Grow stronger for you, For all of us and for me. In my own weird way, I will always show up, walk hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with you, with laughter and smiles for it is for the greatness of the later days.
Stray Thoughts
Dark clouds looming,
The heavy downpour,
My mind heavy,
Sleepy. Sore,
Lost in the blankets,
Weighing options,
The todo list assails my mind,
Forcing my eyes open,
The cold unrelenting,
I am forlorn,
Thoughts of her,
Lead me astray,
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS
FORESTS AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
Forests cover approximately 31% of the total land surface on planet earth, in which Tropical forests offer habitat to over 50% of all land based animals and plant species globally. In between 2000 and 2012 the planet lost over 568 million acres of forest to deforestation and in 2018 approximately 9 million acres of virgin tropical forest fell to deforestation. According to researchers the Amazon Rainforest loses an average of 1.32 acres of its areas Per Minute to deforestation.
Forests are an important source of oxygen and in turn reduce carbon dioxide as they rely on it for survival, while we have superintended such facts letting our thirst for advancement lead to our doom. According to the world deforestation statistics 2021, a forests the size of football pitch is lost every second. Although deforestation rates halved in between 2010 and 2022, the tropical forests averaging at 14, 800 square miles are lost every year.
In Africa, deforestation has been as a result of illegal logging and human encroachment in forests losing approximately 40, 000 square kilometers of forest per year. Deforestation in Africa is happening 4 Times faster than it is happening globally. Africa host 17% of the world’s forests including the second largest tropical forest in the world, that is the Congo Basin Tropical Forest. This is about 528 trillion hectares of natural forests as reported by FAO’s FORIS 2021. In the Sub Saharan Africa, 65% of the people rely on forests for food and fuel.
In Kenya encroachment of forests and illegal logging in search of arable land, human populace settlements, charcoal and agricultural purposes has aggravated deforestation. According to KFS 2019, Kenya is still far from its 10% tree cover as it stands. The encroachment of the Mau Forest and the Mount Elgon forest for human settlement and agricultural production has affected the sources over 12 rivers in the country
Forests have existed throughout history of man through Creation, the evolution of humankind and the accelerated industrialization by humankind. This large pillar of diversity and climate has faced major threat with each passing epoch as more of it is lost to human encroachment. In search of arable lands, infrastructural development, human settlements and setting up of industrial parks have seen to it that we lose forests each and every day.
We have had great conventions and declarations to fight the loss of forests from the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) on Climate Action to individual plans for forest conservation. We have had great Role Models like the Late Wangari Maathai who planted over 30 million trees in her life time and won the Nobel Peace Prize for Environmental Conservation. Learning from her is the greatest gift that nature could receive, advancement is inevitable, imminent and is here to stay but if we kill our forests we might never get to see these future plans we are pursuing.
This is a clarion call to all of us as individuals, as a community, as environmentalists and developers, conservation and protection of forests is an important aspect in the advancement of mankind, if for every tree lost there is a percentage of carbon emission increased, a soil erosion occurrence, we will have lost the diamond chasing the gold. Do not be Mean Go Green. Save a Tree, Plant a Tree, be a Planet Warrior, the future is in conservation and protection of these natural treasures, this safeguards our climate, our biodiversity, and this is the GO GREEN after all the earth can provide for all our NEEDS but it cannot satisfy everyone’s GREED.
Courtesy of Act Alliance Kenya Forum
WORLD WETLANDS DAY
As we celebrate the World Wetlands Day we need to remember that they are the strongest ecosystems to combat climate risk. In a nutshell wetlands have many names in English from bog to marshes. Wetlands are a clinical part of the biodiversity as they serve a greater purpose in achieving the Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the last half century, the world wetlands have diminished significantly by a third (1/3) due to human activities. This is attributed to the fast developing technology that has led to high carbon emissions, construction of infrastructure including roads and houses, denying the 40% of plants and animals that depend on wetlands as their habitat.
The human population has contributed to the climate risk and the significant loss of wetlands for being ignorant of the immense benefit that they bring. It is important to undernote that wetlands are a source of fresh water, fresh air and serve as a source of livelihood. Different Agendas and Goals in the Vision 2030 and the SDGs do largely depend on the conservation of the wetlands.
Wetlands can absorb tides, wind, flood waters and act as carbon sinks especially peatlands like mangroves. There is need to ACT in Restoring the Wetlands for the survival of the human race and in achieving humanitarian actions. As we call for the conservation of the wetlands, it all starts with us. As the conventions like CITES and Ramsar call for climate action in conserving wetlands, Ramsar has released a Global Wetlands Outlook Edition that will be helpful in understanding the value of the wetlands and calls for their conservation in search for Better Production, a better environment and better health for all. As a clarion call:
REWET > REFOREST > RESTORE
Courtesy of Act Alliance Kenya Forum.
Spotted
Herald
Watching Hunger Games always brought me that feeling of Half baked independence and half assed democracy. They all just slavery in a subtle manner.
Obsessed
We at times lie to ourselves by putting more importance on the roles we play and places we take in people’s lives, it’s not criminal but it ends up hurting us instead of them.
Sacrifice
I do think it necessary to sacrifice, may it be love, opportunities or chances at what we hold dear, we might be holding on to road races when we was meant for the indoor arena, it will be too time consuming when we try to redo it our way, to know the importance of a second as the athlete who become second by a second and to value the importance of a minute ask the person who missed the bus by a minute.
Self Bias
At times our baggage informs our advice/counsel, gives us perspective or may be even wisdom, we sometimes confuse wisdom and experience, but what really is the difference?
Societal
No matter how good you are, how good your heart is, you will someday start treating people the same way they treat you. It is mutual
Streetish
Life is not just about living, success nor accomplishments politically, socially and economic wise. It is more than just the mere existence in the passing of time in a subtle manner. Sometimes we have to have, we win and sometimes we lose. We cannot have it all. We sacrifice what we hold dearest to fight for better futures. We sever bonds to recreate them in the future of we forever forget them.
Darkest
Even in the darkest of days the light still shines, when the clouds fade away, the sky is clear, the moon left dangling in heaviness and heftiness, when all roads seem closed, you have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, smile and laugh, close your eyes, breathe, let the nature calm you, let your believes lead you, let your dreams, your goals make you thirsty, let family, loved ones, friends in, with a hand to hold, the journey is easier, speak or forever hold your peace.
DON’T OVERTHINK IT
UNDERSTANDING OVERTHINKING
Far more than you may realize, your experience, your world, and even your self are the creations of what you focus on.
(As an individual your thought process, sub conscious and conscious mind and imaginations do matter and alter a lot in your life. More often than thought we fail to realize that our minds play very significant roles in what materializes in our lives).
Waffling feels uncomfortable, but without any guiding principles or coherent philosophy, we can’t seem to help ourselves.
(It is in the little thoughts that we find peace and in that moment we make decisions, if we fail to have guiding principles or an individual trail of thought or way of accomplishing things, we end up tangled and lost in insignificant thoughts that create illusion of hurdles that we cannot jump over ourselves).
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”
(It definitely does matter a lot with what we do with our time. Time and Space are infinite/limitless yet mortals have limitations. We cannot overgrow time nor space, we wither and fade out. SpaceTime will wait for no mortals thus it is crucial to what we do with our time. In hind sense when we do nothing we become nothing).
Fundamental questions merit concern and require thought at times lots of it neither do we talk about major life decisions, like whether to change careers or end a relationship or move across the country as big decisions like these require dedicated thought.
Overthinking is not when we are making major decisions in life that require deep dedicated thoughts it is when we use our thinking capacity lavishing on minute things that require less thought processes. Prompting us to jump into dire and imaginative conclusions that require not our dedication, they are simple stuff.
Overthinking looks like worry, fretting over small stuff or second guessing ourselves. They are repetitive, unhelpful and unhealthy thoughts as our brains are busy doing nothing. It makes life harder, hurts our relationships, and may contribute to mental disorders like depression, severe anxiety, and alcohol abuse.
The deeper you sink into an overthinking spiral, the less confident you will feel about your ability to decide, and the specific problem in front of you, mushrooms into a larger concern:
If one could simply decide not to think about it, we wouldn’t have an overthinking problem, would we? Why is it so hard to untangle this one little thing that looms so large over our lives?
Overthinking is not just a habit that we build, it is not an addiction that you cannot quit, what your subconscious mind develops so shall it. Why do you believe? What do you believe? Desire is Prayer. Why do you Pray? As we venture into this journey to understand that overthinking is not a challenge that can’t be overcome and that there is more than just power and virtues/principle in your subconscious mind, these simple steps and alterations to our minds and how we perceive things, will be elevated. In Light to this may we all have a heart to fall in line, grow together, strengthening each other with individualism that will elevate our understanding and in facing challenges together.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Humanitarian
Describe one positive change you have made in your life.
Change is inevitable, it’s mandatory and there’s no running from it. It becomes a piece of cake when you embrace it, accept it and grow through it. Sometimes we do not need external help because most good and great things come from within. From Happiness, to Self Drive, to Mental Health, to Healthy Relationships, it’s all from within but most times we rely on external help to believe in ourselves. Have you ever wondered why maize plants never went to a Seminar or Workshop on how to become Maize Plants? With that thought, I woke up one day with no income, no capital and walked out on a job that only gave minute contracts, Started a Business and I’ve never looked back or felt the need to regret my choice, because Within me, I was built to be an A Lister and I have to be out here, earning the A List Abilities to be on it.
Blossoms
True growth requires going through the grind of society and years of settling. A true relationship is like that too. It needs to go through time’s wear and tear, accumulating and settling, before it can truly blossom and bear fruit.
Rush
What’s the most fun way to exercise?
A fun way to exercise? It’s all about Consistence, Perseverance and Commitment, it’s all about what drives one to exercise. To lose weight, to build muscle, to stay fit, healthy and all that, it takes sweating, hard work, it takes doing the same routine over and over again with a specific goal, there’s no fun way to exercise unless there’s a goal behind it, unless there’s drive behind it. The fun is chasing the goal.
Tumultuous
Was it not usual for all the tumultuous loves and desires return to their initial calmness? Maybe what could stand through the trial of time was not the excitement that once happened; it was the gentle and slow calm of a relationship.
Fireworks
Medicine can’t cure fake illnesses, liquor cannot dispel real sorrow. After you get used to it, you won’t find it too hard to swallow. it is all just temporary fireworks. No matter how beautiful it is, they just end up in the pitch black sky. One can’t just keep being so pessimistic about things. Otherwise, the only thing you’re trapping is yourself. One who’s unaccountably solicitous is hiding some evil intentions,
Francie Molala & The Mercedes Affair
What book could you read over and over again?
Francie Molala and the Mercedes Affair. (Pacesetter)
Of the 33 Pacesetters, this one was the first and I have read it on repeat, year in year out. The simplicity of what’s written and how it’s given out in key details. It’s so engendered in a low key manner that you’d miss it if you lost concentration. It has ye good, the bad and the crazily insane. It’s a feature in itself that you wouldn’t extricate yourself if you started the read.
Miles
What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
The pace setters, wild intros from the commentators, the cheers, the hope, the ambition, the dreams, the goals, World Records, Personal Best Records, the fans, the honor, the glory, the flags flying bigh, this is the Marathon, 42 Kilometres of sweat, energy, competition, how exhilarating it is, the excitement, the cameras, the action, it’s all about the 42K, what would be more intriguing than Watching the Marathon?
Vague
That raincheck works wonders, sometimes it’s just entitlement, when does jealousy click in, when does the possessiveness turn to an obsession, when the little addiction, is in their own world, living up in bubble castles, the little details count, the raised voice, passive aggressiveness, neglect, anger, frustration, disappointment, when it matters then it no longer matters, it’s all smoky, sketchy, everything but clear, Vague.
Shadows
And when it comes, You shall know, you shall feel it, it’s in becoming each others Shadows, that they grew deeper into it, it’s in the little things that mattered, the value of precense, the value of showing up, resources are paramount, yet it’s all beyond, silver and gold, for what shall it benefit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.
Agneepathi
How would you improve your community?
Building a community is a path of fire, it’s never easy, it’s like the tower of Babel, Beautiful, strong yet scattered all over, it’s in the little that we do that we offer hope, it’s in believing that everyone has a chance to be different, to be better, to have Equal opportunities, it’s for this that, I’m out there giving home to our Adolescents and Youth, sharing love, creating awareness, building capacity, strengthening skills, this is the ultimate empowerment program, It’s us for all and all for us, holding each others hands to overcome poverty, mental illness, unemployment, radicalisation and much more, as a Youth Leader and Founder of an Organisation that moves the Youth and Adolescent to grow socio-economically.
Afraid
When it’s all surreal, when it’s all too good to be true, when you’ve had it only to lose it, there’s once bitten, Twice shy, what about those thoughts? What clicks in when fear embraces you, when you feel insecure in secure places, when your heart rate increases, when you are out of breathe, it’s in it that you lose it, and in it that you can find it, it’s all within, never without. Afraid
Dark Tales
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
It still rings hard when everyone masks up when they down with a cold or even a flu. Where meetings and conferences are still being held online, I’m actually content with remote working allowing me to diversify my ideas in pursuit of excellence both individually and professionally. Coping mechanisms for mental health, working out at home, reading book and even sanitising has become more of a habit. I’ve almost every mainstream video conference app. It’s been a rollercoaster of changes that I’ve gradually come to accept and embrace. It’s from the darkness that the light shines, and the dark tales are already behind us.
April Fool’s
It’s been a wild night, dark and cold, and it’s even worse, weirdly enough, there’s some peace in that darkness, in acceptance, it’s been worser, yet again, it all comes together like it always does, he felt despair, when he received the news, when she was vague on what she wanted, when it has always been about her, what of the times, he had to assume nothing happened, that she clung onto them, that there was no closure on what they shared, yet He still has to be the devil, when has change ever been instant? When was shifting ever been easy, they called it self sacrifice, He termed it Terminal Illness. It’s April Fool’s and it came to life.
What a Morning
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
Rising up early, all rested looking at the dawn of day, smiles, whispering a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving, looking forward to a better day. Smiling at the Book I got me reading and sometimes diving right into class, it’s beautiful as it all unveils together, the devil has always been in the details, and boom, it’s already 8 and am rushing to fine-tune my schedules for the day and do some advertising and marketing.
SAGE 