Man, under-destruction?

  I had a very particular idea of how I was going to write this following blog piece, but after a few conversations with some concerned parties, my approach has deviated somewhat for reasons that I can’t fully articulate. Nonetheless, I beg your indulgence. As for those of a French/post-colonial persuasion, although I would normally ask for you to read this and bear an open mind, you’ll forgive me if I choose to not make that request.   For those of you who have been living under a rock these past several weeks, let me turn back the clock. France won World Cup 2018 and deservedly so. Although I couldn’t be bother to actually keep track of the games, I can only assume that they played well and wanted it more than the other nations (who I assume were just as deserving as France).   However, what made this particular French victory (the last one being in 1998) all the more significant was that the majority of the French squad weren’t originally French, but immigrants o...

I think most people will agree that confidence is not only attractive, it’s absolutely intoxicating (for those of you that require some clarification, I said CONFIDENCE, not ARROGANCE). I think as a trait, it’s one that not only inspires admiration and respect, but it can also contribute to the fortification in the confidence of others. Of course, that would also require a desire from the first party to   indulge in said fortification and given how unpredictable people can be when performing random acts of kindness, who’s to say that person A would even want to help person B, much less try.........but I digress as per usual.  I’m sitting in a crowded bus, on my way home after having been out all day with friends in my fair city. What made this day (the previous Saturday) special was the celebration of Pride. That’s right, that day of the year where the LBGT community can kick it into gear and be proud. While on the bus, a particular group of men caught my attention. Sure, ...

Truth be told, I really haven’t seen that much of the world, I’m sorry to say. As a kid, my family had an atlas, where my siblings and I would spend time just staring at all the different countries. Personally, I had a few places on my bucket list that I wanted to visit, but at the time, it seemed like a pipe dream for reasons that I won’t get into.  This year has been particularly trying. I won’t bore you with the specifics, but needless to say, it could be better. So, when some much-needed vacation time came up, I jumped on it like a cat on a ball of yarn. However, a question needed to be addressed, i.e. where to go? Finances being a factor, it could not be anywhere far or expensive.  This led to my decision to visit the city of Tromsø in Northern Norway. While Tromsø functions as a city, truth be told, it seemed more like a small town. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging or complaining. Upon my arrival there, I was stuck with the dilemma of how I would utilize my limit...

 I have a personal belief regarding humanity. Everybody’s ugly when they’re 13 years old. Now, this isn’t based on science, although I could cite adolescence and the effect of which it has on the human body, but it's based more on personal experience, both my own and those of others that I’ve encountered along the way. Personally, puberty was a suckfest for me. I spent all of high school looking weird to say the least. If I were to describe myself, I would say that I was exceptionally skinny. Of course, that would be an understatement of the highest caliber. An appropriate description would be that I looked like an extra from “The Walking Dead”. In fact, if I had been in high school during the initial casting of the show, I’d probably have been casted for the role of a random zombie, for which I really don’t know how I would have reacted should that have actually occurred.  Anyways, a dear friend and fellow blogger posted something a little while back to the same effect, bu...

If I had to describe my childhood, I would say it was a conventional period surrounded by unconventional people. Granted, my family are hardly some eccentric group of blood relatives that would give one pause for concern, but we were hardly ordinary. However, what we lacked in convention (and a degree of impulse control (but that’s another story for another time)), we made up for with genuine sentiment and love for one another. We’re loving and caring, even if we tend to prefer unusual and often extreme methods of conveying said love.  When I think of my dad, a lot of words come to mind to describe him. Above all, however, is wise. The man is wisdom personified. In fact, his definition of wisdom pretty much describes him to the letter. He would always define it as “knowledge that you get from life”. If that’s not an apt definition, then I defy all ye who are reading this now to provide me with a better one. We didn’t have a lot of bonding moments. Although I wish I would pinpoin...

 Anyone who knows me knows a fun fact about me. I’m a comic book nerd. Granted, I might be generous in using that term, considering that I barely have time to indulge in that now nor did I have the means to indulge in it when I was younger. However, it didn’t stop me from conversing with my friends about it actively and often. My favorite hero was Marvel’s Daredevil. I suppose if I had to give a reason, it would be due to him overcoming blindness (one of many fears I had as a child) with his other enhanced senses, his superb physical conditioning, martial arts prowess and notably his catholic faith (which I subscribe to, although once again, I might be generous in claiming that). So, you can imagine how many backflips the boy inside of me did when the Daredevil series came out on Netflix and (oh sweet Joseph) I wasn’t disappointed. Just looking at it made me wanna jump up and give Mr. Stan Lee (creator of Marvel comics) a standing ovation.   During the first season, there w...

Growing up as a comic book junkie (or as much of a junkie as a boy living in Easter Africa could be), I habitually fantasized about the idea of heroes. Not simply individuals of unprecedented abilities who would lead humanity into an age of enlightenment and peace, but individuals who would actually inspire us to aspire for greatness. Having reread what I just wrote, I admit to how borderline delusional it sounds. Still though, we all need heroes.  These past several years have been murder on my heroes. Within this span of time I’ve discovered that individuals that I looked up and revered were in fact quite flawed and frankly criminally liable for their actions. While I won’t go into any details (primarily because it would be a moot point but also because given the celebrity status of these individuals, you probably already know them). While these damning revelations have done nothing but to piss me off to no end, I can’t help but remember a random quote....”teachers of morality,...