The New and Improved...?

So far, the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has been a really interesting read,  shedding light on the single story of the African community. The people of Umofia live a very traditional life, following in the footsteps of their ancestors before them. When the missionaries come in and try to lure the Africans in to a whole new way of life, they are nothing but stunned and surprised by what has just come upon them  

Think about it. You and your family are living the cookie cutter lifestyle that all of your ancestors have followed for years and years before you. Now here comes some guy that doesn't even have the same skin color as you and he tells you that everything that you have ever believed in is false. All of your religious practices are false and mean absolutely nothing. How would you react? I know I would tell this missionary guy that he is nuts! Who does this guy think he is, barging in to my community and bashing every tradition and god that I have ever grown up believing in! 

It surprises me how relaxed the people of  Mbanta are when the Christians  arrive. For the most part, they seem very nonchalant about the whole thing and don't do that much to  stop it. Yah they give them the Evil Forest to build their church on, but you would think that they would do more. The people of Umofia are generally a more violent group so it shocks me that they didn't attack the Christians right off the bat.  I guess we will just have to see if the Mbanta people come back around to push the Christians out! 

Happy reading!!

Change Happens In the Blink of an Eye

Ric Elias is a man whose entire life flashed before his eyes as he plummeted towards the Hudson River in an airplane whose engines were shutoff. On his way down, Elias learned and thought about three things:

1. It all changes in an instant so don't postpone anything.

2. Don't let your ego get in the way, don't waste time on things that don't matter with people that do matter, and be happy not right.

3. Be a good dad.

This TED talk stood out to me because it really shows how in a matter of seconds you could be looking at your life thinking about all the things you could have done differently. Elias is put in a life threatening situation that ultimately results in him leading a better life after this experience. Elias now lives his life with out any hesitation, regrets, and as a benefit to the people around him.

I believe it is hard to feel what Elias felt on his way down in this plane without actually having been in a situation like that. That's why I loved this video so much because it really helps you realize how short life could potentially be. There is no time to procrastinate in doing what you love because who knows, you could be gone tomorrow!

One idea that stood out to me is when Elias said "Don't waste time on things that don't matter with people that do matter". Don't dwindle on the small things in life that don't mean anything with those who make an impact in your life. I feel this quote is very inspiring because it could be looked at as a way of life. As long as you look beyond the small issues of what's right in front of you and enjoy the big picture with the ones you love,  your life will be nothing but successful and happy.