Samples Written By: Joseph Ndenda Email: josephndenda19@gmail.com Sample One FRIENDSHIP “Your friend is your needs answered.” - Khalil Gibran Do you have a friend who understands your needs? We are living in very challenging times. Everyone is struggling with certain pressing problems. And we need friends whom we can share our life’s thorns together. True friendship is characterized by love. And it’s through love that one can listen with kindness, help without expecting back and accept mistakes with humility. A friend could be anybody irrespective of age, gender, status or race. That friend could be your colleague, parent, sibling, child, or spouse... It could be that colleague who is always encourage you when doing a hard task, or when you’ve received a heartbreaking email. It could be that neighbor next door or fence and whose concern never goes unnoticed. It could be your pastor or spiritual guardian who will more often than not support you with prayers… Irrespective of who they are, their words and concern will always breed peace and mental stability hence the best place of refuge. Such are the kind of people to keep and respect. Reflect on that friend who brings out the real self in you by having an open conversation when stressed, downtrodden or lost in the darkness of everyday struggles of this life. Does the discussion with your friend often lead to psychosocial understanding? Does it bring peace? Does it instill a smile on your face? How about hope? Such are the people to treasure because they are the best doctors to our “daily ailments.” But, how do you treat your best friends. Do you go to them only when you need help from them? Do you make a call only when you are in trouble? When did you last send a “thank you” text message? How do you appreciate them? Khalil Gibran challenges us to treat our best friends with utmost respect and love. To maintain contact with them, and to appreciate them always. Friendship is the best gift that brings joy and happiness to each individual in the world. Let Your Friendship Be Filled With Love Today. Sample Two: Trusting In God “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Ps. 20:7 NIV Where have you put your trust? The Biblical definition of trust is “A bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security.” Many of us have put trust in various things and people. This trust gives us a false belief of security. But that’s never the case because worldly trust can’t guarantee us eternal safety. And the Psalmist is so categorical on where we should put our trust: Only in God. Trusting in God instills a feeling of: “I can’t be disappointed in the hour of need. I can’t lose the favor because of my weaknesses and my place is secure.” That’s the real feeling of having trust in God. So, what are chariots and horses in our current society? They are big houses that we own and “persuades” us into believing that they can be our source of peace and security. Also, “Chariots and horses” can be the large and expensive cars that we own…It can be that beautiful and admirable family we have. The duo can represent the academic prowess we have or anything or anyone that makes us feel: “Yes! We are safe in or with them.” And I am not against wealth. I am not against people having wonderful friends and family. In fact, we should have them because they are part of us and they make our world a complete entity. However, I am just against the temptation likely to put our trust in them. And when we do that, we shall find ourselves living happy lives devoid of anything from others because they are not indebted to us anymore. We would just perceive them as precious gifts from the Lord God, upon whom we trust. How many people have lost lives in their own vehicles through accidents...? Of course many! Worldly peace is just temporary if not attached to God. Many had a nation through which they secured their nationality but they are now refugees and stateless. The world is so unpredictable and the only safe place is through trusting in God. Therefore, we are called today to make the right choice of trusting in God because “This is what the Lord says: “…blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” - Jer. 17:7 NLT Sample 3 The Cannabis Impact Cannabis is always deadly. Try it at your own risk! Photo courtesy: Ryan Lange. https://unsplash.com/photos/lVLd6z5oVy8 Popularly referred to as marijuana, many youths have buried their heads in the drug consumption with the intention of physical and mental stimulation. Having worked in hard manual jobs, I have had the opportunity of meeting many young people consuming cannabis with the intention of boosting their physical and psychological strength in order remain active for long hours at work. Photo Courtesy: Nguyen Linh. https://unsplash.com/photos/hUlGJAYAKFo My observations were totally devoid of what the drug’s consumers understood of it. I am therefore delighted to share my findings as a warning to those intending to start using it while also challenging those already in it to just stop it. False Mental Strength We happened to be working in a construction site some time back in the year 2020. The task for the day was the hardest! We had to sweat. Not many of us were sure of finishing the task. We were to ferry buckets full of wet slab weighing about 50 kilograms from ground floor to third floor where the story building’s pillars were being set. As a matter of fact, the job demanded physical and mental strength, or else one would miss the day’s pay. Photo Courtesy: Shubham Verma. https://unsplash.com/photos/Tlyteh1470o Just before starting, several colleagues of mine assembled at one corner of the underground section of the building. One would imagine they had converged for divine strength request through prayers but it was never the case. Within no time, the whole underground floor section was smoky. It was “weed” at play. Now, the actual moment to move the elephant was in our hands. We had to reorganize ourselves so as to have those in the preparation of the slab and those ferrying it to third floor. And, it all started well until after one hour! All those who had smoked bhang appeared so exhausted, not because of running on empty stomachs, No! But because the marijuana they had puffed could only live up to one hour. This clearly depicts the false narrative of the impact of cannabis with regards to muscle flexing jobs. Hallucination This is the condition of seeing or feeling things that in real sense are not happening or taking place. Photo Courtesy: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona. https://unsplash.com/photos/pTUCMqXCOrk I happened to have a neighbor with a son who was in high school. The young high school student had gone home for mid-term break. As usual, it was a joyous moment as parents were reconnecting and catching up with their son after two months without setting eyes on each other. The boy had a smooth a day but that night turned into a “nightmare”. The young man started shouting and screaming and with the night silence at that moment, we could imagine how such an unlikely event was arousing. We rushed to assist our neighbor because in Africa, we believe that “My neighbor is my second family.” “What is the issue, John” (Not his actual name) We all asked “our” victim. “My heart is slowly getting dysfunctional, I can’t feel it pumping blood or beating.” The boy lamented. “I am dying” he continued with a faint tone. We tried all we could to assist him including taking him to hospital. However, he later disclosed to me that he had smoked cannabis at school. Adverse Mental Health Effects Have you ever wondered and probably asked yourself why many towns and urban places have so many lunatic people. Cannabis is so rampant in towns. These mentally handicapped people picking papers, sleeping on the streets, others talking to themselves loudly, were once sober people but cannabis misuse demolished their brain to the extent that they can no longer reason well. Photo Courtesy: Quino AI. https://unsplash.com/photos/a8QuaMV70FE Poor Judgement Leading to Hazardous and Regretful Actions Many people have taken actions whose repercussions led to lifetime regrets. Some killed themselves, others ended up murdering their parents while some engaged themselves in rape and other crimes. Overusing of cannabis turns into a “cult” thus derailing individual proper reasoning. Cannabis addicts pose serious security threats to those they normally live with as one cannot predict when they would be out of their senses. Photo: Dry and rolled packed cannabis Memory Loss Overusing of Marijuana leads to memory loss characterized by forgetfulness according to the American Cancer Society. High Blood Pressure Cannabis being a strong stimulant, it definitely increases the pressure of blood and with extreme blood pressure, blood veins can burst leading to death. The American Cancer Society does not support the legalization of cannabis despite a handful of research denoting that marijuana can be used to ease pain and control vomiting among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. It’s not advisable for one to consume this drug due to the aforementioned impacts as well as addiction that comes with it. It’s worth noting that addiction is slavery.
