Ask Chuka

  A few years ago, during a period when I travelled frequently for work, my driver and I were involved in a serious accident. The cause? Large stones used as roadblocks by security operatives were left unattended on the road long after duty hours. Even those living in that community didn't find a need to take it out.  That experience reminded me of an old story titled “A Good Deed Rewarded.” The King’s Experiment King Arund had grown tired of his people’s constant complaints. They wanted the government to handle everything, even the most trivial tasks. To teach them a lasting lesson, he secretly ordered that a large stone be placed in the centre of the City Square one night. The next morning, people began to pass by. A merchant, annoyed at the obstruction, refused to move the stone. He insisted it was the government’s responsibility. Others also complained, cursed, or found ways to manoeuvre around it, but no one made an effort to remove it. The Farmer Who Chose Action Hours...

There was a blind man called Bart. Some people in his community said he was born blind, while others believed he became blind at a very young age. Whatever the true account was, everyone who knew Bart knew him as the blind man. Bart was loved by many in his community. He enjoyed the support of his friends, especially whenever he became curious about his surroundings. When they visited the beach or the riverside, he would ask how clean the water was, whether it was blue, green, or turquoise. Other times, he wanted to know the colour of the sky, what kind of birds flew above, and even what his friends looked like. Because Bart absorbed so much information, his friends created a blindfold game called “No Cheats.” They would ask questions about their environment, such as “What colour is the sky?” or “What bird is flying up there?” Most times, Bart won, because when his friends told him the sky was blue, or named a bird, he could identify it by the sound it made or the feeling in the air. T...

  Midlife Crisis Is Real. It’s either you accept it and do something about it, or live in denial and face consequences you cannot deny.  I’m almost certain that, for the past month, I have declined to take a lot of phone calls; business, personal, even intimate ones from my mum and a few others. The bad part was, I knew the consequences: lost business, strained relationships, and growing distance from people I care about. But I didn’t care. To make sure I wasn’t sliding into depression, I threw myself into lawn tennis. I’m usually regarded as someone without great stamina on the court, but I played harder than usual, sometimes twice a day, because tennis became my escape. My driver even asked if I was training for an amateur tournament! 😊 For those wondering what a midlife crisis is, Gemini defines it as a period of self-reflection and emotional turmoil, typically occurring between ages 40 and 60, when one begins to question their identity, life choices, and accomplishments....

  Lately, I’ve been worried that I might be getting soft, especially after these two experiences. The first was from my son. He sent me a message that began, “Daddy, you remember you taught us from Scripture to ask if we want to receive, seek if we want to find, and knock if we want doors to be opened to us. Please, Daddy, we need you to get us some ice cream when you’re coming back.” Omooo! After smiling at the message, I almost replied, “Those were the words of Jesus, not mine.” But then I remembered that teachers will be judged more strictly, and before I knew it, my fingers had already typed “Okay 😊” in response. A few days later, Stanley came to my office at Jewel Publishers to talk about one of our favourite book clients, Rev. Father Anthony, who wanted two of his books published before the end of October. As usual, we discussed the cost, which is often what stops many writers from publishing their work. Stanley said, “Father said this cost is quite expensive for him, oh. He...

My friend, Vovome, nearly landed me in trouble today. She said, “Because it is Customer Service Week, you can go to your clients and ask them any kind of favour and they will most likely grant it.” Excited by this new information, I decided to visit a client whose hidden mission, I believe, is to kill our business, they have been owing us for over two months! I took some small gifts along to show that my coming was in peace, but the conversation did not go well at all. The first bashing that hit me was, “You should have asked for an appointment before coming.” Before I could even breathe, another gbas gbos followed: “If you knew your company was not buoyant enough to work with organisations like ours, you should not have participated in bidding for the job.” I quietly held back my apple gift, because I knew that this was not the kind of gift that could melt such hearts, especially the kind that promise to pay after one month from delivery but still owe you after two. And I did not argu...

  Sober while I read, I stumbled on two stories this morning on my way to work. The first was about two men crossing a narrow stairway. Both could not walk through at the same time, meaning one person had to make way for the other. For a while, they stared at each other, neither willing to give way. The first man, in anger, asked the other to go back so he could pass. “I was about to ask you to do the same thing,” replied the second man politely, clearly amused by the outburst. “I never make way for a fool,” the first man snapped, visibly angry. The calm second man simply said, “I do,” and moved aside to let him pass. The second story, Battle on the Cliff, was about two goats that met on the edge of a mountain path. They were heading in opposite directions, and there was no way to cross or turn back. They tried to agree on how to move around each other. Like the first man, the first goat shouted, “Get out of my way!” “How can I?” replied the other. “You know it’s easier for you to ...