The gents were having a Fifa tournament, Lloyd was hosting and in attendance was Thulani, X and Stumza. I was excited, it had been a while since I had played. Everyone in attendance was a good player. I was shocked when Thulani scored a penalty when he played X, I still don’t know how to score a penalty. In fact, you will never concede a set-piece goal against me. On this day we decided to create a tournament set in England. I picked Manchester United, Stumza selected City, X picked Liverpool, Lloyd picked Spurs and Thulani picked Arsenal.
One thing to know about me is that I win at everything, no seriously, I am the best in everything I engage in. If you beat me at anything, well done, you showed excellence, you deserve it, you are the best, no excuses and I will acknowledge that. True to my professional prescription, I beat everyone. Well, almost everyone. Stumza was the dent in my almost perfect record. The gents couldn’t handle Bruno Fernandes, he scored and assisted in every game. My game against Stumza was a hot game, Manchester derby. I scored first and he equalized before half-time. Then at the start of the second half, I regained my lead only for him to equalize and then I don’t know what happened. He scored 2 more goals out of nowhere! There was nothing I could do about the goals, I didn’t make a mistake, he just simply scored. The thing about Stumza is that a shot is a goal. He scores because he wants to, just because he can. The goalkeeper won’t save it because he can’t. All of Stumza’s goals are pure strikes – top corner. He will never score a scrappy goal like a rebound or tap-in. He just scores and there’s nothing you can do about it. After he scored the 4th goal, I realized what I was up against and I changed my strategy. Not that I quit but winning this game was a long shot. I decided to rest Paul Pogba and give Mctominay gametime. It was a defensive approach, the game plan was now don’t concede a 5th goal. Fred was still fresh and he worked exceptionally well with Mctominay at keeping Stumza at bay. I also had a couple of chances but they weren’t clear cut. With the 90 minutes over, the referee added 3 minutes of stoppage time. Stumza scored the 5th goal on 3:23, once again there was nothing I could do about the goal. I wasn’t disheartened or disappointed, I merely congratulated him and told him to his face that his the best. It wasn’t as if the level was “semi-pro”, it was “ultimate” but he scores like it’s “semi-pro”, it’s bullshit really just bullshit. The 5-2 Manchester derby defeat wasn’t a fluke. In a completely different tournament he beat me 5-2 again. This time we had a country tournament. I picked Portugal, I had Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo. The gents picked Ivory Coast for Stumza because we wanted to weaken him. It didn’t work. Thank God Neo came in and void the tournament. He picked a team and disappeared while the tournament was in progress. We used “quick sim” and Stumza lost. Technically, Neo is the only person who beat Stumza that day.
Still I had a good tournament. Bruno Fernandes was the top assist guy and among the goals. De Gea was the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets and I had 6 players in the team of the tournament! Sure, I was second on the log to Stumza but I was first everywhere else. I won with Stumza!
I remember when the guys Benji, Kalushi & Donald approached me regarding a talent show they wanted to host at the school. The gents were enthused and their excitement was emitted through their pores, it was contagious and I was infected. It was a great idea. They were thinking dancers, rappers, singers, poets and just anything that had a creative expression. They called it OPI concert, it stood for Ordinary People’s Initiative. They were thinking OPP for Ordinary People’s Production but it didn’t stick. The gents wanted me to join the team and to sweeten the deal for me they said I could handle the poetry side. I accepted right away. I also took charge of Marketing and Advertising, word needed to go out. For my Marketing campaign, I was thinking preliminary posters that were vague and just contained the OPI logo, I created the logo myself, it needed to have primary colors and be bold at the same time. This would generate an interest and get people talking and thinking. I wanted people to ask “What is this OPI”? When there was buzz, we would then tell the school. The 3rd phase of my campaign would be to replace the old posters with new posters that were catchy, exciting and billed up the event. The last phase would be a little preview a week from the concert. That was my plan and that’s how everything went down. The campaign was immensely successful. That’s all the school was talking about “OPI this, OPI that”. There was a genuine excitement about the concert.
I remember when I started compiling the poetry team, Donald was so enthused. Donald was also a classmate in Computer class and Electrical Technology so we often talked about who would be a great addition to the poetry team. He talked about Nomonde and her friend Amanda. I knew who Nomonde was, she had that aura of “creative”, “can’t box me” , “can’t tell me nothing” . She was different, she had short hair and a boyish demeanor, had a rebellious spirit and attitude. She was individuated and authentic. She was smart and so cool. Nomonde had an X-factor about her, she was a superstar. As a creative myself, I recognized her worth and value, she was pure artistry. I heard from my friend Christopher that she beat some guy in a Rap battle once. I knew Amanda because she was her friend. Donald told me that Amanda was a great writer and a poet too. He said he would talk to them. “Dope” I thought, I wanted Nomonde in the team. I held auditions after school and sure enough Nomonde, Amanda and Shoko came through. Nomonde was great and she was the first person in the team. Amanda read through her poetry in her book, I thought it would be difficult because she lacked stage presence but the content was so good that I took a chance with her. She was cool, the book would be apart of her act, plus we would have microphones, so problem solved – the audience would be able to hear her content. I really liked Amanda and so I put her in the team. Shoko didn’t do so well with the audition, he was nervous. He was the introverted type but at least he tried, that was cool, he had the will. Then Sophie came in, she was a Grade 8 pupil, she made me excited, she was awesome. Sophie would be my revelation to the whole school, she would be a talent I unveiled to the world, I wanted her to do exceptionally well. I put her on the list. When Ayanda came through, I was happy because I pretty much knew that she would kill it, like Nomonde, Ayanda was an artist, she was creative, she had that aura about her. She killed it and I put her on the list. The last person on the list was Busisiwe, she had a powerful stage presence, her voice commanded attention, her content was amazing, she was outstanding. I put her on the list. A lot of guys didn’t make it, I picked the best of the best in the school. I was so confident with my team, plus they were professionals, they were the best, they knew what to do, I didn’t need to make them better or coach them. The only person I worked with extensively was Sophie. I helped her with rehearsals and gave her general tips to help regulate her emotions and breathing techniques. Other than that, she was a natural.
Everyone had their hands full. Kalushi was responsible for everything technical. This includes sound, microphones, lights, curtains and backstage stuff. He worked so hard, the day of the concert he came at 5:30am to fix and get ready the sound. The show would have been a disaster without him. He was also in charge of scouting talented rappers. Cool guy Simon Rakai also helped immensely when it comes to the operations in the hall. Mdice, a very talented music producer was in charge of the music – he served as the DJ. Donald was in charge of tickets, he did a great job. Everything was in order and the tickets were distinguishable from one another, we had 3 classes of tickets; Economy which cost R5, First class was R7 and Royalty was R10. The colors were different colors – it was a great system. Benji was the program director, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, the boss. He was the co-ordinator of the show, the big picture guy who obsessed about the tiny details. Benjamin was the visionary who said “No” to things that didn’t meet the standard, the guy who can push you out the show or give the greenlight, he was the gaffer.
On the day of the concert despite it being a normal school day, our class was exempted. This was because everyone was helping make the concert a success. All the gents were in the hall doing something, mopping the floors, helping with the sound, organizing the music program, operating the lights, fixing curtains, opening windows, just anything and everything. The girls helped us with selling tickets. We had a lot help with ticket sales, this was because a lot of tickets were purchased on the day of the concert, so everyone was busy! Everyone helped. No RCLs, no teachers, no authority – it was our Initiative, just us Ordinary People.
The hall was a full house, filled to the brim like a fountaining glass. The energy was euphoric. The concert comprised of Poets, musicians, rappers, dancers and a modelling section. The modeling section would serve as interludes or intervals during the show. We wanted to create a platform for beauty queens and aspiring models. We got together the best looking students and they walked the stage like a catwalk. The reception was insane. Yes, Rorisang was a part of the models and the 2014 Head Girl, Davina. It was great. Every artform was accommodated. The talent on display was unbelievable. We had all types of dance crews. All girl groups, all guy group, mixed groups, Hip-hop groups, Sbujwa groups, just every style. They all killed it! Every performance by the dancers was memorable. They were well practiced, totally committed and focused. I also remember a Rapper who totally killed his set – he was so impressive, he got the crowd to sing along with him. We had Rnb singers, soul singers, some people even added some Piano to their acts – it was magical, the lighting was spot on, the moments seemed to flicker like a fairy-tale, like a moment destiny created in this vast expanding Universe, like a dream. One of the highlight reels of the show was when Stabza played that Kanye West Homecoming music chord on the Piano, the crowd when crazy, it was so crazy, it was special, you had to be there to understand – what a talented guy. Another highlight for me was when Lethabo sang on the Piano, I loved Lethabo, she was my favorite singer ever so when she was backed up by a music instrument, I went crazy! Muluka also stole the show, he sang an Alicia Keys song – everyone loved it and the scenery was amazing. The crowd was in sync with him, he had a magnetism about him, he commanded the audience, his performance was one of the performances of the day. Ayanda (the poet) also added something special to her poetry. She collaborated with other creatives and the result was amazing, outstanding, just great! She made me so proud. Nomonde also stole the show, she was great. The crowd however booed Amanda, my fear manifested itself. They didn’t appreciate that she read poetry off her book. She wasn’t given much of a chance. That’s not all, they also booed my gift to the world Sophie, they didn’t give her chance, they started throwing things on the stage at her. It was so horrible. She came to me backstage in tears, I didn’t know what to say, I hugged her. Luckily Busi came around and comforted her. Busi helped me so much with that situation, I disappeared shortly after. The crowd was a madhouse, they were out for blood, it was difficult, you really needed to know your stuff – you couldn’t take chances. I don’t think Busi got the chance to perform, the program was too long and it needed to be shortened. Still, I knew the boss and told him I want Busi to go on. He was reluctant but he moved things and had a slot for her but Busi wasn’t available backstage. So I stepped up. I really didn’t want to do it, I had a lot on my mind, I had a lot of responsibilities and my poem was too long. In my current mindset, I had a fear that I’d forget it, it was a very real possibility. Plus, I wasn’t adequately prepared because I considered myself an extra, a “just in case”. But I requested a favor from the program director, I basically fought for it. I went on the stage and killed it for the poets. At least the narrative was now positive – the Sophie debacle was a low point for us (the poets). I wish Busi was the one who had killed it for us but she was needed elsewhere. Busi was great and on that day I needed her, she did what God intended, she was perfect.
The concert was a success and it generated a cult following. Everyone great was involved. Four years after I graduated, it was still a thing. The name stood – “OPI” (Ordinary Peoples Initiative) – the people’s concert.
I would do anything for Kalushi, he is my blood brother. There’s so much to say, the things we saw and experienced together many people would ascribe to as fiction. Frankly I have a tough time believing our experiences. Just maybe it is fiction or just a dream. Still we had a lot of fun, I wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything. Obviously I can’t cover everything but I’ll provide a highlight reel.
The story starts with feminine energy, I was in Grade 9 and I saw this girl who blew me away. She was in Grade 8, yellow-bone, pretty and perfect tits. Her name Mapule, she was top quality. But I just admired from a distance. My life was in shambles and I was depressed and sad. My parents got a divorce and they played me like a chess piece. It wasn’t fair, I was objectified like a piece of meat. They were like kids, they couldn’t handle their problems like adults. How can you use your kid for nefarious ends? I didn’t allow it though, I saw through all their mental games and their attempts to control me. I chose to distance myself and venture out into the unknown. I became an adult at a very young age. I came back to Alex and I was separated from my brother, sister and my mother who was pregnant at the time. From Kempton Park they moved to Olifantsfontein and we didn’t even have a number to connect. Months elapsed and still no contact. Everything seemed so final like I would never see them again. I was sad and depressed and it reflected with my image and my results at school. That year, in the first term I failed 6 out of 9 subjects. I failed because of inactivity, I didn’t have the will anymore, I just didn’t care. Thank God for FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi, literally they were the only thing that made me happy. My eyes sparkled when Messi had the ball on his feet and my spirits were lifted. Every weekend for 2 hours, I was happy. Pep Guardiola and Messi never disappointed me, they gave me pride. I even watched Real Madrid games and that season Gonzalo Higuain and Ronaldo were on fire. Manuel Pellegrini had a really good team and they played beautiful football, they pushed us to the end securing 98 pts while Barca won the league with 99 pts, to this day I don’t understand why he was sacked. Soccer provided an escape from the world that I desperately needed, it was a remedy for my broken heart that was shattered to pieces. At school Miss Nkabinde got ahold of my results and she was concerned. She knew me from my days in Grade 8 where she taught us Life Orientation and she always thought I was bright. She scheduled counseling for me and through that I got to reflect. I realized the seriousness of everything, before this I had never failed in my life. I had to be accountable for the failure. I took it in and I promised myself that I’d be better for the second term. On a positive note, my mother gave birth and she made contact so I can see my little brother, it was at a private hospital in Kempton Park so after school I went there and he was so small, I held him in my arms and I was happy again.
I started the second term more focused, I needed to redeem myself for myself. I was still living in Gomora but things were better now, I was now in contact with my mother and slowly we mended our relationship. I also saw my brother and sister again, something that gave me life. I was still contemplating changing schools though. I enquired at Sandringham High and it looked like my next destination. I wanted to change schools, Rhodesfield was a technical school and I wanted a normal school because I was artistic in nature. Still I didn’t fully commit to changing schools. I did well in the second term and I was lively again. My Grades improved, I was a man on a mission. I decided to live with my mother and siblings in Olifantsfontein for a while and you won’t believe what I saw! Mapule, the hot yellow-bone with perfect tits. I took that as a sign, I hadn’t made my move with her before because I was troubled but now everything was perfect. I talked to her and I got her number. We communicated on Mxit and she was completely complicit. We were on the same wavelength. We would meet at the park and have discussions that lasted an eternity. Still I didn’t force things, I was getting my life back together and I had to pull the strings slowly for maximum output. I passed the second term and redeemed myself in my eyes. Mapule moved on with some guy and I remember thinking “Yes, that guy is good for Mapule. It’s okay, you didn’t lose it just wasn’t meant to be”. They looked good together and at least Mapule was still a friend. This guy made me feel good, he had a aura that was familiar to me, he was in 9B, neat guy, his shoes were always shining, Red Mountain bag and was affectionately known by his peers as “Mbazo” – that’s a good nickname.
The next year I decided on staying on as opposed to moving to Sandringham High. I was now in the same class as “Mbazo”, his real name Kalushi Mkhonto. My Instincts were correct, he was a great guy. He was a smart guy, well articulated and got good grades. He was always in the top 5 of achievers in most subjects and sat at the first row in Physics class. In fact he was always the guy who rivaled me in English class. I would always get A’s on all my essays and speeches and it was the same thing with him. Our energies gravitated towards each other and we became good friends. We were in the same team that created the OPI concert and I nominated him to be the Headboy of the school. I genuinely believed he was the perfect guy for the job. In the end he lost out because he wasn’t a kiss ass.
I created a lot with Kalushi. I suffered a lot with Kalushi. I have a lot of memories with Kalushi. We started KOSP together alongside Kay of course. KOSP was beautiful. We started an online radio station. We started a soccer team together. We started a farm together. We lived with each other for years building for a future that was only in our eyes. We know everything about each other, we know each other’s mothers, we formed a genuine brotherhood. Kalushi taught me a lot. Kalushi is smart, creative, passionate, generous, ambitious, has great taste in music and just an overall great guy. I love Kalushi, he is my blood brother forever!
PS. Thank you for the Yezzys and all the times you accompanied me to Mokopane so I can purchase a stand to build a home. Thank you for the time you gave me R3500 from the goodness of your heart so that I can continue online trading. Thank you for the Cassio watch and HP Laptop. Thank you for everything. I appreciate you and all our adventures. Spirit homeboy!
Of course life is difficult, it says so in the Bible, it is the fundamental premise of Philosophy and science surmises it as entropy, destruction, chaos! Regardless, you can never give up on yourself. You can’t let people’s voices drown who you are. The truth about reality is that the world will assign you a role and compartmentalize you if you don’t do that for yourself. If you don’t know who you are, the world will tell you who you are. It will label you and dilute your essence until you are a carbon copy of everybody else. It is your duty to decide your fate. Never worry about things you can’t control. And human beings? Mxm, don’t try to change them, these are not linear creatures, they will turn on you if it serves their interests. Why are you worried about what another person thinks about you? Why do you let another person make you emotional? If you don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist, no hard feelings, let them talk, it serves the persona they have created for themselves. All you have in this world is yourself and how you dedicate your time. Channel your energy in the right avenues that will enable you to have a good life. Truth is subjective, commit to what works for you, you can’t be pleasing everybody else. Greatness is a product of your habits, you show up every day, you improve, you give your all to the present, you do what you can, you live truthfully, you are grounded in reality. Guard your heart and monitor your state of mind. Have positive thoughts about yourself and surround yourself in an environment that reinforces that. Negativity is for losers, you are better than that. Surround yourself with people who love you and want the best for you. Go after your dreams, in the process you will stumble, fail, lose weight, cry, be ridiculed, abused, humiliated, labeled a loser but in the end you’ll thank yourself, you’ll be a stronger human being able to conquer the obstacles in your map of experience. You will be strengthened by your truth, you will be stronger, apathy will cease to exist, you’ll have faith in yourself, you’ll have confidence in your abilities, you’ll be a person of value, you’ll be a person of character, you will be fulfilled, you’ll be unstoppable. Never be afraid of failure, it’s an illusion in any case, the important thing is that you tried. Be patient with yourself, success takes time. Be proud of who you are. You only get one chance at life and you are going to die. Die with honor, having redeemed yourself from the clutches of suffering. Die having given it your all, no regrets and an empty gas tank. Don’t be afraid to be different, be eccentric and develop your personality. Don’t fool yourself, much of anything outside of yourself you can’t control; your wife will leave you, your children will grow up to be entitled and ungrateful brats, your boss doesn’t like you all that much and your friends won’t invite you to their social gatherings anymore. That’s okay, manage yourself and your emotions, handle things that you can control and leave everything else to God. Some people will be assholes, don’t judge, try to change or reciprocate that energy, accept them as facts of life like stones and furniture and move on, no hard feelings. Taking things personally is a waste of time, it only hinders you from moving forward, it’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Let them plan, gossip and concoct things about you, it’s not your business – besides you are above that. Love, be kind, be emphatic, help your brother, help your sister, offer a hand, be truthful, have principles, be a blessing in somebody’s life, not because it serves your interests but because we are all one. Everything perishes in the hands of time. Thank you God for the gift of life.
Earlier in 2021 I was anxious about making money. My past business endeavors were failures, through no fault of my own. It’s simply the process. I did everything I could, I put in all the work, showed initiative and enthusiasm and even relocated to a different province for 3 years. I regret nothing! It wasn’t about my business acumen, it’s just the process, just how things are. Still, I was broke and my mind was trapped in a loop, “I want money, I need money, I am nothing without money”. What I didn’t realize was that I was signaling “lack” to the Universe and I attracted not having money. My worship of money was the reason I didn’t have any. My worship of money was the reason I was miserable. Then one day I got robbed at gunpoint. They took the little I had, I didn’t panic, I was calm. It was my fault really, I should have known better. You can’t walk alone late at night in Gomora (Alexandra), I was basically asking for it.
My close encounter with death made me contemplate about my life. It made me slow down, the robbery was the best thing to have happened to me. I realized anything could have happened, I was intoxicated when the robbery transpired. It was late in the morning, 1 o’clock to be precise. I was lucky. I hear stories of people getting killed every time, people who were in the same situation as me. I was reflective and I stopped worrying so much. I was lucky. I was filled with feelings of gratitude and I’d start making better choices. I stopped worrying about money too. I concluded that I would attract it instead. I’d attract the amount that I wanted. Instead of worrying constantly, I elevated my perspective, surely with time, I will be rich. It’s a certainty. I would do the best that I could everyday. I now saw life as a gift. I couldn’t be complacent or passive. I started comparing myself to the person I was yesterday and progressed. I became happier. I closed off everything that wasn’t making me better. I realized that I was happy with very little. As long as I had my health, food to eat, shelter and legs for locomotion, I was in heaven. I have been happy ever since.
In my analysis of love; Love is not gratifying desire, love is not sex. Love is a perfect seduction process conducted by the unconscious or sometimes conscious. It requires time, patience and plenty of mirroring. It is effort, real effort and requires you to be at the peril of the beloved sometimes simply because it builds and consumes energy generated by the other. Love is give and take, but mostly to give because it amplifies the soul of the other, elevating both of you to realms unimaginable. Beauty leads us along like a ladder towards the promise land- the soul. Love is a longing for perfection. Love is a demon, it consumes and demands more and more. Love is a longing for truth. Love is the longing for wisdom, knowledge and beauty- eternal beauty. Love is the longing of the perfection of the soul. Love is timeless- immortal- eternal; no lover believes in time. Love is to get a friend a book because a book is a combination of spirit and matter, information which is matter when consumed becomes Spirit to the mind. Love is to mutually share music or other things that constitute as art. Love is to share passions. Love is helping your beloved towards his or her journey of self-actualization. Love is being with someone who will never give up on you. Love is your bestfriend. Love is your family. Love along with art are the only things that make life worthwhile, because like we established life is tragic and full of heartaches and the only thing we have to look forward to is boredom, suffering and death. In my conclusion if you want “Love”, don’t be a fool. Delay gratification and expedience, go long on the exponential chart- in other words take your time, never rush anything.
Propelled by a woman’s love. She projected her spirit onto me. She looked at me and dreamt, dreamt of the impossible, dreamt of the mthyical, the mystical. She was intrigued, subjegated, locked in trance. She was hopeful. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. Through me she saw the avenues that where hidden to her by life, by the universe, by God. Her reality was renewed, refreshed and she was rejuvenated. It was like she was a child again, innocent and pure eagerly waiting for Christmas with all its cheer, new clothes and presents. She believed in me like a Christian blinded by faith, for she could see the potential. She was a visionary who understood that to attain success you have to give up what is, to sustain what could be. A long shot? Sure, but in life you have to gamble on yourself. Bet on yourself to beat the odds and get even with the universe. Believe it or not, everything in the world is set up for you to win. Life is all about you, life revolves around you. You are the center of the universe. She projected onto me, bid all her money on me, attached her spirit on me, me – the biggest underdog in the world. Her energy is not misplaced.
I have demon that possess me. It helps me do things that are above me. I have learned to harness the energy and power of this demon within me. When I engage in a creative activity, it takes a hold of me and forcefully pushes me aside. I let it man-handle and dominate me. I let it take control of my body. I let it roam freely in my mind. I find that the demon makes me better in the activities of life even though I am prisoner to it, a slave, a passenger, an accomplice. I don’t know where the energy of the demon comes from, it’s so violent, unsympathetic, unrestricted and chaotic. The demon has explored other domains of my life like a cancer. It now dictates my everyday life, leaving me with time to detach from my body. I often float over my body like a ghost, observing beforehand the routes that will accommodate my structure of being. My demon has allowed me to operate in two realms. It is because of this that I live life with absolute confidence, I know I am not alone. I found that invisible forces are always conspiring in my favor – the only requirement being that I listen to the demon, that I let it consume me and make all the decisions. I found that the universe only wants me to nurture the demon, to take care of it, to stand by it and be proud of it. The demon is that inner voice in all of us. You see I found out that somehow, unconsciously we already know what we want, we are not lost in some maze, we are not the labels the world assigns to us – we are greatness! I found that to get what we are rightly entitled to [greatness] we need to follow our inner voices, our demons.
This has been reflected in history. Legendary artist Leonardo Da Vinci, work only on his paintings when his demon took ahold of him. He was very passionate about his work, he would work on a painting for 7 years incorporating realistic details on his artworks. Commentators often referred to Da Vinci as a procastinator. Because of those comments, history is unfavorable to such commentators. They are simply shunned and relegated to a world of fools. Da Vinci’s artworks are timeless and ranked among the most expensive in the world because of the time he spent working on them, because of the spectacular detail he added, because of the times he didn’t work on the paintings because he couldn’t access his demon. In making the perfect art, all conditions have to be perfect every time – you have to be one with yourself, you need to listen to your inner voice. Urban Poet, Kanye West created the perfect craft in 2010 with the release of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”. He explained that the album took 5000 hours of manpower to create. The album is a burst of creative energy concocted by Kanye West’s demon. The title of the album is so descriptive and animated. The album is a piece of destiny and immortality. Another example of an artist who was consumed by his demon when he was working on his craft is Urban Poet Kendrick Lamar, who created without a doubt the greatest hip-hop album of all time with “To Pimp A Butterfly”. For the creative process of the album, he had to go to South Africa to learn more about apartheid and Nelson Mandela. The album explores human nature, greed, self-gratification and expediency, existentialism, suicide, self-appraisal and self-love, money, the plasticity of the human soul, self-exploration, fulfillment, peace and death. The album has been dubbed a classic and was recognized by the Academy who awarded it 5 Grammy awards. On the last song, “Mortal Man”, in a conversation with hip-hop legend 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar talks about his demon and how the spirits come from nowhere to possess him. He explains that he sometimes doesn’t know what type of energy his going to bring out into the world. 2Pac concurs and seems to understand, he responds that it’s the spirits of the “dead homies” speaking through him and that they are just the outlets. That is a sophisticated analogy considering Carl Jung’s work on the collective unconscious.
Dragon Ball is such a sophisticated show. It’s so rich in content, it is so intelligent. There’s no limit to creativity and genius in the human spirit. I salute the creators and developers of the show. The genius of Dragon Ball is that they depict life and reality as energy. This view concurs with the fundamental universal law that we all come from the same source. Everything in the universe is energy from our thoughts, to the animals, plants, mountainsoceans and rivers. Everything emits a frequency. Everything vibrates and everything is linked. Also, death is an abstract concept in the show because energy cannot be destroyed. Instead the warriors who are defeated transcend into some sort of utopia and attain a halo above their heads. These warriors are “dead” but they exist and they also retain all their memories, abilities and skills. This is a sophisticated analogy considering that information is indestructible. This form of existence represents a transfer of energy from one point to another. This is in accordance with the laws of physics. And so the departed warriors can be wished back with Dragon Balls that summon a dragon that can grant any wish. In addition to covering the the laws of physics, the show deals with morality, mastery and self-realization in the storyline. The shows lead, Goku is the archetype of the hero. He shares the same qualities as Jesus, and Neo from The Matrix in the regard that he too is a dead man that was resurrected. Goku is the savior, the one. By trait Goku is an open minded individual who strives to be better and better. His childlike persona blinds him to his limits and enables him to push through any barrier. The will to always be better enables him to surpass limitations imposed on him by his mortal body. It is this will that puts him on par with the God’s in the Tournament Of Power. The tournament of power is a tournament that gathered together the strongest fighters in the cosmos with the intention of finding out which is the strongest Universe. Participating in the tournament are 11 Universes that have 10 fighters in a team. If all fighters in the team are eliminated, the given Universe will be wiped out from existence. The last team standing in the battle royale wins the tournament and gets the super Dragon Balls. In the tournament Goku and his team mates encounter an unbeatable foe by the name of Jiren. Jiren is the most powerful fighter in the cosmos. He has denied himself worldly pursuits to be the greatest warrior in the cosmos. Jiren is a warrior of tremendous skill and focus, he is the ultimate master of his trade. Early in the competition Goku and Jiren engage in a battle and Goku while giving his all is defeated without much effort from Jiren. After dispatching of Goku, Jiren coming to the conclusion that no one is worthy or strong enough to fight him decides to conserve his energy and meditates. The fight between Goku and Jiren was a mismatch, one sided and bitterly disappointing. Still, that didnt deter Goku and he continued progressing in the tournament. Ultimately Goku reaches and perfects a form that even God’s have great difficulty getting to, let alone perfect it. This form “Autonomous Ultra Instinct” enabled Goku to be stronger than Jiren. This form comes from Goku pushing past his limits. It comes from not knowing when to quit. It is an admirable quality, one of the hero. The character of Goku teaches one how to live. To be courageous and bold. To push through our limits and keep getting better. Goku teaches us to be open minded. When he was compiling his team for the tournament, he approached the ruthless, sinister and evil Emperor Freeza; a foe he dispatched off and sent to hell. Emperor Freeza is the opposite of Goku and yet Goku was accomodative and fair promising to reinstate Freeza’s life if they win the tournament with the super dragon balls. In the end it is Goku and Freeza who eliminate the great Jiren from the tournament of power and in the process sparing their Universes fate. For his efforts Emperor Freezas life is reinstated. Defeating Jiren required teamwork, it required two opposite extremes in Goku and Freeza working together for a common goal. Emperor Freeza is also the hero but with flawed morality. This is insightful because morality is often subjective. Just maybe his methodology is just foreign. Philosopher Michael Walzer states: Justice is relative to social meanings. A given society is just if its substantive is lived in a certain way, in a way that is faithful to the shared understandings of the members. This teaches us that the devil can also be the hero – context matters of course. But let’s go back to Goku. Immanuel Kant teaches that “A good will isn’t good because of what it effects or accomplishes. It’s good in itself.” This is the main difference between Goku and Freeza. Freezas assistance was categorical while Goku was imperical. Still, the duality of these two identical characters was beautiful to see. Goku teaches us to be progressive. He teaches us about not letting the childlike spirit in our lives die. Goku teaches us about friendship and family. He teaches us gratitude and love. He teaches us not to be scared of death. He teaches us how to be heros in our own lives.
The Universe has commenced with my repayment plan. The first seed has been deposited. I should be a multi-millionaire in 2-3 years. Am I entitled, bigheaded, boastful and arrogant? Sure, but I also deserve what’s coming to me. In life you get what you deserve not what you need or want. I labored and planted seeds for my future, this is not the ego talking, it’s the farmer. Besides, the world needs me. It’s almost my turn to serve millions. Geez, I don’t know what to say I am honored. You see, I was right choosing myself. Choosing to educate myself. Choosing to better myself. Choosing to walk all the way to the library in Sandton, despite the fact that it’s 14 kms round-trip. I would walk over 70 km’s a week, 280 km’s a month and 3360 km’s a year for knowledge, for self-improvement. I did it with discipline, Mr. Consistency, I told you I never change; I was the first person in the library and the last one out. That’s dedication, I did it 9-5 style. I chose to make myself valuable in the domains that appealed to me, the domains I felt I would be successful. I took my time. Sacrificed expediency and looked decades ahead, I am a visionary after all. Maybe this is a narcissistic rant but it’s also greatness. You can’t do anything to me. I have simply become too good. Nothing but death can stop me. I am going to do this life thing my way. What’s the point of doing average in a Universe where everything ultimately fades? If that’s your attitude, why do anything at all? Why not have a real go at it and become great? This was all planned. I am the pick of the crop. I am the chosen one. I am a blend of bourgeois and the streets. I work harder. I risk more. I am more patient. I am disciplined. I have cultivated more skills that can make me rich. There’s no ways that I am not going to be rich, it’s impossible! Even if I have to wait for another 10 years, the end result is the same. I am destined to be a Billionaire, that’s life, that’s the way it is, that’s the way it was written, I mean what can I say? Everything around me grows and blossoms, after all its my profession, I am a farmer. I am also an Investor, businessman, writer and a musician. Hahaha, you wasting my time, I’d rather talk with the Universe. I’ll leave the passage of time to do all the talking for me. You will understand my greatness one day.
antakalipa 