The Scales ⚖️✍

Not long ago, I came across a simple story that carries a profound lesson for all of us. A young lady was seated quietly on a bus. At the next stop, an elderly woman entered, carrying several heavy bags. She squeezed into the seat beside the young lady, accidentally bumping and inconveniencing her. Another passenger, noticing what had happened, asked the young lady why she didn’t complain. With a calm smile, she replied: “It is not necessary to be rude or argue over something so insignificant. My stop is the next one. The journey is so short.” Those words struck me deeply. They deserve to be written in golden letters: “It is not necessary to argue over something so insignificant. Our journey together is so short.” The Shortness of Our Shared Journey Life is often compared to a journey. We enter at different times, meet fellow travelers along the way, and eventually, we all step off at our stops. Yet we sometimes live as though the journey will last forever holding grudges, en...

  Yesterday, I had a long and emotional chat with an African friend of mine. He was bitterly complaining about how things are at his workplace. According to him, promotions only seem to favor Asians and European, while Africans are often ignored. He felt overlooked, unappreciated, and was already considering resigning because of this. I truly understood his frustration, but I also felt the need to share a different perspective with him. 1. Understanding Luck, System, and Destiny The first thing I told him was that in life and in career growth, there’s always a mix of system, timing, value, and luck . Sometimes it’s not only about racism it’s about how the system works, what the company values at that moment, and whether opportunities align with your timing. In fact, the very same company he was complaining about has Africans who started their careers as waiters and have risen all the way to managerial levels. That reality alone shows that while bias can exist, it doesn’t autom...

  It’s easy to look at someone’s success and assume it came to them effortlessly. We see the cars, the houses, the vacations, the confidence and we start to think, “They’re just lucky” or “Life must have been easy for them.” But what we don’t see tells a very different story. Yes, some people are born into privilege, with advantages that give them a head start. But for the majority, success is not handed over its fought for. Most people endure years of struggle. They work jobs they dislike just to pay the bills. They sacrifice time with loved ones. They push through nights of doubt, rejection, and failure. Behind every achievement lies countless unseen battles: The late nights when sleep would have been easier, but they kept working. The silent tears after setbacks that made them question everything. The tough choices between comfort today and opportunities tomorrow. The self-discipline of showing up even when motivation was gone. Yet when success finally comes, t...

Around this time August last year, I was in the market for a car. Like many people, I wanted something reliable, decent-looking, and most importantly affordable based on the money I had at hand. As I began sharing my plans, a number of friends started offering unsolicited advice. “Why not go for something bigger?” “You should do bank auto-financing!” “How can you, a Nigerian, not drive a luxury car?” Yes, these were the actual comments I received. In their eyes, a car wasn't just a means of transportation; it was a status symbol. They couldn’t understand why I would even consider buying a modest vehicle when I could take out a loan to get something more “flashy.” But I stood my ground. I chose a Renault Captur  simple, functional, and within my budget. And when the criticism came pouring in, I calmly responded: “I cut my coat according to my size. Don’t compare me with Nigerians whose source of income you don’t know.” Some people didn’t get it. To them, life is about appearan...

In the rich, vibrant tapestry of South Africa, a troubling contradiction continues to unfold a conflict that sees dark brown people turning against others who share not just the same skin tone, but the same ancestral roots. It’s a reality too painful to ignore, especially when South Africans mostly dark-skinned themselves shout at fellow Africans to “go back to your country,” dismissing shared history, culture, and bloodlines in favor of artificial borders and colonially imposed identities. A Brotherhood Broken by Borders from Zimbabweans   and Mozambicans t o Nigerians and Congolese , African migrants who come to South Africa in search of safety, opportunity, and brotherhood are too often met not with solidarity, but with hostility. They're called " foreigners, " treated with suspicion, and sometimes even hunted down by mobs who believe their mere presence is a threat. Yet, when you remove the flags, accents, and passport stamps, what remains? Brothers & sisters Af...

  In today’s globalized world, most nations are proudly showcasing their cultures, languages, fashion, food, and ways of life. You see the Chinese preserving their Mandarin and cultural heritage, Arabs speaking Arabic in international spaces, Indians pushing Bollywood and Hindi globally, and Koreans exporting K-pop and their traditional customs with pride. Yet, when it comes to Africa, many of its people seem to be experiencing a deep identity crisis. It’s not uncommon to hear an African proudly declare how fluent they are in English, French, Dutch, Chinese, or Arabic. While being multilingual is a strength, it becomes a weakness when we celebrate foreign languages but neglect or even ridicule our own mother tongues like Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Swahili, Luganda, Kinyarwanda, and Afrikaans. In many African homes today, children are punished for speaking their native languages but praised for speaking with a British or American accent. What message does this send? That our identity isn...

One of the most dangerous people you can have in your life is a sneaky friend the  kind who smiles in your face, nods at your success, but secretly prays for your downfall. They may look holy. They may speak in soft tones. They may pretend to care. But deep down, their heart is full of envy, bitterness, and betrayal. They wear masks so well that even the most discerning eyes can sometimes be fooled. These are the ones who: Clap for you in public but mock you in private. Pretend to support you but secretly compete with you. Offer prayers for you but plant seeds of doubt around others. Backstabbing doesn’t always come with a knife sometimes it comes wrapped in a hug, a fake smile, or a “God bless you.” Never ignore your instincts. When something feels off, it probably is. You don’t need a crowd around you. you need truthful , loyal , and genuine people who have nothing to gain by pretending. Protect your peace. Guard your space. Not everyone who looks holy carries a ...