The Message of the Mehndi

The floral-like, intricate traditional designs upon these hands are only done justice through the struggles of its making. There are the processes of wrapping aluminum foil around your hands and feet, adding lemon onto your drying hands, or even just allowing the green cracks to diminish onto your carpet or hardwood floors, making a mess

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Yes!! I knew it – Abraham Lincoln was wrong! 

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” I strongly disagree. Nearly all men can stand adversity and power is not a test of a man’s character. A middle-aged man working as a janitor in a bank was approached and asked to make some alterations in a document and afterwards,

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Books are like that

The dawn of humanity saw early man wander the realms of earth in search of food, water, shelter and a mate. As he kept walking in his quest he met new people. He told them about his journey, shared his experience in the wild, and they exchanged techniques to survive. They discussed what worked and

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Let your words reflect your true self

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And more important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” These words of Steve Jobs; a prodigious man in the field of technology, are indeed so relevant as we explore the wonders of the 21st century. The lofty ideals of

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The Role of Education is to Broaden Our Minds

A popular Tibetan Proverb goes… ‘A child without education is like a bird without wings’. Many people view this as cliché, but we all know how true this is. Perhaps, the question that begs answers is: “Can it really be possible for us to fly”? This question was posed many years ago by Daedalus in

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The X Factor

The classroom observes in horror as their instructor approaches the board with knowing haughtiness and scribbles hurriedly. He then turns quickly to face his abject audience who awaits explanation in baffled dread as they realize that numbers, concrete and predictable, have been replaced by letters, previously the concern of a far removed subject. “How can

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Snake Wine and Sheep Guts, A Normal Night Out?

The French philosopher Albert Camus is credited with the quote; “Nobody realises that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal”. But what does it mean to be normal? Well that depends on a variety of factors like: where you are, who are with and what you are doing. For example, if I told

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‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power

Indeed, the truth in the statement above cannot be denied. I totally agree with it. Before presenting my points, however, I would want to explain three key words in the topic: ‘adversity’, ‘character’ and ‘power’, for better understanding. The Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary defines ‘adversity’ as a state of misfortune or calamity. It also defines

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Towards Whole: A New Kind of Education

“What are books but folly, and what is an education but an arrant hypocrisy, and what is art but a curse, when they touch not the heart and impel it not to action” – Louis Sullivan The day was Saturday, August 2, 1997,  the Nigerian nation wore a gloomy mood. People talked in hushed tones, crowds were

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Normality and the need to conform

The dictionary definition of normality is the opposite of deviant, eccentric and unusual behaviour but “normalcy” differs from person to person, but I think the general meaning is “to be like everyone else.”  Anything or anyone that doesn’t fit their views are thought of as “abnormal”. Psychology uses the term “norm” to refer to a

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ACHIEVING DREAMS

I suppose we have all had dreams. The beauty of being human is the diversity. We all have different goals, different passions, and different aspirations. But how far are you willing to go to achieve your goals? Do you always push forth despite the stumbles you encounter? Are you always determined to accomplish your passions

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www.thinkforyourselves.com

17th September 2017 I’m still very unsure on what I have to write for my English assignment which is due next week. Hold on! Isn’t it the 17th today? This means that my assignment is due TOMORROW! OH NO! This can’t be happening to me. If I don’t turn this in tomorrow, my grades will

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Regarding Education

Why do we keep students in school for twelve, well, sixteen years for grad students, and still cover the same things? “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,” the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, Shakespeare is the greatest thing to have been on the face of the Earth, Columbus sailed the ocean

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A Presidency: Character and Power

Abraham “Abe” Lincoln once said that “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” And while I would caution against the potential implications of testing people’s character by giving them power, being that it could result in far-from-desirable consequences, the sixteenth US president does speak

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Lincoln never said that

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Abraham Lincoln. Do you agree? First things first. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, never stated that adversity was an inadequate measure of a man’s character. It was his post-mortem biographer, Horatio Alger

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Normality is a trap and popularity is the bate

What is normal? The definition of normal changes with every culture. It can even change from street to street. One street may leave their outside lights on all night while the other turns theirs off, both streets believe what they are doing to be normal. Normal is a term used to define the usual, the

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The Boon & Bane of Normality

All of life is comfort, either sought after, hoarded, or sacrificed in the presence of challenges. As children, we saw the world through unadulterated eyes, and therefore, responded to it in a way only befitting to ourselves. Our minds sparked instinctual reactions which shaped our individualities, the details which separate us from others, the differences

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Real learning: what broadened minds mean for the world

“The reason so many people grow up to look for a job is that the economy has needed people who would grow up to look for a job. Jobs were invented before workers were invented.” -Seth Godin I was 23, done with schooling, when I started to take interest in writing again. Because I chose

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