posted byMaureen Kenneth

              THE TRUE TREASURE

Everything on earth has value; it depends on how it’s being handled. If you value what you have, you are indirectly giving other people the chance to do same. Take for instance, the traditional cloths (Ankara) we have, gradually it’s becoming something very valuable to us (Africans) and the entire world, because we have shown its value to other people by wearing and advertising it, making other products out of it such as: Ankara plate, shoes, bags, jewelries, note books, curtains, art works and so on. This is the knowledge of what we have and others have seen how we treasure what we have and they want to take part in the promotion of this creativity.

No one will value what you have unless you start valuing it yourself. We have capable brains and hands that can help change the story that has been told about us. The problem we have is, we fail to give these capable hands our full support and that is why we are still under developed. Let’s take one of our African countries as an example, Rwanda faced serious genocide years ago which finally took its end in the year 1994. But today, Kigali, its capital is one of the neatest and well developed in the whole of Africa. They have countless investments and continuous increase in the countries income. This is because; they gave no excuse for development. Any nation in Africa can do better if we stopped giving excuses and start taking responsibilities.

It’s a wake up time for we Africans to put our heads together and create things from what we are blessed with (natural resources), to prove to the outside world that we are capable of building a tall mountain of development that can hold firm our sense of continuous recreation. We can’t do that by focusing on one source (oil), we can achieve this, by making wise use of every resource given to us by God Almighty. Stop tying your opportunities down with complaint, learn to make wise use of your talents and the resources around to improve your country. The time is now.

 WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE

AS AN AFRICAN?

Often, I have heard most African brothers and sisters complain about who they are; it shouldn’t be that way, it should be the other way, ‘what they are’. If the color of your skin keeps you up all night, then you are on the wrong track. Changing your skin color doesn’t change who you are, because who you are is internal. You have to know you can’t take out your true person as an African; it’s either you accept your true person or you forget your true person. The only thing you can change is what you are because it’s external.

When you are in the midst of people that classify you as timid, the only way to prove them wrong is not by taking it personal or being bitter about it. Rather, you should try overcoming timidity and showing them how great you are, by doing what you do best when given any task to handle.

What you are; is the self confidence you build in you that will yield high self esteem:  ‘what you are’ is that commitment you put in, whenever a responsibility is being given to you:  ‘what you are’ is doing the right thing always, with or without being watched. Don’t mistake what you are to who you are; who you are, is nature but what you are, is nurture. Self discipline can promote high self esteem.

Your biggest challenge as an African shouldn’t be what people say about you, it should be how you accept your heritage and preach about what you truly stand for, without being intimidated by racial discrimination or class discrimination. It should be all about what you have to offer to the world, which would place a bigger picture of you and the image of your continent. Speak the word and heal the world, preach Africa.

 THE WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR

How many have to go through it over and over before we see to it? How many will be destroyed before we come up with a safe plan? How far will it go before the world hears and take serious note? When are we ready to give a listening ear to what is more important rather than what doesn’t make much sense? How much time do we have left to treat this mess? It isn’t a joke; it has to be looked into.

There is no point covering a crime that has to be known, so justice won’t be given to it. It makes more sense to see what most children go through in our society and we pay much attention to either change or promote it. Silence towards evil is giving permission to more evil. We need to help save children who can’t speak for themselves. There needs to be an end to child abuse. There needs to be a correction to wrong impressions. Every child deserves to be happy, every child deserves to be free from early sex, every child deserves a chance to air their view, every child deserve to be given attention, every child deserves to be heard.

It’s time we stopped hiding the truth of what most kids go through: it’s time justice takes charge for their redemption: it’s time we checked the environments our kids dwell in, to know if it’s suitable or not: it’s time we gave their feelings a reborn.

We can’t do this by just watching and ignoring; we can achieve this by saying no to child Abuse, by saving kids going through this around us, by seeking justice for any victim of child Abuse. The world can be a better place for them if we make it to be. They look up to us, because we are bigger in thoughts and in actions. Support them in any way you can, to see that the perpetrators of this evil act (Child Abuse) are brought to book. Lets help this kids feel normal again. Let’s put smiles on their faces.

       YOUR LIFE STYLE IS YOUR UNIFORM!

The wonderful picture of yourself is the image you make for yourself. Being who you are, takes more than just the name you bear. Special people are special for the difference they show. The way you handle things around you adds to the recipe of your everyday activities. You were made for a reason to capture something that has being missing in the whole world. The universe owes you chances which are given to you every moment you breathe, but you also owe them the utilization of the chances given to you. The question that should keep you cooking is; how do you want to be remembered?

When you act the way you feel, place it at the back of your mind that you are responsible for the outcomes, be it negative or positive. Your life style evolves in the outcome of your every day activity; this is the uniform you wear.

Work for something that will remain even when you are gone.  Something no one has achieved. It could be the people you nurtured their mindset to function positively, it could be the goal you achieved that was termed ‘IMPOSSIBLE’; this is how you would be remembered.

         DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

            NOT A PROPER    ENVIRONMENT FOR KIDS

Things are likely to adjust in the line of marriage; but most likely, partners may get tired of each other. The point TIRED is not a physical tiredness, it’s the psychological tiredness in playing the role as a husband: a father: a friend. Same also to the woman; you may get tired of your role as a wife: a mother: a friend: a supporter. When these changes occur, the people who get hurt the most are the children.

75% of people with issues are those who had a messed childhood. Kids have such a smart and retentive memory that they can carry things over in their adulthood without forgetting any. At their early stage in life, their memories are empty that it can occupy much than we least expect. Whatever happens in their environments, they absorb it and may store it for long. During the stage of growing up, they begin to manifest most of the things they absorbed into the main world. They reabsorb it in a bigger way that will either eat them up or wreck more havoc to the world at large.

Everyone has right to be angry but we have the ability to control our angers not to cause greater trouble. When you have that urge to hit your wife because you’ve lost your mind, there can be a call back if you hold on and put yourself together, because your kids are watching. You are creating a bad environment that is too hot for them to stay. It hurts them to see you hit their mum. This ugly and monstrous act of yours kills and eats up some part of their lives. You might not see the effect now because it’s hidden inside of them. When you would see what you’ve created in them, it might be the manifestation stage of their life which might be too late for correction.

It’s not something new that most women nag, but you can be a different woman by controlling your tongue and choosing the right words to use at the right time; to avoid having augments with your husband often. If really a marriage can last for long, the secret is to understand your partner.

Parents should try and put their kids into consideration when doing anything that might affect them tomorrow. Don’t use bad language in front of them; you are making them rude and aggressive. Helping to build a perfect and proper environment for kids by avoiding domestic violence will help make the world a better place for everyone.

Art credit goes to

the unknown Artist

                WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT LOVE?

                      Conditional or unconditional?

Stage by stage in life, you would come to realize that sacrifice is what keeps love going. Racial challenges or class differences might trigger an awkward definition of ‘LOVE’. But the problem is not the general definition of love; the problem is the personal definition of love.

When you say love is material, you term it conditional. Mind you, not all partners are after material, they look to something more than that. I once met a lady who has stated her theory of love as “Her partner meeting up with her immediate needs”. The question I want to throw is this; can’t love get another definition instead of condition?

We all have our taste. We all have what we long for. We all have what we adore. The open secret is, if love is termed conditional at every cost, we are doomed to lose what we value most. You need to decide what you truly want.

You need to fight for what you truly want. You can promote your love life by being sincere with what you feel, think, act and say. There needs to be a deep maturity in your thinking and actions.

You need to know that understanding fetches more credit to love life. No relationship is perfect; the vital thing that keeps it moving is; UNDERSTANDING. This is what makes it UNCONDITIONAL. Give your relationship a definition, ‘conditional’ or ‘unconditional’. You are the only one to keep it stable and spicy.