Can I Preach

Toxic masculinity has become a hot topic of discussion in recent times due to the rise of the #MeToo era. As a man navigating these social scenes, I believe it is crucial for us as men to call out these toxic behaviours when we come across them. However, I do take issue with how masculinity as a whole is sometimes depicted by the mainstream media as an inherently toxic trait. While we fight to rid the world of all forms of toxicity, we must be objective in how we call out such behaviour and not vilify masculinity in general, which is something that is necessary for all men to embrace. Now, before you sharpen your pitchforks, let me explain.

It’s something that we all deal with, those seemingly endless hours spent awake in the deathly quiet of the night where you just can’t sleep regardless of how hard you try. What if I told you that Insomnia and warped sleeping cycles don’t have to be your achilles heel. This past week I took it upon myself to recalibrate my sleep cycle which had taken a beating recently given that my daily schedule had changed a little. With a little tough love, you too can pummel Insomnia into submission.

‘Kaizen’ is a Japanese word meaning continuous improvement, it’s origins trace back to post World-War Two and its use in the corporate world was popularised by Maasaki Imai through his book titled Kaizen. Why am I telling you this? Because at its core, Kaizen is based on the belief that everything can be improved. A message that I feel is fairly relevant given the chaotic world we are living in right now. More than that, it is important to understand that your self-betterment journey will forever be ongoing. Learning to strive for better, every day, in a sustainable way can have wonderful effects on your life.

The bane of my existence, procrastination always seems to hit at the most inconvenient times, when I’m supposed to be getting something specific done. What I find most baffling about procrastination is that I avoid doing work by doing work, strange isn’t it? Instead of typing an essay, I’ll end up cleaning my room or going to the gym for a double session. This clearly isn’t me being lazy, after all, I am being productive in some capacity, but not in the way I would have hoped. Why am I like this? I have no idea, let’s talk about it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/smarter-living/why-you-procrastinate-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-self-control.html

https://jamesclear.com/procrastination

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful franchise in the history of film, comprising so far, of 23 movies across three phases which have collectively grossed over 20 billion dollars in 11 years. Marvel Studios were able to turn B-List superheroes like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor into household names. Today, everyone and their dog knows who the Avengers are, even if you don’t like the films you can’t ignore their influence on pop culture. On this podcast episode, I dive into why Marvel Studios will forever hold a special place in my heart. Join me as I try to explain to the uninitiated why I believe it is one of the greatest gifts to modern cinema despite its flaws.

I would strongly argue that almost every single issue that Kenya faces today has ties to colonialism, that is not to take personal accountability from local politicians and authorities who are not doing their job as is required. This personal accountability applies to the police force as well, as it’s no secret that the Kenyan public is increasingly becoming disenfranchised with law enforcement. There have been dozens of deaths during the government-imposed curfew as a result of police brutality, unfortunately, cases of citizens being subjected to excessive force are nothing new. To understand the issue, we must first trace the colonial roots of law enforcement in Kenya and how classism carries on its horrid legacy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/kenya-coronavirus-curfew-crackdown-death-toll/2020/04/15/740a8c4e-79be-11ea-a311-adb1344719a9_story.html

https://theconversation.com/why-violence-is-a-hallmark-of-kenyan-policing-and-what-needs-to-change-139878

https://www.change.org/p/the-president-of-kenya-justice-for-samuel-maina

It’s a horrible world we live in when some of the people who are supposed to protect civilians and uphold the law with diligence, are the same ones causing serious bodily harm and in other unfortunate situations, executing said civilians with complete disregard for their life or the lives of those that they leave behind. I would like to stress that in an institution such as law enforcement where each individual has a great amount of power, one “mistake” is a stain on the entire force. Furthermore, I am aware that there are more good police officers than bad ones, but how many people will have to die before proper changes are implemented to ensure that foul individuals never get the chance to serve in law enforcement in the first place?

So there I was talking to my friend about streaming services when I started going off on a rant about how there were way too many to choose from. I mean, how was I going to watch all my favourite shows which had now been scattered across Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple Tv? “It would mean having to pay for three different accounts,” I dreaded. It was at that exact moment when a light bulb flickered in my brain and I realised that I had become a victim of first world problems. I immediately started to think about all the other things that I have been complaining about recently and my worst fears were confirmed, but how did this happen? Had I let my experience as an International student go to my head? Had I become….that guy? Or, are there lessons to be learned from such problems?

Creating content today is not as simple as just making something and putting it out there, the landscape has changed completely. People today expect value for the time invested, as a creator you must ensure that whatever you offer is up to a certain standard because the competition has ramped up tenfold. If you want to grow and succeed, then you have to learn how the game of content creation is played and there are many tricks to grasp. Beyond that, you must be consistent come rain or sunshine, which is the hardest thing to do.

People grow apart, it happens, welcome to the real world. Sorry to be uncharacteristically blunt upfront, but expired friendships are a natural part of this journey we call life. Friendships expire for many reasons, some go through an ugly, intense breakdown, while others drift apart through time. A lot of the times, as you grow your interests change, sometimes in a drastic way that does not support the friendships that you had established earlier. I happen to be at a stage where I am more than comfortable with cutting off ties, I’ll explain why. This episode will benefit you greatly if you have already listened to episode 3, 9 and 25 which complement what I talk about. Let’s do it.