A heartfelt list of Truths

[zilla_likes]

Sometimes when I’m bored, alone and uninspired and the words I’m typing are like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces, I read philosophy to jog and warm up my mind. I read about time and how abstractly man-made it is. I read about sentience and consciousness and the arguments that go along with it – are animals sentient? I read about religion and atheists’ wiles. I read about free will (my personal favourite), which incorporates almost all these philosophical concepts. I also read about truth; absolute and relative (another favourite). In one article I read, this is what they had to say about truth:

“You can’t logically argue against the existence of absolute truth. To argue against something is to establish that a truth exists. You cannot argue against absolute truth unless an absolute truth is the basis of your argument. Consider a few of the classic arguments and declarations made by those who seek to argue against the existence of absolute truth… 

‘There are no absolutes.’ First of all, the relativist is declaring there are absolutely no absolutes. That is an absolute statement. The statement is logically contradictory. If the statement is true, there is, in fact, an absolute – there are absolutely no absolutes.”

“’Truth is relative.’ Again, this is an absolute statement implying truth is absolutely relative. Besides positing an absolute, suppose the statement was true and “truth is relative.” Everything including that statement would be relative. If a statement is relative, it is not always true. If “truth is relative” is not always true, sometimes truth is not relative. This means there are absolutes, which means the above statement is false. When you follow the logic, relativist arguments will always contradict themselves.”

You see my how mind is booted up after reading that? Anyway, I am here to tell you my truth.

***

The truth is that I am terribly scared of failing in life. And with that comes the urge to write and be known for it. The truth is that I want writing to foot my bills, not my Computer Science degree. But the bitter truth is that it may not. I will instead sit in an office in an IT firm at 40 regretting not doing what I love most.

The truth is that I want to write a novel where the main character is an emotionally stiff, stoic man facing execution for liking men in a patriarchal society in the renaissance times. In the conclusion, I want it to end with the line,”…and their eyes lit up as they saw his body light up the streets in a gashing flame.” The truth is that I want that ending to stir up conversation in the LGBT community.

The truth is that I am awfully tired and irked by girls that post exotic Philippine cuisines and caption them, “Buy me this and I’m yours forever.” I am especially peeved by the first part, the ‘buy me this’ part, because it shows a lack of independence. The same girl will post another photo that oozes of sass and feminine braggadocio, something like this:

Here’s my message to you, dear lady. If you’re as independent as you claim, drop at Fogo Gaucho and buy yourself that meal. Let no man feel beholden to buy you food in order to earn your affection. If he wanted that, he would have bought a pet poodle with trimmed nails. (I hear they trim pets’ nails these days.)

The truth is that every creative-writing blogger in Kenya has, at one point, been inspired by Biko. This is an objective truth.

The truth is that Denzel Washington is the best actor to roam the face of the earth. I say this having watched slightly over 70% of his work. I also believe that Fences, his latest and most profound film yet, is the best performance he’s ever put up. I say this having watched Training Day which gave him an Oscar. It breaks my heart that he was snubbed in this year’s Academy Awards.

Another truth is that Khaligraph Jones, the natural bred rapper from Kayole, is currently top tier rapper in East and Central Africa. He may have undergone complexion changes but the guy’s level of talent is A1. In related truths, Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, Damn. has to be the best thing I have listened to in a long time. But that’s for another day.

I sternly believe that Mr. Robot will be the series that kills me of thrill and excitement. You see, after Breaking Bad and House of Cards, I went on a goose chase to look for a show that would change my life like those ones did. And like all pursuits of joy, I tried so many TV shows. Too many. And failed. I was almost giving up when a friend recommended it. When I finished the first season, it was orgasmic. I had found the one.

And finally, the truth is that Kenyan politics is a pile of hot, fresh, steamy, but entertaining pile of shit. You see on August, I vote for the first time; I am finally of age. Previously, I did not give a rat’s fanny about politics. Now, not a day goes by without me arguing with someone about what a leader said or did; a driver, tailor, anybody really. This is one of the signs I’m getting old. Getting to an age I have to wear baggy khakis and a shirt. I also believe that this year will have many political surprises. And I also believe that  peace will prevail in this year’s election.

Let me hear an amen!