Sapped by Social Media

We are living in the information age. Long gone are the days when news was only a recurrence after every hour on a radio transmitter, when all the drama that had happened in a day was only accessible in the evening during the news on TV. When newspapers would sell as hot cake and even the most memorable events were a preserve of those who were privileged enough to own electronic systems. But now, now even if a tsunami hits the East Indies or Siamese twins are born in Guatemala, then we’ll get to know of it concurrently because technology and in particular the internet, has enabled for this to happen.

It’s an age of freedom and infinite possibilities. It’s also a time when human exploits and madness has been brought to the fore like never before. Platforms to distribute information have been enhanced. The rise of social media has also experienced unprecedented leeway to how people-irrespective of location, live their daily lives. It was all fun and exciting at the beginning but much damage has also been brought to the fore.

Take for instance Facebook, second biggest country in the world, in terms of population and quickly growing and will ultimately overtake China. Began by a 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, he launched the site as a Harvard sophomore on February 4, 2004 and in its first decade has seen such tremendous growth both in members and revenue and it’s now one of the biggest grossing companies globally. I like Facebook. It’s an avenue that helps to easily keep in touch, share thoughts and ideas but it can also get pretty annoying at times.

Much has been said about weird ‘Facebookers’ and I might probably be one so I won’t delve much into it. But you and I, unless you just landed from the now defunct Planet Pluto are part of the 1,600,000,000 member Facebook family.

Twitter, founded initially by Jack Dorsey who with friends had originally imagined Twitter as an SMS-based communications platform. This would have enabled groups of friends to keep tabs on what each other was doing based on their status updates. Pretty much like texting, but not. Jack sent the first ‘message’ on Twitter, now known as tweets on March 21, 2006 9:50pm. It simply read, "just setting up my twttr". Various other developments took place and eight years on, the platform meant for SMS between buddies has grown-albeit with its 140 characters max feature to an avenue that has 400,000,000 members and growing.

Having a meal at a restaurant... What is the first thing to do? Of course, get the appetizer or as called in hospitality circles, have the starter meal. But after many years, the trend has changed. First thing you do before gulping your meal is to take a picture and post it online especially by use of Instagram. Though not among even the top five popular social media sites, Instagram is unique and fun and also is the highest growing of all social media sites. Founded in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, since the beginning it has been one platform that has spread globally at a supersonic rate, causing the interest of Facebook which in April 2012 bought it for 1 billion of dollars. From having a million users in December, 2010 to the current 180,000,000 active users, 16,000,000,000 photos shared, and 1,200,000,000 likes daily, there seems to be no letting up by this social media site.

Man truly is a social being, just as is the nature of his Creator, God. Amidst all these developments with even other sites not mentioned here, why are we seemingly further apart from each other? I mean, there is LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, VK, Flickr, MeetUp, Ask.fm, Classmates and many more others, including the ancestor of them all; MySpace but seems as if we have grown even colder in communication and further in actual interaction with one another.

So, why not take sometime off social media sometime. Log out and get outside. Look around, smile at the person close by...but not for too long lest they update on Facebook that “A weirdo. Right next to me!” or do it too sleazily lest they reach out to their phone for a selfie.

Be social, away from social media. Live and love life.

Melancholic Times

There was a time I had decided to avoid watching news. News nowadays can be stressful. It’s as if one doesn’t have to watch a horror movie since most of the prime headlines make for such horrific news. But then again, it’s foolhardy to not be aware of the happenings in the world. Though ignorance is bliss, we cannot afford to live in denial especially at this age and time.

The remains of MH17

Exactly a fortnight ago at a time like this, the whole world was in shock after the Malaysian Airline flight MH17 bizarrely disappeared from all ground control systems. This coming in the wake of the now infamous Malaysian Airline flight MH370 that disappeared on 8^th March this year after losing contact with air traffic control less than an hour after take-off from Kuala Lumpur. Sadly, for the former MH70, it was established soon after that it had crashed in a Ukrainian region facing a volatile war with Russian secessionists. Only now are circumstances getting clear that the 200 people on board lost their lives after the plane was shot down. Man seems to have really gone nuts.

Do they deserve to grow up in Tears?

As I write this, there’s massive warfare in the never ending conflict between Israel and Palestine. Almost everyone the world over holds an opinion on this war. I know for a fact that this is prophecy getting fulfilled and soon enough, a New Jerusalem will be established. Let those who have ears, listen and those with eyes see. Needless to say, no war is an event to be celebrated. Seeing innocent children and adults alike getting killed, day after day is truly a sad affair no matter what side one identifies with in this war. One only needs to imagine how painful it is to lose a beloved one to understand the magnitude of loss with casualties about to run in their thousands.

So back to the news I am watching, it happens that an Air Algeria aeroplane has crashed somewhere in Mali. There is no need to speculate on the cause of the crash but seems like a hundred people have met their demise. And it happens there is another plane that has met the same destiny in Taiwan. Only that the latter’s crash has been attributed to a typhoon sweeping across the Far East.

Surfing through the news, and again the worst Ebola outbreak in history is continuing to ravage West Africa. This deadly virus is dangerous since it’s subtle, can spread easily and become a global catastrophe and all we can do is hope that it gets contained soon.

So, where does the human race turn to when there’s so much negativity around? And it’s not as if we are living in the worst of times. There have been way more grim situations in the past. Genocides have wiped out hundreds of thousands of people; wars have killed and displaced millions, the plague wiped out a third of the entire global population while the crusades were brutal, colonialism and slavery inhumane while natural catastrophes leave us speechless.

An Ebola victim being led to a grave

Yet, amidst these many phenomena, man remains resilient. People are awesome. You are awesome.

Tick tock, Tick tock...

The Grand Prize is Unveiled

Time seemed to whirl

Only seven minutes remained on the clock. The twelve men, eleven on each side drawn from Argentina and Germany toiled towards glory. Christ the Redeemer; the iconic statue in Rio de Janeiro stood amicably as it has done over many years. Almost as if watching with a knowing smile on the proceedings down below. The game had begun while the sun shone. But now darkness had enveloped the Brazilian skyline while a set of over a billion eyes the world over waited in anticipation for the end of the 32 long day bonanza. The world cup was about to end.

Copacabana Beach staging the Match

Seven minutes remained on the clock. And Facebook was getting updates numbering millions, tweets too were aplenty while short prayers to diverse deities were being made. There were heartbeats racing. Hyperventilation was a global phenomenon and even the most hardened of souls trembled a bit. As no one knew of the outcome. Cities stood still and TV commentators rose to the occasion with frenzied passion.

Argentine fans in Anticipation

Seven minutes remained on the clock. Drama was now ensuring. The lunges and sinister tackles from both the South Americans and the Europeans were now at full throttle. Messi made his tricky runs. Neuer smothered out smoldering shots on goal. Mascherano defended for his life and country while Schweinsteiger acquired a bloodied face. Aguero recalled encouraging words he had gotten earlier that morning from Maradona, his father in law while Ozil prodded towards goal like an Indian flute that charms a cobra out of its dwelling pot.

Ecstatic German fans in Berlin

Seven minutes remained on the clock. The tension in the stadium was now palpable. The over 70,000 fans in the Maracana stadium were going through extreme emotions, even those higher than the annual diurnal temperatures of the Atacama Desert. Those on Copacabana beach forgot of the beauty that Rio offered. Their eyes transfixed on the giant screens, as if held by the charm of a master wizard. The waves breaking ashore from the Atlantic Ocean were now an unwelcome distraction. More beer was poured for the streetside pubs of Berlin to the shanty clubs of Buornes Aires. Bets were placed from the high-rise financial offices of Guangzhou to the neighbourhoods of Nairobi’s eastlands. Cursing words and religious words were on a tremendous rise in usage.

Then Götze happened

Seven minutes remained on the clock. And history was made. For the first time ever in a World Cup Final, two substitutes combined to score the winning goal. That goal here was a solo goal. That goal here equalled the record set at France ’98 when 171 was the final tally of the number of goals scored in the tournament. That goal won Germany the World Cup, 2014 edition. That goal broke the hearts of hundreds of millions. That goal brought indescribable joy to a different set of hundreds of millions. That goal made Mario Gotze the most talked about person the whole world over. That goal was a goal to never be forgotten.

Seven minutes remained and Germany was on its way to a fourth time World Cup triumph. And it did.  "G" is the 7th letter of alphabet, and Germany starts with "G" -The name Germany contains 7 letters -Germany was in Group "G" or Group "7" -Germany ended group stage with 7pts -Germany scored 7 goals in group stages-4 vs Portugal, 2 vs Ghana and 1 vs U.S.A -Germany scored 7 goals vs Brazil -And obviously, we are in 7th month of year and winning goal was scored 7 minutes to end of extra time...what a world cup! 

The Best team in the Tournament Won

Out of the Blue

No Balo, it happens to us all

Today started a lovely day. Though the July chilly weather is still making Nairobi seem like Siberia, I was excited for I was going to see someone special in the morning on the way to work. I did see them and headed into town to pick the bus that drops me at work, but then all hell broke loose. Well, not quite so for I believe hell is like nothing anyone ever imagines but still a place to not be scared about if you have a relationship with Jesus…but that’s a story for another day.

Yes, I need some tailoring classes

So, my trouser riiiiiiiped. Yea, it ripped on a major scale! Walking briskly, trying to dodge the oncoming traffic of people, I felt a ‘rrrrrrrr’ sound, like the one Mbusi and Bonoko repeatedly make on Ghetto Radio. Kumbe my very new trouser got hooked to a nail on a nearby kibanda and the seam just ripped apart from the waist down all the way to below my left knee. Boom! Disaster had befallen me though I must admit the breeze felt nice.

So I just stood still, if I wasn’t an African and thank God for this excess melanin that nullified sunscreen from my budget, I would have turned as red as a ripe tomato from Githunguri. To say I felt embarrassed would be an understatement. I contemplated three things. Either, go to work feeling like a boss while evoking all sorts of reactions and actions.  Secondly, looking all over town for a tailor who was open at that time (0630hrs) and the last one, looking for a new trouser to buy while I knew the cash on me wouldn’t be all sufficient. Was so confused that I didn't remember I had plastic money with me. The fourth and unmentioned choice was to will time and chance to rewind the whole situation, live in denial and hope all shall be well.

Well, I had to act and seeing the most sensible thing was to have the seam sewn (sounds like a tongue twister meant for our Luopean friends) back together, I set off, purchasing two safety pins on my way to look for the elusive tailor. The breeze felt better as I walked J

Woo Hoo! Getting sorted...

My feet took me all the way towards Gikomba, where the option of getting myself a new pair of pants would be executed. Frankly, my mind was quite blank. I just knew that I needed help, was desperate for help and I was literally clutching at straws. To cut the long story short before you get bored, dear reader, I found a dingy building where as if by chance, a tailor was just opening his clad laden store. I did not even care that it was dimly lit or the corridors even up the stairs were lined with bales of mtumba clothes. In a few minutes, my trouser was fixed as I stood there reflecting with just my boxers on. Eventually, I was able to get to work on time and it actually turned out to be quite a lovely day.

Where I found my Hope

Sometimes life will just surprise us. When the unexpected happens, most of us opt to live in denial. Some act, but albeit too late. And the course of life is an unpredictable adventure. A course into the unknown. Daily. It’s not always with bad occurrences. Scripture says in the latter part of Ecclesiastes 9:11 that “… time and chance happen to them all.” Sometimes, we miss the mark by a very small margin…like that Switzerland player, Blerim Dzemaili  who hit the post in the last minute of their World Cup game against Argentina yester-night. The ball ricocheted back, but he could only direct it wide thus confirming elimination of the European nation from the football bonanza.

 Take the chances that come your way, avoid standing on the same spot as life moves by. Ultimately, I think we should be frantic to determine our ultimate destiny. Life on Earth isn’t eternal. Accept Jesus and love Him, for this is by faaaaaaaaar, the greatest decision you can ever make. Heaven won’t be your destination by chance. Choices have consequences.

And yea, when you rip your pants on a nail, you might wanna enjoy the breeze a bit more than I did. Maybe for the rest of the day.