When I was in the institute division of Starehe Boys' Centre in 2006, James Karanja Maina, a fellow student, ordered me to leave a computer lab one Friday night. His reason? I wasn't a lab supervisor.
I reacted to his command with anger. Thinking that disrespectful, he fixed me for "working party," a dreaded punishment Starehians in the high school division did. I was to do mine in the institute building.
He, however, let it slide when I approached him the following Monday and apologized for my anger. If I had done the "working party," I'd have been the first institute student in my time to do it. Humility broke the tension.
Holding Encounters From Africa: An Anthology of Short Stories. When we were studying the book in fourth form, my friend Yakobo Simba brilliantly acted as Tekayo in a play his stream staged. First is Tayeb Salih's "A Handful of Dates", a story about a bright boy who likes hanging out with his rich grandfather, but has compassion for a poor man called Masood, who owes the grandfather a big debt.
Tayeb wrote the story in an engaging style I've strived to emulate in my writing journey. I especially like the way he wrote: "The mosque, the river and the fields—these were the landmarks in our life."
Second is E.B. Dongala's "The Man", a gripping story about a villager who goes to the city, enters a tightly-guarded palace, and assassinates the president to free his people from oppressive rule. He isn't caught.
Exaggerated though it is, the story sheds light on the harsh realities of the kind of leadership African nations faced after they gained independence from their colonial masters.
Third is Ken Saro-Wiwa's "Africa Kills Her Sun", a story told as a letter. In it, a man tells his childhood sweetheart he chose to get into crime after he was unable to stop the massive looting he witnessed in the national treasury.
He writes the letter the night before he's shot by a firing squad for engaging in crime. When we were studying the story in fourth form back in 2005, the following words of power and grace touched me to the core:
In the love we then shared have I found happiness, a true resting place, a shelter from the many storms that have buffeted my brief life.
Whenever I've been most alone, whenever I've been torn by conflict and pain, I've turned to that love for the resolution which has sustained and seen me through.
Last but not least is Nadine Gordimer's "Amnesty", a story about a freedom fighter who is imprisoned for his involvement in the struggle to free his fellow black people from oppressive rule.
Even though I liked the story well enough to remember it for several years after leaving Starehe Boys' Centre, I never knew Nadine Gordimer was a white woman till I heard of her death in 2014. May she rest in peace and her legacy live on.
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Also check out a review of the "A Man of the People".
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Spread the Love
"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."
~ Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)
About the Author Name: Thuita J. Maina Marital status: Single Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya Mission: Inspiring the world to godly living, one person at a time.
Just for Laughs
There was this drunkard called Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"
Author's Note I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination; I have therefore given up the things that weighed me down and I am now living my life to the fullest because the tomorrow I had always hoped to live my dreams may never be mine.
Fun Facts
The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft have another commonality. They all started in garages.
"So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn as much as you can about your body and how the care of it can give you that greatest blessing of all—good health."
"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."
~ Bill Clinton
Scientific Marvels
Space travel
Heart surgery
Fibre-optics communication
Concorde
Radios
Computers
Anesthetics
My Supreme Desire
To borrow Elbert Hubbard's words, my supreme desire is to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry or jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body—ready to say "I don't know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.
Greatest American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Andrew Jackson
Finding Peace in Turmoil
"Moses' rod on the ground was a frightful serpent; in his hand, it was a marvelous wand. Thus are tribulations. Considered in themselves, they are terrible; considered in the will of God, they are honors and pleasures."
~ St. Francis de Sales
Toughest Colleges to Get Into
MIT
Princeton
Harvard
Yale
Stanford
Brown
Columbia
Why You Should Trust God
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."
~ Ezra Taft Benson
The 7 Greatest Scientists
Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Galileo Galilei
Nikola Tesla
Aristotle
Archimedes
Charles Darwin
You Matter
"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."
~ Unknown
The Most Industrialized Nations
United States
Japan
Germany
France
United Kingdom
Italy
Canada
Keys to Success
"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."
~ Booker T. Washington
The 7 Social Sins
Politics without principle
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice
Science without humanity
Cherish What You Love "Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~ James Allen
The World's Largest Cities
London in England
New York in the United States
Tokyo in Japan
Berlin in Germany
Chicago in the United States
Shanghai in China
Paris in France
Benefits of Optimism
"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."
~ Pepe Minambo
The World's Greatest Lakes
Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
Lake Superior in North America
Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
Aral Sea in C.I.S.
Lake Huron in North America
Lake Michigan in North America
Demonstrating His Love
"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."
