My Juvenile Muse: What you celebrate, appreciates !!

ChooChoo is one today! Yay!!! It’s been a roller coaster ride since Feb 22^nd, 2010.

I can remember that day. He came out at 5.00pm after I had been in labour since 11.00pm the night before. Yeah, this labour thing is not really well defined. I had started contracting at 11p.m and it slowly became worse till about 9a.m the next morning when I was confined. And we huffed and puffed our way through till 5.00pm.

Of course, you know that process that I’ve just abridged into three sentences was not a funny something. But, we thank the Lord, we are here today.

This child has been different in many ways.  He chose of his own free will to stop breast feeding at 3 months, began eating cereals and solids at 4 months, and  as at today chews chicken like a boss, eats pounded yam, Golden morn and Quaker oats with the voraciousness of a three year old.

This past one year, since he stopped sleeping in a bassinet at 4 months, we have never slept apart save one night when he went to the in laws.

During this year, since I had him, I have begun writing, prepared the groundwork for my business, started my post graduate and generally grown up. I have also cried a lot, been depressed a lot but I think I have become a WOMAN since having him. Refer to post HERE

Some people may think, "Why is this girl so excited about this her baby, what's so special about him sef?!

My answer is , "the extent to which you celebrate and value what is in your life, the more bigger than life it becomes! So, this child that seems like , duh, there are millions being born everyday, so kini big deal, me, I think he is very special and different from them all *shrugs shoulders and says sue me*

Today has been going well, btw, my sisters went to the day care to mark the birthday with a yummy cake from Cakes and creams and some drinks ( Their cake is heavenly )  They took pictures and all but I heard Choo was banging his head on the ground and refusing to stand still; he did remember though to smear the cake all over his face..

We are having the main bash on Saturday and I didn’t want to do anything big, but I’m already thinking along the lines of Bouncy castle....God help me!

I love my life. I love my son! I love my Lord and  I’m grateful for today for keeping my Juvenile muse and friend.



My Ynaija post: Thou shall NOT compare

Going through a friend’s album on Facebook, I had to decide on what particular brand of emotion was flooding my heart. Was it admiration, grudging admiration or downright envy? Her skin glowed, she had a Masters, a cute baby, lived in the UK, she looked very beautiful in her nice clothes and above all she looked like she had achieved all her dreams.

I know, I know, that’s a whole lot for pictures to reveal but to my eyes it looked that way. I finally decided that what I felt was admiration. Yes, just admiration! But I hope God didn’t think otherwise.

Everywhere I look now, I see young people achieving things that I am still dreaming about. Some 19 year olds have book deals, some 20 year olds are music stars, some other people are multimillion naira entrepreneurs, and some others are well; just living in America and the UK  and looking like a million dollars.

I know I‘m not the only one who does this; sitting down and thinking everyone else is getting ahead and leaving you behind. There was a time in 2006 when I felt that everybody I knew had a laptop and I swore that I would not let the next year pass by without my having one. I’ve only recently bought one and all of a sudden, I find out that my earlier preconception was so wrong!

After graduating from college in 2006, it seemed to me also that everyone I knew had gotten their Masters by 2009 and I can remember battling with self loathing and wondering thoughts along the lines of “is me be this?”

It was only when I finally decided it was time to get a Masters that I realised that it was only my subconscious exaggerating the number of my friends who had post graduate degrees.

I can go on and on about how my mind has made me feel inferior and insecure about the achievements of my peers, contemporaries and most significantly my juniors.

Scripture says in 1st Corinthians 10: 12b “….but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise”.

We have all been created by God with unique destinies. This truth has been spoken over and over but it seems we all do well with some reminders. Unique destinies, unique ethnicities, unique nationalities, unique geographical locations, unique contacts, unique families, unique challenges etc all make for a truly well rounded world.

I can remember wondering once why I was a Nigerian and not an American and then God led me to a verse in the book of Acts, Chapter 17 vs 26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.”

Wow! So even the boundaries of our habitation were appointed? But why? For a unique purpose! There’s a reason why you’re Nigerian and living in Nigeria at this time, so quit comparing.

We all want to be successful; doing well in whatever we do and scaling hurdles all the way. But if we constantly look over our shoulders, comparing ourselves with other people, the only result we’ll get is a crippling feeling of self loathing. There would always be people who seem to be getting ahead faster and it would be pretty unwise to put up yourself against a back drop of their successes. The only success that makes sense is success at being what God has called you to be. Anything else is, as they say, “On Your Own”!

There is a place for a critical appraisal of where you are at every point in time and allowing yourself be challenged by what other people have achieved but wanting to live their lives because it seems better  is a recipe for disaster and a rubbishing of what God intends to do with your own unique circumstance.

The Lord has told me, “Akan, you would just have to trust me daily to reveal my unique purpose for your life; quit looking at other people and just stay with me”. I’m staying with him, folks because it’s so much easier and less nerve wracking.

So, my Facebook friend may in fact be having the time of her life (I’m happy for that), or on the other hand, may just not have it as rosy as I think. All in all; it’s her own unique journey and I’ll do well to face mine. And while all these thoughts were going through my mind, God sends encouragement my way through another friend who says to me that I serve as a source of inspiration to her.

Hmm, so I’m succeeding at something after all!

This is some BIZARRE stuff.. Like Seriously?!

I love gist! I have loved it since I was a child. I love to listen to exaggerated stories. The more outrageous,  the better.  Which is why I love fiction; short stories, novels etc. I also love the spoken word; tales by moonlight or by fluorescent light.

I love listening to two young ladies I know. World wise 18 and 19 year olds. No pun intended. They are students of a most interesting private University in Nigeria, where the stock in trade is to assume the status of a miniature representation of a ‘perfect’ society.

About a month ago, I heard that one of their school mates and a family friend of ours was shot to death by armed robbers when she left  school for a party; without an exeat if I might add. Yes, you need an exeat to leave College!

We were very sad and angry at what sort of people these ‘robbers’ were. Until last week!

And here’s the gist. She was not killed by robbers but by assassins sent after her by a fellow student she had offended. Not bizarre enough? Please stay with me....

This deceased girl; we’ll call her Zizi, had previously offended this murderer ; we’ll call her Mimi. Mimi had for all these months nursed her hate in her heart and had been known to have said something along the lines of “I’ll show you” with that unique snapping of the fingers, roughing of the neck, narrowing of the eyes and the proper degree of evil in them eyes. Mimi is known by all the other students as a weird young lady who says “You know I don’t forgive!” To make it worse, she had been using Zizi’s name as a password on all her accounts. Laptop, Facebook, Twitter etc probably as a reminder of what she was about to do.

Mimi now thought the time had come to ‘show’ herself and proceeded to invite Zizi for a party in Lagos. On getting there, after a few stops at other joints, Zizi was shot to death beyond recognition by armed boys along with an unfortunate friend who tagged along. And it doesn’t stop there...

After some extreme twist of fate, phone conversations between Mimi and the assassins were traced and Mimi; seeing that the game was up attempted to commit suicide in the school clinic. Don’t ask me the details; I’m not sure it was slashing of the wrist though (that is sooo white!)

Mimi has since been taken to jail and is awaiting some sort of trial. Mimi is not up to 20 of course.

And there my friends is my gist ... Sounds like fiction, right?

This is a school in Nigeria oh, not America.

I am sad. I lost a young friend. But I am afraid. The world is changing. Nigeria is changing. Young people are attempting suicide. Young people are sending assassins after others and killing them  because they are offended and they don’t like to forgive. And of course I've told my two friends, "Be careful oh, try not to offend anybody!" :D

As an aside, the single story of African literature must change. We do not only wear goatskins and climb Iroko trees to pluck rotten fruit and tap wine off palm trees or trek three miles to school (It’s always three miles, never four, never two), but we are using Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry  and sending text messages to killers to finish off our friends. We need to reflect that in our prose and poetry.

I may just be first! But back to the issue, I’m still very sad... I lost a young friend.

The Perfect Church: How Perfect?

I do not watch movies very often and so it was a bit strange that after my best friend and I had walked the length and breadth of the Palms shopping mall, and treated ourselves to plates of steaming Nandos rice and chicken, our minds would race at the anticipation of watching a good flick at the Genesis Deluxe cinemas.

Tottering under the weight of extra large popcorn  and soda which I really should stop drinking, we went up to the ticketing counter.

The choice was between the Perfect Church and the Tourist; and after minutes of deliberating on the need to encourage Nollywood and its new marriage with cinema houses, we exchanged our precious one thousand five hundred naira for tickets for the Perfect Church.

The Perfect Church is a story about a group of people whose lives are interwoven in certain ways. There is Ramsey Nouah who is the pastor of a large, successful church, Funmi Akindele (Jenifa) who is a lead chorister in the church but who also sleeps with Senators and big men, Ngozi Ezeonu and Hakeem Rahman;  a couple in the church who are potrayed as perfect but have skeletons in their cupboards, Yinka Olukunga ; a church member who is attracted to the Pastor and wants to marry him and Olu Jacobs, a bishop in the region who brings a message of mercy and deliverance to the church.

The movie starts off with a scene of a singing session in the church led by Funmi Akindele. During this scene, it is pretty obvious that she is miming the song and it doesn’t really seem natural.

The producers thereafter go on to introduce the going ons in the characters' lives.

Funke Akindele is shown in a hotel room with her senator lover; Yinka Olukunga is shown 'toasting' the Pastor; Hakeem Rahman is shown insulting his wife at home while the woman, Ngozi Ezeonu flashes back to her past and it is shown that she was formerly married to Norbert Young and that they had children together. Norbert had been indiscrete and abandoned her and that’s why she ended up with Rahman. So..AHA!! she wasn’t  really married Rahman and was just a live in lover with children for him.

The Perfect Church explores the themes of the pseudo spirituality that goes on in the lives of many people, the sexual identity struggle as evidenced by the internal musings Ramsey, the Pastor keeps having about his homosexuality, the struggles families face when exposed to infidelity and the holier than thou attitude church goers have that makes them too quick to cast the first stone at sinners.

Throughout some of the scenes in the movie, the poor picture and sound quality are apparent especially in the choir singing scenes where the solo singers always sound like they are screeching.

The movie progresses when the Bishop, Olu Jacobs comes to visit and brings the church the message of deliverance and maercy and after many things have happened to these people  along the course of their lives , they eventually realize that they are not perfect after all.

First of all, I believe Ebi Akpeti, the writer of the story may have done a good job with the narration of her story; the drama, conflict and the resolution were all apparent from the film, but I’m afraid Wale Adenuga Productions did not do a poor job of adapting it to film.

The picture quality was dismal to say the least; Funmi Akindele, the choir leader in this movie acted in a red blouse for some of the scenes, and the poor camera used distorted the color such that it became a blurry cross between tomato red and Tasty Time red.

The use of unnecessary flashbacks often proceeded by a deafening piano key thump just about drove me crazy. As a fiction writer, we are told to avoid the unnecessary use of flash backs and to rather work at incorporating the back story into the ongoing action to prevent a dissipation of built up action.

The Perfect Church defied all such admonitions and instead went on to flash back to almost everything that happened in the past to Ngozi Ezeonu's past and her former marriage to Norbert Young, Akeem Rahman and his former marriage which he hid from his new wife Ngozi.

Yet another problem with this movie is its cursory treatment of such important themes like homosexuality and the grace and forgiveness of God. I do understand that the producer thinks homosexuality is a sin, therefore the need to show Ramsey Nouah commiting suicide after having been found out, but I don’t think that the scene could have affected anybody who is a homosexual except to cause a further hardening of the heart.  

Some highlights of the film may be the stellar acting of the actors especially Olu Jacobs, Funmi Akindele and Ramsey; the dialogue also was quite good and real. Hakeem Rahman’s first wife introduced some Yoruba adage in a scene when she was cursing him and this added to the local flavor of the movie.

When I brought out my palm top halfway through the movie and proceeded to chat on Facebook, I decided then that something must either be terribly wrong with a girl who refuses to milk her one thousand five hundred naira dry or something was fundamentally wrong with ‘The Perfect Church’.

There was a chance to make a real, intelligent impact here, but I’m afraid the producers failed. I would only recommend this film to others so that they can confirm if I am exaggerating my cynicism or just telling the bitter truth.

The Power of Persistence: Hosni Mubarak Resigns

When Pharoah of Eqypt held the Israelites captive for forty years, he didn't envisage that

centuries down the line his own people would be held down by one of their own; Hosni

Mubarak.

But history has been made today as he resigns from office this afternoon. 11th February 2011

would be indelible in our memories as the day a tyrant bowed to the power of the people.

Today, we are all Egyptians. Let the corrupt tyrants in Nigeria beware. There is indeed power

to the people and no, I'm not talking about PDP!!

Take that Leap NOW!!

I spent the later part of my teens exploring singing as a talent. When I graduated from high school, I joined a Christian youth choir and slowly began to build my skills. I soon went to College and joined a fellowship choir in Year 3 and slowly moved up to become choir head. I didn't have the best voice. No! But, I guess I was just good at organising and leading. I eventually joined a Christian interdenominational choir that organised concerts yearly and was chosen to lead solos during three concerts before I graduated.

Suffice it to say, I thought I would eventually chose singing as an alternate career. And any church I've been a part of since then, I've joined the choir there too.

I only started serious writing in October 2010, but I can say that more than singing, I do derive greater pleasure from writing. Oh! I still enjoy music and singing, of course, but I would have continued my life's journey without ever exploring writing. What a shame that would have been, I hear you say!

There is such a thing as multiple competencies, I know, but there is wisdom in choosing to pursue that interest where you have the greatest talent and derive the greatest joy from.

I once read an interview of Jide Alakija, a fantastic photographer, and sought to check out his WEBSITE and I was suprised to read that five years back, he only just had a passing interest in photography. If you know the kind of work this guy does now and how important he is in Nigeria's photography scene, then you would understand the danger of not answering those silent nudges you often feel.

Tolu Ogunlesi, my good friend and professional colleague, oh well, he is still a pharmacist, only that he is known all over the world as a writer is another example. He once said that all he loves to do is write and  is happy not to be multitalented. He simply pursued his dream and is loving it.

I read Danfo Chronicles on 234Next.com and was pleasantly suprised to find out that it is our own Olu Jacob that writes it. You need to read  100 Percent Increase and Deadlier than a male ! I said on Facebook that if you don't feel like laughing and crying at the same time after reading these pieces, then call me Berry FeistyPen! Lol!!

My point is that Olu Jacob is living his dream; acting and writing and I can't be any more impressed!

We know of a lot of people who were on one path and suddenly discovered they could do something well and have begun doing it and experiencing the greatest fulfillment, that they could ever imagine.

Please, please, follow your dream! It may be tough in the beginning, but continue slowly but surely and I guarantee you that the end would be one you would never have imagined. I'm not saying you should quit your day job immediately, I still practise as a pharmacist, but slowly begin to learn your craft and seek to better yourself. You'll know just when to face it sqaurely.

There! I feel like virtue has gone out of me... but I'm glad I got this out.. Enjoy yourselves folks and leave your comments about.
1.Other people you know who were on a certain path and suddenly discovered their talents and began pursuing it and are having the time of their lives.

2. The challenges you face in living out your dreams!

3. Your bizarrest dreams.( like being Nigeria's first real television animation star! Lol..not bizarre enough?)

My Ynaija Post: My Mess, My Growth

I do not like stress or anything that poses a threat to the equilibrium in my world. Just like every human being, I do everything within my power to restore balance as fast as I can. I particularly hate being broke; and it has proved time and time again to be one of my most dreaded inconveniences. “I know both how to abound, and how to abase, ” Paul says in Phil 4: 12; but I must confess that I’m still learning to appreciate the merits of abasement.

I would not be who I am today without all the troubles that have plagued me since my life began. I’m sure you have heard stars and great men say this in interviews, when they are asked the secret to their greatness.

It’s no news that challenges lead us to growth and troubles inspire greatness. Throughout last week, a particular verse of Scripture was going through my mind;  “And let patience have her perfect  work, that you may be perfect and entire lacking nothing” ( James 1: 4).

The Lord has been saying, “In your bid to cut short the life span of your challenges and to extract an instant wave-of- a-magical-wand above all your troubles, you will miss out on what I am trying to achieve by all of it.

“You’re trying to achieve something, Lord?

“Of course, he says, can’t you see how different your life is from when you began ‘going through’”.

“Hmmmm”, I respond.

Yes, we talk that way, my Lord and I. You should try it; therapeutic to say the least.

Every young person deals with various issues at different points. If we are not trying to gain admission into college, we are trying to graduate or dealing with the incessant exams. Or we’re dealing with relationships or marriages, struggling to overcome the pressure of our peers while trying to project the emerging identity of our true selves.

I am going through my own crises; essentially a crises of identity and refusing to accept the labels of the world and instead accepting the name that the Lord has given me; Hepzibah which means Delighted.

It is a crucial time for us; our youth – a time to establish foundations and utilize the debris, the stones, the rough gravel, the gritty sand to build a sturdy and stable future.

In the interim it will be tough, I know. I’m ‘going through’, remember? But I know the end is a fully formed individual – bold, sure, wise, impactful and above all living the destiny for which she was made.

Embrace your struggles, for in them lie the potential for greatness.

Here’s a fledging attempt at poetry. I hope you will be blessed:

Lo, behold a magnificent building

Where, where, I see it not

Here, here, right before your eyes

Where, where, I see it not

Lo, behold a magnificent building

Where, where, I see it not

All I see is gravel; broken and jagged

All I see is stones; big and small

Lo, behold a magnificent building

Where, where, I see it not

All I see is cement, grey and unassuming

All I see is sand, dry and gritty

Lo, behold a magnificent building

Where, where I see it not

All I see is water, tepid and colourless

All I see is a builder in the shadow of the son of man

Lo, behold a magnificent building

Where, where I see it not

Come back on the morrow

For your eyes may be clear just then

Lo, behold a magnificent building

I see, I see, a magnificent building

But I see no gravel or stones

No cement, or sand, or water

Lo, behold a magnificent building

‘Twas all of those that made the building

For that is the stuff of which magnificent buildings are made

A broken, ugly mess of raw materials.

Photo credits: http://www.ynaija.com/

My 234Next Article: What EXACTLY is your Colour?

I am a retail pharmacist and I have been for four years. That means that I get to see tens of clients everyday who want to receive medication for simple and sometimes not so simple ailments. 

I attend daily to the traffic induced headaches, children with runny noses and the never ending cough, men with requests for  instant libido enhancers. I enjoy my job. My clients serve as pleasant diversions to an otherwise tedious profession. Which is why I am tired of entertaining requests for creams that help maintain ‘my colour’.

What exactly is your colour? I once worked with a colleague who blurted out the not too discerning question to an elite client once. On being asked by this Remy hair wearing, bejewelled, Jimmy Choo bag carrying lady of fourty something years for a cream to help maintain her colour, my colleague did a quick once over of the lady and spotting the greenish yellow patch on her feet, the charcoal black spots on her knuckles and the Miranda orange peeking out from the mask of very fair MAC powder on her face and  just had to ask, “Which one, Ma?” Thankfully, the boss was not in earshot and the client had the grace to grin; batting her eyelids coquettishly.

What is it that you want? A total transformation from a Jonathan Goodluck shade to a Pat Utomi hue? I shudder to think! Although I’ve seen  a few people who have embarked on that journey and are now spending the remainder of their lives trying to avoid being found out through suspicious looking  potions that are surreptitiously transferred from Jimmy Choo bag to Blvgari bag and stern instructions to “carry am go fridge sharp sharp!”

We were born into this world with different melanin quotas;  God held back with the dose for some  but was overly  generous for the others. Now, why do you think that the fair colour is a better option for you? I‘ve heard a few answers to that question. The first being that men find fair ladies more attractive and that among a sea of suspects, detectives are more likely to believe a fair person. Now, now, let’s look at this critically. So you think your skin colour is your most marketable asset (not that I think we should market anything) that it has to be completely changed.  That  you have nothing else to bring to the table that the guy is just supposed to look at your splash of colours and think that this is the woman for me?   In the case of being a suspect;  now that’s a laugh,  are you planning to be bomb anywhere? If you aren’t , why should it matter if you’re fair or dark?

We’ve heard it countless times;  hydroquinone and all such mercury containing compounds increase the risk of skin cancer. Ok, something must kill someone, but isn’t it a bit unfair for people to lose you to skin cancer brought on by the use of unsafe products?  You haven’t heard that before? You want to be first?

Ok, ok, I’m being a bit too hard, but the thing pains me. Beautiful ladies with skin the colour that God gave them reducing themselves to objects of ridicule; their lives spent pursuing after the latest potions someone has cooked up, and I even heard those things are not cheap. There is a way out though, assuming you think like me that is. I am dark skinned, as in I use MAC NW50. Now that is dark I hear you say. Wetin person fit do?

When I am stressed out, I  do feel sometimes that my colour is a bit dull and  looks very ashy and pale. But I don’t try to become yellow;  I simply use  exfoliating scrubs and  face creams with alpha and beta hydroxyl  acids which are anti oxidants that keep your skin healthy. Vitamin C, lemon, oatmeal, granulated sugar are all homemade remedies that could be used to brighten the face. I also use sunscreens with an SPF of over 30 containing soy complex and natural light diffusers. What this does is brighten and cause light to reflect off my face, giving me a healthy, luminous  glow.  But when I tell clients that you don’t need any cream, that all you need is to slough off those dead skin cells to reveal your brightened hue, they just look at me like I’m crazy and go, eh, “let me first get my colour back!”

To talk more about the health hazards of these potions may be overly dramatic, but I know what I have seen in the way of a cream job gone bad; it’s a sorry sight and more often than not there’s no going back. You are beautiful just as you are,  abeg!  You no see Naomi Campbell?

This article was published on 234Next on the 29th of January in their Elan section. Photo credits : 234Next

Wow!! Chinedu (The Debater 2010) is on FeistyPen!! He has Jos on his mind!

Chinedu Chidi won the oratory competition (Debaters 2010) organised by the Inspire Africa Project founded by the hit TV Talk show host Mo Abudu. He loves the great work !FeistyPen! is doing and agreed to lend his voice to the disheartening trend of killings in Jos and other parts of the country. Read what Chinedu has to say.

IN DEFENCE OF THE TRUTH; FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY

These are desperate times in our collective existence. I dare say that the disturbing happenings in our polity readily reveal that Nigeria is experiencing a crisis of security occasioned not only by a crisis of political identity but also a crisis of human identity and the burden of social contradictions.

 The misdirecting force of a brand of religious loyalty at variance with the cardinal principles of the natural order, the inordinate quest for material ascendancy and the volatility of the primordial lust for monopoly with a flagrant distaste for orderly competition have all combined to put the country in this state of emergency. Simply put Nigeria typifies a unit strained by the consequent violence of moral crisis.

The pogrom from ethno-religious conflicts and the spate of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, violent robbery and ritual killings all amplify age-long notable questions about the nature of our being. Is Nigeria a nation or merely a state of contending nations?

Have the majority of Nigerians shown sufficient dissatisfaction having historically been denied their natural right to equity and the legitimate gains of citizenship by a small but adventurous class conquered by the dark lusts of their lower nature?

Considering Nigeria's widespread decrepitude and startling rot, isn't Nigeria in a state of development emergency? In the light of Nigeria's chequered history marked by bad leadership, shouldn't the collective pursuit of radically ingenious and principled leadership be embraced as non-negotiable?

Discrepancy between our religion and the practice of it

Does the crisis of religious intolerance not spite our reputation of a devout nation and reveal the striking contrast between our practice and the true essence of religion which is the moral regulation of man's fallen nature for higher existence, with the consequence of tranquil and prosperous social order? Doesn't our culpability in varying degrees of lawlessness show our growing amenability to both latent and potent nihilism?

Heightened social consciousness

My contemplations on the realities of Nigeria have heightened my consciousness of our true nature and defined my perspective of the direction of our country, challenging my prior conceptions rooted in a false sense of reality born out of the desperate cling on the soothing appeal of imaginary safety. What solemn reflection has taught me is that to live in denial of reality is to shed the empowerment from a cardinal possession of higher humanity--reason--and the extended awareness of the potential for significant intervention.

The surest trajectory to social balance begins with social awareness. As we reflect on the crises of our dear country, let us remember that our society bears the marks of our existence. We collectively define our country by our actions and inactions. We must hold dear the truth that we will not only be judged by history but by the light of conscience, the mold of society and irrepressible wind of providence!

The wrongful use of sectional identities

As the vengeful killings continue in Jos and Borno, I continue to mourn. I believe that at the root of this crisis is the failure to define others by our common and supreme identity--HUMANITY. Ethno-religious, political, cultural and sectional shades are secondary identities and they have immense potential for either good or evil.

Taken as the core of human definition, they possess great volatility, but under the light of conscience and the compass of reason, they lose their dark potential and occupy their rightful place as subordinates to humanity.

True Peace arises from an ordered mind

Despite heavy security presence, the crisis continues in Jos. This is because the crisis originates from a faulty internal reality. External order may be restored,  but ultimately the crisis will be RESOLVED not by the interventive  instruments of state. For true peace cannot be enforced; it only arises from the order of the mind drawn from the stability of conscience! The solution therefore lies in capitulating to our higher humanity.

The highest proof of humanity is to see one's priceless being in others!

Hook up with Chinedu on Facebook HERE and also find out about the The Debaters HERE

Should it be BLOOD for BLOOD?

I love ChooChoo so much. I love him because he is my seed and the fruit of my womb. I would still love him if he belonged to someone else, but you see this LOVE I have for him is different: he is my SON.

By the power of God, I would train to fear and love God. I hope and pray that he would appropriate the training and grow up in fact to love and fear God. It would make me very happy.

I hope he never kills anyone, whether the person asked for it through their actions or not.

A young boy in Pennsylvania has been convicted of the murder of his father’s pregnant fiancée who he shot through the back of her head when she was sleeping. He has been in court recently appealing the decision of the US courts to try him as an adult which could land him a life sentence without the opportunity of parole.

Human Rights Groups including Amnesty and the Sentencing Project have decried the decision of the courts and are actively fighting it.

The decision has divided two parents; the parent of the boy killer and the parent of the killed fiancée. The boy’s father is protesting his innocence and says he has no idea what could await him.

"Try to explain to a 12-year-old what the rest of your life means. It's incomprehensible for him, he was quoted as saying in an interview with ABC last year.

The deceased mother on the other hand, understandably distraught about the gruesome murder of her 'baby' and grand baby is pushing for maximum sentence for the boy.

"I can't stand this 'Oh, he's 11,' 'Oh, his clothes don't fit him,'"she told the Pittsburg Review soon after her daughter's death. "He knew what he was doing. He killed my baby."

I READ this whole thing with a lot of heaviness in my heart and pondered on what could have pushed an 11 year old to pump a bullet/bullets in someone’s head. 

Could he have felt threatened by his father’s fiancée. Could he have hated the way his father’s attention was turned away from him?  

Now: the main bone of contention. Should he be tried as an adult? Is the deceased’s mother a DEVIL for pushing for that? Who is the real devil here? 
 

The final questions; Should it be BLOOD for BLOOD? Is a parent justified in demanding justice for the death of her own? Is another parent selfish in seeking to preserve his child’s life after another’s has been lost and that at the hand of his child?

Questions, questions, questions!

Let’s discuss, people. It’s time to remind ourselves of what we already know and file it away appropriately in our minds for use when occasions demand. But I reject, “ChooChoo, when you grow up, you would not kill anybody in the mighty name of JESUS!

Photo credits: http://www.guardian.co.uk/