• We consider animals our friends. We don’t eat our friends.
• Vegans maximize their own happiness by reducing the suffering of others.
• Every vegan saves nearly 200 animals. There is simply no easier way to help animals and prevent suffering than by choosing plant based foods over meat, eggs and dairy products.
• When a mad cow rages, it will spare a vegan.

In George Orwell’s allegorical commentary of 1917 Russian revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union, an interesting character called Moses would regularly espouse a competing vision of paradise. Moses, Mr. Jone’s tame raven claimed to know of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain where all the “good and hardworking” animals went to when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the clouds. In Sugarcandy Mountain, according to Moses it was Sundays seven days a week, clover was in season all year round, lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges.

Elsewhere in the Merchant of Venice Shakespeare presents Belmont, Portia’s palatial home and her mysterious caskets as a place of easy wealth, beauty, relaxation and peace which makes it a great refuge from the cosmopolitan city of Venice.  It was a fairy tale version of real life. A city of romance, quietude and festivity to which victorious and refined Christians retired. An idealized “green world” that was isolated from the ruthlessness of the real world and unlike Venice, Belmont was female dominated.

Quite obviously so, lies in each of us has a deep innate desire to get to that Utopian hood upon expiry, Belmont, Sugarcandy, Paradise or wherever. This again is a discussion we are to have about life. Of course something beyond this present stretched and wretched, the future life after demise. Coz once the body dies, the immortal spirit lives on and on. Thus it’s for this and many other reasons that I want you too to secure a seat in thy Kingdom, to adapt a lifestyle that upholds compassion, respects equality of all species, a disposition that conserves the ecosystem and is sensitive towards sentiency. To go Vegan. Like Corine, like Gathoni.

Veganism

It’s about embracing a way of life that seeks to abstain from the use of animal products particularly in diet and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. Furthermore, it seeks to highlight the need to stop, exploitation, commercialization of cruelty against animals. This could be as a source of food, work, hunting, vivisection. By extension it promotes the use of animal free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment.

Vegans abstain from consuming animal products ranging from meat eggs, milk, and all animal derived substances. They extend this ideology to relinquish and oppose the use animal products and by products totally, antithesis to carnism. Basically, a plant based diet devoid of all animal foods such as meat, including fish, shellfish and insects as well as products like honey. In essence, vegans avoid and dissuade against use of leather belts or footwear, oxen-ploughing, fish rearing and commercial egg production.

Vegans avoid exploiting animals for many purposes with compassion being the key reason to choose a vegan lifestyle. From food accessories clothing to make up and entertainment, products tested on animals are found in places more than you expect. Lately there are affordable and easily sourced alternatives to just about everything.

Utilitarianism

Ethical actions are those which create the most utility, pleasure and happiness or rather reduce the total amount of suffering in the world. The principal of equality that we use to relate to other human beings such as non-discrimination based on gender, age religion ought to be extended to non-human animals. This means that the fact that a sheep is neither a member of our species nor as intelligent does not entitle us to exploit them. Because animals possess the very right to life as we do.

Compassion

Harrowing is the life of an animal under a man’s custody (with the exemption of pets) Animals are deprived the beauty of nature, mating, feeding and dying naturally. We do not need to eat meat for our health and so meat eating is a luxury, consumed because people like the taste. We’ve been moved from the traditional farming and animal husbandry to more intensive factory style means of meat production. For example pigs are “grown” in intensively in sunless styles, fed food to make them add meat mass, crowded together in crates just big enough so that they stand, driven hundreds of miles for slaughter and shipped around the world. The animal suffering and distress is treated as necessary bi-product simply because we like the taste of its meat and want to pay as little as possible for it. Savage.

Slavery and racism

There is direct relationship between speciesism and racism-future scenes of factory farming animals should be as repulsive as images of black slaves shackled in a container ship. We all agree slavery was cruel and degrading. However, during the medieval era, proponents of racism and slavery argued that some beings are too inferior that they deserve to be enslaved. Of course this was a totally misguided notion. Because animal’s lives matter as much as human lives does, the same straw should strike when it comes to animal treatment.

Being that both animals and humans are creation products of an All-Powerful Being, this then begs some pertinent questions: Why do we imagine that our lives are more superior to animal lives? What moral authority do we have to curtail animal lives for our selfish gains? To subject them to daunting tasks or breed them for laboratory analysis? And why then, isn’t it justified to subject fellow human beings to similar treatment?

Speciesism

Basically, vegans seek to upgrade animals to an equal status in their ability to suffer and therefore be treated equally. Fair enough, we must compare the interest of different species with the aim of relieving the highest amount of suffering.

All persons are human beings but not all human beings are persons, a new born baby or a mentally challenged chap is not aware of their own existence over time unlike a 5-year old bull. This means that some animals have a higher moral status than some humans, yet we do not slaughter this babies for meat. Accordingly, we should choose to protect the interest of both.

Environmental Degradation

Industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Meat production requires vast amounts of energy. Livestock and their by-products account for 51% of the worldwide greenhouse emissions. Eating meat sadly ensures that greenhouse emissions are twice that of someone on a plant based diet. Not only do you have to grow crops to feed the animals but fossil fuels are burnt in raising, slaughtering and transportation of animals. Every time an area of rainforest equivalent to a football field is cleared to graze and rear animals. Poorly managed animal waste products from the meat industry are polluting our environment and destroying habitats. Many pollutant waste products get washed into our water systems, the nitrogen and phosphorus found in this waste causes algae to grow on the water and starves the fish of oxygen. This leads to creation of dead zones where only a few species can survive.

Economic Logic

Livestock consume much more protein and water than they produce as most of energy taken in by animals is used for their bodily functions and not converted to meat milk or eggs. Infact research by Cornell University has it that production of one calorie of beef requires 40 calories of fossil fuel energy whilst production of one calorie of human edible grain takes only 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy. Overally, meat eating requires three times more land than is needed at for a vegan.

Again folks, water scarcity is a real issue here with over a billion people leaving without sufficient access to clean water. Unlike majority of plant foods, raising animals requires vast amounts of water. This is because animals need water to drink, wash, clean their living spaces and cool themselves during hot periods. This makes me wonder why we are wasting so much of it producing animal products yet so many people are living without access to clean water. Mark you we can obtain all the nutrients we need from plant based foods.

Way forward

And finally countrymen, the foods you consume affect your moods and the clarity of your thinking. Those who’ve had an experience with formula one race cars reckon that you wouldn’t think of fuelling it with anything less than premium-grade gas as this will slacken its performance. So why would you put anything less than plant based foods into your body which is an even more valuable performance vehicle? Realizing that for every greasy lunch you have, you will suffer corresponding reduction in your levels of motivation and effectiveness is the first step to developing more disciple eating habits.

Soon you will find out a whole new world of exciting foods and flavours opening up to you. A vegan diet is richly diverse and comprises all kinds of nuts, seeds, beans and pulses. From curry to cake, pasties to pizzas all your favourite dishes can be suitable for vegan diet if they are made with plant based ingredients.

For the many netizens whose new year resolutions included getting healthier, losing weight, eating better and doing more to make the world a kinder place, you can achieve all this by going vegan and reserving yourself a special place in heaven.

• Vegans are on average 20 pounds lighter than meat eaters. Going vegan allows you to keep the excess fat for good and have plenty of energy.
• Vegans are less likely to develop cardiac conditions, tumors and blood sugar complications than meat eaters are

How to go about it

As human beings, we are genetically programmed to resist change and maintain a state of equilibrium, homeostasis. Most people may experience more stress and less pleasure associated with replacing our old meat eating habits. Going vegan is much like a new pair of shoes, for the first few days it feels rather uncomfortable. But if you break in for about three weeks, the lifestyle fits likes a second skin. Whenever you feel like giving up, please remember that as a rocket uses more fuel during the first few minutes after lift-off than it does over the days that follow when it will cover more than half a million miles once you get past those 3 weeks.

• The minor sacrifice involved in going vegan is outweighed by the suffering of the animals involved
• And so if animals had a religion, man would be Satan

If she doesn’t finish all the food she ordered for, make it her last date, don’t be taken for granted!

If he can’t finish the food he served, don’t cook for him again, treasure your efforts!

If you cant feed a hundred people, then just feed one.

And If you feed one, there is one less hungry person in the world.

Consumerism simply implies high levels of consumption. It is a frivolous habit of wanting to have excess of everything at your disposal for the mere reason that you can afford them. Economists have beckoned that it is a dreadful post industrialisation stage because of the resultant wastage and inefficiencies. The proliferation of middle class households in Kenyan urban and semi-urban setups has seen and upsurge in consumerism behaviour to wanton levels.  People adopt greedy tendencies of wanting to possess and accumulate anything material: clads, houses, phones, electronics etcetera when they don’t necessarily need them. As in you can only drive a single car at ago, honestly you don’t need five.  And today I want to talk about food wastage, I mean uneaten leftovers.

While much of the food wasted never reaches the plate, an enormous amount is thrown away by consumers. As a nation, we waste insurmountable amounts of food during social occasions and celebrations without caring for the large percentage of people who go hungry every day. Sadly so the idea that leaving food on our plates translates to modesty has infiltrated our minds and overridden common sense. Even during previous festivities you may have observed some absurd characters notoriously urbanite lasses who pile their plates to the brim only to munch less than a quarter of the grub in the name of ‘slaying’. Other than being inherently irreverent, please be informed that food wastage is criminal and immoral in nature and is just not the right thing to do, sinful.

There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in form of bread-Mahatma Ghandhi

The levels of poverty hunger and deprivation are so high in our country and little attention is paid to this by well to do families. As of 2018, 2.6 million Kenyans were facing food scarcity down from 3.4 million in 2017. The number one cause of death of children under five years old in Kenya is malnutrition. Currently in Kenya, the World Food Programme has it that 337,000 children face food shortage.  Notably so, any instance food is thrown away is an opportunity for someone somewhere to live. Some marasmus-stricken toddler in Daadab may succumb to starvation, because not everyone has the luxury of having enough.

Resources

Wasting food translates to wastage of resources. Although it’s your money (ostensibly stolen) throwing food on your plate is a blatant sneer at humanity. The human efforts made towards its preparation and accompanying passion, time and service. When you toss out the food, you are also wasting everything that helped make it. For example, you are wasting the fertilizer and water that helped the plant grow, or kept the animal hydrated, or wasting the valuable fuel that ran all machines for its production. You are also wasting the plastic packaging and so much more. And don’t forget some hapless chicken had its life curtailed all for your ingratitude! Come on.

Pollution

If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest polluter after US and China going by the levels of CO2 emissions (3.3 billion metric tons). Globally 1.3 billion tons of ready food goes to waste annually while in Kenya it is an estimated 30% of total production. The world’s food production accounts for 30% of greenhouse emissions damaging the environment. Contrary to the popular belief that food is organic in nature, 20% of the landfill is food and because it is underground with many other components, it takes longer to decompose. Food waste produces methane gas which is dangerous for us and for our environment. Methane gas is 25times more powerful than carbon pollution.

I was once hosted by a former classmate and when on the verge drifting off at 11:00pm, we heard a sudden commotion amidst yells of “ghost” “ghost” in the next crib. Everyone in the flat came out terrified armed with clobbers to oust the ghosts. As they stealthy opened the door to make way in, two frightened rats jerked out triggering an instant run and stampede. The ghost narrative almost got real as horrified men and women, boys and girls in sleeping gowns ran downstairs at midnight screaming for their lives and calling out on God. It later emerged that it was a mischief of wretched rodents scramming for remnants that caused the scare. Now you see, food waste encourages infestation of rodents which leads to diseases and such awkward moments.

Way Forward

In his title “The Forge” St. Josemaria Escriva audibly articulates the value of temperance, as a cardinal virtue in the modern world. Accordingly, a few tips may play out like serving just what is enough. I’d rather you serve less, have multiple additions than stack a mountain and dispose much of it. Two, if in a restaurant insist, on having the remaining food packed as take away just so you have it for another meal. After all, it’s your moolah, your sweat or loot. Lastly, invest in a refrigerator and preserve food when you can. Maish can confirm that the ordinary refrigerator is just about the cost of three turn-ups of Johnnie Walker at your next liquor store. Not only would such a sacrifice spare your liver from cirrhosis, it will also help keep rodents at bay. And by the way rats attract snakes, their voracious predators. So if you wanna see snakes breeding in your hood, it’s okay to throw away food but brace your limbs for some sweet venom.

One of the targets for SDG 12, responsible production and consumption is to halve food waste on all levels by 2030. Because of globalization, the decisions you make in your local supermarkets can have consequences on the other side of the planet. The good thing about this is that reducing food waste does not have to be complicated, it as easy as finishing the food on your plate.

Have a food-waste-free Feb, won’t you?  

A highlight of the places I was, the people I met, the lessons I learnt.

Re-Insurance Debates, CUEA

The Re-Insurance Bells got ringing early 2018 and we could not ignore its tinkles. So long had preparations been made that after two rounds of postponement, the eagles flew high and the hawks had to seek refuge. All was set, the psyche was simmering, energy levels got blazing and the prices were amiable. Jan 27^th and 28^th were dates that all roads led to CUEA. It’s here that I realized the power of passion, the diligence and perfection with which the event ran was definitely adorable. It was remarkably the most spectacular debating tournament Kenya ever saw, thus I can’t wait for its second edition early 2019. As a KNDC judge I should confess that I truly enjoyed the ripe fruits of Kenya’s uhuru. And for that matter, if you ever deal with any insurance products, this is an event you better snoop at and thank me later, it could earn some extra cheddar as commission on premiums to spruce up your Jan.  And there came this phenomenal character- Elijah Bakari who turned out an auspicious spark I again would be happy to work with. Special thanks to Paul Avicii for the palatial hostage.

Maralal Internship

Working with Catholic Diocese of Maralal and Caritas was an opportunity I literally sought and seized. An accountant intern for three solid months in the remote town of Northern Kenya. I enjoyed the zeal, the support and guidance I received throughout trotting across Porroo, Wamba, Kisima Archers Post and Baragoi, making food donations, conducting project evaluations and interacting with wonderful souls. All as an urge for the love of Christ and for the greater glory of God. Again special tribute to Paul Avicii for the linkages. With lots of nostalgia I relish the moments we worked with with Kinyua, Fr. Musau, Munywa, Loms, Espilla, Hezron, Maish, Ojimbi and Paeng. May God be with you till we meet again when I get back there, of course in a different capacity. These golden hearts spiced up my life despite the fact that I found accounting to be an inordinately tedious profession.

Collusion Networks

Now peeps, I’ve often reiterated the importance of maintaining cordial ties especially in work precincts, trust me it pays big-time and I am one witness to this. So it was while just on the verge of making a hard decision-turning down an extension to my contract at Maralal with nowhere to go to. This was milk I only had 24 hours left to spill to the HR notwithstanding her stance coz I had to chuck anyway. And good-riddance, I got call from Dunstable, a friend I once worked with in Balloon Ventures asked if I would be available to help run a project in Kericho and the rest suddenly became history. Tardily, I exit the land of a million butterflies with a promise to get back.

Conference

Among the many things I did whilst at Collusion, was an academic paper that received approval for presentation during the 2^nd annual Uok Interdisciplinary Research Conference. How it gave immense joy demystifying the effects of the enacted banking amendment bill 2015 on Kenya’s Economic outlook to attentive scholars. Making accurate predictions based on analysis of existing info’ couldn’t be any more full filling. The thunderous ovation made me bless and treasure the long sleepless nights that I had put into the work. And finally was the ecstasy of seeing in published in a university journal. That was just splendid.

Tamarind, Carnivore, Acacia, Java House, Wessyde

Working at Collusion Network became the most interesting thing I ever experienced. Real crazy allies with zero chills, flexible work schedule, loads of chums to blow and minimal pressure. For once I tasted what it felt like living in the fourth floor. Imagine working four days a week from 11:00am-1700hrs, Monday to Thursday, trotting around the globe over the weekends whilst still earning bigtime. Carnivore Tamarind, Java House, Taidys, The Governors and Sarova became our usual hanging spots. Clearly Christ had a reason to die on cross.

Debates Training at Maralal

Because of my loose schedule at Collusion, I had ample time to engage lots of extra and co-curricular activities, both profane and prudish, mostly in pursuit of passion and comfortably living large. And the Maralal Inter-School Debating Training was one such a stunt. Truly, all dreams are valid coz this once just one of crazy ideas that slipped through my mind during a sleepless night in Feb. Now it had turned into a reality. The organization was impeccable, the attendance was abounding and the jam was excellent. It made me realize the untapped greatness within and for a moment I felt like I should die maybe ‘coz I exceeded expectations. This is what happens when satisfaction overflows. But wait, I wasn’t yet there.

EAUDC at Kyambogo

Behold…… This was another time of my life I had. Life in Kampala was a pedestal. A rollercoaster I would auction my hair for. This was during the East African Debating Competition in which I was a judge courtesy of KNDC. There, I met both saints and scoundrels from all over Africa, the saints ticked of course. And one of them was Gathoni Ireri, a charm whose humour was undeniably endemic. Together with Fred, Amos, Muchai and the pals from the pearl, we savoured rollex, muchomo, plantain and chikomanda. I should’nt forget the pasted groundnuts. The trip to Namugongo Shrines and the source of the Niles couldn’t have wrapped it up any better. It was at this event that I fancied music from the Nyevos and Ssesvos and realized that most Kenyan music is a mere joke.

Juvenile Feast in Kisumu

Okay so in the spirit of compassion and charity, I was at it again. Writing proposals to organizations and mobilizing contributions from friends to fund a juvenile feast in Kisumu Children Remand Home. Before, I could get any further I remembered that I was meant to organize a charity gig for Collusion Networks. And again the morning star shone as this proposal got adopted and fully funded by Collusion Network. Listening to experiences from young inmates was nerve-jarring and spine-chilling in equal measures. Ranging from blatant admissions of murder, rape, robbery with violence to trivial crimes of pick-pocketing and shop-lifting, their accounts were overwhelming. One eminent factor was that most of the perpetrators regretted was acting impulsively out of anger, hate and bitterness. They all craved for a chance to do things differently yet damage was irreparable. Therefore my dear readers, next time you think an argument would trigger your tempers, quickly take a flight to Beijing. Just so by the time you arrive the Chinese Great Wall would be baying for your attention. This could spare you months of immeasurable agony behind bars, serious flogging by hideous wardens and clamour for you’re a**hole by fellow inmates. Sometimes you don’t have to fight to be a man, right..?

 Dar

Well, PAK is one of the many organizations I’m affiliated to that you don’t know. This time round, we had Youth Exchange Proramme in Dar. Again thanks my flexible work schedule I could comfortably spare some time and dime for the same. Midnight was the time we departed the city under the sun, roving through the hilly plains of Tsavo, Horo Horo, through Kinango, Ndavaya and finally to Lunga lunga. The journey was real gruesome coz the buses had limited leg-space especially for tall species like me. Nonetheless, the company was quite epic. Like in Kampala I encountered angels and demons and again, the angels reigned. Peshi, Berry and Isabel, Kiams, Shady and Arnold are characters whose acquaintance I’ll live to delight in. Yeah we ate life at the beach, drank fun at the Kenyan Chancery and had a roast at our resident hotel.  My most celebrated moment was the stopover in Tanga and Mwanza on our way back, the showdown at +255, the quiet life and stroll in the streets with the night breeze was just reinvigorating. Now three crucial important considerations for fellow denizens contemplating a road trip to Dar.

1. Strictly adhere to traffic rules. Buckle that seatbelt, observe speed limits even at midnight and don’t throw trash through the window. This could easily curtail your expedition. Trust me at some point we nearly made our way back coz we could no longer afford the outrageous road fines. Those cops are not the usual ‘matiang’i boys’ you’re used to. They know so well that Kenyans have a penchant for notoriety and Kenyan drivers are allergic to sobriety. And so even before any pleasantries, they would plead not bribed (msituhonge taafadhali, they would chide)
2. Courtesy Courtesy Courtesy, they say it causes no harm. Say ‘shikamoo” to the elder one and “marahaba’ to younger one. Don’t exude impatience. Even the shopkeeper may as well withhold their item if you don’t care to say hi first. I learnt this from the hotel receptionist whence we would go barraging her for our room keys. “Thity-six, twelve, sixteen , eight , four” we would squib dissonantly. She would wait and smile, ask us how we were and how the day had been and finally how she could be of assistance to us. Such antics only end up throwing an egg at your face.
3. Lastly to our “very civilized” ladies and slay queens: the folklore in Moro’ and Mbeya is highly conservative. They prefer a bit of modesty in dressing and thus your fancied showbiz combination of stilettos, off-shoulders, booty shorts and the nauseating make-up may not impress, even a fly. Of course, I’m presuming you don wanna scandalize the natives by dressing scantily and earn a public dress down.

Scholars Fest at KU

Once more the debaters could not stop dancing until the Scholars rains flooded KU. For once we had a different taste with newbies like Kiriri, Pioneer and Kaimosi rocking in style. The turn-out was amazing and the battle of wits couldn’t have gotten any tougher. Argumentations, extensions, and rebuttals were tenets that defined a refined debater. Expectedly Strath carried the day and tucked in a full bag of sponsorship to represent Kenya at the Pan African University Debating Competitions in Magufuli’s Dar. Now, here’s the thing my dearies, those Strath peeps did not just roger SF by fluke, its all about practice practice practice in debates. Their scope of commitment was unmatched throughout the year and its little wonder their debut at EAUDC was the most thrilling of all times. Yes you too can turn tides, but it takes massive sacrifice and personal commitment.

Back to Class

In my community they say knowledge is power, knowledge can flatten mountains and that he who declines to learn is beyond any redemption. So I decided to upscale my scope of knowledge in this field of research and optimization. Lemme confess classes have never been so tough. Initially everything seemed abstract but with time I got to adjust and adapt accordingly. Soon I got fond of my new fam’ here, I looked forward to weekends, the shared meals laughter and fun from Fred, Wilfred, Rose, Doughlas and Mercy. And boom just before I could realize how quick time fleets, I was half way done with coursework.

GP Training

In the midst of a tight schedule and simmering exams beckoned an opportunity to attend GP training by Action Aid in Nairobi. It kicked off on a low note but with time it got interesting to learn the fundamentals and particulars of social entrepreneurship. The animated company and the visit to Kibera Business Centre made it all. As always, it was a pleasure expanding my networks, doing joint assignments and most interestingly the cultural night. I definitely can’t wait for the next meet-up during the Entito Sidai Mentorship Programme in Kajiado.

Mal

If the trysts at Saramek, Imaniz, Eld etc,  extended phone calls, heated arguments, surprise visits and encouraging chats are anything to go by, you are the best. It’s all about accepting similarities and respecting differences. With time, it gets finer like Scottish whiskey.

All said and done 2018 was extremely fabulous because of the great people I encountered, their support, counsel and prayers. You too can one these amiable characters by encouraging someone to emanate their best. For a moment make someone happy, do a good deed, be kind even to a stranger, smile and spread goodness. This 2019, purpose to be more compassionate and forgiving as you always try to place yourself in someone else’s shoe.

As Okiya deponed, You don’t need big things to make the world a better place. If you pick a thorn on the road and throw it away, you would have made a difference to someone without a pair of shoes.

 

Have a spectacular 2019.

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Yes you have a right to live

         But you have no right to take away your life because you did not choose to have it.

                   Life only demands from you the strength you possess.
Going by the frequency of recent occurrences, suicide may as well be termed as an endemia. The WHO has it that at least 800,000 people lose their lives due to suicide, neither cirrhosis nor Ebola claims as much lives! In our own Kenya, the figures stand at 421 annually as at 2017. For the last two months, I personally sampled at least 4 cases of suicide reported each week in the local dailies. Also proven, is that men are thrice as much prone to suicidal tendencies. The youth and middle aged constitute 49%.

Notwithstanding, this may seem utterly abstract to you and can easily be trashed as meaningless statistics until it befalls a loved one. So consider the value that you attach to a spouse, kid or parent, the passion, acquaintance and emotional attachment you can’t imagine living without. Now this is a discussion we are having not of 10,000 nor 100,000 but about 800,000 annually! People not penguins! Indeed, the figures are alarming and the trend is spine-chilling.

Shamefully so, as a society we’ve completely gotten over, normalized suicidal incidences given how quick we move on. That it’s more sensible to fund raise a decent send-off for the deceased yet we care less about the cause of suicide. That comrades go bonkers when HELB delays but sit for CATs when one them falls victim. Hell no, we’ve had enough and the silence is deafening, the mental anguish is unbearable. As J.T Ngugi notes, “we cannot be covering pits in our courtyard with leaves and deceive ourselves that because our eyes cannot see the holes, our children can prance about as like.”  Indeed, it’s high time we took a breather to cover the pitholes on our path, perhaps a bit of soul-searching or just talk about it at length.

One unique feature about suicide is that it is a visceral act. So much so that it’s your loved ones and folk fore who bear the direct brunt of your cowardice. The virulent stigma, ferocious ridicule, the psychological trauma, the emotional drain and the rogue morgue bills. For example until 19^th Century in England, suicides were buried at cross roads with a stake on the bodies and a stone on their face, a symbol of humiliation. Clearly you and your problems become a distressful burden and uncalled for liability.  And yet it took immeasurable efforts and timeless love to raise you, to carry you like a sack of potato for nine months in the tummy!

Need to share thoughts and opinions

Like a fruit stales, suicide does not happen suddenly. It builds up gradually from a cynic thought all the way its execution. It starts as a matter of misunderstanding between involved parties (maybe a mother and daughter over pocket money) gradually escalates to a feeling of rejection. Often the underdog is disheartened triggering inner emptiness. Some quick intervention may help but where there is lack off, depression becomes inevitable. Again the question is how prompt it is handled. Just the realization (manifested thro anomalies like isolation, oversleeping, aggression and unkemptness) is as good as its remedy.

Occasionally life gives us rude shocks, moments when it stunned us after the unthinkable happened. A poor grade in final exams. Job loss. Failing health. Loss of property or money. And this is it. Being human beings, we are subject to emotional strikes, like feelings of dismay and betrayal and it’s perfectly alright to fret and sulk a bit. At this moment, you are an inflated balloon and you got to relieve yourself, to openly express what you think and how you feel of course without banging doors and crashing phones please!

You remember M Angelo? Yes, the polymath genius of the renaissance era. In his biography by Giorgio Vasari, his iconic masterpieces are described as “beyond mimicry of antiquity” This literally means that he’d completely drawn down the curtains of imagination and so there was not a new thing his contemporaries would exploit (draw or paint) that hadn’t been done or thought of. Yet this was in the 16^th Century. Dude, there’s absolutely nothing new under the sun. At least we’ve heard, imagined or even encountered the queerest stuff and so your case is just a baby in diapers. And you know what, chances are that if you threw a stone randomly from the 6^th floor window of Kencom House towards City Centre, it will certainty hit the head of a depressed niggar. So yeah, there’re myriads of people like you who manage despite their web of pickles, still they pay taxes and tithe in church.

Now it’s okay if you forget all you’ve just read but kindly preserve this future reference. True gold gets tested in fire, our personality strength is tested by the tenacity we exude in the face of crisis. All will be fine, just give time some chance. Time heals most wounds. Mark you no situation is ever permanent, no situation is unbearable and brighter days are yet to come. Sooner or later you’ll flying with the eagles and laughing off the moment, snubbing at your silly tantrums and wishing they never were. It’s never that serious hun. And plus for believers, the Holy writ affirms that Jesus Christ already died for our sins on the cross. And that you and I were bought at a great price. So please, it’s never worth suicide.

 

Nonetheless, I got to be alive to fact that there are fellas who may want to prove incorrigible, rare jerks beyond redemption. In which regard if this may seem like some cheap tirade to you, I dare you wimp, go ahead. But hey here are useful bon mots for you. Make sure you do all your laundry, press your clads and pack them well(including boxers). You remember what you would do on the eve of closing day in boarding schools, exactly. Just so, upon your suicide, your younger brothers, cousins and friends may find something substantive to inherit in meticulous shape. And they will bless your soul for that. Two, kindly make sure all roads leading to your native home are carpeted or at least nicely levelled. Because there is something mysterious about rains and funerals in this part of Sahara we’re yet to decipher. The idea of wallowing through bushy paths, soggy and boggy trails to attend your interment is as sickening as it is annoying. Third and most importantly, preserve some tidy amount of mullah in your bank account. Much enough to foot all your funeral expenses and paste your obituary in the dailies. And finally abeg, DON’T leave a note. Because it’s as useless as it is insolent, you should have said that before.

 

Having said that, if it succeeds you should brace yourself to contend with harsh judgment in God’s Sanhedrin. There, there are no cunning lawyers nor false witnesses, fake prosecutors nor missing court files, it’s squarely between you and your maker. This is well explicated in the 5^th commandment-thou shalt not murder, including your very self. Fatefully again, if it’s fails, be sure to be convicted for attempted suicide (Considered misdemeanor under penal code 226 section 36). This felony can easily earn you an excruciating 24 month- long date with hard-boiled convicts, to sleep on bed-bug ridden rags and harbor lice as your rot in jail. Either way, you stand to lose, so you better don’t commit suicide.

Thanks and have a lovely Nov.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money has no value whatsoever unless spent

          It is what you spend it on that has value.

                The value we place on money is dependent on what we think we can buy with    it.

                   Contrary to popular belief, money is not real, an imaginary quantity, a number                       on a piece of paper.

Its true having some dime in the wallet grants one a good sleep at night. It’s also true that he who saves a little food won’t succumb to starvation.

But hey, picture a situation whereby everyone decided to withhold all/most of the money they have, perhaps out of personal insecurity or market speculations.

This reminds me of a story I read in my teenage years: About an industrious yet stingy man who decided to abstain from “undue pleasures” and merry just so he could accumulate as much wealth. Expectedly, he shunned social responsibilities such as marriage and family life as he understood too well the resultant financial implications. After 60 years of toil struggle and sacrifice, he managed to accumulate 100 pieces of gold coins which still he thought were a disgrace to his assiduity. It goes on that one day he lost all his precious stones and was lucky enough to have a friend’s daughter find and hand them back to him. However, upon counting the man cunningly insisted that 20 gold coins were missing and approached a judge to compel the friend to pay. Interestingly, the judge ruled out that because the girl found only 100 gold coins and not 120 which the man claimed to have lost, then they did not belong to him. Consequently, the judge handed back the gold coins to the daughter and further directed anybody who reported to have found 120 gold coins should relinquish them to the man. At that juncture, the poor man confessed but was sent to jail for treachery.

So yes the primary role of money is that it is a medium of exchange –It enables the bearer to acquire what he/she does not have and in repayment of debts. Ideally so, people should strive to have money in order to purchase what they want and in so doing they transfer the purchasing capacity. Like a conduit through which goods flow from sellers to buyers, money intrinsically is a means towards achieving an end and NOT an end itself.

My article this week has been sparked by the slackening economic growth prevailing. In as much as austerely economic policies and simmering gluttony by government officials may be to blame, we the major handlers of money can do so much to salvage this sinking ship. Like styling up on our spending habits.

So an economy is a system in which goods are produced, distributed and consumed, basically a cycle of money circulation. This implies cage-like confinement in which actors are enclosed. With this context, any spending of money is perceived as a trade-off involving purchasing capacity and a good/service. However human beings being extremely sophisticated yet rational choose what to do with their moneys-either to save or spend.

By spending money in the economy, you acquire what you couldn’t produce thus satisfying a need meanwhile enabling your seller to benefit in the same fashion. Incredibly quick, a debt is settled here, more units are ordered there, more production up, transportation happens as the same unit of money changes hands and before you realize, it’s in your possession again. And the cycle repeats, repeats……

Behold how much economic activity a single injection into the system sparks! Indeed its beautiful when we pay our bills punctually. This partly explains why some towns (for example Kisii) seems to achieve faster economic growth rate, ‘coz of optimism levels of the general populace in an area.

In the same breath whenever we delay to make payments (like rent, school fees, debts and bank loans) we trigger fears and undue speculations and resulting the adversities are ripple. Everyone’s bears the brunt, industrialist curtail on production levels, retailers get reluctant to sell, individual consumers too can’t buy neither can banks lend. Labour lay-offs and civil unrests escalate. Such economic doldrums prompt stagnation because everyone is uncertain on if and when they’ll next handle money.

And so in very many words, I’m saying that spending is highly desirable, spending is investing and spending is NOT necessarily “wasteful”

Meanwhile, long live financial independence, economic growth and overall prosperity,

In saecula saeculorum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not about a highly esteemed demeanor you posses, it’s not coz of the exquisite performance in your work and study, neither is it coz of your impeccable oratory skills, your Salserian finesse and the Adonisan stature……hapana this has nothing to do with the sharp elegant and brilliant non-retreating ladies you allure. This all about the indelible mark that you’ve imprinted in people’s hearts and mind, the tremendous consequences of your allocentrism. I choose to highlight each of you solely because that’s how God formed you, He definitely took his time to make those big hearts, intelligent minds and pretty faces. For a good tree is known by its fruits, a man by his deeds.

David Shakerz Wainaina

Bold, brave and brazen. A Uok undergraduate of Economics with unmatched agility in computing Econometric posers. He is the first born in a family of three, the only brother to Peter and Shiku. This gentleman would all it humanly takes to feed an extra tummy, to secure ones stay in school. I’m particularly nostalgic about the cold nights we endured trotting different abodes raising funds for needy colleagues, the confrontation with Uni’ admins and active slander from naysayers. Yet he never faltered. Described as fearless, his activism and efforts to vouch for the interest of left-handed guys are well-documented. Davie remained a strong beacon of hope to the vulnerable and minority. Even thou’ he mayn’t have sat on the front row in church, I’m sure the angels have his place well-reserved in heaven.

Walter Calvin Ong’ondo

Born and bred somewhere in Siaya County, the son of fate found his way thro’ Rapogi Sch before eventually graduating in 2017. His mysterious juggle thro’ this murky life stretch remains a story for another day. Despite his own struggles which he hardly opens up about, he has always made others a priority. I honestly can’t count the number of times his borrowed me mullah only to later decipher that it settled someone’s tuition fee, house rent or upkeep. Perhaps this is what earned him the prestigious SG portfolio in student leadership. Also, it should go on record that he’s personally known to Tala, Branch and M-Pesa because he believes that people’s problems matter more than idle money.  In him pissheads see a thirst-quencher, the broke niggas see a cash cow and slay queens find a goldmine.

Fred Mwajuma Odhiambo

A Muslim man by association who’s lustre in comps apps/IT is undeniably enviable. He’s vastly travelled, rich in knowledge and well-fed. Discreet he is, so much that he never goes first. Just at 25, his life is a true affirmation that a good deed is never lost, he’s sown courtesy and reaped the friendship of many, he’s planted kindness and gathered love. Like Christ, he sacrificed his portions extensively, to make kids happy in school, to cloth the needy and reignite the hope in desolate girls of West Pokot.   Fred’s patience and benevolence has earned him mighty accolades in both Nigeria and the UK while working with VSO and now he seems to be flying high. Aki he genuinely cares and shares, has literally lay down for people to walk on, expectedly some still complained that he isn’t flat enough. He beat odds to change the world yet highlighting this instances may seem underrating. For this reason, you may want to contact him now because in the next three years, in him I see a highly elusive gem.

Maurice Junior Re

Currently a high school Physics teacher, he is a gentleman of many firsts and a trailblazer by any standards. Cordiality compassion and compromise are tenets that were deeply rooted in the DNA of this St. Mary’s Yala alumnus. Aside from being loud and open, Maurice always finds something good in anything he sees. For almost two years I had mistaken him for journalist because he would be found moderating discussions, commentating and at most emceeing charity events. Three years back, I still recall him part with a whopping $200, part of some savings he’d made to clear a friends tuition arrears and have him allowed to sit for end of sem’ exams. Even then and now, I’m sure my dear HELB beneficiaries understand too well the makeshift paradise $200 bequeaths its bearer (make-up crazed bimbos, fathomless loyalty, cheap love, completed assgns, fancy wears and sanitized attention). And coz he talks less of such achievements, its means he prefers they remain concealed and in this regard I pen-off. I’m however afraid that TSC will soon lose his big brains to more astute employers.

Arthur Muhia Kinyanjui

Born on  3^rd April 1992, he is the first born son to Mr. and  Mrs. Muhia. He’s a true product of the Omani rule in EA, his eloquence and diction in the coastal creole would make you despise both your pri’ and high school swa teachers. You better be warned not to engage him in any verbal altercation coz he’ll lose you to words you’ll never hear again. Like halmashauri, mkurupuko and ukiritimba. Being overly philosophical, his outrageous ideologies (which I choose to secrete) won’t constitute the least of your problems. His lived up to his divine call of shaping and taming youthful minds. Impacting crucial life skills regarding problem-solving, decision-making and behavior-change. And his success floodgates shall soon open thro’ the personalities he mentored. We who know him definitely reckon his virulence in reproaching uncouthness, strict adherence to timelines and tenacity in tough times. Yet he maintains a strong sense of humour. Oh again lemme affirm that this I. Mwamzandi and M. Karama acolyte is sincerely faithful and credible, probably the scriptural version of a true shepherd you can entrust with your sheep, yes ask Carol Gathii, Maria Githu, Hafsa Quadros or Ann Ann Ngugi. I mean no one ever laments their encounter with him. For this Muhia, I hail you today. Kongole auladi.

So my dear peeps, I may not have mentioned an admirable character you obviously expected, but it doesn’t mean their great deeds are below par. It simply means I may not have found befitting words to describe their level of altruism or perhaps English is just limited. All said and done, let’s endeavor to be understanding, to always spread compassion, the kindness in us, coz the world is all about sharing love. As Mal aptly echoes, people may not remember your name, what you said, what you did but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They possess unnaturally acquired epithets of being patronising, they listen less, and they dominate over meetings and would never apologize. Too they’re ever impatient and pretend to be too busy.

Often to make up for their unbecomingness and unpopularity, they fabricate dull jokes and tickle hard everyone else to laugh when they could have simply apologized and better still, corrected such vices.

They are extra-ordinarily greedy-Hellish gluttons with insatiable relish for attention, credit, power/authority and bravado. Whenever in public they prefer to be undutifully flanked by promotion-hungry and money-thirsty snitches who in most instances struggle with basic bills and are credit unworthy (extremely risky debtors red flagged within local CRBs)

Lemme shade more light on the cheddar bit, this bigots obstinately endeavor to maintain uttermost covertness and exclusivity in matters pertaining to budgets, procurement, recruitment would forever demand kickbacks-like its their portion. Never would they keep their colleagues abreast of any special allowances, per-diem, night-outs and packages that come alongside unusual assignments such as fieldwork just so everyone else forfeits for their pockets sake. At most, they would rather outsource services from quacks not privy to standard rates and snaffle the bigger portion of their wages. Also they don’t pay interns/attachees.

As chances may have it, they happen to be senior dotards whose rise to zenith may have been a quick fix or were lucky sons of prevailing circumstances. Yet they brag a lot, they flaunt grandiose business trips and holidays, high level connections and noble kinship.

Tragically they remain oblivious of how to distinguish personal purses from official/organizations coffers. This explains why unfilled cheque books bearing the signatures of the 2^nd party (usually fear-ridden accountants) hardly ever miss in the pockets of those baggy coats.

Oh yeah because they imagine themselves to small gods, 4^th in the trinity, they shamelessly subject their tamed subordinates (especially fear-ridden secretaries and tamed drivers ) to displeasing personal assignments of renewing their DLs, filing their tax returns, picking/dropping their spouses and ill-mannered off springs in schools and cleaning, driving their personal cars, all just to nurse their self-entitlement.

And finally it’s even catastrophic should they be masculine- Thanks to blazing libido levels, no single skirt by passes their attention. They won’t care whether you’re widowed, married, divorced or disinterested. Their appetite for sexual pleasure is palpable and can be detected through the wall. They feed on Viagra thus never zip-up. Like well-starved mongrels, they’ll do all it takes to lay, especially hapless interns and craven female newbies.

My country people, let’s eschew such dragons and their awful traits.

Next week if inspired, I’ll tell you who to emulate in order to make the world a better place.

And just so, you know.

 

• Closely related to depression and suicide, mental illness like diabetes, malaria and herpes can strike anyone and most importantly can be prevented through awareness creation.
• Social stereotypes surrounding mental illness remain the greatest impediment towards its early diagnosis.
• Among prominent celebrities who have publicly opened up about their struggles with mental disorders include Rehema Chalamila (Ray C) Brittany Snow, Prince Harry, W Houston, M Jackson and Lady Gaga. Still, included are great scientists and geniuses of their times such as A Eistein, I Newton, T Edison, M Angelo and W Churchill.
•  In fact, when public figures open up about their own mental health struggles, it can help break down stigma, spark important discussions, and even inspire people to seek treatment.
• Currently, Kenya has 62 psychiatrists registered with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board. A least 16 hospitals offer mental health services, with Mathari Mental Hospital being the only specialised mental health public facility.
• WHO estimates that about 800,000 people commit suicide every year and it is the second leading cause of death among youth age 15 – 29 globally.

Mental Illness

A condition that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought or behaviour resulting in an inability to cope with one’s ordinary demands and routines. Mental illness is of particular concern because of the social stigma that is attached to mental health problems. People with mental illness are often perceived to be mad, violent and dangerous.

For that reason, people who live a mental problem try to keep their feelings because they are afraid of other people’s reactions.

Preface

Romanna had a bubbly experience for her end of year vacation. She’s expectedly upbeat about resuming her dutiful schooldays, reconnecting with her colleagues and especially her closest pals Rihanna and Oddi. And of course this is the case each of her classmates in the final year of St. Jude’s Academy.  The eventful memories of mountain climbing excursions, the eagerness to fit into new school dresses and fleece, and the joy of resuming group discussions, class presentations and music classes are all booming in the innocent minds. But something bizarre happens, on the last day of her holidays she does not get up from her, neither does she ask for her favorite buggers for breakfast. She’s pensively lying on her bed till midday having not communicated to anyone in the house; a rush at the nearby sanatorium reveals that Romanna just suffered dementia!

How possible it is and especially at a mere age of 13 is a startling paradox upon geneticists/psychiatrists to unravel, an unlikely deposition of plaques and tangles.

And moving forward Romanna would neither be in a position to recognise relate, conceptualise nor remember anything in her short lifetime. Not her folks, not her favourite movies and hit songs not her friends, absolutely nothing. This would grossly affect her memory, attention, judgement, language and problem solving abilities. Worse still, is the fact that she would neither realise nor comprehend her state.

Being vulnerable feels helpless and defenceless, it means to be highly prone to environmental, social, psychological and mental adversities without any reasoned protection. No waiting claims to be made because it’s one big risk that no insurer would commit themselves to indemnifying. And worse, there is the isolation element as one does not fit into any of the earth’s spheres. Nor is anyone accurately able to fit perfectly into the victim’s shoe, so clearly we cannot feel them, we just imagine what they feel because no one can draw any vivid memories of ever being in that situation.

Prevention of mental Illness

• Proper physical health-Evidence- based research points to negative impact of physical health on mental health, regular physical exercise can keep mental illness at bay for longer and this should be coupled with healthy feeding.
• Challenge your brain-Maintain an active mind by engaging in mental activities and games such as crosswords, puzzles, learn a new language, train in a new skill and would help to keep your mind engaged.
• Learn anger management-Anger is corrosive to health and relationships: effective anger management strategies negate consequences of corrosive emotion.
• Control and lower stress levels-Stress is a predisposing factor to heart disease and hypertension and increases the risk of stroke, obesity and diabetes. Avoid being overwhelmed with social and professional pressures and regularly create seek leisure and relaxation.
• Positive thinking-Avoid taking matters too seriously and personally. Focus on the bright side of issues and do not let life get you down either by focusing on the bigger picture.
• Work on self-esteem-Engage your local circle/networks where you find personal acceptance. Studies have shown that people who are in stable long term relationships live longer, healthier and happier lives. So work on your relationships.
• Get adequate sleep-Sleep deprivation negatively impacts physical and mental health. Ensure at least 6 hours of daily sleep as it boosts both physical and mental health.
• Seek help-There is no shame in seeking help from a trusted therapist or confidant. It is to your well-being and that of those around you. For believers, uphold faith in a God who forgives unconditionally and embraces all despite their flaws and sinful nature.

 

Caring for someone with a mental health disorder

“……..As people and institutions, we need to be more welcoming, and not judgemental, not to defer the dogma of hierarchical authorities, excessive centralisation complicates.  Serve those in need, the wounded and practice what we preach…………..” Echoed Pope Francis during his hostage to juvenile delinquents in St. Peters.

Caring for someone with mental health problems brings with it unique challenges. Mental health problems vary greatly in severity and causes. Mild problems are common and the person can be helped through understanding and support. More severe mental health disorders, such as major depression, are less common and pose more challenges.

Communication can be a struggle for many people with a mental health disorder. Some people don’t have the motivation to communicate, while others lack the confidence to say what they really want to. Some people experience hallucinations, which can affect how and when they communicate.

To help the person you care for communicate, give them enough time to make themselves heard and let them know that you accept them and their disorder. Often, people with mental health problems feel cut off from other people, including family, friends and neighbours.

It’s important to listen to what they’ve got to say and to let them express themselves without interrupting or offering your opinion. Encourage and reassure them if they get upset or appear to be struggling with their emotions.

You may have known the person you care for before they had their mental health disorder. It’s important to remember that they just happen to be going through a period of mental distress.

Confidentiality

People who care for someone with a mental health disorder may find that some healthcare professionals are reluctant or unwilling to share information with them. This can be very frustrating since very often the carer has the fullest picture of the person’s condition. However, mental healthcare professionals are legally bound to protect the confidentiality of their patients, so they may be unable, rather than unwilling, to talk about care needs.

To avoid this problem, try to get the consent of the person you care for to discuss their care needs as early as possible after their diagnosis. This consent should be made clear on any care plans or documentation relating to their care, and any changes to this consent should be clearly noted.

Mental healthcare professionals may not be able to share certain personal details about the mental health of the person you care for, but this doesn’t mean that they should not listen to your perspective.

Establishing the limits

You’ll need to have a conversation with the person you care for about what you are and what you are not prepared to do. You may need to be firm with your decision. If you feel you’re doing too much, see if someone else can share the caring responsibility with you.

Behaviour

If the person you care for is feeling particularly isolated or desperate, they may say that they want to kill themselves, or they may attempt to do so.

Mentioning suicide may not be the same thing as wanting to end their life. They may say that they feel overwhelmed and want it to end, or talk about feeling useless or that their life is pointless. It’s important to acknowledge such statements rather than being dismissive or making light of them.

You may be worried about your safety or the safety of the person you care for or someone else. In this case, consider getting an urgent assessment for the person you care for, as well as a carer’s assessment for yourself.

This may be carried out by a community mental health team already known to you, or your local hospital. 

Support and resources

If you’re struggling to care for someone with a mental health problem, it may help to talk to other carers in a similar situation to you. Some local caregivers’ organisations have separate meetings for carers of people with mental health problems which the local mental health team could provide contact details for.

The person you care for may become increasingly reliant on you. It’s common for people with a mental health diagnosis, such as depression, to become insular and lose interest in social activities. You may be one of the few people they have contact with.

Looking after yourself

Although it’s important to support the person you care for, it’s essential to look after your own mental health too. It’s important to maintain your own social activities. If you start to feel depressed, anxious or overwhelmed, it may be time to speak to your doctor about the impact your caring role is having on your emotional and mental health.

 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD

Condition characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity commonly diagnosed among young people. The Center for Disease Control estimates that ADHD affects 9% of children aged between 3-17 years. Getting correct diagnosis for ADHD may sometimes be difficult because its symptoms are similar to typical behaviour in most young children.

Ostensibly teachers may be the first ones to notice because they observe the children in learning and playing environments with their peers.

Although mostly diagnosed at childhood stage, ADHD usually persists into adulthood and adolescence.

Notable cross-cutting signs include:

• Non-stop taking
• General impatience
• Interrupting others: Difficulty in taking turns during conversations.
• Becoming easily distracted and jumping from activity to activity. Difficulty focusing concentration to achieving a single task
• Day dreaming or wandering with lack of motivation.
• Struggling to follow directions
• Further related conditions include Opposition defiance disorder; refusal to conditions from authorities.
• Anxiety and depression.
• Obsessive compulsive disorder.
• Conduct disorders, persistent destruction or violent behaviours.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Are development disorders that reflect the way children develop from childhood to adulthood. It is defined by difficulties in three areas including social deficits, repetitive/restricted behaviours and communication problems. Forms of ASD include Asperger Syndrome (Associated with social symptoms of autism and some repetitive interest or behaviours but not with language or mental delays), Rett Syndrome and Child Disintegrative Disorder

Prevalence rates for ASD are 1 in every 68 children and constantly on the rise with boys more prone (4 times) than girls to develop Autism. ASD crosses racial, ethnic and social backgrounds equally. Increased awareness, improved screening methods have contributed to increase in diagnosis in the recent years.

Symptoms

Unlike most children who by 2-3 months gaze at objects, turn towards an object, or even grasp a finger, children with ASD have difficulty engaging in daily human interactions. Their behaviours include failing to make eye contact, not responding to their names or playing in unusual repetitive ways.

• Delay in language development such as not responding to their own names or speaking in only in single words if at all.
• Sleeping problems such as falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Self-harming behaviour such as hitting his head against a wall in disapproval.
• Difficulty in interaction with peers because they have a challenge understanding that others have different information feelings or goals.
• Absence of pretend play such as talking for a long time or lining up objects in a particular pattern.
• General difficulties in expressing emotions such as facial expressions movement of tones and gestures.
• Difficulty in interpreting facial expressions such as misreading or not noticing subtle facial cues, like smile, wine or grimace that could help understand the nuance of social communication.
• Sensory problems such as experiencing pain from certain sounds like a ringing sound or not reacting to intense cold or pain, sounds, smells, textures and tastes.
• Difficulty in making eye contact such as focusing on a person’s mouth when that person is speaking instead of their eyes as is usual in most children.
• Repetitive and walking in a specific pattern or insisting on eating the same meal every day.
• The symptoms of autism fall on a continuum-learning, thinking and problem solving abilities of children range from gifted to severely challenged.

 

Causes

Genetics: If one child in a family has ASD, another sibling is more likely to develop it too. Identical twins are to develop it too if it is present. People with ASD have certain abnormalities of the brain structure and chemical function.

Environment: Many prenatal and post natal factors contribute towards a child’s development such a mother’s health.

Exposure to heavy metals, naturally occurring elements with high atomic weight and density (such as coal, uranium, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium) in certain concentrations exert biochemical and physiological adaptations in both plants and animals biological systems which possibly results to ASD alongside other mental disorders.

Bipolar Disorder

A chronic mental illness that causes unusual dramatic shifts in mood, energy and ability to think clearly with recurring episodes of mania(high) and depression(low)  moods which may follow an irregular patterns. This may results to damaged relationships or a decline in job or school performance. A manic state is characterized by feelings of extreme irritability and/or euphoria along with several other symptoms during the same week such as agitation, surges of energy, reduced need for sleep, talkativeness and pleasure seeking or risk taking behaviour. On the other hand, when the patient experiences symptoms of depression, they feel extreme sadness, hopelessness and a drain in energy.

Although it occurs at any point in life, more than half of all the cases begin between ages 15-25 with men alike women being equally affected.

Bipolar disorder presents a special challenge owing to its manic or hypermania stages that can be seductive. A person may feel good while manic but may make choices that may seriously damage relationships finances, home, life and job prospects.

It is common for people living with bipolar to want to discontinue their medication because of their effects or because it has been a long time since the last episode of illness.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

Genetics: Research has since proven genetic linkage play a major role in development of bipolar especially among identical twins and siblings. Further studies indicate that children with one biological parent who have bipolar have increased likelihood of getting bipolar disorder. The lifetime risk of effective disorders in relatives with lifetime members who have bipolar disorder increases depending on the number of diagnosed relatives.

Environmental stressors too trigger bipolar episodes in people who are genetically predisposed.  For example, children growing up with parents who lack control of their moods or emotions may live with constant verbal and physical abuse are more prone to bipolar attacks.

 

DYSLEXIA

Specific learning disability that makes it difficult for people to read. Kids with dyslexia have trouble answering questions about something they have read but they show no difficulty whenever they are ready for. While dyslexia largely impacts learning, it is not a problem with intelligence as such kids are just as smart as their peers.

A key sign of dyslexia in kids is decoding words-The ability to match letters to sounds and then use the skill to read words accurately and fluently.

In some kids dyslexia is picked up later on when they have trouble with more complex skills including grammar, reading comprehension, reading fluency, sentence structure and more in depth writing.

Other notable signs include

Trouble recognising rhyming, assonated or alliterating sounds.

Quickly forgetting how to spell many words that they have learnt.

Frequently has to re-read sentences and passages

For Christian believers, in the bible, Jesus often expressed great love to those who were either possessed by evil spirits or showed signs of mental health. For example, in Mark 5, Jesus sent the evil spirits out of a demon possessed man who was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. When the healed man asked to travel with Jesus, he was told “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”

There is however a clear biblical distinction between mental illness due to biblical spirits and natural occurring mental illness. David appeared to be insane to King Gath in order to escape death (1st Samuel 12:12-13).

King Nebuchadnezzar had a temporary mental illness for seven years.

Jesus loves and provides mercy to those who vulnerable.

 

Euthanasia.……..Is it morally justified???

Deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering. For example, a doctor who gives a patient with terminal cancer an overdose of muscle relaxants to end their life would be considered to have carried out euthanasia.

Assisted suicide is the act of deliberately assisting or encouraging another person to kill themselves. If a relative of a person with a terminal illness were to obtain powerful sedatives, knowing that the person intended to take an overdose of sedatives to kill themselves, they may be considered to be assisting suicide.

Legal position

Both active euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal under Kenyan laws. Depending on the circumstances, euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or murder and is punishable by law, with a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment. Assisted suicide is illegal and is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Attempting to kill yourself is a criminal act in itself.

Types of euthanasia

Euthanasia can be classified in different ways, including:

• Active euthanasia-where a person deliberately intervenes to end someone’s life for example, by injecting them with a large dose of sedatives.
• Passive euthanasia-where a person causes death by withholding or withdrawing treatment that is necessary to maintain life, such as withholding antibiotics from someone with pneumonia.

Euthanasia may also be classified as:

• Voluntary euthanasia-where a person makes a conscious decision to die and asks for help to do this. Non-voluntary euthanasia-where a person is unable to give their consent (for example, because they are in a coma or are severely brain damaged) and another person takes the decision on their behalf, often because the ill person previously expressed a wish for their life to be ended in such circumstances
• Involuntary euthanasia-where a person is killed against their expressed wishes Depending on the circumstances, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia could be regarded as either voluntary manslaughter (where someone kills another person, but circumstances can partly justify their actions) or murder. Involuntary euthanasia is almost always regarded as murder.

End of life care

If you are approaching the end of life, you have a right to good palliative care to control pain and other symptoms as well as psychological, social and spiritual support. You are also entitled to have a say in the treatments you receive at this stage.

For example, under English law, all adults have the right to refuse medical treatment, as long as they have sufficient capacity (the ability to use and understand information to make a decision). If you know that your capacity to consent may be affected in the future, you can arrange a legally binding advance decision (previously known as an advance directive).

 

An advance decision sets out the procedures and treatments that you consent to and those that you do not consent to. This means that the healthcare professionals treating you cannot perform certain procedures or treatments against your wishes.

Other countries

Active euthanasia is currently only legal in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Under the laws in these countries, a person’s life can be deliberately ended by their doctor or other healthcare professional. The person is usually given an overdose of muscle relaxants or sedatives. This causes a coma and then death. However, euthanasia is only legal if the following three criteria are met:

• The person has made an active and voluntary request to end their life.
• It is thought that they have sufficient mental capacity to make an informed decision regarding their care.
• It is agreed that the person is suffering unbearably and there is no prospect for an improvement in their condition. Capacity is the ability to use and understand information to make a decision. In some countries the law is less clear, with some forms of assisted suicide and passive euthanasia legal, but active euthanasia illegal. For example, some types of assisted suicide and passive euthanasia are legal in Switzerland, Germany, Mexico and five American states.

Brief History

Euthanasia comes from the Greek words, Eu (good) and Thanatosis (death) and it means “good death, “gentle and easy death.” Alternatively euthanasia could be synonymous to “mercy killing.” or ‘painless death’

It is believed that euthanasia started in ancient Greece and Rome around the fifth century B.C. They did this by abortions and every now and then performed a mercy killing. Even though doctors were supposed to follow the Hippocratic Oath, many did not and therefore would end up giving patients poison if they asked them to. During the middle Ages, euthanasia was pretty much out of the question. If one committed suicide, the law in Europe was for the body to be “dragged through the streets or nailed to a barrel and left to drift downriver”(procon.org). During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries euthanasia was a topic of discussion. However, people continued to reject euthanasia and assisted suicide. It was not until 1828, for the first American law to make assisted suicide illegal. Although America outlawed euthanasia and assisted suicide, some states were still trying to get a law passed at the state level.

During the 1930s, euthanasia started to gain support in the US and societies who were in favor of it started to pop up not only in the US, but in England as well. However, the late 20th and early 21st century would be the time for euthanasia. The Netherlands would be the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia, and Belgium would legalize it soon after the Netherlands did.

Australia did allow euthanasia for a brief time in the mid-90s as well. In 1998, Oregon would be the first US state to allow euthanasia and Washington and Montana would follow.

The place of euthanasia in the history of medical ethics

 

The actions of easy death have been applied for hopeless patients who have been suffering extreme pain since ancient ages. These actions were forbidden from time to time. In Mesopotamia, Assyrian physicians forbade euthanasia. Again in the old times incurable patients were drowned in the River Ganges in India. In ancient Israel, some books wrote that frankincense was given to kill incurable patients. Jewish society, following the teaching of the Bible and the sixth command “thou shall not kill”, had rejected centuries ago every theory on shortening the life of handicapped or disadvantaged people. Judaism considered life to be sacred and equated suicide and euthanasia with murder. Dr Immanuel Jakobovits, former Chief Rabbi of England explained:

“Cripples and idiots, however incapacitated, enjoy the same human rights (though not necessarily legal competence) as normal persons… One human life is as precious as a million lives, for each is infinite in value…”

In Sparta, it was the common practice for each newborn male child to be examined for signs of disability or sickness which, if found, led to his death. This practice was regarded as a way to protect the society from unnecessary burden, or as a way to ‘save’ the person from the burden of existence.

In ancient Greece, suicide of the patient who was suffering extreme pain and had an incurable terminal illness was made easy and for this reason, the physician gave medicine (a poisoned drink) to him. Plato wrote: “Mentally and physically ill persons should be left to death; they do not have the right to live.” Pythagoras and his pupils were completely against suicide due to their religious beliefs that the gods place the man as the protector of the earthly life and he is not allowed to escape with his own will.

The first objection to euthanasia came from the Hippocratic Oath which says “I will not administer poison to anyone when asked to do so, nor suggest such a course.” In ancient Rome, euthanasia was a crime and this action was regarded as murder. However, history notes that sickly newborn babies were left outside, overnight, exposed to the elements.

In the middle Ages in Europe, Christian teaching opposed euthanasia for the same reason as Judaism. Christianity brought more respect to human beings. Accordingly, every individual has the right to live since God creates human beings and they belong to Him and not themselves. Death is for God to decree, not man. Like Judeo-Christian teaching, Islam also teaches that God is the only one who creates and the only one who may take life away.

 

And what does the Bible say?

 

 

There are two instances of euthanasia in the Bible. In the first, Abimelech, believing himself to be fatally wounded (with a fractured skull after being hit on the head by a millstone), asks his amour-bearer to kill him to spare him the “indignity of being killed by a woman” (Judges 9:52-55).

In the second instance, an Amalekite dispatches the mortally injured Saul, still alive after a failed attempt at suicide (2 Samuel 1:6-9).

These two cases demonstrate the two main arguments for euthanasia, autonomy (death with dignity) and compassion (release from suffering).

The Bible tells us that human beings are the most unique amongst God’s creatures in being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and it is on this basis, after the flood, that God introduces to all humankind the death penalty for murder (Genesis 9:6,7). The prohibition against killing legally innocent people is later formalized in the sixth commandment, You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17).

Euthanasia clearly falls within biblical definition. There is no provision for compassionate killing, even at the person’s request and there is no recognition of a right to die as all human life belongs to God (Psalms 24:1). Our lives are not actually our own. Suicide (and therefore assisted suicide) is therefore equally wrong.

Sadly, however, many Christians today are confused about euthanasia and fall prey to emotive hard cases and false dichotomies. It is often argued that we have only two equally undesirable alternatives to choose from either living hell or the euthanasia needle-both of which are imperfect and unloving solutions.

But there is a third way – the way of the cross. It calls upon Christians to give our whole selves to the love and service of others by expending our time, money and energy in finding compassionate solutions to human suffering (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 8:34; Philippians

2:4-11; Galatians 6:2, 10). It has found practical shape historically in the hospice movement and in good palliative care pioneered in large part by Christian doctors and nurses. When a person’s physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs are adequately tended then reasons to request for euthanasia are very scanty indeed.

But perhaps the most powerful Christian argument against euthanasia is that death is not the end. God’s intervention through Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3) means that through the eyes of faith we can look forward to a new world after death with God where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain(Revelation 21:4). And for those, however, who do not know God euthanasia is not a merciful release at all. It may rather be propelling them towards a judgment for which they are unprepared. It may be the worst thing we could ever do for them! (Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:15)

Euthanasia is wrong because God says it is wrong. Instead He points us to a better way, offering hope, love and compassionate care.

Nonetheless, proponents of euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death.” A terminally ill, mentally competent adult, after meeting strict legal safeguards should have the choice of their own free will to take prescribed medication which will end their life. We also believe the current law is not working because it forces some dying people to suffer against their wishes. With our members and supporters we are campaigning for the law change to allow assisted dying…..” echoed a vicious proponent.

They argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee such rights as marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. Further, that a quality life and happiness should be a guarantee to all humankind all through their lifespan.

Opponents of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide contend that doctors have a moral responsibility to keep their patients alive as reflected by the Hippocratic Oath. They argue that there may be a slippery slope from euthanasia to murder and that legalizing euthanasia will unfairly target the poor and disabled and create incentives for insurance companies to terminate lives in order to save money.

Meanwhile the pope has incessantly been on the limelight condemning any form of euthanasia and assisted suicide in what he considers to be a symptom of today’s “throw-away culture” that views the sick and elderly as a drain on society. The Holy Father further dismissed pro euthanasia calls terming them “a false sense of compassion” that should be denounced by all.

“Children aren’t loved, they’re killed before being born,” the Holy Father told a group of young Cubans in Havana. “The elderly are thrown away, because they don’t produce.”The pope also took the opportunity to revisit his denunciation of a “throwaway culture” While speaking to a gathering of Cuban bishops, priests, seminarians and religious, he implored society to defend its “smallest” and most vulnerable, including the unborn.

 

 

We admire one another for lots of reasons, many of which are pretty much fixed by our genes. Like being tall or slender. So you may not do much about them. Or you might say you like someone’s spontaneity, or their conscientiousness. But again, those are things you can’t really change once you have grown up.

So what can you work on that will make you more attractive and successful? You can improve your character. People often use the word “character” to mean “personality”. But they’re not really the same. Personality is mostly about the way you think, while your character involves your morals and values-and we choose those. And you know what? It is crucial that we have a really good character, and you will also succeed in life! And then you will be admired for being successful. So what should you do to build a really great character? Work on your integrity. So that what you say and what you do both reflect the same set of core values. Thus your actions and your words match up. Closely related is a clear sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. Just so everyone knows that you are fair and even handed, rather than forever taking advantage of everyone.

Malign not others! Because if you badmouth someone else to a friend, they’ll wonder if you also speak ill of them. Worse still, they’ll even stop sharing their real thoughts with you. Because everyone prefers being around optimists, choose not to be negative and actively look for the positive aspects of life. Constantly, seeking opportunities rather than dwelling on problems.

People always remember someone who is helpful, thoughtful and kind. And they admire ambition. So set yourself challenging goals. Because not only will you achieve more in your own life, but you will inspire others. And they will remember you for that too. We admire persistence as well ambition is never enough. You’ve got to persevere if you are to succeed. So whenever you stumble, just pick yourself up and get going again.

Most importantly, consciously set out to be compassionate and understanding. Because we really appreciate people who can empathize with us when the going is tough. And who help us see our way through life’s difficulties. And re-energize us. Believe in yourself, and work on your self-confidence. Accepting yourself as you truly are and being secure in your relationships. Because insecurity is extremely unattractive! But if you are comfortable in your own skin, and expect to be treated well, then that’s how others will treat you.

Finally, be open minded and forever willing to learn. Because once you are set in your ways, then you will close yourself off to new ideas and possibilities. And never cease to spot exciting opportunities. We also prefer the company of people who are open minded, and who listen to our ideas and views. We also admire people who take responsibility for their actions. So never blame others for your problems, or act like a victim. Instead, learn from your difficulties. And before long you will be admired. Have a virtuous 2018, Shall you?