Last weekend, on 26th September 2026, I was once again working. I’ve been working every weekend for the past six months or so, so I decided to go to a fave outdoor spot for a change in scenery. I’ve also been “revenge outdoorsing” which is basically sitting outdoors with a vengeance to reclaim all the sunny days the oncoming El Nino rains will steal from me.
Continue reading “Lost and Found”#51: What is the evolutionary value of privacy?
Our 51st prompt comes from tafiti. He asks:
What is the evolutionary value of privacy, if any?
*
tafiti,
I love this question, it really got me thinking. The need to keep some things for and to oneself is a deep human desire, bordering on instinct. As a social species whose advances have been made primarily due to our ability to use language and collaborate, a desire for privacy would seem counterintuitive.
Continue reading “#51: What is the evolutionary value of privacy?”#50: Is marrying only for love naïve?
Our 50th prompt comes from Malusi. They ask:
Is marrying only for love naive?
*
Malusi,
Great question. Marriage as an institution has been under a lot of scrutiny recently due to the changes we’ve undergone as a species/in our communities. Is it still relevant? What are its benefits? Why are so many people getting divorced? Should we marry for convenience or for love? Continue reading “#50: Is marrying only for love naïve?”
#49: Universal Basic Income
Our 49th prompt comes from Neville. He asks:
What do you think of Universal Basic Income? Consider the rising inequality due to automation and a few tech companies taking over economic power.
*
Neville,
Fantastic question, especially given the levels of income inequality we are witnessing globally. Universal Basic Income (UBI, also known as unconditional/guaranteed basic income) is a type of social security where all citizens (or residents, depending on where you are) of a country receive a guaranteed amount of money either from the government or in many cases (at the moment) an institution carrying out an experiment. Continue reading “#49: Universal Basic Income”
#48: Why do I listen to hip hop?
Our 48th prompt comes from Afandi. They ask:
How do you balance enjoying the genre of rap and trap music with all the misogyny and homophobia that features heavily in it? (usually by the male rappers)
*
Afandi,
You must have seen me tweeting song lyrics/screenshots of songs I’m listening to on Twitter. 😀 I love this question, especially because it’s one “woke” hip hop fans ask themselves a lot. Continue reading “#48: Why do I listen to hip hop?”
#47: What is development?
Our 47th prompt comes from Anna Metcalfe. She asks:
What, in your opinion, are the most helpful ways to understand the word ‘development’?
*
Anna,
Great question. Especially for me as a Kenyan, where development is thought of as infrastructure – roads, railways, buildings, factories, ports and cities. But is this really development? Continue reading “#47: What is development?”
#46: The Power of Now
Our 46th prompt comes from Ms. M.K. She asks:
What is your take on “The Power of Now”? In addition to the above, you can speak on meditation, consciousness, presence and mindfulness. Thanks!
*
Ms. M.K,
What a delightful question. I reread the book just to answer your question, and was taken back to how I felt after reading it. Now, though, that I’ve been practicing mindfulness and meditation (when I read it all this was new to me) my insights have matured. The sentiment of the book seems like such a foregone conclusion, and it feels like elementary reading. Continue reading “#46: The Power of Now”
#45: Can we change Kenya’s voting patterns?
Our 45th prompt comes from Mo. They ask:
Is it possible to change the views of this our country with regards to information and voting patterns? Seeing as to how we keep voting in the same dumbasses each time.
*
Mo,
Most of us think we decide who to vote for through a fairly rational process. Which is probably why many candidates in the 2017 election cycle are participating in debates and writing manifestos that summarize their who, what, why, when, where and how. So that folks who decide to vote for them can point to these documents as the reason. “She said she’d tarmac all the roads!” or, “He said he’d give all our children laptops!” But is this how we actually make our voting decisions? No. Continue reading “#45: Can we change Kenya’s voting patterns?”
#44: In Case of an Internet Shutdown
Our 44th prompt comes from Liv. She asks:
Just in case the government decides to shut down our internet during the coming elections, what exactly are we in for…what steps are they likely to take and how would they go about it?
*
Liv,
This is a great and timely question, given that Francis Wangusi of the Communication Authority recently said that “they are not thinking of shutting down the internet but be warned that it should not be used to release alternative election results.” Whatever that means. The general sentiment from government is that it is unlikely, but this does not mean that it won’t happen. Continue reading “#44: In Case of an Internet Shutdown”
#43: What would an anarchy state look like?
Our 43rd prompt comes from qkat. She asks:
Could we prosper as an intentional anarchy state… because what does good governance even look like?
*
qkat,
Everywhere we look, we see that the nation state experiment is failing. The USA, England, North Korea, heck, even Kenya. But whenever we seek alternatives, anarchy is rarely (if ever) considered. Continue reading “#43: What would an anarchy state look like?”