be open minded and not allow our feelings direct our opinions. We also need to read and investigate things for ourselves – make room in our minds that what we know may be wrong, and the only way we can know the truth is by investigating without getting emotional.




culled from pexels.com by rawpixel.com

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THE IT IS JUST A THEORY SILLINESS

When I sit with religious people and discuss evolution, some of them say this line that makes me wonder where did this stupid line start and when will it end.

“IT IS JUST A THEORY.”

When someone says that I ask, “what else do you want it to be? A hypothesis or some plain ol’ fiction?”

The problem is not that they believe or choose not to believe in evolution, it is they do not know how to use the word.

What is a theory?

Dictionary.com says it is, "a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena."

Google Dictionary says it is, "a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained."

Both definitions complement each other.

When I find myself faced with such a silly statement I ask the person, “did you do science in high school?”

“If you did, what did you teacher say a theory is and what did he say a hypothesis is?”

The aim is not to tell them what a theory is – to guide against ridiculous arguments. The aim is to let them use their understanding of science to better recall what it means.

A theory is an idea, used to explain certain tested and trusted facts.

Does this mean, there can be more than one theory to a set of fact based principles?

Yes.

And like most things fade when we discover new and better understanding of the world, so do what was once accepted as a general principle. Which will then result in a more refined better theory.

What does this mean?

Science is humble to accept new findings about things and repent of their previous knowledge, while religion refuses to face reform and instead divide into sects. One sect accepting the knowledge and another saying the devil is at play.

When I get faced with a stubborn, ignorant and silly religious person who says, “I do not believe in this theory of yours.” (ignorant because he doesn’t understand and has refused to learn.)

I reply, “Whether you choose not to believe in the theory behind gravity, doesn’t mean gravity will stop acting on you and you will float away.”

“So, your believing or not believing in evolution does not mean, evolution never happened.”

“While your book says have faith, believe with no evidence. I choose to believe with evidence, which is available to you if you go online, search and study.”

Lastly, you should not believe everything you read. You need to seek knowledge from trusted sources.

No one man can know it all and no one book can have all the knowledge there is to know.

pictures from pexels.com

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Crossover

I'm standing and looking, it is December thirty and one
Almost the time to crossover to a new year of merry and rum
But still I see many marching down in pennies
All dressed up for the go, one last time for them to know

That God cares

He sits alone in heaven and missing their praises
He can't wait to welcome all and forgive their faces
They all seem so glee, believing today is the day
Of Wonder and miracle to wipe all their pain

It is almost eleven-thirty and I see many praying
casting and binding, jumping while praising
I sit and wonder why they are all so glee
Giddy and happy about this miserable three

If he didn't ease your pain the last 364
What makes today so different from his daily rapport?
Close your eyes and pray, but waiting over the hour
Are all your debts, saddened missed chances and old Mrs. Prowler

Why bother, if he is there today should not matter
Why not stay home and enjoy a cold shower?
I for one will be wanking into the year
Listening to Tim Minchin blazing ear to ear

A reboot of Christopher Hitchens and Dawkins will be read
While y'all be gucking and singing with cheers
The only sad thing about my New Year crossover with chores
Is that you are with friends and I wish I was with whores

Before you ask why am not with the whores
Look to your left, they are holding your hand in chorus




Note:
Whore here means PROSTITUTE.

picture by Pixabay from pexels.com

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