EVERYTHING’S AN ARGUMENT

If everything’s an argument, then the piece of writing before you here is no exception.

Do the fonts used argue that “there is none better”?

What argument does Republic Hall Week Celebration make- that it is the best?

Does the Cupid call upon us to love? What about the colour RED? Is a colour ever just a colour; and what does it symbolise on Valentine’s Day?

The title of this article sums up two key assumptions we share. First, language provides the most powerful means we have for understanding the world and its systems and using that understanding to help shape our lives.

Secondly, all language- including the language of visual images or of symbol systems and writing- is persuasive, pointing in a specific direction and asking for response.

You are hereby challenged to take seriously the arguments made by everyday images and words and to recognise how such arguments permeate our lives.

Take some time and look around you. We are surrounded by texts that beckon, that aim to persuade. In short, we walk, talk and breathe persuasion very much as we breathe the air: everything’s an argument!

BE YOURSELF

Social class, status, societal standing… do these words mean anything to you? Well, various societies set various standards with well-defined boundaries and divisions for us to live in.

Most at times, we tend to sway, not being able to fully define which divisions we individually belong to. We then resort to masking ourselves just to fit in where we do not belong! In that regard, does society really put a strain on us?

Life itself is dynamic, bringing in its wake both good and bad. Just to go along with the rhythm of life, we make room for changes and most importantly, bearing in mind our ROOTS, we make conscious efforts not to cross over our limits.

Individually, in all things, we make choices that directly or indirectly affect others’ perceptions about us. Why let others make a pale shadow of you when you are capable of showing forth your radiance by simply being yourself?

No matter the society in which you find yourself at any given time, find your bearing and let others respect you for who you are.

Originality should be your hallmark.

THE PULL IT DOWN SYNDROME

It’s all around us- in the lecture halls, in buses, in hospitals, in homes…even in our churches!   Dresses that are not supposed to be elongated are abused hence rendering the back portion slightly longer than the front. Our eyes are constantly fed with disgusting sights. All conscious efforts you make at avoiding them turn out to be futile because the moment you are able to surmount one of them, there lies another staring at you with a greater “promising” invitation than the previous.

The erroneous mindset of our dear sisters about FASHION has caused and is still causing a great amount of havoc in society. The beauty we behold in front is enough to convince us that God actually took His time to mould you, but is it necessary for this fact to be counteracted by the hazards we are exposed to at the lower backs?

Full description cannot be given to all the shapes, sizes and colours of supposed “hidden underwears” we always see with unaided eyes! I can foresee a day when we will be forced to come to terms with the original state of creation…the credit goes to all females who in their own small ways are propelling this!

Why try to be a hypocrite when you know very well that the dress you are wearing is skimpy and it is likely to expose your lower back when you sit or try to get down from a vehicle?

Who ever said we are not sick and tired of all these disgraceful sights that tend to convey the message that the female character is one of diminishing decency and morality? We appreciate beauty when it is simple, natural, amazing, unadulterated, convincing and long-lasting!

NOT AGAIN

I will not walk this road again because I have a very strong urge not to.

From now on, whenever I am tempted to look back, I will always remember LAZINESS who was my very close friend. He taught me how to postpone activities that I could have finished within minutes. As though that was not enough, he also taught me how to lie in bed, daydreaming about unrealistic events!

Another friend that I can never forget about is MEDIOCRITY. He coached me and gave me tips on how to haphazardly do my work and run off to attend to irrelevant issues. Ideally, I would have been the best student in the TIME MISMANAGEMENT course save the few moments I had to be at church.

Notwithstanding the fact that I had friends, my social life was a mess because SHYNESS taught me how to hide behind people and make waste of all my communication skills and talents.

IRRESPONSIBILITY was my favorite lecturer. He was the very one who lectured me on how to identify my position and role in society and give no thought to carrying them out. He made me believe that I was answerable to no one and that freedom was all around me, anytime, anywhere.

NOTORIETY was a close relative who brainwashed me and made me accept the erroneous fact that my popularity was at stake unless I engaged myself in activities that contradicted societal norms.

My right-hand man was IDLENESS. He always ceased every opportunity to tell me that I am delicate and that any activity that I might engage myself in would turn out to be a Herculean task!

FEAR was always lurking at every bend of the road I took. He constantly reminded me of the lion’s roar especially when I found myself alone on the road.

Putting the right foot forward at any time was an afterthought to me until I came to the turning point. I now  have a very strong conviction that I have discovered my substance and that all friends, relatives, lecturers and the likes who affected my life in one way or the other on that road are all forgotten like the ruins of an ancient city.

I have rued all the time I spent walking on that road but now, I am glad my life has bounced back in all totality.     

TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW

Do you picture an alien when looking at a fellow human being? That could be so unfair and unkind because all normal human beings have the same physical features. The slight differences come in due to the shape, size and colour of some of these features.

Our psychological make ups are the main differentiating factors between us, human beings. In reasoning, we show the diversity in nature. In speech and actions, we reveal our thoughts. Love, sympathy, anger and hatred just to mention but a few are qualities every human being possesses and their effects are felt depending on how we relate to others. The above mentioned qualities are perfect when displayed in the perfect situations. You can’t for instance keep smiling when someone is intentionally causing you to suffer pain!

A lot could be read into you depending on how you present yourself. Do you always have to wear that scary frown? What about that charming smile of yours that melts stony hearts?

Your physical appearance also says volumes about you. A person could be described as being neat, disorganized, dirty, old-fashioned or trendy etc. based on his or her appearance.

Like oxygen and carbon dioxide, the physical and the psychological make ups of an individual work hand in hand to actually bring out the true identity of that individual.

Our human nature can be compared with the times and seasons in that they all have a constant tendency to change. We are able to adapt to contemporary situations due to our nature. Our lifestyles are shaped in one way or the other by these changes but our original qualities still remain intact- that is the beauty and complexity of NATURE.

Now, on a more serious note, do you have to judge a fellow human being by his or her physical look? If yes, give it a second thought. If no, why?