Olufemi O.Taiwo’s theory of everything


marenx The Writer


Headshot of Olufemi Taiwo by Jared Rodriguez

Age 32, Olufemi O. Taiwo is one of the youngest Philosophers of the United states of America. He's an assistant professor in the University of Washington.

He's described as one of America’s most prominent philosophers and certainly the most vocal philosopher working on issues related to climate change.

A writer, he publishes regularly not only in professional philosophical journals, but also in publications like The New Yorker, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and too many others to list.



Táíwò’s parents left Nigeria in the early 1980s to pursue graduate school in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Táíwò was born. His childhood memories start in the suburban Midwest. His mother’s career as a pharmacologist took the family from the affluent suburbs of Cincinnati to the affluent suburbs of Indianapolis and then to nearby Muncie — “Parks and Rec Indiana,” as Táíwò calls it. As a kid, he was absorbed by Ender’s Game, the mythology of the Star Wars expanded universe, and Super Smash Brothers Melee.


The affluent suburb of Cincinnati, photo from www.bellhopblog.com/blog


The affluent suburb of Cincinnati, photo from www.bellhopblog.com/blog

At UCLA, Taiwo studied under philosophers who encouraged him to pursue the broad, big-picture questions that animated him—questions about how contemporary society is structured, and how it could be restructured in a just way — rather than reorienting himself toward the arcana associated with academic philosophy. The wide scope of Táíwò’s inquiry led him to take much of his coursework outside his home department, in classes on history and cultural studies. Táíwò’s dissertation advisor, the philosopher AJ Julius, described their time together as the “uncommon experience of watching someone in permanent revolution.”


Continue reading: https://grist.org/culture/olufemi-taiwo-climate-change-reparations-justice/?utm_source=pocket_discover

Review:

The Use of As in Bihind the Cloud by Ifeoma Okoye





First published in 1982, Behind the Cloud is a novel written by Ifeoma Okoye. The author shows the consequences of becoming a baren wife, particularly in Eastern Nigeria. In this novel of 119 pages, Ije is presented as Dozie's wife who suffers humiliation and agony just because she can't become pregnant let alone give birth to a baby. At the end of the novel, however, the cause of her bareness is medically discovered--her husband can't impregnate a woman.

Behind the Cloud is a story written economically and in a simple English. Every conscious reader would like to appreciate what makes it thick.

The author begins the story when Ije has already gone far in her struggle to become pregnant. She therefore needs to rely on a word that causes tension in order to keep her readers. That's where the use of a transition word 'as' comes in to play.

As tiny as it is, the transition word can make a reader desperate to continue reading. Let's see how it works in the following sentence:

'As he entered the room, the wall cracked.'

If you haven't observed the sentence, two things simultaneously occur:

1. He entered the room, and
2. The wall cracked.

Why? Because of the use of 'as'.

If you don't know, if you don't use 'as' in the beginning of the sentence, the sentence will lack tension as in the following:

The wall cracked as he entered the room.

Assuming this sentence appears in the first page of your novel, your readers may feel reluctant to continue reading. Because you've said it all at once.

You should have hooked your readers first before giving them any new piece of information--a technique journalists have been using for ages. For instance, I hook a reader by saying, "As I entered the room..." because the reader would like to know what happened next.

Now let's see how Ifeoma effectively uses the technique in her novel.

The Effective Use of 'As' As a Transition Word in Ifeoma Okoye's Behind the Cloud

The word "as" is one of the most commonest used words in English. It serves as both a foundation and a pillar in the novel. A transition word and a sentence variation factor, it's often employed in the first half of the book.

The writer wants to smoothly move a reader to understand Ije's struggle to reproduce. The first use of "as" in the fashion mentioned above appears in page one when Ije is in the hospital's waiting-room. The word assists the author to use one of the most important literary devices--flashback:

"As Ije sat there, her mind plunged deep into the past: a past full of failures that still rankled. She remembered vividly all the doctors who had treated her--the tests, the minor operations, and the major one that almost killed her."1

"As Ije sat there" can be replaced by "while Ije sat there" but the author goes with the simply pronounced syllable "as" to introduce the flashback. As a result, we unconsciously find ourselves plunged deep into Ije's world of meeting with the herbalists.

After the newspaper vendor interrupted the flashback, however, the author has no any option than to resume the use of "as" in page 3 for Ije to read the newspaper and for a fat woman to be introduced in the novel. She wrote:

"As the vendor walked away, Ije began to scan the newspaper while she waited for her turn to see the doctor. Presently, she was interrupted by a fat woman who came and sat down in the armchair next to hers."2

Notice that after the use of "as" in the first sentence, the next sentence reveals a progress. First in page 1, the next sentence reveals a flashback of Ije's meetings with herbalists, then in page 3 it reveals her meeting with a fat woman who is later known as Beatrice the sprinter who was in class 3 while Ije was in class 4 back at ACM in Port Harcourt.

As if that isn't enough, the author similarly uses "as" in the last sentence of page 10 to round up the clinic scenes and reveal chapter 2 of the novel where Ije continues her struggle to reproduce. Here's an example of the bridge sentence:

"As Ije drove out of the clinic, her hope rose and she prayed silently to God to grand her her wish."3

A reader leaves chapter 1 with the expectation of seeing the outcome of Ije's prayer but, like most novelists, Ifeoma delays the outcome with the use of suspense. Thus, chapter 2 begins with: "There was not much traffic as Ije drove through Kenyatta Street into Edozie Street."

The author uses "as" in the middle of the above sentence but it doesn't work as much as when used in the beginning.

The transition word is further used in the beginning of the sentence on page 13 as it's used in page 1 introducing the use of flashback:

"As Ije sat down again she was overcome by a sudden depression. Her mind went back to the hospital. Dr Melie's words rang in her ears."5

Afterward, after the foundation of the novel stands firm, the author however relies less on the use of the transition word as a reader is already fully aware of Ije's agony.

But a few pages later proves that absolute avoidance of the use of the transition word may bore a reader. This may explain why the author resumes the usage which appears on pages 58, 62, 66, 71, 73 and finally 76 respectively.

The final use of the transition word on page 76 is similar to the use on page 10.

Example:

"As she drove home she hoped to discover on arrival that the visitor had gone."6

I can say the author stops using the transition word on page 76 either because of fear of overusing it or because the story has fully reached its climax where a reader must press on to see what happens next after Ije is aware that her husband has impregnated Virginia.

Conclusion

The use of "as" isn't the only way to hook your readers before offering them a new piece of information. There are many other ways in many great novels and short stories out there. For example, you can read "The Falls", an interesting short story by George Saunders to see how the use of "although" plays a significant role.



© Maren John Mafuyai

The Use of Perfect Tense in Bessie Head's "Snapshots of a Wedding"

Reviewed By marenx 16/08/2024

Written by Bessie Head, published in 1977 in The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales, "Snapshots of a Wedding" is yet to receive a good number of appreciations or literary reviews particularly in West Africa. An impressively crafted short story, it covers a period when Western Education was yet to reach many Africans.

The story follows the wedding of Neo, a young educated woman, and Kegoletile, a young rich man. While Kegoletile gets both Neo and Mathata pregnant, he cannot marry both of them. Mathata is a well-behaved but illiterate lady who is only good as a house wife while Neo is an arrogant educated woman who is already employed. But Kegoletile, preferring a career woman, married Neo. Moreover, the word neo means new and the author names the bride so to depict her as a new sort of African Woman.

To create a perfect human world by means of giving a vivid account of what takes place, Bessie relied on the use of perfect tense.

According to Merriam-Webster online, a perfect tense is "an action or state that is completed at the time of speaking or at a time spoken of." Expressed by adding one of the auxiliary verbs--have, has or had--to the past participle, the tense is used to describe what has already happened or to show an action that is finished or perfected. The following are vivid examples of perfect tense:

Imperfect tense: I came.

Perfect tense: I have come. Or I had come.

Imperfect tense: I saw.

Perfect tense: I have seen. Or I had seen.

Imperfect tense: I conquered.

Perfect tense: I have conquered. Or I had conquered.

One more example...

Imperfect tense: I was in Jos.

Perfect tense: I have been in Jos. Or I had been in Jos.

The best example of perfect tense is often found in the context of a written story.

Here is The Use of Perfect Tense in Bessie Head's "Snapshots of a Wedding"

Next, Bessie reveals the talk and gossip associated with wedding, especially in the African context before she finds the best opportunity to use the perfect tense again to expose Neo's educational background. She writes:

"Of all her family and relatives, she was the only one who had completed her 'O' levels and she never failed to rub in this fact."

With this, she described Neo's arrogance and how others react to it and rounded it up with another perfect tense to conclude that despite it Neo has still become successful. She writes:

"Actually, life had treated Neo rather nicely."

7.

I pushed my small white bicycle as I passed by a shopping mall.

An elderly neighbor saw me and shouted:

"This bicycle is too small for you. Dont use it."

I waved and shouted, "Thank you."

Though I was embarrassed.

A bicycle is small for me only if I can't ride it comfortably.

Any bicycle I can ride to a reasonable distance is my size.

My bicycle is taller than a motorcycle that can carry three men to their destination.

But I calmed down and shook the embarrassment because this isn't the first time I experienced someone whose joy comes from someone's sadness.

Every adult should know these:

-If you assume something, don't state it. Turn it to question.

If the man asked me privately, "Is this bicycle not too small for you?" it wouldn't have caused him this kind of writing here.

-Never believe you know.

From a distance or because you don't understand my bicycle, it may look too small. But wait until you see me riding it before arriving at your conclusion.

During my school days I lived in a hostel with someone similar who moved to disapprove of almost everything I said eventhough he knew he was wrong. My relationship with him was never connected.

Why did I share this story?

You may be facing or causing similar challenges.

But it is good to know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Ask good questions to recognize that someone has emotions too.

8.

Coming up from work, I appeared on a path near a house...
Someone appeared from the house and gave me a handshake. When I accepted it, friendship was established between us...
Later he visited me, have a nice time with me. We began to visit each other and cook together...
Then I realized a negative site of him.
Though he was well educated, a good story teller and an interesting conversation creator, he is a cheat and I had to quit the relationship in order to maintain my image as a professional teacher.
But I really missed him....
I want to tell you that missing someone you enjoy is painful.
-missing a valuable customer
-missing a best friend
-missing a valuable influencer or a motivational speaker
-missing a valuable employee

All are painful.
Some years back I was following an influencer by the name Jeff Haden on Linkedin...
When he retired to Incom and my browser couldn't reach him, I felt a part of me was missing.
Though my writing style isn't similar to his, his influence is still with me eventhough I have never seen him.
I ever told him on Twitter that I wanted to write like him.
Life is really tough whenever you miss a gold.
I develop a let-go strategy that often helps me(I call it uplifting strategy).
It can help you too.
To uplift myself back to normal after missing someone, I use and visualize the following affirmations:
-I create interesting conversations
-I tell interesting stories.
-I lead people to success.
-I give help.


9.
The first time I carried over a course, I felt my heart would burst...
I put my hands over my head as I walked towards a bush.
"All my junior course mates will know it and I may fail again", I kept on telling myself.
If you have ever carried over a course for the first time, got fired from work, become pregnant out of wedlock or caught doing something disgraceful, you probably understand my pain.
The major cause of this pain is asking one or all of the following questions:
-What will my friends say?
-What will my parents say?
-Will my neighbours ever look at me the same?
Asking these questions leads to committing suicide, abortion or change of location.
I know so many ladies that said "What will people say about this unwanted pregnancy of mine?" Today they are thanking God for giving them those pregnancies that turned to helpful children.

10.

10.
The staffroom was big enough and under construction...

I relaxed on a plastic chair and watched three men speak.

I heard the man whom they called Pastor say, "I offer catering services for wedding, send off, conferences, etcetra."

Whether he knew he did the best thing or not, I learned something very important from there.

I learned that he had created a profitable job opportunity for himself by making that speech.

If someone needs catering service for wedding or any occasion, he may seek his help.

-I help people fix their toilets;

-I plait hair with different styles;

-I wash carpets and blankets cheaply.

All are good examples of what he said that can attract more customers/clients or contracts.

Other examples include:

-I sell electronics;

-I accept responsibilities;

-I repair cell phones;

etc.

All you need to do is to say it many times enough for many people to know.

Dear entrepreneurs,

Any person you meet or everywhere you meet people is an opportunity to create opportunity for yourself.

You don't know who will say, "Come, let's become business partners."

You don't know who will give you a big contract.

You don't know where you will make your first 5 million Naira.

Focus on creating opportunities for yourself.

My name is Maren John Mafuyai. I'm a writer, a teacher and an entrepreneur.


12.

A health worker asked me:

"How many times do you wash your hands per day?"

Hmmm!

I had to reason to answer this question correctly.

The truth is I had to be sincere to myself and to the whole world.

"I hardly washed my hands more than twice or once per day", I said. "I eat with spoon so I don't bother."

Then I realized I have been making a big mistake.

Sometimes I pick meat, chinchin, akara, biscuit or awara with my bare hand to mouth.

Sometimes I use my hand to pick nose or scratch my eyes.

Most times I do these things unconsciously.


13.

1. Always practice hand-washing.

Research has found that our hands are responsible for some of the infections and viruses we have.

We don't think much about what we touch but the things we touch can infect us with disease.

2. Always drink water.

The more you drink water the more you urinate and the more you urinate the more dirt leave your body.

If you don't drink more water, your urine will become yellow but if you drink more water your urine will become white

3. Always remember that having unprotected sex can be perilous.

If you need unprotected sex, look for a good partner to marry in order to avoid health risk.

12.

A student walked and stood one foot away from me near a white board.

"Sir, may I use the rest room?" she said.

I was instructed to say, "Sir, may I ease myself?"

So I cautioned her.

And that was the big mistake I made in my teaching career.

Cautioning a learner for saying or doing the right thing is unprofessional.

If I calmed down and reasoned, I wouldn't have made such mistake.

Because I wasn't instructed to say "May I use the rest room", doesn't mean saying it is wrong.

It is better to reason first before correcting or cautioning someone.

Most times we let our ego tell us what to do, and that's why we committed mistakes, blunders or atrocities that can be avoided.

Once you feel to do something, calm down and reason before doing it.

Be quick in making decisions but be slow in taking it.


14.

It is also better to accept change

"May I ease myself?" was used when I was in primary and secondary schools but now it's time for "May I use the rest room?" to be used too.

Accept it and move on with your life.

Another important thing to do is to avoid conclusion without having facts.

The ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

Entrepreneur | Teacher | Believer

Review
The Use of passive voice in chinua achebe's dead men's path

Reviewer: maren John Mafuyai

Review date: 7/11/2022





Dead Men's Path" is a short story written by Chinua Achebe and published in 1953. The story follows a young headmaster who is assigned to manage a mission school in a place where African traditional religion is fully in fashion.

The headmaster wants to prove that he's self-oriented, highly educated and therefore good at running the school. However, he ends up blocking the path that connects the people with their dead people--a move that results in a serious conflict.

This is a kind of a story one can see featured in most African history books. It is therefore no longer a new thing that it's difficult to make one forsake his/her inherited religion especially in totality.

To attract people to read this kind of a story, a creative writer needs to employ a device to hook them. That may be why Achebe relies on passive voice.

What is passive voice?

Any grammatical element is geared towards helping a speaker or writer to deliberately pass a particular information or message to a reader or listener. One of those elements is passive voice.

Passive voice is a form of a lexical verb in which the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action. The opposite of passive voice is called active voice.

Example:

Passive voice: Okon's promise was fulfilled.


Active voice: Okon fulfilled his promise.

In passive voice the sentence begins with Okon's promise. However, in active voice the sentence begins with Okon. In passive voice Okon receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action. Passive voice can appear in present tense, perfect tense, past tense, future tense, present and past continuous tense, etc.

Present tense: Okon's promise is fulfilled.
Perfect tense: Okon's promise has/had been fulfilled.
Past tense: Okon's promise was fulfilled.
Future tense: Okon's promise will/would/shall/should be fulfilled.
Present continuous tense: Okon's promise is being fulfilled.
Past continuous tense: Okon's promise was being fulfilled....
Etc.

Passive voice is usually used in expository essay explaining a process of doing something like cooking, experiment, industrial work, etc. Creative writers are advised to avoid using it as it weakens a creative story. They are told "Mary runs the school" is more effective than "The school is run by Mary."

But the major concern is sometimes a situation can be best explained through the use of passive voice. For example, it's better to say "The school is short-staffed" rather than "The mischievous proprietor short-staffs the school."

There are often situations in creative writing where it's more preferable to use passive voice. In 'Dead Men's Path', for example, Chinua Achebe demonstrates his intelligence and accurate sense of observation through employing the voice.

The Use Of Passive Voice in 'Dead Men's Path'

Chinua Achebe wishes to begin his 'Dead Men's Path' featuring the main character, a young energetic man named Michael Obi. He has no any effective option than to use a passive voice in both the first and the second sentence. He writes:

"Michael Obi's hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he had expected. He was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School in January 1949."

The use of passive voice, his "hopes were fulfilled" and he "was appointed headmaster", is very interesting and impressive. A reader must want to know more about this man Michael Obi.

After Michael Obi's wife says something in reply to Michael Obi, Achebe wants us to know more about them. Again he chooses to use a passive voice but this time in a long sentence. He writes:

"In their two years of married life she had become completely infected by his passion for 'modern methods' and his denigration of 'these old and superanuated people in the teaching field who would be better employed as traders in the Onitsha Market.'"

Notice that "who would be better employed" and "she had become completely infected" are all forms of passive voice. Further, passive voice appears in conversation in what Michael Obi says to his wife:

"I was thinking what a grand opportunity we've got at last to show these people how a school should be run."

"How a school is run" and "how a school should be run" are both correct forms of passive voice. But a man who uses "how a school is run" may however be considered less professional in handling English Language than the one who uses "how a school should be run." Maybe that's why Achebe puts the later in Michael Obi's mouth since "Michael Obi was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School."

Now Achebe has proven that he can more often use this technique effectively. He further uses it twice in one sentence as he writes:

"A high standard of teaching was insisted upon, and the school compound was to be turned into a place of beauty."

The author depends on passive voice throughout the story. It produces formal, original and mature language that reveals a clash between European and African belief. The following is the rest of the sentences where passive voice appears:

"Although [the path] is hardly used, it connects the village shrine with their place of burial."

"'But [the path] will not be used now'..."

"Heavy sticks were planted closely across the path at the two places where it entered and left the school premises. These were further strengthened with barbed wire."

"'...this path was here before you were born and before your father was born."

"...it is the path of children coming to be born."

"A diviner was immediately consulted and he prescribed heavy sacrifices to propitiate ancestors insulted by the fence."

"The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right round the school, the flowers trampled to death and one of the school buildings pulled down..."

All the sentences sound interesting, entertaining and easy to access, follow and interpret. Passive voice is a good ingredient to use to cook a fascinating story.

Conclusion

Great writers are aware that a key to great writing is identifying literary and grammatical devices and using them effectively. Through Dead Men's Path" Chinua Achebe demonstrates that passive voice is the best device any creative writer can take advantage of. The tool can be shaped and transformed to refine any dirty or weak sentence into the most wealthiest one.

It's far better off to tell up-coming creative writers to learn how to effectively use passive voice rather than scaring them that passive voice spoils a story.

CORRECTIONS


BEFORE:

What is passive voice?

Any grammatical element is geared towards helping a speaker or writer to deliberately pass a particular information or message to a reader or listener. One of those elements is passive voice.

Passive voice is a form of a lexical verb in which the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action. The opposite of passive voice is called active voice.


AFTER:

What is passive voice?

There are many grammatical elements that helps a speaker or writer to deliberately pass a particular information or message to a reader or listener. One of those elements is passive voice.

Passive voice is a form of a lexical verb in which the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action. The opposite of passive voice is called active voice.

BEFORE:

Passive voice is usually used in expository essay explaining a process of doing something like cooking, experiment, industrial work, etc. Creative writers are advised to avoid using it as it weakens a creative story. They are told "Mary runs the school" is more effective than "The school is run by Mary."

AFTER:

Passive voice is usually used in expository essay explaining a process of doing something like cooking, experiment, industrial work, etc. Creative writers are advised to avoid using it as it weakens a creative story. For example, they are told "Mary runs the school" is more effective than "The school is run by Mary."

I often asked God this question;

"How can I achieve my dreams?"

I got the answer in late 2022.

It may surprise you!

The answer is positive thinking.

Positive thinking has been helping me since then, I celebrated over six months of it in 2023.

You may want to know what positive thinking means to me, here are three definitions:

1. It means counting my good moments;

I would sit alone and tell myself:

-I'm healthy;

-I have a big ongoing project;

-I can achieve my top prioritized goals;

etc.

I would count only my good moments.

I would never count my errors and setbacks, never do that.

2. My positive thinking means being grateful to God and all those who supported me.

I would sit down alone, write or tell myself the following:

-I thank God Almighty;

-I thank my parents and all my lovers;

-I'm grateful for having people around me;

-I'm so much grateful for having all I need to survive in this universe.

3. My positive thinking means declaring that I believe I have received wealth from God

I would declare it with faith and deep belief through what Jesus said in the book of Mark 11:24-25.

I would say, for example, "As You say in the book of Mark 11:24-25 whatever I ask for in prayer I should believe I have received it and it will be mine, I beleive I have received wealth...."

I would imagine myself receiving wealth as I declare.

Doing all these three put me in the right frame of mind to achieve my dreams.

It has given me tremendous knowledge and wisdom that help me expand my business and command abundance.

I've scheduled to practise another round of this positive thinking starting from 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2024.

The goal is to become used to doing it always.

This can be hard for me but I won't quit.



The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

Entrepreneur | Teacher | Believer



2.

I temporarily stopped teaching full time in September 2022.

In that month I started my education business with point of sale (POS) in a shop in the main street.

One day, one of my ex-students, who was supposed to have been a graduate, called into the shop.

As he stood over me, I could see how he looked surprise.

"Hmm, God," he exclaimed immediately, "so this is how life is.... This is where you ended up."

I smiled at his ignorance, execute the transaction, collected my money and thanked him.

He left me without knowing me well.

What a loss!

Here is what most of these people think:

-They think a small-scale business man doesn't have a future.

-Their definition of a rich man is:

a nigerian who live abroad

a director or a permanent secretary in civil service

a lecturer

a medical doctor

a high-ranking police man, soldier, etc

a banker

a political leader

someone who has a car and an apartment

They are so ignorant they don't value learning.

"I want to be like this uncle, I want to be like that aunty...," they say.

They are so lost in their desire to be like someone.

As the result, they pity a wrong person.

Because my shop is empty today, that doesn't mean it will be empty next month or next year.

Because I sat down quietly as if I'm famished, it doesn't mean I ended here.

Because I don't look rich, it doesn't mean I'm not rich.

Because I don't tell the world my plan, it doesn't mean I don't have a billion naira plan.

Dear entrepreneurs,

In your journey to become a leading brand, you'll meet this sort of people and even worse than them.

When they pity you, smile at their ignorance, execute the transaction, collect your money and thank them.

They're your customers and a customer is always right.

Tony Elumelu, the owner of United Bank for Africa (UBA), said:

“The kind of challenges we face on the continent require not only vision but also patience and perseverance.”

Patience and perseverance should be our watch-words.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

Entrepreneur | Teacher | Believer

3.

Even the fastest car in the world starts slowly from gear one.

Remember even growth is slow.

If you're faster than the earth, you can never meet your destiny.

Give your life time to evolve;

Give you skills time to evolve;

Give your plans time to evolve.

Starting slow can mean starting small.

One of my childhood friends, Ezekiel Jatau, used to say:

"From the start, a dog moves faster than a car."

Yes it is true.


The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

Entrepreneur | Teacher | Believer


4.

5.

I hardly take my time to talk about my niche struggle in serious note.

Well, today I do justice to my content writing hobby as 2023 is fast-rounding up.

I wrote contents on my Linkedin account in November and December 2022.

In 2023 I focused on writing contents on my Facebook accounts.

In the first half of the year, I wrote contents that support the less-privileged people but I'm yet to publish them.

Also in 2023 I tested content strategies that can improve the quality of my service to humanity.

In the same year, I had various content writing breaks to think more for clarity to add more value.

Now in my writing I choose to avoid creating hunger for simplicity.

After gaining enough focus on writing personal story contents, I know that sitting myself down to write is enough to teach me how to be a brilliant writer.

On social media, I respect terms, conditions and copyright laws for honesty, fairness, peace and justice.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, lecturer and philosopher, said:

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived....”

Me too.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai

Entrepreneur | Teacher | Believer

One of the men came forward holding a bottle of Swan Water.

Most audience seating at the back gave him a standing ovation as he took the stage, which gave us an impression that he was one of their revered leaders.

I became interested in him as he began to express himself weaving motivational and inspiring speech.

He said going to university is good but it doesn't guaranty financial success and he quoted notable financial experts and authors including Robert Kiyosaki and Brian Tracy to back up his points.

He also said that he was a university graduate but he dumped his university degree.

He didn't spend up to 5 minutes he had drunk half of his Swan Water.

And that became a problem.

I could hear other audience murmuring and I could feel the presence of deception.

A lady occupying a chair behind me said he didn't drink the water until he came on stage to show us he was rich.

Three minutes later, she and a woman beside her stood up and walked away.

The man wanted to convince us that he can mentor us to become rich and he thought he had to first show us he was rich so he used Swan Water as a symbol of riches.

And that is why he lost our trusts. We understood his gimmicks.

Some entrepreneurs will pause behind someone's car and snap a picture just to show they are rich.

Some will snap a picture in a fine hotel or resident just to show they live in luxury.

Others will go as far as hiring a car and lying that they live in UK or USA just to convince
people.

This is not how to win.

Be patient to adhere to moral practices.

The #ForefrontWriter, Maren John Mafuyai