dude! whats your problem?

For the purpose of this blog I shall define three words.

Pleasant (according to the oxford dictionary)-friendly and polite…enjoyable, pleasing and attractive.

Unpleasant-the opposite of pleasant.

Fapping (according to the urban dictionary)- the act of touching oneself, preferably on your roommates bed. Can also be done at mealtimes in the bathroom if one can’t wait to get back to the room.

Now the third word has absolutely no purpose in this blog. I just thought I should throw that out there.

So on my way home today I met this very unpleasant guy. Well, to be fair I didn’t meet him we rode in the same matatu. Now from the moment I saw this guy I knew he had a bad vibe around him. From the very first look I knew he was unpleasant. Here is why;

So am walking to the stage and am standing there trying to figure which matatu has the most girls and this guy pushes me. “harakisha!” he says. So I turn back and there is this very unpleasant looking guy growling at me. So I let him pass and I get into a matatu. He stands there for like a minute then gets into the same mat as me and sits next to me…and you wonder what the hurry was about.

Mr. unpleasant then goes on to loudly complain about everything from the conductor, to the fare prices and even the spaces between when songs change. Now in the seat ahead of us was a very pleasant little girl who from the looks of her pleasant little balloon animal had a very pleasant day. The little girl thought it nice to share her balloon elephant with us and wove the animal in our faces laughing. I found it quite pleasant…but not Mr. Unpleasant…he knocked the little balloon elephant away.

People’s lives are hard, I mean there are more then 2 million Kenyans facing starvation, someone probably dying in the hospital and my friend Ricky got beaten up by 4 conductors and his glorified ideos was taken away. But what does rubbing it on people change?

And its not like Mr. unpleasant was having it that bad, he paid for his fare with a 500 shilling note and he was rocking his head to the loud raga or dancehall songs playing in the vehicle. (The self proclaimed king of modern slang muchi tells me that they no longer call it ragga).  And when the conductor asked me if I had any change I said “no…sorry”. Mr.Unpleasnt looked at me disgustingly. Probably thinking I was a pussy for saying sorry.

Well, luckily I got off the vehicle before him and to no surprise he didn’t want to move his legs so I could pass. For a second, I thought of stepping on his feet, but am a poor eater and very skinny so a punch from him would probably have knocked me out. Thankfully am not as stupid as I am skinny.

So I finally made my way out of the vehicle and am not one to hold grudges but I hope that Mr. Unpleasant fell in a ditch when he got off.

If you have to be unpleasant…do it on Monday!

borrowed thoughts on religion

disclaimer: this is not my writing but rather that of Jeff Lilly from druid journal with a few changes by me.

Six Arguments Against Religion I: A Poor Return on Investment

There are other arguments, but they are mostly variants or derivatives the ones in this list, or are simply blatantly wrong. A couple of quick examples of the latter:

Science Says There Is No God.

The argument here is that Science can find no evidence of God, hence he does not exist. This argument shows a misunderstanding of both religion and science. It’s true that some religions still make claims about the world that are demonstrably false — that everything started less than 10,000 years ago, that evolution doesn’t happen, etc. — but the larger purpose of religion is to provide answers to universal questions about purpose and meaning, and a framework of moral belief and action. For this, the history and structure of the universe is not necessarily relevant. Modern religions rarely claim history, biology, and cosmology as matters of faith. And God is, by his nature, not something you can perform experiments on; so science simply has nothing to say about him.

An Omnipotent God is Logically Inconsistent.

Can God create a rock so heavy he can’t lift it? Why would an omnipotent God allow evil into the world? These are great questions. The first, simplest answer is that God isn’t omnipotent. I subscribe to this view. Another is that God isomnipotent, but can’t do things that are logically impossible (like make 2 + 1 = 4, or create a rock so heavy he can’t lift it, or give humans free will while preventing them from doing evil). Another view is that God is omnipotent, and our little biochemical brains just don’t know all the answers.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s tackle some harder ones. I’m going to progress from the simpler ones to the subtler ones. The arguments are:

• If you’re religion is false, you’ve wasted years of your time, money, and life.
• Religious beliefs are frequently inconsistent.
• Religion discourages independent thought and encourages submissiveness.
• Religion encourages violence and disrespect of others by dividing people into the “in” group and the “out” group.
• Religion discourages true virtue by setting up laws and punishments.
• Picking just one belief system and sticking with it is not the best path.

Religion:  A Poor Return on Investment?

What if your beliefs are wrong?

Most religions require a significant investment of time, money, and effort. Besides learning all the rituals, the stories, the histories, the laws and regulations, there’s all the sermons you listen to. Most religions require (or at least very strongly suggest) that you support them monetarily, as well, and trust that the money is being put to good use.

If your religion is wrong, then… well, it’s a huge, huge waste. Add up all the wasted time and money from one person, and multiply by billions of believers, and it’s a staggering total.

Pascal’s famous wager (you might as well believe in God, because if he’s real you gain tremendously, and if he’s not you’ve lost nothing) doesn’t take these costs into account. Perhaps they’re a small price to pay in exchange for your soul, but it’s still a significant part of your life that you aren’t getting back. And if you’ve chosen the wrong religion, you’ve really lost out. How can you know which one is right?

Papers, Please

It’s like you’re standing outside the gates of the City of God, and to get in, you’ve got to buy the right badge. And there are a bunch of people standing outside, trying to sell you badges. Which is the right one? Is it the most expensive one? The shiniest? The one you personally like best? The one sold by the most trustworthy face? The one your parents bought?…

This is a serious issue. But this problem isn’t unique to religion. For any human endeavor — whether it’s trying to find breakfast, or trying to go to the moon — there are risks involved, and the possibility of losing everything. The difference here is that the churches of the world have raised the stakes considerably, by claiming infallibility, and by saying that your very soul is on the line. The stakes have become so high that violence tends to erupt between factions.

It is essential to realize that religion is a human construction, a tool for reaching and communicating with Spirit. Like any human construction, it is fallible and faulty in some places, genius in others. Recognize this and know the risks before you enter into it; and look with understanding and compassion on those who work with different tools.

Of course, knowing this just makes it even more difficult to choose a badge, doesn’t it? So consider these questions.

Why do you think you can’t you make your own badge? After all, you want something done right, you should do it yourself. For something as important as this, you want the highest possible quality.

Why do you think you have to wear just one badge? The people selling you badges tend to frown on that, but if they’re like most people, they just want all your money, and your children’s as well.

no God

in my humble opinion, God does not exist...that is all.

tumekuja chokoza-R.I.P Mercy Keino

There have been great women in history. Some that will never be forgotten; at least as far as history books are concerned.

Clara barton for instance was the organizer and founder of the American red cross which has since grown to be one of the leading humanitarian organizations in the world.

 And take the forceful and fearless Margaret Brent who was the first to ask for women’s  voting rights in the 1600’s and was probably the world’s first feminist (I stand to be corrected on that though).

 And Eva Peron the former first lady of Argentina whose charity organization built homes for the poor and homeless and provided free healthcare to citizens

.

 And who can forget Rosa parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger; the mother of modern day civil rights.

Closer home, we have the world re-known conservationist Wangari Maathai, politician Martha karua, human rights activist, now judge, Njoki Ndungu just to mention a few. 

Oh and the vice president hopeful Esther Arunga…or maybe not.

These are all great women and perhaps thousands maybe millions unrecognized respectful women wander out there changing the world and sacrificing their lives for their fellow women and men.

 Mercy Keino (with all due respect because am basing my argument on suspicion) in my humble opinion does not make this list. You will remember her as the 25 year old UoN masters student who was knocked down by a car on the road to or from westlands…or if you know better than the Kenya Police was killed by friends or associates or even a flamboyant local MP himself.

Personally I choose to believe the police. I am sure their investigation techniques are quite sophisticated. Did you see that investigator on TV?  The one inspecting the green Mercedes Benz? He seemed quite knowledgeable of his expertise…I mean he had on a lab coat and white gloves…white gloves! That should be enough to figure out everything. Who needs DNA, hair fragments or microscopes when you have intelligence…and white gloves? But the efficiency of our very talented and very capable police force is the discussion for another day.

So well back to mercy, I have no personal issue with her. She was on her masters and getting married later this year which is pretty impressive plus she was quite a looker. What I have an issue with though is the group she represents; college and post-teen girls. Yes, those between nineteen and about twenty six. The ones who are yet to secure a meaningful source of employment but are addicted to the expensive fast life. The ones that would give a foot and a leg for a night out in town drinking Smirnoff ice and smoking embassy lights. The ones skimpily clad and with acquired twangs. The ones who brag about the cars they were picked in and the older men they are dating. The ones you will see spotting fake designer handbags and expensive, often pink smart phones that neither they nor their parents paid for.

Being from a certain private university along Thika road (to quote a certain Sunday nation author), I am quite familiar with this kind of girls. You would not tell who they were by seeing them in class or the library corridors, but god forbid you should go out to a club where the top working men of the nation hang out. Say bachus, Havana and a few reputable out of town hang out joints.

These girls, you will not see around campus during the weekends or at your hip college party where they serve good old Kibao and Popov. No sir, that is not classy enough for them. You will not see them at changes or ‘Chipo Central’ as my friends and I call it sipping a 180/= beer either. No good sir, they are at expensive apartments, 4-star hotel rooms, Naivasha get aways or spending the weekend at the coast. All at the expense of a certain married good gentleman; a politician, top company executive or successful businessman looking for a thrill or a boost of ego.

No wait, actually you will every now and then see these “classy” girls at your local cheap bar or at chipo central but they will be in perks and with one mission…”chokoza”. You will recognize the word as a title for quite a popular song by two quite talented and quite reputable ladies…I hope. Well not the talent part because their musical prowess is not in question. About reputable the reputable part… the internet is an ugly place with underwear pictures, pictures suggesting lesbianism and whatnot. 

Am diverging again…where was I?  Oh yes…”chokoza.”

Chokoza is a swahili term for tease or ramble (forgive my translation).  And the popular song is about just that…teasing. Good looking ladies come to a club, stun the male folk with their long legs and dancing techniques, extract a few drinks from them and then scatter before returning any favor so to speak. 

So when you see these classy girls at your local bar or at chipo central, make no mistake. They are not there to be chipod by you. They are there merely to assure themselves of their beauty, dance a little, flirt, chokoza a few college kids spending their weekly pocket money, and scamper leaving their chokozwad lot with fake phone numbers and the scent of expensive cologne. The chokozwad lot will then follow the girls outside in a gesture of a good gentleman-ship or watch them from the balcony of chipo central only to  see them picked up in a an expensive tinted European car. They are off for the night to an expensive apartment in the leafy suburbs or to a private party at an off the radar private club. To be seen again on Monday in class or library corridors.

Sigh…I don’t mean to be judgmental after all we are all in search of the good life whether you are paying for it yourself or exchanging it for sex with someone’s successful husband. And I am sure some of these ‘classy’ girls have very good reasons for their actions. Some are from very poor families and can barely afford pink smart phones and fake designer handbags. These are very essential things for a young lady in college and it’s not like there are any women in the world who have overcome difficulties and poverty to become great without the help of a rich older man. 

With all due respect to the late Mercy Keino and her memory I know it is quite insensitive to use hers as an example with the investigations not complete, but I lack a better reference point. Here is what I am saying, these girls engage in quite a lucrative and financially fulfilling venture that is also quite dishonest and greedy. And just like any dishonest and greedy venture such as drug trafficking and other crimes, there are bound to be a few demises every now and then.

So when one of these classy girls is ran down by a car (or several cars) or is roughened up and killed by a rich man’s bodyguards or associates in unexplained circumstances…it is in my humble opinion a just a professional hazard. A profession they took up and have been engaging in willingly. It comes with the job. 

But what do I know? I am just a pro-teen student from a private university along Thika road. The kind who attends college parties where good old kibao and popov is served. The kind that frequents chipo central on my saved pocket money…the kind that gets chokozwad.

Rest in peace Mercy Keino and I hope the boys in white gloves and lab coats come up with a conclusive investigation into your death. And I hope those with expensive apartments and European tinted cars that are responsible for your demise are brought to book. At least for the sake of the remaining ‘classy’ girls from my private university along Thika road.