⁃ Forgiveness is a fundamental virtue in life. When you forgive it gives you a platform to start anew. When you forgive you draw a line and tell yourself that from now on ain’t no going back and letting go of the past disturbing events. However it is inevitable that you will be reminded of the past. It is an adage that you can’t change the past but can change the future. For progressive people, dwelling on the past is a waste of time and time is a limited resource, between stimulus and response you will always choose to bury the hatchet.
⁃ The widely known epitome of forgiveness is Jesus Christ for he forgave all the sinners including those who crucified him. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
⁃ Since I was birthed in Southern Africa I would be remiss if I didn’t look at political examples of two man in particular namely Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe, both man were freedom fighters as well as first black Presidents for their countries- South Africa & Zimbabwe respectively. The man were seen as terrorist by the white settlers, and some whites around the world at large were programmed to fear them. Magret Thatcher the then Prime Minister of Great Britain disliked Mandela.
⁃ Before independence in 1980 Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia and on 18 April 1980 on his inauguration Mugabe declared that: “If you were my enemy now you can’t avoid the love that binds me to you and you to me”. I think this would have been a breath of fresh air to all the white people who listened to his words. It was a moment of great relief and jubilation. For a few though it was a moment of worry and dubitation. In my days I new Mugabe as a childless man but he was married to his first wife Sally until her untimely death in 1992. The word on the street was he had been castrated by Ian Douglas Smith while serving a 10 year prison sentence. His only child with Sally was said to have died in Ghana, he had succumbed to Cerebral malaria. Given what I thought he went through, he was a hail fellow with Christ like love for forgiving the man who had emasculated him. Four years later he got married again to his young secretary who miraculously gave birth in the eyes of many. Some speculated that he wasn’t emasculated but went under the knife while in prison- as a life saving measure a bit of his manhood was chopped off not castrated. He still had the bitterness within him which was revealed in 2000 by the seizure of white owned farms after the white farmers showed an increasing support for the opposition party. Also his bitterness was exasperated by the disagreement with the British government. In a reverse fortune one of the richest countries in Africa became one of the poorest before he was forcibly removed from power in 2017. Mugabe forgave and went back on his word. Mandela once said Zimbabwe was a star in Africa and then the sun came out, the sun being South Africa after becoming a democratic country in 1994.
⁃ In stark contrast Nelson Mandela forgave the people who had imprisoned him for 27 years. Before he came to power in 1993 he was awarded a joint Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, for his work with the then incumbent President of South Africa, Frederik Willem de Klerk, towards a peaceful termination of the apartheid regime. He embraced his enemies with unfeigned love. He even asked them to help him run the country which was inconceivable. He had nothing but courtesy and charm wether dealing with the former colonial masters or the black folk. He even allowed a whites only town called Orania in South Africa to continue to exists, were the spirit of apartheid is conserved. The town was established in 1991 when he was still in prison. In the process he won the hearts of many across the globe. He went on to serve one term as the President and handed over a well run robust economy. Some commentators say he did what was necessary at the time but a total freedom for the Black people wasn’t achieved. Mugabe argued that Mandela had become too much of a Saint at the expense of the black South Africans.
⁃ After both man passed away, due to Mandela’s long suffering and Christ like forgiveness he was labelled a giant of peace until his death in 2013. Yet Mugabe died as a nonentity in many’s eyes. So going forwards following Mandela’s path is a wiser decision. The path may have beclouded the majority left behind but that can be easily addressed by tarmacking it and make sure everyone has a clear vision going forwards. People across the World often forget that to build a sustainable future social equity is a key aspect. Going forwards there should be no discrimination based on gender, race and creed whatsoever. We can’t dwell in the past but it takes both parties to work collaboratively to build the future from an equal footing. Parents stop programming your children to embrace racism. I know it’s hard to erase racism like the mother language particularly in adults, you might learn a different language and speak it eloquently but you will never forget your first language. However choose not to use it.
Trump calls churches and places of worship to reopen
Some may say Trump is seeking to gain support from people of different faiths- the Democrats will certainly see it that way. On Friday he declared that churches and other places of worship should reopen and regarded them as essential. To some he has a point because if other businesses including liquor stores have been deemed essential why not churches and religious gatherings alike. He explained that the leaders will have to make the final judgements paying closer attention to the precautionary measures. However some faith leaders including Rev. Jesse Jackson called for churches to remain closed. In other words man like Jesse don’t regard churches and places of worship as essential. Prolly politically they are reluctant to endorse Trump’s policies. Anyhow there is a risk of members getting too excited and overlooking the measures with the notion that the Lord will be the amour against any weapon or diseases. Thus far it has been proved that pandemics are beyond the power of any mortal man, faith and Devine healing. Faiths right now are alluding to the fact that it’s God’s will and it shall come to pass. It’s yet another chapter in the book of life. Where are those who claim to heal the sick on television for all to see? They are cautious and rather agreeing that it’s God’s will. The other thing he did which was right is to call upon all religious leaders from different faiths not only Christians. However some people are speculating that he was reluctant to call upon mosques to reopen. Since American constitution is a secular document it does claim any particular religion or creed as the nation’s symbolic faith, though it’s citizens are predominantly Christians. From my opinion faith is the key component rather than religion. They have been very powerful religious leaders from different faiths whose profundity and impact is remarkable. Think of Ghandi- he brought the British Empire to its knees by the power of faith yet he was a simple man in nappies feeding off from his followers. Mohammed love him or hate him his influence was profound yet he had small means being born poor in Arabia. He was loved and he is still loved. Companions were willing to lose life and limbs to protect him, for instance during the battle of Uhud where one of his companions took a barrage of arrows in his back shielding the Prophet. However his religion is now marred by fanatics who believe that killing is virtue. According to Napoleon Hill, the power of faith, love and sex emotions is unmatched and if used well can achieve things beyond comprehension. Unfeigned faith can overcome anything and can make dreams come true.
At La Boutique, disappointed to be told that the tennis schedule for the day had been cancelled due to incessant rains
On the 3rd of June 2019 I took a train from Leeds Train Station at 09:16 and arrived at Kings Cross Station in London around 12. Kings Cross is next to the Eurostar services at St Pancras. The Eurostar train was due to set off at 16:31 and I needed to crossover at least two hours before my train was scheduled to leave. In the train I accidentally ran over a teddy bear which belonged to a little boy following his mother holding her hand and dragging the teddy with the other. The boy was upset and his facial expression terrified me. He was like the creepy kid, Damien from the Omen. The son of the Devil. The kid’s mien or appearance was intimidating. “You are mean, you killed him now he wants your heart” said the boy with the strangest look on his face. The mother interjected, “I will buy you another, Roland, it was an accident now pick him up and let’s go”. The boy could speak English very well but the mother sounded French.
At 19:47 the train arrived at Gare du Norde and it was still as bright as the day. Vigilant as always I dashed to check-in at my hotel which happens to be within the vicinity of Gare du Norde (train station). Since the sun was still out when I got to the hotel. I could have gone out but I decided to have a moment of peace after unpacking my travelling bag. I haven’t forgotten anything, I thought and I gave myself thumbs up. I had downloaded my train tickets as well as the tennis tickets into my electronic wallet on my mobile phone. Also I had not forgotten to pack my wheelchair battery charger.
After I finished unpacking and after using the bathroom to freshen up, I noticed that my battery charger plug was squashed. I couldn’t fathom how that had happened because I always had my bag on my lap throughout the journey. May be I ran over it after I unpacked it, I thought. However I couldn’t recall my chair going over an obstacle.
I was beating my brains, restless I was, trying to find a solution to my predicament. Man that would be a travesty if I go back home prematurely, I thought. Worse more the hotel staff were not proactive in trying to help to address my dilemma. All I needed to know at least, was the directions to the nearest electronic shop. However it was my problem not their problem. My battery was only one bar down out of 5 and I presume that one bar has a 5 miles range. That being said I knew I had enough to sustain my travels for three days before the problem became more critical. What if I order a new battery charger from France, I thought. Thereafter I searched for an Alber Adventure charger on my phone internet. Disappointedly I couldn’t see any battery chargers being sold separately, the only option was to buy the whole dan battery. The company is called All-Batteries based in Lyon, France which presented me with yet another conundrum, what if the battery don’t get delivered in time? I thought. When I have ordered something in the past I always chose the option for a faster delivery- normally a one day delivery service is provided when the orders are placed before a certain time. Worryingly, neither this option was provided nor the estimated time of delivery. For all I knew it could have been delivered when I’m back at home.
The worrisome thoughts were ruining my plans for my holidays. However, I decided to carry on with my holidays using my wheelchair sparingly trying to make my remaining four bars last.
The following morning I decided to go to Gare de I’Est which is about 8 minutes walk from my hotel. Since this was my third time to Paris I was familiar with the route having used it before to go to Roland Garros. I took the immediate left from my hotel and rolled down the busy sidewalk towards Gare de I’Est. Paris is always a busy city at all times, no wonder it’s one of the most visited cities in the world. According to Lonely Planet in 2017 it was ranked as number 3 most visited city with 17.4 million visitors a year. There was throngs of people some in groups and some as lone travellers, many were pulling luggage simultaneously some were merely carrying back packs, exhibiting itinerant characteristics. Due to the sheer volume of the pedestrians they didn’t all fit on the pavements therefore some people were walking alongside the road edges. My path was paved with a procession of people, mainly tourists and a modicum of locals. As I approached Gare de I’Est the streets were slightly becoming less congested, to my relief.
Gare de I’Est
Similar to Gare du Nord, Gare de I’Est is also an international train terminus, with trains to Germany as well as local destinations. From my previous visits to Paris, this is where I boarded bus number 32 which goes all the way to Roland Garros (the tennis grounds), approximately an hour’s drive by bus. It was still early hours, there was even less activity around the corner when I turned left, the Chinese restaurant was still shut and there was hardly any activity in the adjacent Burger King. Across the road to the far left the bus was waiting, filling up slowly. After I got onto the bus it set off a few minutes later.
When I am abroad I prefer using public transport because it’s like a priceless tour. When the bus got to the Effel Tower, almost half way to my destination, it was announced that the bus will be terminating there. The passengers were informed to wait for the next bus number 32 which was going all the way to my destination. Now this would have been cool for me to tour around the Effel Tower without worries but the thought of conserving my battery was still lingering in my mind. In spite of this, I decided to cross the road and mingle with other throngs of tourists. Alas, getting there seemed circuitous and far, I had to go up a further, approximately 50 meters to get to the traffic lights to cross the road and come down a similar distance to get to the Effel Tower. Having not seen this side of the tower before it was worthwhile to see it. At tourist hot spots people tend to trust complete strangers to take a photo of them using their phones or cameras. “Excuse me … can you take a family photo of us please” a lady tourists asked one of the vendors. After he snapped a photo of them I asked him to take me one posing like I was touching the tip of the Tower. To my relief he handed me back my camera. “What if he refuses to give me back my camera” I thought to myself before I asked him to take a photo of me.
Afterwards I made the circuitous route to get back to the bus stop. The distance from Porte de Auteuil (where the bus terminates), to the tennis stadium is about 7 minutes. Thankfully Roland Garros offers free accessible rides to the wheelchair users as well as the physically challenged.
At Roland Garros I was really trying hard not to waste my battery charge nevertheless, some trips were unavoidable. I was glad to get back to my hotel having used only one bar. Therefore I had 3 bars left enough to go back home if my battery issue wasn’t resolved. I had 4 days of tennis left, yet one trip to tennis required at least one bar of battery. On one hand, part of me wanted to prematurely return to the U.K. or simply stay put in the hotel room to save my battery, on the other hand I wanted to carry on with my plans with the hope that my battery would be delivered in time. That said I continued to go to the tennis games.
On Wednesday i made the same trip and better yet, the bus got me there Straightaway without any changes. When the bus arrived at Porte de Auteuil it was raining. Right at the terminus was a French Open Tennis Stall (Le Boutique) selling tennis accessories. “Do you know if there will be any play today?” I asked with great concern. Disappointedly I was told that the order of play for that day had been cancelled. So I wasted my battery for nothing, I thought. Without further dilly dallying I waited for my bus to go back. This gave me the opportunity to go back to my hotel during the business hours.
The penultimate stop to Gare de I’Est is a Parisian neighbourhood called Château d’Eau which is predominantly a black African neighbourhood. Though I saw a few hotels around that area including the Ibis Hotel which I considered booking in 2016, there was less tourists activity. I for one I hardly saw any tourists. I wondered why?. However its a very vibrant neighbourhood often with touts and street vendors.
In the area cheap restaurants are commonplace mostly selling African cuisines with menus on their windows showing enticing colourful roasted chicken. The area is also characterised by cheap convenient stores, some Cinemas and theatres with the latter attracting cool, hip youths.
When i got back to the hotel I started using my crutches to save my wheelchair battery for crucial trips to go outside my room. The following day on Thursday I made a similar trip to Roland Garros. Where every step I took was circumspective and cautious. Though my battery was on 3 bars, I didn’t want it to go down to 2 bars and start panicking- preoccupied by the thought that my chair could suddenly stop at any time in the middle of Paris.
After tennis I made my usual trip and when I got off the bus at Gare de I’Est I thought of withdrawing some Euros from a cash machine with the anticipation that my battery would be delivered on Friday, so I could get around more. As I approached the cash machine there was hardly any soul about. With the chilling atmosphere, it felt like I was a cowboy on a horse riding into a notorious wild west town infested with robbers. Maybe people avoid this cash machine for a reason, am I being watched? I thought to myself. The place gave me the creeps however it was around the corner from a seemingly busy Burger King, so with a benefit of doubt I went on to withdraw 300€.
Thereafter I went to seat in a Chinese restaurant across the road and adjacent to Burger King. The food was dirt cheap having said that I was tempted to get something to eat as well as something to drink. After eating I didn’t want to leave before using the toilet lest I wet my pants or worse so I was in the restaurant for a considerable amount of time.
Opportunistic Thugs
Finally I went to the toilet and I left the restaurant after about 45 minutes. It was around 8pm but the sun was still shining coupled with bustling pavements. However immediately after I came out of the restaurant there was a bit less people outside. Therefore I upped my speed weaving through people who were in front of me. Guess who I passed, it was Roland the creepy kid holding his mom’s hand and holding the same teddy with the other hand. He was also wearing wearing the same t-shirt he was wearing when I first saw him. When I was passing them I said hi to him and he said “I hate you”. I continued to head to my hotel. As I was nearing my hotel I could see throngs of people, some moving and some simply idling by the shopfronts.
One of the off-licences had given me free water a day before because it wasn’t accessible for me to edge closer to the card machine. Having said that I was in a familiar territory and within the vicinity of the hotel I was staying at. “Excusez moi” I repeatedly said as I was weaving through the crowds. In the moment and before I knew it I had lightly bumped into someone, not serious I thought. Woe the guy was miffed. Jumping up and down exhibiting as much pain and annoyance as he could he uttered a tirade of aggressive words in French. Even I who neither speaks nor comprehend the language very well, got the context of what he was saying from the bits I picked up. “je ne me (I assumed it means, I don’t) … handicapé (this was straight forward, handicapped)… baise toi (from my previous visits I knew this was swearing)”. Putting this together he must have said, “I don’t care if you are a disabled person, I will f**k you up” I thought. The guy who was standing in front of me was seemingly calming him down. I presume he said “just leave it mate, he is a disabled person”. Again I only understood the word handicapé. When the guy I had supposedly bumped into, seemed to have calmed down I said to him “pardon” meaning sorry in French. As I was trying to move off, to my annoyance the guy who had just been calming down his friend put his foot in front of my pathway deliberately. Maybe this whole thing was a set up, I thought. “Excusez moi, je veux passer” I said, meaning excuse me I want to pass. At this point I was trying to speak french as much as possible trying to make them think I was from France or that I had connections there. However he remained put whilst his friend I thought he was calming, opened the bag fastened to my chair and started cherry picking the Euro notes from my bag. I wanted to scream and call for help but I couldn’t find my voice when I needed it most, it felt like my tongue was bound. Fear and fretfulness of equal measure had dumfounded me. My deepest fear was being assaulted and I was hesitant to speed up and run over the guy in front lest I aggrevate the assailants. As the wise man wants said it’s not the snake bite that hurts us it’s chasing after it that drives the poison to the heart. If I had tried to run over one of them or tried to resist they could have left me badly hurt. Looking into their eyes I certainly felt that I was in the presents of ruthless opportunistic thugs with no remorse and hatred running through their veins like lava. When he had grabbed the notes the boy ran like a thief he was, hoping and skipping across the road he disappeared into the crowds on the other side of the road. The boy who was standing in my pathway saw that his friend was done robbing me blind, with his searching and crafty eyes he saw a phone peeping out of my jean pocket. Breathing heavily as if his lungs were labouring redying to take off. He pulled the phone out of the pocket and ran as fast as he could following his mate. Along the way he kind of stumbled into a woman with a push chair but regained his balance and got away. It all happened so fast, despite the bustling streets, no one came to my rescue. Roland and his mom must have passed by too when I was getting ganked. Anyhow Roland would have enjoyed the moment or could have fuelled the fire if given a chance. Remember he wanted me to loose my heart remember. What happened to Paris, the city of romance, I thought.
To my immense relief, they didn’t snatch my camera because I had the strap tied to my chair and the camera itself was hidden between my legs upside down, all they could see was the tripod attached to it. Broken in mind, spirit and body I pulled myself by my bootstraps and continued to go to my hotel which was just around the corner. Physically untouched but feeling victimised and sorrowful I walked into the foyer of the hotel. “What’s wrong” the receptionist asked. Before I answered, “Excusez moi Monsieur, Voulez-vous de l’aide…?” A homely black dude who was following me interjected as he was standing by the entrance of the hotel, on one hand he was holding a plastic bag and on the other hand he was clutching a long baguette with his armpit. I retorted “je ne parle pas français”, breaking my neck trying to picture his face. Again I was making the most of the little French I know. After the mugging I couldn’t trust nobody, I was in a foreign land where I didn’t know who to trust. The thought of being victimised again was cataclysmic. My body language showed him that I wasn’t interested in what he was saying. Though he asked me if I needed any help, I told him that I can’t speak French. What if he wants a piece of me, I thought. I wasn’t rude at all, the rapacious ruffians had made me feel like a free pizza on the streets of Paris. The homely fella eventually left, good riddance I thought.
Then I turned my attention to the Hotel receptionist, “I have just been mugged in broad day light”, I said incredulously. “I forgot to warn you, the area is not as safe as before Mr Max, you need to be careful” said the receptionist with a French accent.
I knew Paris was getting bad especially after the notable mugging of Kim Kadarshian in 2016. Some people could say she asked for it after flaunting her 3,5 million euro ring on Instagram. Few days later her luxurious apartment in the affluent area of Medeline was rummaged by a group of thugs putting on police gear, who got away with 12 million dollars worth of jewellery.
That said anything can happen in Paris even the roving and uncanny eyes of Monalisa couldn’t stop a thief from snatching her from the Louvre.
However it never dawned on me that one day I would also fall victim to the Parisian thugs, worse more I was victimised by my own kind. How could they target a disabled guy, I wondered.
I waited a while at the reception thinking that the receptionist would call the police however and annoyingly he didn’t seem to be in a rush to call the police. “I will call the police for you in the morning” he said as he was helping other customers. “Why not today bro” I retorted showing increasing frustration. Then to my further annoyance and incredulity I was told that the police stations had closed. “I thought police stations in Paris open 24/7, throughout day and night including weekends”, I remarked with a crestfallen voice.
All my tickets including the travel and tennis ones were saved on my phone electronically. Having said that it felt like I had lost not only my phone but also my wallet. I was restless trying to figure out how I was going to recover my tickets. Boom! It hit me I could access all my tickets in my hotmail account. Therefore I used the hotel computer to access my emails so that I could download my tickets coupled with printing them before going up to my room to retire at last. When I got to my room I turned on the Tv hoping to check the time and to my dismay I couldn’t see it. Very strange I thought. It was right there when I felt the agony of loosing my phone like I had lost part of me. All of a sudden I had no concept of time. Looking out through my hotel window, facing Gare Du Nord was my only hope, at least to discern between night and day. Other than that there was nothing much to read. I have never been to prison but it felt like that. In prisons they do have wardens to wake them up though, whereas the hotel I was staying at didn’t offer such a service.
That said I relied on my internal body clock, normally I do wake up around 06:00 when I’m away from home and I hoped I would do such that. The following morning I woke up to what looked like the early hours of the day, to my great relief. After my morning preparations I dashed to the reception to ask for the directions to the police station.
Woe was me, remember I was using my chair sparingly but I had to unavoidably run an errand to the police station. I crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t be far away however as I was going there it was increasingly and annoyingly further than I thought. When I finally got there still on three bars I was relieved. The opportunistic thugs had rattled my cage and made me paranoid so on my way I was constantly looking over my shoulder to check if anyone was following me. Eventually I reached my destination but the place didn’t look like a police station whatsoever and the entrance to access the building was out of sight. The place looked more like a back street garage, to my assurance a police van drove out of the place. “Excusez- moi, where is the police station” I asked expecting him to point out the entrance to me. He didn’t respond to me instead he parked his van on the side of the road, afterwards he beckoned me to follow him swiftly. At the back I saw a police man smoking standing by what seemed like the entrance, beside the stairs there was a platform lift. While he was putting out his cigarette dabbing it on the rail of the lift, “pas de caméras autorisées” exclaimed he. Meaning no cameras allowed. I was wearing the camera on my neck and I was really looking forward to take some photos to use on my blog. Also to show unassailable evidence to the doubting Thomases. Therefore I never took any photos within the vicinity of the police station. After about 30 minutes I was done dealing with the French police. It was difficult to communicate for neither the police on duty nor me could understand each other well. That said it was a struggle to understand each other, going to lengths at times to try and put points across. Eventually I used the one word sentences coupled with a lot of emphasis using gestures, I found this helpful particularly in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Portugal.
I was given some documents which briefly reported the robbery incident. However it was the proof that I needed. “Merci beaucoup“, I said to the police officer as I was preparing to leave. Merci beaucoup means thank you very much, I suppose I had to show my appreciation for his patience to try and understand my story. Thereafter he called another officer and summoned him to escort me out of the building. Disappointedly the platform lift outside didn’t work. I was insistently pressing the down-button to no avail. Alarmingly I was supposed to go to Roland Garros to watch tennis starting at 12:00. I had no watch on me but according to the clock in the police station the time was 09:30 when I left. The journey from Gare Du Nord to the tennis usually takes one hour. However I wasn’t going to take the usual route lest I get victimised again by the same folk. Having said that I didn’t know how long it would take using an alternative route. My mind was also preoccupied by the battery dilema. This was all getting too much for me. To my great relief, the elevator issue was swiftly sorted. One of the policeman coincidentally happened to be a technician. I have so much respect and great admiration for the police but all that had warned after the mugging in Paris. Thanks to the policeman who came to my rescue and restored my admiration for the Parisian police. In the elevator I was holding my breath lest it stalls again. When it hit the floor I again breathed a heavy sigh of great relief. Again I exclaimed merci beaucoup to express my appreciation. Thereafter I was ready to leave la poste de police, the police station. I turned right onto a now busier residential area with restaurants on the ground floor already with a significant number of customers seated outside. It must have been the lovely weather. After crossing over a road I then turned left, at that moment I saw two people coming towards me. One was wearing a beige tight fitting suit like a jacket potato or like his second skin the other was simply wearing a blue trousers and a white shirt albeit looking very smart. As these gentle man drew closer I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing, their faces looked familiar resembling the guys who had mugged me. It can’t be I told myself since the gentlemen looked respectable far from the street wise dressed dudes that ruffled me up. I was fantastically terrified. As I was preparing for the worst, the gentlemen passed by in harmony. At the same time I also passed by disguising my suspicion. Suddenly an amazing feeling of relief swept over me. Maybe it’s not the same people, maybe I’m now schizophrenic, I thought. Of course the other action to take would have been to turnaround and report to the police what I had just witnessed but since I wasn’t certain I decided to continue going ahead.
When I arrived at the Hotel the time was 09:50. Stéphanie was the one at the reception doing her morning shift. “How did it go” she asked. “It all went fine and they gave me some documents that will help me to make a claim from my travel insurance company” I retorted. She had been told what had happed to me and she speculated that I got targeted because of pthe designer clothes that I wear.
Loud and Extravagant
To some extent, I guess she had a point, didn’t she. However on the night of the mugging I was simply wearing a Lacoste light jacket and a pair of old jeans . I wasn’t as loud and extravagant as the expression of freedom by the Americans or dripping with bling as they say. I know I have always had a passion for elegance and fine dressing not bling-bling. Particularly now that I’m disabled I always make sure that I’m on point at all times. On a couple of occasions I have gone out to town dressed homely. The first time a young lady gave me a pound like I was a street beggar, I tried to give her back the money and to explain my position and that I had just been at Leeds City Council that morning for my internship. Alas, she wasn’t having none of it and told me to keep it as I was need. What a setback, she made me feel like a charity case yet I found her attractive and would have asked her out given a chance. On another occasion some lads offered to buy me dinner when I turned down the offer they insisted on giving me some cash. Charity which turned into an argument that I knew I will never win against seemingly drunk folk. I ended up taking their money, 10 pounds it was. Since these two incidents I like to dress well to make a point lest people see me as a charity case
After asking for the alternative travel route to get to Roland Garros. I took bus number 43/26 to Gare St Lazarre and connected to bus number 32.
Patriot
On Thursday coming back from Roland Garros I took bus number 52 from porte d’Auteuil. I got into the bus and parked my wheelchair facing the rest of the passengers. As it was around 18:00 pm most of the passengers were going home from work. As usual people in public transport tend to speak to one another. I started talking to a woman who was seating adjacent to me. We were conversing in English when one French guy started insulting me. Persecuting me for being British. “You zzz English are z’idiots, you think you better… Go back to your country”, said he with a French accent. When I looked up to see who was insulting me, I noticed that it was a black dude looking like he was under the influence of some sort. This guy surely is not coming from work I thought to myself. The lady seated adjacent to me advised me to ignore him. I ignored him as advised however he continued his unabated rancorous attacks. He deplored Brexit and he hated the fact that the British once defeated Napoleon. The guy was annoyingly rude and his vitriolic rigmarole was repulsive. His acrimony was beyond bad banter and frivolity. He was acting like a brainwashed fella forgetting that his skin was black like mine. It wasn’t my first time to be jeered and smeared at by a fellow African brother in France. My sister as well once told me that she was treated like dirt by certain black French women when she went there for her holidays. From this perspective I don’t get the beef between black French & black British particularly of African descent. it’s like a fight over who had a better colonial master. Similarly the then President of Mozambique Samora Machel claimed that some people ignorantly laugh at his country because they were colonised by a poor European nation, Portugal. It’s like the Scramble For Africa by European nations in the Colonial Era has ironically turned into a Scramble For Superior Colonial Master by the Africans. Which supports the South African politician Julius Malema’s claim that the colonisers made Africans or other races in general hate each other. However I have also met some cool and easy going black French people.
Somewhere in the Paris labyrinth the bus stopped and to my great relief the patriot got off the bus. He was out of the bus but his devilish eyes, full of hate and resentment were still focusing on me as the bus moved off. At that moment in time I was compelled to give the guy the ‘up yours’ gesture. It seemed more fitting because from my understanding the gesture is said to have its origins from the time the English were victorious over the French in ‘The Hundred Years War’ with their highly technical longbows at the time. The V hand shape of the archers lining up their arrows became a battle gesture. As a double entendre, I acknowledged peace, the ‘V’ was used by the World War II allied forces. It was outrageously strange that the French dude was blathering about something which happened centuries ago. A history wonk.
The bus continued and I dropped off at Gare Du Norde, a 3 minutes walk away from the hotel I was staying at.
This did not only offer me a quick escape to a safe haven but also allowed me to save my battery. Nevertheless as soon as I got to the hotel, alarmingly my wheelchair battery went from three bars to two bars. This wasn’t good at all henceforth I was like slack-lining. I couldn’t risk using my chair any longer lest I run out of charge. It was better to reserve the two bars for the return journey even though I had three days of tennis left.
Eureka
When I woke up the following morning on Friday I decided to call the reception to check wether the battery had been delivered. Without it I had made a conscious decision to ditch my holiday plans and reserve the remaining battery charge for the return journey. I was due to return home on Sunday afternoon after the men’s final game. Therefore I needed more battery for two more trips to Roland Garros. Particularly the gentlemen’s semi final on Friday and the gentlemen’s final on Sunday.
To my great delight I was told that my battery had been delivered. My delight though was soon dissolved after the concierge brought the battery to my room. To my horror the battery wasn’t compatible with my wheelchair. My joy abruptly turned into pain. It was a trip characterised by a morass of mishaps and misfortunes. Finding a way to solve the battery issue was still enigmatic.
I decided to take a nap. Sometimes focusing on the problem at hand doesn’t free up our minds to allow a ‘eureka moment’ or to allow the mind to come up with new bright ideas. After sleeping for about 30 minutes I felt relieved and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Straightaway from my bed i went to pick up the squashed plug and erected the plug’s prongs so that the outlet could grip them firmly. At first it didn’t work but I tried and tried again and eventually it worked, ‘eureka moment’. What if this is a temporary fix? I thought. I was even hesitant to take out the plug before charging the battery to it’s full capacity or for a considerable amount of time. To fully charge the battery takes about 5 hours but I couldn’t afford to wait for that long. With a renewed spirit I was itching to go and watch tennis and maybe explore more of Paris without limits.
The Influence of American Films
At 12 noon I left my hotel after arranging to return the futile battery which was delivered that morning. After about one hour I arrived at Roland Garros in time for the first semi-final tennis match. At the check-in point I was all smiles, “Sir you look a lot happy today” said the steward with an American accent. “Yeah I’m it’s all sorted” I retorted. I knew the Steward from Wednesday, she had escorted me to the stadium and I must have told her that I wasn’t able to charge my chair. Though she was French, the girl could speak good English with an American accent. I asked her if she had spent some time in America. To my incredulity she insisted that she had only visited America once and for a short stay. I farther asked her how she could manage to speak English so eloquently. “Oh thank you, I learnt English from watching American films and I watch a lot of films but I’m not great like British girls” said she modestly. The influence of the American TV around the Globe is quite remarkable. From my travels I have also met people who acknowledged that they had learnt how to speak English from watching American films.
After the second match of tennis I went around Roland Garros to see the invigorated quarter which has now become more environmentally friendly. The revamped and renamed court, Simmon- Mathieu was completed in March 2019 readying for the 2019 grand slam tournament starting in May. Even the main court which had hosted the semi-finals was likewise invigorated and was looking contemporary far from the tired looking amphitheatre like the historic Colosseum in Rome.
Baguettes
Coming from Simmon- Mathieu court I went to an area with lush greenery, I was inquisitive to see what was around there. The area is less frequented but I saw a guy who was holding what looked like a phone, he had a baguette, a glass of red wine and the ambience had a lingering aroma of weed. I had never seen anyone smoking weed before in France. Maybe it was for medicinal purposes, in 2013 I remember reading about France legalising medicine containing cannabis derivative. I’m sure he was breaking the law by smoking it. Macron, the President of France is against people smoking cannabis. The guy was friendly because he offered me a piece of his baguette. Maybe the offering is for me to keep my mouth shut, I thought. It was non of my business and snitches get stitches in the words of Ice Cube.
After seeing the revamped quarter I headed to my hotel. Rather than going straight to the hotel I enjoyed going around Paris in the late hours sight seeing and scouting for good vibes as well as looking for some good food. I ended up buying myself a duck confit, tender and delicious it was. I was also offered a small plate of sliced baguette. The French truly love their bread, I thought. Every time I dine in a French restaurant I have been offered a baguette as an appetiser. Seating on a table not far from me was a French dude presumably on a date dipping his piece of baguette in black coffee after slathering it with Jam and butter, gross I thought. Never will I do such a thing in the sight of my girlfriend I continued to ponder. However it seems to be the norm in France. Worse more he was picking the baguette straight from a table, no plate whatsoever. The French love their baguettes no wonder the boulangeries, bakeries are ubiquitous in France even at Roland Garros there were stalls flogging baguettes. From French kids to Stewards they be staffing chocolates in them to make them tasty. I also saw another person eating a baguette with cheese at my hotel. Having said that they seem to eat it with everything.
They should make the baguette the emblem of France like the maple leaf is for Canada. If you remember after the mugging the guy who followed me to my hotel was carrying one under his presumably sweaty armpit instead of carrying it in its special bag. This might sound strange but yes baguettes do have their own special bags owing to their cumbersome size and shape which makes them problematic to transport. I used to wonder what the tenuous narrow bags were for. Now I know from the day someone asked me if I wanted some at Roland Garros in 2016. “En voulez-vous” he said.
Finally A Brother Is Getting Lucky
On Saturday, though I didn’t have the ticket to watch the Ladies’ Final Match I had a grounds pass. The previous day at the revamped court, Simmon- Mathieu, I learnt that anyone with a grounds pass could access it. That said I had the opportunity to see the legends match taking place at the same time as the women’s final match. As enjoyable and fun as it was, i was looking forward to go back to my hotel and explore more of Paris as well as going to my favourite place to hang out. St Christopher’s Inn is a vibrant place, downstairs they have cheap hostels popular with young English speaking backpackers and tennis fans. I also like the food and the company better yet I acquainted with the manager, Barry O’Neil in 2016 and he is now more like a friend. Despite the psychedelic night shenanigans which happened to me in 2017 I wanted to show up and share my mugging story to spread awareness amongst the backpackers. However backpackers are less susceptible to mugging because they tend to go around in Wolfe packs. The hotel I was staying at is only a 3 minutes walk around the corner therefore from my previous visits to Paris I have made friendship in the inn. After I shared my story with the people Barry the manager was appalled, for a second I thought he would suggest bypassing the police and taking matters in our own hands. I wanted the thugs to be punished for what they did and for my ordeal. I had no phone and the inn was less busier than usual, a recipe for boredom. Thankfully a very beautiful young mixed race lady minced her way to me and asked me if I needed any help. Before answering her and before she introduced herself to me she asked me if I wanted to move to the less noisy part of the inn. “I will be too lonely there” I retorted. “Let’s go I will seat with you” she said. Finally a brother is getting lucky, I thought to myself. At the new table I learnt that she was called Maïssa. She was not only a beautiful young lady but also very talented. After listening to some samples of the music projects she was working on, I was mesmerised. She had the beautiful symmetrical face like Katie Perry and a voice like Amy Winehouse. Her voice, mellow and mellifluous flowed into my heart. My heart rejoiced and leaped forgetting all my problems. A true diva in the making. If her music was in English she would have been as big as Little Mix I tell you. When she finally announces herself on the Global stage I promise to sell my story.
On Sunday morning I woke up and packed my bags preparing to return home. I was so grateful that I had managed to get through to Sunday despite all the shenanigans that I went through. However my vacation wasn’t over yet. I still had a ticket to watch the gentlemen’s final. I made my journey now using the alternative route. I got there around 12 ish, when the women double’s final was in play first, before the gentlemen’s final around 3ish. Regrettably I wasn’t going to see much of the men’s final because my return train was due at 17:13 from Gare Du Norde train station and due to arrive in London, St Pancreas station at 18:32. To allow enough time to check-in for my train I needed to be at the station one hour before boarding. For that I needed to start making my way back to the check in for my train. Therefore straightaway after the women’s doubles final I went to porte d’Auteuil and took bus number 52 back to my hotel. By the time I got to the hotel, time was far spent, it was already 16:00 yet I needed to be at train station at that time. However I still had 13 minutes before my check-in time was overdue. After I collected my bag at the reception as rapidly as I could I made my way to the station. In the station I took a lift to the next floor for the the Eurostar check- in. When I immediately came out of the lift I saw someone wearing a Ralph Laurent woolly hat which looked exactly like mine. Which reminded me of my hat, I wasn’t wearing it but I had brought it with me on my holidays to conceal my disheveled big Afro. As a result that prompted me to check for mine before I checked-in for my train. I couldn’t find it. I must have forgotten it in one if the drawers, I thought. It was a very nice hat. It was a limited addition which prompted me to go back to the hotel to check it.
Return Journey
Unfortunately I was told that the cleaners had not handed it at the reception. “Well if you find it please post it to my home address” I said hurriedly on my way out. “Ok sir” he answered nodding his head while starring down at the paperwork on his desk. I rushed back to the train check-in. To my great relief there was still a considerable number of passengers waiting to go through on the standard premier queue and there was non at all the business premier queue. That said I straightway checked-in which allowed me to have a moment to catch my breath and to watch the tennis final in the lounge. Though the lounge had no screens showing the tennis match there were some tennis fans streaming the match on their lap top.
This time around I was happy to make my way home safe and sound. Despite the devastating mugging in Paris I embarked on further trips. However I learnt from the incident, it was a warning. As I said before with my faith I have guts over fear. In other words faith begets valour. Also I thrive on facing challenges otherwise my expeditions would have been monotonous and futile like a prisoner breaking big rocks into small rocks all day long.
Acknowledgements
First off I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the #NHS, all health workers around the world on a wider note. The same goes out to all the key workers charged with various tasks which directly or indirectly affects our well being. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for our amazing NHS. Like most of the critical Covid-19 patients I was put on a ventilator, gradually I managed to recover and now I’m making the most of life after head injury. Likewise NHS, health workers at large, they are playing a vital role to save lives during this pandemic. Let’s not kid ourselves thinking that everything will be back to the way things used to be when this cataclysmic pandemic is all over. More often than not critically ill patients do recover but they will be scarred emotionally, physically or mentally. In a similar vein the world will never completely recover in our life time. However the survivors can seek to pave the way for the next generation. To you the reader thank you so much. If you enjoyed reading this, how about I flog my book and give the proceedings to support the NHS? Lastly I would like to thank all those who will continue to work so that the future generations can bequeath a better and a progressive world.
⁃ Since I started to use my crutches and to exercise more, like a seismograph which detects earthquakes, I think my body can detect stressful events happening around the world. I endure incessant muscle aches similar to those short-lived ones felt by many after an occasional work out. Also when I’m standing up I feel a sharp pain like someone is sticking a needle in my left lumber region. If the experiences were consistent with the Covid-19 symptoms I be preparing to meet my maker. Every breath I took felt like it’s my last, believe me I have been there before and I don’t wanna visit him any time soon. Unfortunately you, me and everyone else will eventually pay him a visit.
⁃ Since December 2019 my body was troubled and I couldn’t exercise as normal. Coincidentally that’s when the Covid-19 outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China.
⁃ Now I’m feeling a bit better and refreshingly I was able to do some exercises including walking. However I wouldn’t say I’m now 100% I still got the lingering pain in my muscles. Worryingly Covid-19 patience are said to ephemerally get better before experiencing the worst. Also I ask myself that, if I get better does it mean the world will be healed? I always been a fit lad, everyday waking up at 5 and exercising till 7 but I’m currently enduring unprecedented and unrelenting body aches.
⁃ No empirical study has substantiated my claims therefore it’s simply anecdotal. Also neither am I trying to sound prophetic nor am I a sorcerer. However it should be noted that other studies have shown a positive correlation between stressful events and life phenomenon like gender ratio at birth. Gender ratio is the ratio between the number of males and females in a society. Also known as the sex ratio.
⁃ The relationship between stressful events and the sex ratio of babies might seem implausible, but the pattern is actually well established. Terrorist incidents such as 9/11 and the 2005 London bombings saw a similar shift in the gender balance, which skewed towards girls over boys for a few months afterwards.
⁃ As a consequence Retnakaran wondered if the American elections would have the same sort of effect on the sex ratio.” Retnakaran and his colleague Chang Ye patiently waited for babies to be born so they’d have data to analyse. They looked at all births in Ontario before Trump’s election (April 2010 to October 2016); just afterwards (November 2016 to February 2017); and later on (March 2017 to October 2017). They noted a significant number of girls birthed in comparison to boys
⁃ “Before Trump’s election, for every girl born in liberal-leaning regions of Ontario, 1.0605 boys were born, but between March 2017 and July 2017 this figure dropped to 1.0217 boys per girl”.
⁃ If this is true the world shall witness a surge of girls birthed 9-12 months from now. A baby boom of Corona Girls to officially announce the domination of the Metrical Empire. Since 1960 women have enjoyed a gradual ascendency to the top. The more democratic world has seen an unprecedented number of females leading their nations. For that I foresee 2050 with more women occupying more influential positions than man. Women’s dominance will be as significant as the dominance of men was in the Industrial Era, many women will become leaders in various areas including religion. Prophetesses will be the order of the day. Around 2070 the most powerful person in the world shall be a woman. However men will remain vital for the sustenance of the human race and certain blue collar industries.
Research elsewhere has shown that coronaviruses can be inactivated within a minute by disinfecting surfaces with 62-71% alcohol (Journal of Hospital Infection, Volume 104, Issue 3, pp246-251).
This offers a little hope for African countries for there is a strong often lethal brew called Kachasu aka Lutuku. The beverage is commonly illegally brewed in DRC Congo, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia. The university of Zambia (UNZA) found out that the brew contains 20-30 % alcohol. However many would argue that the alcohol content is more than that. Besides the UNZA results other studies concluded that the beverage contains as high as 70% alcohol. Rather than labelling it as a an illegal drinking beverage this this could utilised as a panacea and save lives.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, virologist or a chemist therefore refrain from any experiments whatsoever after reading my words. – The fact of the matter is hydrogen peroxide can kill Coronavirus within a minute. While it’s poisonous to consume a higher dosage of it, swallowing small amounts of it (3% ) is usually not dangerous (National Capital Poison Centre). That said the medicine think tanks around the globe would have tried all sorts of experiments to find out if it’s a viable cure of Covid-19. Soon or later they will find a break through to stop it. The problem is it’s highly contagious and very stubborn- can survive in temperatures below 56 degrees Celsius. Some studies found out that coronaviruses, including Sars and Mers can survive on metal, glass and plastic for as long as nine days, unless they are properly disinfected. However some can survive for longer- about 28 days in low temperatures (Gray, 2020). It can also be transmitted in faecal (feces) matter. Scary that given that most surfaces are by and large covered faecal matter, most folk don’t wash their hands after visiting the bathroom particularly for number two. A recent study tested touch screens on 8 different McDonald’s locations, two in Birmingham and six in London. The study found fecal bacteria on every one of them, enough to put people in Hospital (UK Metro, 2020). In this digital world of touch screens the transmission of the virus is prevalent. The supermarkets could still spread the virus unless unless certain measures are imposed such as all shopkeeper must wear protective gear and shopper should maintain a certain distance apart.
What is it? It’s simply transferring one form of energy into another. Pointedly, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English- transmutation is the process of changing one state of being into another. Sex transmutation is the switching of mind from physical expression to thoughts of some other nature like creativity.
The emotion of sex brings into being a state of mind (Hill, 1937). Because of the dearth of knowledge around the subject, this state of mind is said to be generally associated with the physical interaction or emotional support (the physical aspect is the reason why disabled folk like me are more often than not, relegated to the undateables).
I digress, from the perspective of sex transmutation, other emotions as well can be transmuted for example fear can be countered and channelled to achieve bold successes. Harness fear and live a life with no limits and regrets, the greatest risk is the risk not taken. Another example is hate it could be redirected or transmuted into bliss. Hate is the energy wasted that could be transformed to be a positive force.
The emotion of sex is principally associated with three things 1) sustenance of mankind, God promised to multiply our seeds as the stars of the heavens 2) maintenance of health, it has been said that the emotion of sex boost the immune system among other things 3) the transformation of mediocrity into a genius (Napoleon Hill, 1937), the power to tap into sources of superior intelligence. From this perspective sex from the right source, has the power beyond gleeful merriment or monkey business. The third point is what i seek to juxtapose with the story of Nicola Tesla. Out of all the sources of mind stimulation The emotion of sex is arguably the most intense as well as the most powerful stimuli, it can transform one into the status of a genius as noted by Hill. It has been said that what sets apart high performers from middling ones is emotional intelligence.
Sex transmutation is powerful. MacKenzie Bezos who is an American novelist and philanthropist was the wife of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon for almost three decades. After their divorce in 2019, MacKenzie received a 4% stake in Amazon, which was worth about $35 billion at the time. From my point of view this was a justified divorce settlement for she could have made Jeff who is arguably the richest man in the world alive.
Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires when driven by this desire man develop incessant wild imaginations until the objective has been achieved. This includes will power and creativity. That said when harnessed and channeled properly it could be used to stimulate creativity in other areas.
The desire for sex is natural and should be expressed to enrich the body in spirit and mind. Which is why the bible acknowledges that a man be hitched in his young life.
Proverbs 5: 18 states that “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth”. The fountain could be the source of our being.
If not given this outlet it will seek its way out in other ways. It maybe mortified or controlled for a time but it’s very nature will relentlessly find means of expression. If not transmitted into creative effort it will manifest itself in some less worthy effort. Kudos and count yourself blessed mate if you finally cracked the code and found a way to give the sex emotion an outlet of creative effort. Blessed are also the men and women with a huge sex drive hoping that they will master the art of sex transmutation. Have you ever wondered why most man start to do well or start to build their empires in their late thirties to 50s? They would have finally settled and mastered the art of sex transmutation.
The extensive research based on the most successful man in history found out that. 1) men of greatest achievements are men blessed with developed sex natures, men who have learnt the art of sex transmutation. 2) men who have accumulated great fortunes and achieved outstanding recognition disciplines eg Art, literature, science and innovation, architecture etc were motivated by the influence of a woman. The emotion of sex contains the secret of creativeness. It’s worthy-note that the world back then was a patriarchal empire.
Detract from a man’s sex prowess he becomes docile or will give blind obedience. For example, in Africa in the rural areas it is customary to castrate bulls and use the ox to help in the day to day work of subsistence farming business, hence they become easy to control. While the untouched bull remains virile and pugnacious. In the past men where castrated for various purposes like guarding women’s quarters, warranting total trust and servitude .
What’s a genius?, An exceptionally intelligent person or a very talented man with a remarkable skill. A person who has discovered how to increase the vibration of thought to the point were he can freely reach out to the sources of knowledge not available to the ordinary vibrations of thought. From my point of view I think a genius cannot be made or taught, it’s a natural talent. Giorgio Vasari a 16th century Italian painter and historian once said Michelangelo, was sent to earth by the great Ruler of Heaven to serve as an example of what a true artist should be (Vasari G., 1968). The idea that a genius is born was popularised by by Francis Galton, a prominent nineteenth-century scientist, who happens to be a cousin of the famous biologist- Charles Darwin. However according to Michael Gladwell in his book ‘Outliers’ a genius can be made and it takes 10000 hours (Gladwell, 2008). What Gladwell claimed is debatable because it could take longer or less time depending on the person’s aptitude.
Geniuses are developed through the sixth sense. This sixth sense is creative imagination. The faculty of creative imagination is rarely used by the majority of people in their lifetime, if they do it will be by happenstance. Those who use it intentionally and understand its functions are called geniuses.
Other Ways to Tap Into Sources of Superior Intelligence ⁃ It should be noted however that there are various ways to tap into the sixth sense.
The faculty of creative mind is the direct link between finite mind of men and infinite intelligence. It has been said that all revelations in realm of religion and all discoveries of basic and new principles of invention take place through the faculty of imagination. When ideas or concepts flash through one’s mind they come from 1)infinite intelligence 2) subconscious mind 3) from another persons mind who just released the thought or pictured the idea or concept through conscious thought 4) from another person’s subconscious store house
The creative thought functions well when the mind is vibrating at an exceedingly high speed, when brain action has been stimulated.
The great writers, musicians and artist alike, become great because they rely upon a still small voice from within through the faculty of creative imagination. It is a fact that people with keen imaginations come up with the best ideas through inspired epiphanies. It has been said elsewhere that humans are creatures of emotion and imagination.
Some great thinkers close their eyes before making a decision- with the eyes closed they are able to tap into a source of superior intelligence. Some are weirdly inspired by alcohol and other sources. A German-American called Henry Charles Bukowski was an alcoholic who was always drunk and deadbeat, published the book ‘The Post Office’ in 1971 which became an instant best seller. Despite the fame and fortune he did little to change his ways. In his words “Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead” (Bukowski). Also one of the best ever poems, The Raven was written by Alan Edgar Poe in 1845, he is said to have been under the influence of alcohol “dreaming dreams that no mortal man has ever dreamed before”. Winston Churchill attributed his successes to the naps he took amid World War II. The list goes on. Peace and tranquility is also key to creating conducive spaces to experience epiphanies, these can be found in holy sacred places of worship like temples. Where spiritual leaders can receive unadulterated revelations.
Marriage is widely seen as a normal thing, its particularly great to those who have mastered the art of sex emotion among other benefits of marriage. However there are some exceptions like Nikola Tesla. Tesla was a Serbian American Inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and a futurist. Tesla was born 10 July 1856 and today the 10th July is A Day of Science Around the World. Deservedly so after 20 significant inventions including the Tesla coil, Alternating Current (AC) and discovery of the rotating field. What an impressive resume for a college dropout right. However he died boasting 15 honorary doctorates all over the world and could speak 8 languages.
Unlike other great minds who attributed the development of their minds to their partners, the guy had an aversion towards feminine taste like earrings. He vowed never to engage in a sexual relationship with a woman fearing that women would detract from his brain power. Instead he had an exceptional relationship and adoration for animals.
“This pigeon was the joy of my life, I loved her as a man loves a woman. If she needed me, nothing else mattered. As long as I had her, I had my life goal. It sufficed for me to think of her, to call her and she would fly over. I understood her and she understood me” spoke Tesla.
As an inventor he had a unique way of coming up with new ideas. He used the faculty of imagination.
“My method is different. I do not hurry with the practical task. When I get an idea, I immediately try to develop it in my imagination. I change the construction, improve it and get it moving already in my thoughts. It is irrelevant to me whether I move by turbine in thoughts or test it in the laboratory. I even notice when something is going wrong. In such a way, I can quickly develop and perfect the thought without having touched a thing. I once came upon the novel “Abafi” of the famous writer Josika. In a way this novel awoke my lethargic force of will and I began practicing self-restraint.” Nikola Tesla
Though Tesla thought that a relationship with a woman was a bad idea he ironically attributed his intellect and gift for invention to his mother at all times, likewise she was an inventor herself. Also by his own admission he acknowledged that all the great achievements of man had been inspired by his love and tv devotion to woman. Man has aspired to great things “because some woman believed in him, because he wished to command her admiration and respect”.
“I had always thought of woman,” says Mr. Tesla, “as possessing those delicate qualities of mind and soul that made her in these respects far superior to man. I had put her on a lofty pedestal, figuratively speaking, and ranked her in certain important attributes considerably higher than man. I worshiped at the feet of the creature I had raised to this height, and, like every true worshiper, I felt myself unworthy of the object of my worship.
“But all this was in the past. Now the soft-voiced gentle woman of my reverent worship has all but vanished. In her place has come the woman who thinks that her chief success in life lies in making herself as much as possible like man–in dress, voice and actions, in sports and achievements of every kind.” Tesla
It could be said that he held women in high regard at first and thought he wasn’t worth of their attention hence reluctant to commit himself into a relationship but he then loathed the notion of the rise of the matriarchal empire. He speculated that perhaps man are useless and would gradually drift into irrelevance save for the continuity of the human race.
Steve I know your wife Lorna was always supportive of you. She inspired you to achieve great things. Also until your last breath you was working for the church. You drilled into my skull what it takes to become an Editor In Chief, our arcanum. Rest in peace genius.
Hope Prince Harry will experience nirvana. There been so many rebellious and iconoclastic Princes in world but the one who comes to the fore of my skull is Siddhartha Gautama. Who lived in 5th Century BC. Gautama (The Buddha, the founder of Buddhism) was a young prince born into immense wealth in present day Nepal.
I presume he grew up living in a bubble of opulence and ease. Kept away from the day today business of the common people he became curious to know more and he decided to experience the life of ordinary folk.
That said he decided to give up his cushioned life as a Prince. At first he endured poverty, sleeping rough but that didn’t make him consider returning to his father like the parable of the Prodigal son, he was. This would have been the easiest thing to do when in need. Since living in abject poverty was hard for him he desired “Middle Way”. Meaning living between the two extremes. Metaphorically, a life without starters and deserts.
After six years of living this “Middle Way” life searching for his sense of purpose he is said to have found enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree. Therefore it could be argued that the fundamental principle of Buddhism is that life is suffering. I explained on one of my previous blogs. After his, enlightenment The Buddha spent rest of his days teaching others about how to achieve the spiritual state like he did (Nirvana).
While Prince Harry is unlikely to venture the suffering route (never will he live in Westminster, London or Weston, Toronto) , hopefully he will experience enlightenment of some sort.
However the path the young prince and his Mrs want to chose is unprecedented basically they want to skip between two worlds like Alice in Wonderland.
⁃ We are what we repeatedly do hence excellence is a habit said Aristotle. Habits shape our lives, you are who you are because of habits, they are consistent unconscious vital patterns in our lives. For those who sustained a head injury like me, it’s difficult to break bad habits but it can be done. However it’s also possible to develop new positive habits.
⁃ Habits can either make us or break us. They have tremendous impetus, breaking deep rooted habitual tendencies (such as procrastination, impatience, selfishness, and so forth) can take not only tremendous effort but also unprecedented will power. Such negative habits detract from human effectiveness. A wisemen once compared habits to gravitational pull. Which is a vital component on this Earth. I digress, without it, all of us will be looking like astronauts and cosmonauts having swollen heads coupled with chicken legs. In zero gravity, fluids move upwards into our faces and head hence giving astronauts a ‘puffy face syndrome’. Other effects of zero gravity include muscle atrophy and osteoporosis.
⁃ Therefore a lift off requires considerable effort to break through the the gravitational pull but once space is reached and after taking a different dimension, less effort is required.
⁃ Having said that habits are such powerful forces and if people relentlessly pursue positive habits which can add value to our lives. The world will be a better place for it. In conclusion
Richard G Scott said “We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day”.
Since i learnt of these words I never quite grasped the meaning of them until now. Our lives are characterised by our habits. Similarly our failures and successes in life are the products of our habits. Its the new year folk. Let’s choose to develop good Habits. Happy New year.
⁃ Habit is the product of knowledge skill and desire
Max Mteliso’s words 