So unless you know, don’t judge...

There is this African saying that “you cannot convince a monkey that honey is sweeter than banana,” and I agree, because the monkey doesn’t take honey. Having gone away from the comfort of home, seen different vibes and tasted different cuisines, I can confirm that familiarity can sometimes affect not only perception and awareness, but also judgement.

How au fait we tend to be when the ultimate responsibility isn't ours…

I had this boss who whenever I went bonkers at things I felt weren’t right, or get cheeky for no apparent reason, he will say to me: "Look! Omar, one day, you'll lead a team of your own, and this youngish I-don't-care attitude of yours will come back to bite you."

I was so naive to understand, but now I think I know what he meant. It is very easy to find faults, and to think how differently things would've been if it were you. It is so easy to assume that you have all the answers when the ultimate responsibility isn't yours, but whether it is really that simple is something you may not know until the moment comes for you to call the shots. That is when you will realise that thinking it and doing it are completely different ball games.

Ask those who took premature positions of responsibility, especially through ways that were contrary to the ordinary course of nature, simply because they thought they were ready for it. Trust me, sometimes it feels easier to watch over a herd of cows than to have a duty to deal with human beings.

Encourage yourself...

Listening to a sports (wrestling) radio show the other day and the incredible "wax sa xalat" music show today got me to the common observation that our people with special abilities and talents are generally dissatisfied, and for right reason too, because even though we say we do appreciate them, our actions are not making them feel appreciated.

Personally, I just want to let you know that your feeling is understandable. The best of performers are those who are valued most, especially by their own people. I tell people that the reason why brand America is prevailing is because every American is involved in the branding of America. They believe in their own, and that is why every American is proud to say he's American.

But tell you what? If your happiness is going to depend on encouragement from folks ayard, you will be needlessly discouraged, because most of us have this weird thing for everything from foreign, and that's a challenge we must accept in order to move on. Even those who have been in your shoes, and by God were able to overleap this hurdle tend to feel happier working with international than local collaborators, and that's not just a showbiz or sports thing, it's an everywhere thing, including corporate circles where no matter how brilliant your ideas are, they won't make any sense to folks unless validated by some consultant from foreign.

For my part, the solution is to encourage yourself, knowing the disservice it will be to you and to your talent to sit and expect a society like ours to build the type of world you want. You have to believe that you have everything it should take to create that world yourself. So whilst hoping that someday, we will be good at jump-starting our own, work towards making yourself, because right now, it is only success that attracts wide support not how industrious you're seen to be in your efforts.

Snippet...

I could have been strong enough to just remember the memory, grow from it and move on like a man, but I guess I was so blind to see and let go. Even when she insisted on walking away, I kept convincing myself that I could make the connection work.

Today I am just so glad that I got sick and tired of being sick and tired of painting that image of a perfect personality that she never was. And above all, I thank God that I was patient enough to wait for what I truly deserve. From a work in progress. Don't overthink it.

It's a complicated world...

Sometimes there's more than meets the eye to the length that people are willing to go to do what they gotta do, because it's a complicated world. Sometimes the evil that others are accused of, or may appear to be inclined to do isn't really so, because it's a complicated world. Sometimes when people act in ways that may be inconsistent with established standards of good taste, know that they may be acting out of desperation, because it's a complicated world.

Sometimes, recklessly furious people may not be as bad as may be presumed, because it's a complicated world. Sometimes your only armour is to act from necessity and be really good at the politics of survival, because it's a complicated world. Sometimes it is necessary that you lay hands on some influence; one that you can use to gain an advantage, because it's a complicated world.

Mind the new devils that come with new levels...

Someone was there for you since the beginning, through bad times when quarter bread and homemade mayonnaise was the thing; from way back undesirable times when no one else was there for you, and today based on what scheming little toadies tell you about this person, he’s assumed to be going behind your back or grassing on you!? I am not saying don’t react, but use the courtesy of trying to know the facts before you embark on your journey of revenge. If you don’t want to be sorry when the truth eventually surfaces that is. 

See, for as long as your levels keep changing, you need to understand that devils will want to screw you over. And when they cannot get to you like that, typically because of the people around you; those that they know will remain loyal, they will try to disconnect you from such people and cause you to be defenceless. If you’re the ditched party, and based on accusations like that, just let go. I know wonderful people who have survived much worse.

University of Google

To an information addict like myself, the Google search engine is not unlike a university, because just like Google, all what a university does is to provide source or access to information, and to create an environment for diligent inquiry into facts, principles, theories, applications, etc.

The lecturers are only there to help you organise the information you will gather. If what you gather or went in with is nonsense, rest assured that you will graduate with organised nonsense. But from once you are an autoditact, you may not even need a lecturer to guide you.

However, let it be known that like the university, Google cannot replace the burden of using your common sense. I know this because I am a regular googler, and I can confirm that googling and making something out of it requires ability or skill if you like, and lot of common sense.