Monthly Archives: November 2014

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Linking World Struggles to Power Gluttony

Recently, I attended a group discussion at which, Why is there pain in the world? was the subject of conversation. I did lend my voice to the discussions that were going on, and my answer to the question was that most of the pain in this world emanates from – an extreme desire to dominate.

I will explain further, as I did during that group discussion …

A lot of pain that people have experienced in the past, the ones that people are experiencing now and the ones that are a result of past vices can be traced to an extreme desire to dominate. The desire by a person or a group of people to be better than the other, always at the top. Evidence of such desire shows up when we think of colonization, racism and corruption.

Colonization, though this may not seem like the case, twisted cultures. I am Nigerian and my ancestors, for example, were persuaded to leave their own religion for Christianity and some people’s ancestors took on Islam. This is evidence of absolute domination. People were so much influenced that they left their religious practices with trust that the colonizers knew better. I love my religion – Christianity, but when I think of how it was acquired long ago in my country, I feel a little upset. English language became the norm of the day. Do note that several languages are spoken in Nigeria, but English became Nigeria’s lingua franca. The English language through Western supremacy, has dominated the world so much that if you are not from and in a French-speaking country, you are disadvantaged in many parts of the world.

At the root of racism is White supremacy – a desire to be the dominating race. For this cause, people have been lynched, and many degraded and not treated as human beings. Racism may not be as overt as it was a while ago, but it is still engrained in many Western societies. It has spread across several diasporas. It is not just a White to Black thing anymore, it could be a Black to White, Hispanic to Persian thing these days.

I find it hard to decipher why there are leaders in this world who continue to enrich themselves illegally at the expense of the poor. Leaders who are oblivious to the sufferings of others and want to benefit themselves, their family members and friends, irrespective of the condition of others. The cycles of corruption continue to keep generations on the margins.

We need to put a stop to the vices of the past and end those of the present because vices tend to be passed on to future generations. The random killing of black youths by police in America can be traced to a filthy history of segregation and stereotyping in that nation.

This is a summary of my contribution to that group discussion.

All sorts of extreme desire to dominate continuously rob people of the bond that we all have in common – the human bond. Our humanity becomes numb and we can care less about the other person. However, for peace to reign, we must have self-control and we must remember to be human because it is a good thing to be human in soul.

In the words of the Late Jimi Hendrix, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka.

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Openness and All That Good Stuff It Brings

Different people can interprete the word – openness in different ways and so, we can act on it in different ways. However, there are two aspects of openness from which people are likely to come to a consensus:

– loving more

– embracing our talents

The decision to become open to love comes with a desire to check your behaviours, your beliefs (e.g are there some hurtful stereotypes that you hold?) and a desire to be true to you. An openness to love requires that you become unselfish and share in others’ joy and that you be there to see them through hard times. You want to possess virtues that will attract the right friends and people into your life. With good relationships, come support and new learning experiences. It is true that the right people do not always come to good people, but when you have decided to be true to you, you know what you want in relationships and you can be selective and choose who you want to have in your life.

Most parts of the world are getting more and more open to love – we are learning about other cultures, and the belief in equality is now common across several nations. Openness has awesome benefits:)

Let us look at ‘being true to you’ from another openness perspective …

Openness means that you are true to you – that you are embracing every aspect of you. I believe that talent is innate in everyone and you just have to tap into it, in order to benefit. Be open to using your talents. Continually search for opportunities in which you could apply them and never deny that you have a particular talent (you never know what opportunities for success you are losing by doing that). Embrace your talents.

This second aspect of openness also requires that you be willing to accept change – this may require that you stop doing things in a particular way or that you improve on those things that you are already doing. In a constantly developing world, you must be willing to embrace change because innovations are being made at such a fast pace and one has to keep up:)

It is important to work on being open, that is – loving more, learning more and attracting opportunities for growth and success.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka.

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Drawing The Line Between Social Justice Advocacy and Extremism

In this world, there is so much injustice. It is saddening and it is sickening. There is that temptation to hate, to  generalize and there may be the temptation to go against your morals. However, for true change to occur in this world, hate is not an option. Social justice is about being open and working towards building a world of peace. To make our world a better place, we all need to work together. You cannot liberate some and hate some. There is a point where social justice advocacy may be escalated to extremism. I noticed this earlier in the week, on one of my social media networks.

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There was a post written by one of my connections on a social media network (let’s call this person Sonia). Sonia is Black and she tends to write posts on the marginalization of Blacks and sometimes, Natives. She also writes on White supremacy. This particular post was chastising White people and to me, it was completely unnecessary. When I first saw it, I thought to myself – this is just wrong. However, i was used to Sonia posting similar things against White people, so I just skipped it.

Later on, I went back to the post and looked at the comments and there was someone who expressed discomfort with Sonia’s post. What was Sonia’s response? She insulted this person and the racial group (Caucasian) that this person seemed to belong to. I was shocked. People in her network joined her to shame that person. Sonia usually posts on white supremacy. Some of her posts I agree with, some I find racist. I have looked at past posts of Sonia and how she encourages violence in the name of being on the side of the oppressed. As someone who is very passionate about Human Rights and race relations, Sonia’s posts were an eye opener. A reminder that extremism can easily set in.

It was scary to observe the prejudice that Sonia holds and maybe what is even more scary is the fact that she has people in her network who give her support when she writes offensive posts. This is how extremism escalates, this is how violence is born. This is why I will soon be cutting Sonia out of my network.

There is hate and evil in this world, but we need the opposite of those vices to make our world a better and a more peaceful place. We need to love with an open heart. Again, we cannot liberate some and hate some. Extremist views do not help anyone. They do not align with equality and peace. So, Sonia needs to re-define the mission of her advocacy. Her posts certainly made me reflect on mine and I came to the conclusion that we are not in the same kind of social justice movement. There is a constant cycle of injustice in our world. It is easy to get bitter, to hold prejudice, to generalize (I have been there), but when those feelings come, re-visit your mission – keeping in mind that only love, unity and peace can truly change the world.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka.

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Who At This Time, Can Boast of Being Free?

Too often, we talk about fighting for the freedom of others, we talk about the people who are not free. But, who are the unfree? Perhaps, we could say – the poor, victims of war, people stricken by a chronic illness, victims of human trafficking, the marginalized racial groups in Western societies; the list goes on. While most of the people who fall into those categories are obviously oppressed, there is something about the usual addressing of the so-called unfree, that seems a little odd. It is possible that because I see myself, we see ourselves – as the empowered, the ones who live in a just society – we do not consider ourselves unfree, as well.

We live in a world that is stricken by injustice, corruption and fear. Victims of war exist in parts of the Middle East; racial prejudice continues to maintain popularity in the United States; Aboriginals for numerous decades have had the poorest standard of living than any other ethnic group in Canada; in April of 2014, over 200 schoolgirls where abducted by an Islamic extremist group (Boko Haram) in Nigeria. These examples encompass only a tip of the iceberg. Victims of such vicious actions were not born unfree, they are people whose fellow people chose to keep in bondage. So, when we categorize people from certain societies, racial groups and gender groups e.t.c, as captives of a sort, there is a problem. The issue is that we forget that all of us are unfree, at the moment.

We are.

We live in a world were black protesters in Ferguson are wearing shirts and carrying signs that read – stop killing us. They are urging not just law enforcement agents but also human beings to have some kindness. When we see such things, surely there must be a lump that goes down our throat. They are urging their fellow human being to love his/her brother/sister. Who is really free when kindness of humanity seems to not be innate? How about hearing that Aboriginal women in Canada continue to be prone to murder – don’t we still wonder where humanity lies in humans and also, who is really free? In fact, the phrase “Missing and murdered Aboriginal women” is a very common one in Canada. In October 2014, some Aboriginal families were dredging the Red River of Winnipeg in search of the bodies of missing relatives. If this happens in a world where the so-called privileged live, we are forced to reflect on the question – who is free? When over 200 girls are abducted from their school, taken away from their families and a bright future, by an extremist group whose name translates to “Western education is sin”, surely, some of us must wonder how innate kindness in humans really is.

The effects of globalization, mainly technological developments, continue to keep citizens of the world informed about vices going on in their society and in different communities of the world. The effects of this ease of information transmission presumably encourage people who are bold enough to advocate for the rights of their fellow humans, to step up and lend their voice. The solidarity being shown by protests in different parts of the world not only gives me faith that humanity still exists in some, it also brings hope that truly, the world can become a better place.

The oppressor (could be an employer, the government, the government executive/bureaucratic executive, a law enforcement agency, a militant group e.t.c.) whether he or she or they, know(s) it or not is unfree. It may not be acknowledged or seen, but the oppressor that puts another in bondage is also enslaved. The oppressor experiences an emotional slavery. The oppressor continues to seek ways to punish, does not learn from past mistakes, continually wishes to dominate, always grips to certain ideologies that create vices. The oppressor is not free. The oppressor is constantly driven in motion by negativity and this causes internal unrest. The oppressor also lives under constant attack (usually verbal) from protesters, governments and organizations that do not support injustice. How can you be free, when you are driven by poisonous emotions and ideals? Is not an enjoyable life one that is lived in peace and love?

Some of us may feel that the an occurrence is “not my issue”, so we do not react, though we may feel empathy for those that are directly and obviously affected. However, we are ALL un-free beings till everyone in this world is free from prejudice (ethnic, racial, gender, class, national origin), senseless violence and other injustices that are tormenting citizens of this world. We are not liberated till our brothers and sisters are free. We are not free because the vices inflicted on our brothers and sisters from the same or a different society, by fellow human beings can also come upon us. The oppressor is also not free but enslaved to wickedness and is constantly pestered by those that do not tolerate the violation of human rights. So, we all covet to be free one way or the other and we can make that change by working together to create more loving and peaceful societies.

In the words of the late Canadian politician, Jack Layton, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world”.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka

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Trick and Treat: Creativity Encompasses Both

Yesterday was Halloween and although I did not join in the celebrations, I had a good time looking at pictures of people who were celebrating. I was in awe of the creativity that people put into making outfits for the occasion. Most of the people that I saw celebrating (in pictures) went the extra mile with very creative, adorable outfits. It struck me again that there is something really special about going the extra mile, exploring your thoughts and skills and creating something out of them  – you end up sweeping people off of their feet. You know, like the way I felt when I had a glimpse at some outfits.

You do not have to create something out of every idea or skill that you have, but it is advisable  that you explore that skill or that idea that you just cannot get rid of, and create something out of it. Sometimes, there may be more than one skill or idea which you like and/or that you have been stuck with for a while, but start with very few of them – like 2 or 3. Do not overload your schedule. Start gradually; create and start testing your new creation out, stay focused, be patient (remember, Rome was not built in a day). Never fail to explore your creativity, definitely not when it is calling on you and holding on to you.

Why not just join someone who has already created on something that I like? Or Why not follow the simpler route?

It is amazing to work with others – we learn a lot and get to meet new people. Also, group work tends to yield great results. So, working with others is very important. However, do not shut off that urge within you that calls you to create something, to start something out based on your ideas; the experiences that you have gained; things that others taught you e.t.c. It is easy to dissuade yourself from starting something. It may be that you do not want to take risks; you do not want to have too much responsibilities e.t.c. I have been there. However, do not let your fears stop you. Take the risk – create. Do not start working with someone else who has started something in that line because of your fears; and do not take the easier route that you honestly, really don’t want to take, again, because of your fears. Your creation is your way of expressing who you are and your own ideas about something – it could be your own ideas about eradicating homelessness in Ottawa e.t.c. Your creation is your opportunity to encourage, motivate, teach and in most cases, your opportunity to employ people who need work and funds. Support people’s creations; you will also need people to support your creation, but do not feel like you are not good enough to move out of your comfort zone just like the person that created that thing that you admire so much.

Creativity is a very important self-empowerment tool. You may have one major job that feeds you, pays the bill and puts food on your table, but when you begin to explore your creativity, you are gradually giving yourself another powerful source of income.

How Do I Explore My Creativity?

Like the people with the wonderful Halloween outfits, you can explore your creativity by taking your ideas and skills seriously. Again, you can have numerous ideas at your disposable, but there tends to be that one that stands out right? Explore it! Think of how you can turn that idea into something more meaningful, more useful than it is at this stage. Do your research. Gather information on the alternative ways of putting that idea into action. Put lots of effort till you can sincerely come up with that decision that could be either – It is worth the try or No, this will just kill my time, for nothing. If that idea doesn’t seem to be the special piece to the puzzle, do not lose hope. As we live, we learn, so just be open to more learning opportunities and more ideas. The same technique goes with exploring your skill. For example, You love playing football but because you really want to get a university degree in Mechanical Engineering, you have been muting the urge to play football. That is not you being very efficient. You can play for the University’s football team as an extracurricular activity. You never know which of the skills will win in the future. Or you may always stick to both passions and give yourself an outstanding advantage:)

The fear to follow your dreams may never go away but the trick to overcoming that fear is to push through it and the treat is the learning experience and success that awaits you. Muahahaha!:)

Love,

Chiamaka.

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