The World As I See It
Category: Inspiration
I’m typing this article sitting outside my apartment while a throng of fireworks litters the skies. I expect that for much of this night, sleep might be either downright impossible, or thanks to my neighbours, socially unacceptable. So, while I spend time with some neighbours, let me conjure an article. Continue reading “2019: A Fresh Start”
After reading my last article on issues affecting Port Harcourt, a certain friend of mine called me to discuss the main ideas in the article. In a one hour-plus WhatsApp call, this Nigerian “externally displaced” in the United States, made the point that my article was trying to solve a problem by complaining about the symptoms. Whereas I did not necessarily agree with his entire viewpoint, a key idea stood out—his application of Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son to events in Nigeria and Africa. Continue reading “Still Washing Pigs”
While reading The Real Warren Buffet by James O’Loughlin, I encountered the concept of the “institutional imperative” as espoused by Warren Buffet. Contained in one of Buffet’s shareholders’ letter, he defined the concept as “the tendency of executives to mindlessly imitate the behaviour of their peers, no matter how foolish it may be to do so”. Months after reading that particular section, I encountered a scene that made me recall Buffet’s words. Continue reading “The Societal Imperative”
As I decided to write this piece, I went in search of a quote I could use as an opener. This quote literally jumped at me and I think it captures the essence of what I am about to address.
“Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. It’s the fear of failure, but no urge to be productive. It’s wanting friends but hate socializing. It’s wanting to be alone, but not wanting to be lonely. It’s feeling everything at once then feeling paralyzingly numb.”
—Culled from healthyplace.com
My undergraduate class has a WhatsApp group where we do everything from bonding to fighting to serious debating. Yesterday, someone brought up an issue about euthanasia, which then morphed into a discourse on depression and possible reasons for a person to want to end his/her life. This discourse unlocked Pandora’s box. Continue reading “When Emotions Spill”
2017 just gave way to 2018 in a cacophony of jubilation, prayers, orgies, screams, joy and sorrow, depending on where one is in the globe and one’s proclivities. For me, for something like the first time in my young adult life, I neither got into the Christmas overdrive nor the new year’s festivities. I cannot really place why, but it seems somewhere in my mind, there’s something saying “2017? 2018? Kini big deal?” Maybe I would need Christopher Nolan to investigate the inception of this notion. Continue reading “2018: Another Year Begins”
The American poet, Mattie Stepanek, once wrote that “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved”. A look at books and articles pondering on productivity management shows that “the difference between success and failure is a great team”. Many authors and speakers reiterate the importance of teamwork in driving productivity, yet many persons find themselves in teams where the total output is less than the summation of individual inputs. I was recently involved in a team project and feel I should discuss some of the attributes that made that team outstanding.
International Women’s Day, Mothering Sunday, Mothers’ Sunday, Mothers’ Day…different names, some with different dates, yet having the same central theme. There may be a myriad of days devoted in different countries around the world to celebrate women, especially mothers, but no matter how many days we set aside, they would never be enough to say thanks. Continue reading “Thankful, Now and Always”
