MIMH - Musings in My Head: Recent Episodes
Francis Sani
Helping you understand yourself and the world you live. I explore musings that we rarely discuss each week.
mimh.substack.com
Hey, how have you been?
I’ve not written in the past two months. Was in Lagos for a few weeks after Ghana and then moved to Dubai about a month ago. It’s been a rollercoaster period and I’ve been too lazy to write. I expect to resume the usual cadence going forward though.
(Each weekend in Dubai has been incredible so far. I’ve met a new set of people each week and we then go on to have really great weekends exploring the city. One of my favourite weekends so far was with my friend Kenny who’s an artist (check out his song here), has a pure heart and one of the best vibes in the world)
I’m also excited about focusing the next phase of my letters on specifically exploring how we can live enhanced lives as humans while we’re on this earth.
I hope you’ve been okay and blissful. I wish you love in your heart, a smile on your face and gratitude in your mind. Stay Jiggy always.
A child is born in a town on the coast of West Africa. He is born with dark skin in a piece of land that on the ‘global maps’ is marked as the country of Ghana. The parents of the child are in the middle-class and Christians. He grows up with an identity that he is Ghanaian, Christian, Black and a member of the middle class.
Another child is born in a town off the coast of Asia. She is born with brown skin in a piece of land that on the ‘global maps’ is marked as the country of India. The parents of the child are in the middle-class and Hindu. She grows up with an identity that she is Indian, Hindu, Brown and middle class.
Two life forces and souls. Born in a different part of the world. With different identities.
(Omar. One of my closest friends in town. He works in the pool bar at my hotel and is one of the kindest people in the world. Half of the people who come back to the hotel do so because of Omar)
Identities are an essential part of our world. The ability to classify and identify is one of the reasons we’re at the top of the food chain and the most evolved species on the planet. We need them to function as social beings.
We however make a crucial mistake. We assume these identities are absolute. That they are definitive and the ‘only truth’.
A Christian might exact prejudice against someone who doesn’t identify with his religion. Same for a Muslim or many other religions in the world. A white supremacist believes he is superior to people with different skin colours because he was brought up with that identity. Even within the same country, one tribe or caste or ethnic group believe they are superior to the other because of ‘identities’ passed across to them from previous generations.
Even the communities we belong to. Extremist football fans would go to crazy lengths against some that support a different team. People have fights based on the universities that they identify with.
These are all cases of limited identities.
(Selfie after a great night at Barasti. The most beautiful part of the night was when the dude on the right proposed to the lady in yellow. Everyone hyped them and it was so lovely)
A significant amount of the crime we have in the world is as a result of empowered limited identities. People act in negative ways to people that they feel do not belong to their ‘identity’.
Why? Because we have been trained to believe our identities are absolute. That they are the truth and the only truth that exists.
This shouldn’t be so. Very few things in this world are absolute. Gravity. Death. Life. Most of the other things are constructs that we have created or that were created long before we came on the surface of this earth.
It is important to fundamentally understand that our identities are not absolute. It is possible to have our identity and still appreciate the fact that it is not the ‘only truth’ and that it is possible that other ‘truths’ exist. Identities and truths are in many cases subjective.
We often underestimate how much of a role the geography and social class we’re born into influences our identities. Because of this, we often expect that someone else who has a different identity chose that identity and if we share our beliefs with them, it should be a no-brainer for them to accept them. But we don’t put ourselves in their shoes.
(The renaissance man, Sultan from Saudi. Met this good friend of mine at the pool bar and we had a great week. He taught me half of what I now know about the Middle East and Asia. A pure soul and curious human)
A human being is full of possibilities. That is why when we have a certain goal or aspiration and work hard to achieve it, we don’t stop. We come up with something else and strive for that. And so on and so forth. The human life force craves expression. Boundless expression. Our deepest inner self wants to explore all the world and life has to offer.
Limited identities don’t make this possible. They close us out from fully experiencing our life and in many cases, also form the bedrock of a lot of the evil acts that humans inflict in this world.
There’s an alternative. We can come to the understanding that it is possible to hold our beliefs/identities, agree that they are not absolutes and truly respect that people can have different identities but that doesn’t define who they are.
We can adopt a universal identity. Because that is what we truly are. We are global citizens of this planet. Beings of this universe. We exist because other people and things on this planet/universe exist. We exist as an extension of others and others exist as an extension of us.
A universal identity allows us to interact with each other with respect for each other’s identities. Our actions are geared toward the betterment of the people, living things and non-living things in the world. Because we would not exist without them.
Strive to attain a universal identity.
This letter was written while listening to a BharryJhay playlist.
This letter was inspired by this Sadhguru talk with Lewis Howes (from 1:25:00)
In 100 years time, all of us will be top-soil. We are just a small pop-up in time. We think too much of ourselves - Sadhguru.
Love always.
Francis Sani.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Listen now | The conformity paradox.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Listen now | What is it and what can we do?
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
I hope you’re doing okay.
As these letters near the 1-year anniversary, I’m constantly thinking about how to improve them. There a quite a number of things I could write about: Business, Venture capital, Strategy etc. However, I feel there’s a lot of content out there about those topics.
But I often find that I don’t know enough about myself and the world I live in and that feels a lot more exciting to write about. That was the focus when I started these letters and that focus remains.
To explore these two themes and as an added benefit, also help you understand yourself and the world you live in. It’s been an incredible year so far and I promise that I’ll continuously work on improving the value you find in these letters.
Interested in attending a Meet & Greet to celebrate MIMH’s one-year anniversary? Indicate here.
Got ideas on how I can improve the letters? Let me know here.
To get started today, I’ll like you to answer these 5 questions. It’ll only take 30 seconds and you need it to go forward in today’s letter.
Answer the questions
——————————————-
Welcome back
——————————————-
As humans, we like positive statements about ourselves. If I told you two statements:
Statement 1
You are a very bad listener, and you do not take other people seriously when they have an idea.
Statment 2
You care for other people and show empathy when they need you.
You are more likely to describe the second statement as true than the first one.
There is a phenomenon that takes this to the next level. It is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them (more so than to other people), despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone.
Image credit
If you look at statement 2 more closely, you'll likely agree with me that it applies to almost everyone or a large group of people. However, when you first read it, it felt personal to you.
This phenomenon is called the Barnum Effect or Forer effect.
In the survey I asked you to take, I can predict that more than 50% of the people who take the survey will rate the last question (Overall, how accurately do you think these statements describe you?) above 4.
This effect was studied by the psychologist Bertram Forer in 1948. He gave his 39 students a personality test. After they took the tests though, the results he gave them were random answers that he took from an astrology newspaper and they were the same for all the students.
He however told the students that the results were their unique results from the tests they took. He then asked them to rate how accurate they thought the results were on a scale of 1 to 5.
All the students rated the results above 4.2.
This phenomenon is the reason why a lot of people believe, horoscopes, fortune tellers, psychics, (fake pastors) etc. These people make general statements that are true for everyone but seem personal to you.
Let me give you another one.
Let's say you meet a prophet for the first time and he says these words to you:
"You have a great deal of energy when handling problems that you face in your life. However, you are not yet aware of your capacity. I recommend you to give some time to discover this side of yourself and you will see what I mean.”
You can connect with these words and you might even wonder how he/she knows so much about you. In many instances, people will want to hear more and unethical actors might take advantage of such people.
Image credit
There are three attributes of situations that make usage of the Barnum effect stronger:
Personal analysis: If the statement is something that relates to your person or your experience in life, you are likely to believe it.
Positivity: As humans, we like being told good things about ourselves and we reject criticism. Bad actors know this and will use a lot of positive words to lure us in.
Perceived Authority: The effect is stronger if the person saying those words is some sort of authority or present themselves as such. A doctor, some with a certification, a pastor, a respected individual etc.
People seek comfort, encouragement and look for an escape from the real world with the comforting, positive statements made for them in the name of astrology. Source
I found this effect interesting because as 'learned' as I might claim I am, I fell to this effect.
Another example of the effect in play is the use of "Personalization" or "For You" in social media and entertainment apps.
On Spotify/Apple Music/YouTube/Netflix, you have a "For You" segment that looks personalized to you. We feel special that it is customized to us and this drives us to use the product more.
In reality, we are not the only ones getting that recommendation. Thousands or millions of other people who play the same songs or movies as us are getting that exact same recommendation. In our minds though, it's custom made for us.
Image credit
In some cases, the Barnum effect is put to good use. Horoscope sites give daily generic texts that make people feel better and inspired. Apps allow us to enjoy more things that we like and more.
However, bad actors can also use this effect to manipulate us. A fortune teller can rope you in with good things about yourself and make generic predictions. When those generic predictions come to pass, our belief in them deepens. The same thing goes for fake pastors which is endemic in Nigeria.
Some people make important life decisions based on the Barnum statements that these people have mastered. And things might not turn out great for these people.
So how can we potentially avoid them?
The first step is to be aware. Share this effect with your friends and loved ones. When people are aware, they are more likely to analyse such situations better.
Be conscious of vague/generic statements that may apply to anyone. When a horoscope or fortune teller says something, ask yourself if that statement could be true for everyone else.
Pay attention to the content of the statements. If they are mostly positive with very few negative statements, that person is likely onto something. Take a step back and assess before you make important decisions.
People who are experts at using the Barnum effects to their favour have had years of practise and centuries of insights on how to make them work. You can however shake them off by being aware and analyzing their statements.
Like PT. Barnum (the 19th-century showman, who the Greatest Showman movie is modelled after) once said: "A sucker is born every minute".
Don't be one of them.
Do me a favour and share this letter with someone you know will get value from it.
This letter was written while listening to Peru by Fireboy Dml.
Love,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Listen now (11 min) | What's the history of reality TV and why are people so glued?
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
I hope you’re okay and well. Life is short. Life is random. Do things that you truly want to do for yourself. Not only because it’s what you’ve been programmed to do.
Stay curious. Stay Jiggy.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
I recently watched the Netflix Series: SEX LIFE.
A friend recommended it and after watching it, we had a chat about the movie. Not gonna give any spoilers but the central topic is that there was a lady who couldn't get over her attachment to her old lover.
An old lover that we can describe as a soulmate in this case. Regardless of what she did, she always went back to him. I discussed the concept of a soulmate with my friend and that conversation inspired this letter.
Image credit (I’m sure you can guess who the lover is)
To start, I was curious to find out where the idea of a soulmate came from.
According to PsychologyToday, the idea of a soul mate comes from the ancient tale of Aristophanes, a comic playwright, and contemporary of Plato.
Plato wrote about how Zeus was jealous of two-headed hermaphroditic giants with four feet and he cleaved them apart into beings with one head and two feet. Setting them up for an eternity of looking for their other halves.
This is the oldest material that we can attribute to the concept of soulmates but many people believe the concept is as old as mankind itself.
Do you believe in soulmates?
I asked a few friends this question and the results were mixed. Some people believe it, others don't.
What is a soulmate? The concept of a soulmate states that there is one person out there for everybody. With that person, we are a perfect match and we should ideally live happily ever after.
The interesting thing is that for folks like me who have been in multiple long-term relationships (and I think even for some short term ones), when you meet a great person, all the dots connect. Each long-term relationship I have been in can lay claim to giving me the soulmate feeling.
The flaws in the concept of a soulmate
There is no 100% fit: No two people are the same, nor are meant to be. In every relationship that lasts long enough, you eventually start to identify 'bad' sides/attributes of your partner, both ways.
Humans are not static: As much as we like to believe we have a core identity and that we're that person for life, it's not true. Our beliefs, mannerisms, priorities, approach to life and pretty much every other thing change.
Yes, core principles might remain the same but the expression of our lives changes as we go through different phases of life and face different circumstances. For the soulmate concept to work, our destined partner would have to change in the exact same way for us to remain soulmates.
Image credit
Population: There are close to 8 billion people in the world. Let's even scale it down. In your locale, there are probably 1million+ people. What is the probability that of the 8 billion people in the world, your one and only soulmate is in that group of 1 million?
In many instances, people who have lived and died in locales of less than 50,000 people have claimed to have found their soulmates.
Francis' Randomization theory: Let's even assume that your soulmate is in that 1million+ population, billions of random events have to occur during your lifetime for you to find yourself in the same place and time with your soulmate. And you both have to be in a similar age group, social class etc for a conversation/connection to happen.
The church you go to. Your secondary school. Your university. The type of amala you like. Your choice of hairdo. Your confidence.
There are just too many variables to make the math work.
Deep-Down, we all long for a soulmate
Even if you're shaking your head in agreement that you don't believe in soulmates, it still affects us all.
A Marist 2011 survey showed that 73% of Americans believe in soulmates. Another study showed that over 90% of people get advice on love from movies, television and other forms of media. 33% get it from Mothers and a measly 17% from Fathers (Yet, Bachen & Illouz 1996).
The point here is that whether we like it or not, we have been sold the image of a perfect relationship and marriage. The mere fact that the phrase 'happily-ever-after' exists is a testament to this. We have been programmed to think that a relationship with eternal joy and zero issues exist. And we subconsciously aspire to it.
Image credit
It is an important question that lies in the depths of our hearts in each relationship we get into. It then gets heightened when you're at the stage where you have to decide who your life partner is. You wonder if this is the person that will be your happily-ever-after.
Francis' Percentage Theory of Connections
In a scene in SEX LIFE, the lady goes to see her therapist to help her as she tries to decide whether to stick with her stable husband or go back to her sexually adventurous soulmate. He asked her to rate on a 100% scale how much of what she wants in a partner is present in her husband. She says 85%.
Granted, most of the remaining 15% was sex-related in her case, I find that the analogy is a good framework for thinking about how we select the best possible partners.
If you think back on most relationships that you've had, you can likely rate how much of what is important to you each of your partners had. . My first long-term relationship will be somewhere around 55% while the 2nd one was around 75% (I wouldn't tell you what number I'm on now, lol)
For us to go into any relationship, the percentage is likely above 40% ish.
I think that what people describe as 'soulmates' are people that you achieve a high percentage of alignment with. Say 85%-90% and above. You guys click so much that you can't believe such a person exists in the world.
The challenge with the % scale though is that while you might hit a 90% with someone, components of the missing 10% might be things that are vital to you and are deal breakers for you.
Another thing that we should be conscious of is that growth is part of human life. And by definition, when growth happens, change occurs as well. Negative or Positive.
So the components of your 90% as a 20 years old student will likely be different when you're 25 y/o young adult trying to make sense of life. It'll be different at 30, 40, 45, 50 and so on.
While writing this letter, I asked folks on my WhatsApp status if they believe in soulmates and Victoria shared my favourite responses:
We make our soulmates.
Image credit
Perhaps we should approach our quest for the right partner in a different way. With the growth mindset.
The mindset that you'll grow with your partner. This mindset takes into consideration that you're both not perfect. While there might be things you both connect strongly to, there will be some things that are important to either party that is missing in their partner.
With a growth mindset, when you find someone that's high enough on your percentage bar. Someone who treats you right and has some of the attributes that are most important to you, you then grow with each other. You learn about the other person's wishes. You bring down your walls and let them know about the things you wish they had as well.
In my little experience of practising this mindset, your percentage alignment goes up and you build a bond that is strong enough to tolerate those attributes that'll likely never change.
I think this is more sustainable than the destiny mindset that there is one person out there who has all you need and for whom all your attributes are perfect. I don't think that's mathematically possible.
On the Flip Side
I also believe that the growth mindset can help people go through breakups better or make a decision on relationships that they want to break away from. For the latter, there's often the thought that there's no one else out there for you. That if you lose this person, your life is over and no one can ever love you the way they did.
There are close to 8 billion people in the world. There is a very high probability that there are at least 100,000 people out there that you'll have an 80%+ alignment with. You just gotta apply a growth mindset to make the rest of it work.
What do you think? Do you believe in soulmates? If you don't, what do you believe in? How do you make a decision about choosing the right partner?
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
This letter was written while listening to Wishing Well by Juice WRLD.
Ask yourself: Your aspirations and desires, are they going to make you content and happy or are you chasing after them for social signalling?
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
“I prefer to live like a lion in the jungle than to stay like a dog in the city.” - Sound Sultan.
I was sad to hear about the passing of the legendary Sound Sultan this morning. He was one of my favorite artists. I listened to him a lot when growing up and his “Jungle Story” play is one of my favorite theatre plays of all time.
I dedicate today’s letter to his memory. He lived a life of expression and was never scared to use his talent & platform to tell stories he believed. May his life be an inspiration to us all.
A jo o da bi ile (No place like home). Stay Jiggy always.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
My first memory of the death of someone close to me was around age 10/11. Mr FAGADE was husband to the headmistress of my primary school. My mum worked in the school and the family housed us for a few months after the Ife/Modakeke war drove us from our home and made us homeless for a short period.
He had white hair and I have good, though fuzzy, memories of him. I remember looking in his casket and not feeling much. I couldn't understand it and was more interested in the free puff-puff and snacks aplenty on that cloudy evening.
As the years went by, I was mostly shielded from the experience of losing someone really close to me. I lost a number of acquaintances, folks from the church community, a university classmate and more. In my experience though, you don't feel it as much until it comes close to home.
The first close person to me that I lost was Tosin Anifalaje who we lost in a car accident on his way to his NYSC posting in 2016. Tosin was a part of my group of friends from post-university life. For one year after I graduated from school, I lived with my brother and a couple of other friends in a house in Ife.
In our group of 10 friends, Tosin was the most eccentric of all. His humour, energy and cunning were unmatched. I was the last of our group to see him because he went to the park with my ATM card and I had to go meet him to get it back. When I heard about his passing, I cried for hours and miss him to this day.
Image credit
Despite how close Tosin was to me and other good people in my life that I've lost, coming to terms with death never came to me fully. I call it 'coming to terms with death' because as a society, we shelve all talks of death and there's a taboo that comes with discussing it. It almost feels as though we don't want to talk about it so it doesn't happen to us.
Everyone knows death is one of the few constant things in life. It will happen to all of us. I don't think we all live life with a full understanding of this though.
We're on this large planet. With close to 8 billion people. Hundreds of countries. Thousands of cultures. Millions of experiences.
Yet, we usually live very limited lives. And I'm not speaking from a standpoint of travelling and experiencing the world (people should def do this if they have the resources to do so). I'm speaking from the general standpoint of living life, going outside of the 'limitations' that society & our upbringing have placed on us, exploring our interests, being our true selves publicly, living a life of love and more.
It would be interesting to get data about how experiencing the loss of someone close changes people and their approach to life. I know that I for one will be included in that dataset if that research is ever done.
In the second week of October in 2020, my eldest brother decided on a whim that he was going to come to Lagos from Kebbi where he was based. He was around for one week. We played video games, went out and had fun as always. I remember putting his bag in the taxi as he left for the airport, hugging him and saying that we'll see in December for our usual end of the year turn up.
He passed on October 30 and left a hole in my heart. He was my big brother and had my back always especially in all the periods where I make bad decisions.
It was when I lost him that the deep feeling of losing someone finally hit me fully. It helped me put a lot of things into perspective. I became comfortable with the truth that death will happen to all of us.
Image credit
This might be a mental technique to reduce the hurt that'll come as I lose more people in my remaining years on earth. But it's also very useful. When you come to terms with the fact that our time here is limited, you begin to act like it more intentionally.
The loss helped me become more curious about our minute role in this factory called the human race which produces billions of people every century. People have lived before us and many more will come after us.
We can choose the role we want to play and contribute to an aspect of life that we align with. If we align with multiple aspects, we should explore as many of them as possible. We should be good to others regardless of their status and phase of life. Not only because it is a good thing to do but why should we do any different?
A question I ask myself nowadays is: If my life ended today, would I have lived the life I wanted to live?
Increasingly, the answer to this is nearing a yes. It is increasingly becoming my North Star and my daily muse: Am I living the life I want to live? Not from a materialistic standpoint but from an experience and fulfilment standpoint.
Image credit
I'm curious to know what the experience has been like for other people who have lost someone close. I know that losing someone often has different effects on people depending on the circumstances.
Some people lose parents and key people in their lives early on and this shapes their life. Some people lose their life partners earlier than they would have liked. Sometimes, the circumstances through which we lose people can hurt deeply, inflict trauma on us and change the course of lives.
It's so diverse and if you're open to sharing, I'll be happy to read your story. It's been less than a year since I lost Showki and its effect is still unravelling in my life.
What effect has losing someone close to you had on your life? Share with me in the comments section or as a response to this letter wherever you find it.
My prayers and thoughts are with the family of Sound Sultan and everybody out there living through the experience of losing someone close. Love and light to you all.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
This letter was written while listening to a playlist of SoundSultan.
Love always.
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey guys,
How are you? I hope you’re doing okay. Sending all of the love and light from my heart to you.
We often tend to not express our true selves when in social gatherings because we’re conscious of the impression we’ll give people. But when we find ourselves in gatherings where everyone is expressing themselves, we are able to open up better.
I’m prioritizing expressing myself regardless of the vibe other people in my environment are giving off. As long as we’re not hurting someone or being inappropriate, we should express our true selves more. That’s living to me.
Stay expressive. Stay Jiggy.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
As of 10:05 am on Sunday, July 4th, there were 7.876 billion people in the world. This is a massive number.
All these people. Spread across the world. Many never leaving their countries or only ever getting to visit some parts of the world. When you think about it, what each of these people understands as 'life' in different parts of the world will be so far apart.
Image credit
A kid that grows up in Australia and lives there all her life experiences something entirely different from a kid that grows up in Kazakhstan. They each go through an average of 60 - 80 years of their life that is so different from each other.
Diversity is the very crux of humans.
I grew up with 4 siblings. We lived together in the same environments for 14 - 16+ years. Yet, our personalities, beliefs and aspirations are very different. If a small and closely-knit family can have such diversity, how much more people from different regions who grew up with their own unique experiences.
Each human experiences a unique life. No two are ever the same. Finding two humans that are the same is probably one of the few things in the world that is truly IMPOSSIBLE.
Image credit
Despite all of this, I have observed that it is often hard to understand why something we feel so strongly about is not as relevant to someone else.
For instance, Diosa is big on gifts. She treasures them when she receives them and is very intentional about the gifts she gets for people. On the other hand, I'm not so bothered. I appreciate gifts if I receive them but I don't expect them. When I give gifts, I don't care much about what the person does with them.
This difference in approach to gifts could be linked to our background, experience when growing up or something else.
This holds true for many other things in life. Our religious beliefs, our approach to risk, our aspirations and many more. What is truth for someone might not make sense to another.
Image credit
It is however very easy to feel strongly about our truth and invalidate the other person's beliefs/opinions. Because we do not understand it, we conclude that it doesn't make sense or that the person is less smart than us since they don't understand our opinion and many more.
However, understanding that because something is truth to you doesn't make a different opinion a lie or wrong is important.
It's important for coexisting. For building relationships. For staying open-minded to new beliefs, information and approaches to life. For empathizing with people.
How are we going to learn new things or gain new experiences if we're only looking for people that'll only reinforce our existing opinions and beliefs?
Even if we do not agree with someone else's opinion/belief, it doesn't mean it's wrong. The same way you feel so strongly about your belief is the same way they feel about theirs.
I've also learnt that understanding other people's beliefs and getting a better sense of why they believe what they believe is also a better path to introducing them to your belief. They can then decide based on facts available to them if it's something they want to explore.
If they decide not to explore it, they are not lesser human beings. You might not be better off than them. They just have a different truth. That truth might change later and it might not. But it doesn't make it a lie.
Image credit
That said. Something I like to say about truths that you guys have probably heard before is that our truth is usually based on our environment and experiences. It might actually not be the best truth or the truth your soul longs for and aligns with.
Many of our truths were instilled in us by our parents and influential figures in our lives. In many instances, it was their own truth. Someone else's truth doesn't have to be yours. Be open to evaluating your truth and making an informed decision based on your current stage in life.
There are 7.86 billion people with different truths. Diversity and difference is the norm, not the outlier.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about the invalidation of people’s truths? In what ways can we be more conscious of this in our daily lives.
This letter was written while listening to Icebox by Omarion.
Diversity is the very crux of humans.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
I hope you’re doing okay. We’re close to the middle of the year. If you’re like me, you probably feel like the year has gone by too fast. You wonder if you’ve achieved all you wanted to.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on all the little wins we’ve had this year. There are so many of them. Let’s appreciate them and not focus on the things we’re yet to achieve.
All that is meant to happen will happen in due time.
Stay Jiggy.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
"When a “fact” tastes good and is repeated enough, we tend to believe it, no matter how false it may be. Understanding the illusory truth effect can keep us from being bamboozled." — Shane Parrish.
I recently came across the concept of the Illusory Truth Effect.
It is essentially the phenomenon where repeating a statement increases the belief that it is true when the statement is actually false.
Most of us will naturally think that we know better. That we are able to sift between the information that we get exposed to and easily identify what is true and what is not.
On average, false stories reach 1,500 people six times faster than true stories do — Science journal
We have to make about 35,000 decisions each day. That's a lot of decisions and our brain optimizes to reduce the amount of cognitive load on our brains as much as possible.
Image credit
Like I discussed last week with the deep dive on how we're subconscious 95% of the time, this results in a situation where we do things without being fully aware of them.
This makes it easy for us to fail in situations where we are faced with the illusory truth effect.
If I set up a Twitter account, acquire 100 active followers and tweet this statement every day for 1 month: Earthquakes happen in Australia every week.
At the end of that month, there's a high likelihood that more than 50% of my active followers will respond yes if they're asked if earthquakes happen in Australia every week.
“The sad truth is the truth is sad.” - Lemony Snicket
If I included a false fact in this letter every week for 1 month, you're likely to think it's true.
Image credit
The weird thing is that this happens even for statements that we know are wrong before we were exposed to these repeated false statements. If we are exposed for long enough to the lies, we would believe them over the truths we know.
I find this concept important to be aware of. One thing it does for me is that it reminds me that we should not always be insistent on certain statements and beliefs but remember that there's always room for error. Especially when the source of those statements is subjective.
We've all found ourselves in situations where we were very insistent on something in an argument only to be humbled when the facts were revealed
Image credit
It also highlights the importance of staying open-minded and searching for information by ourselves. There's a possibility that some of the beliefs and learnings that we learnt during our childhood/adolescence were illusory truths.
Don't be ready to bet your prized possessions or your life on a fact that you're not sure of. No matter how long you've believed it to be true. You might be shocked that it's an illusion.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musings in Your Head
What are some instances where you’ve fallen to the Illusory truth effect? What do you think we can do to protect ourselves against it?
Share with me in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to Video Games by Lana Del Rey (It’s been on repeat all week)
Recommended Reads
The Illusory Truth Effect: Why We Believe Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda
Why do we believe misinformation more easily when it’s repeated many times?
“If a lie is only printed often enough, it becomes a quasi-truth, and if such a truth is repeated often enough, it becomes an article of belief, a dogma, and men will die for it.” — Isa Blagden
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
I hope you’re doing okay. I heard a great saying in church today:
A grain has to die in the soil for it to grow. When it’s in the soil, it looks as though no progress is happening. There’s progress, it’s just not manifesting yet.
Focus on the process. Your grain will continue to flourish.
Stay Jiggy.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
Picture yourself standing at the foot of a staircase. You're about to go upstairs. Ten seconds later, you've climbed the stairs and are on the next floor.
For each step that you took as you climbed the stairs, did you think about how to move your leg? Did you think about the specific height you needed to raise your foot to climb each stair properly? Likely not.
Let's say you get on a boat for the first time. You've never been on a boat before but you wouldn't want everyone to know that. You dig into your memory bank to picture how to act on a boat. If you've seen how people behave on boats in movies or somewhere else in the past, you'll likely be fine. You'll know what to do, to an extent.
Let's do another one. Let's take sport or learning a new skill. I'll use Table Tennis as an example. When you first start playing tennis, you'll have to learn how to hold the bat. You'll learn how to hit the ball to ensure it gets into your opponent's side of the table and not yours. Over time, you'll learn how to make curves with the ball and more advanced moves.
If you play the game every week for three months. At the end of that three month period, when you play tennis, you'll move the bat the right way without thinking about it. You'll hit the ball with the right power and curve almost with intuition and without 'thinking' about it.
Image credit
These are all examples of our subconscious mind at work.
I've always been intrigued by the concept of the subconscious. Growing up, I read a lot of 'motivational' books (and I still consume lots of inspiration material) and positive thinking is pretty big in that world. They talk a lot about the power of the subconscious mind and how you can leverage its power for growth, happiness and success.
However, there's rarely talk about what exactly the subconscious is. Why it exists. How it works. Why our knowledge of it is important for us.
I aim to explore these in this letter.
What is the subconscious mind?
The subconscious is the part of our mind that stores and retrieves data. When we are conscious, we are 'aware'. We can understand and process things that are going on in our environment. The subconscious is our 'unaware' state.
It is always on. It is always working.
Our subconscious stores everything. We get exposed to so much information each day and we forget up to 99% of what happens on a daily basis. But that information isn't lost. It goes to our databank that is the subconscious. It's like a computer program that our conscious state can call on when needed.
It is common for us to think that we are in constant control of our thoughts and our actions but we are not. It has been scientifically proven that 90-95% of our behaviour is directed by our subconscious while our conscious takes care only of 5-10%.
Most of what we do goes on unconsciously. It is the exception, not the rule when thinking is conscious, but by its very nature [i.e., because we cannot experience anything else], conscious thought seems the only sort. It is not the only sort; it is the minority. - Roy Lachman, Janet Lachman, and Earl Butterfield.
Our subconscious is like an operating system. A computer hard drive with information stored from before we were born. It captures information and helps guide our behaviour, beliefs and actions based on our learned experiences.
We learned how to walk a long time ago, so we don't need to dedicate conscious processing power to it.
Our Conscious Provides Guidance
If the subconscious is so rich in data. How much of this data do we leverage?
In some situations where we're trying so hard to solve a challenge or find answers to something that's going on in our life, we're likely putting too much processing on the conscious mind. If we relaxed, we would likely be able to tap into our deep subconscious which has massive data points that we can draw from.
In some other situations, our subconscious can be restrictive. Since it informs a huge amount of our behaviour, we might be executing programs that are not the best ones. Take the concept of gender equality as an example. For folks like me who grew up in an African home & culture, the male gender is positioned to be superior to the female gender.
Over my lifetime, this is the information that my subconscious has been exposed to. So naturally, if I find myself in a situation where I need to make a decision/take an action related to this, that is the program that my brain runs.
I have gotten to a point where I've found new information about this programming. It differs from what I was taught and the argument that this is a better program to imbibe makes sense to me. So gradually, I start telling myself that I need to upgrade this programming and replace the old one.
I've always pondered the question: Who am I?
Beyond the attributes that we label ourselves with. What is that inner compass that guides and forms what we think of ourselves? I've done some research and I'm still yet to have a comprehensive answer to that question.
Understanding the subconscious provides some understanding though. It provides the understanding that we are all a set of programs. We have different programs that have been coded for different parts of our lives. "This is the way I am" sometimes is a culmination of how we have programmed ourselves to see the world or react in certain instances.
Can it be changed entirely? I don't think so. Can some elements change though? I absolutely think so.
I also think that this is a good way to help people understand why they should keep an open mind to life. The belief you are so insistent on. The way of life that you think is the only way. The skills that you've told yourself you're not great at. It is not the total truth.
For many of them, they are meant to be updated. They are programs that were written sometimes without your approval. They were written before you could make the decision about what you want. And when you got to the point where you could make that decision, your opinion was probably guided by those old beliefs and your environment.
But it doesn't mean that's the only programming that exists. When you expose yourself to new information/ways of doing things, you might unlock some capacity you were previously unaware of. At least give yourself a chance to make that decision by yourself. If you go down that path and still decide it's not worthy, you can then reinforce your subconscious programming.
One of the best examples of the role of the subconscious in my life is in my typing ability.
About 6 years ago, I decided that I wanted to learn how to type without looking at the keyboard. I looked for software to learn it and I would spend my bedtime hours almost every day practising this skill.
At the beginning, my speed of typing dropped from 40 wpm (words per minute) to about 20wpm. I also had to be conscious each time I was typing in those early days to ensure that I was placing my fingers on the right key on the keyboard.
Nowadays, my typing speed is about 70-80 wpm and I dedicate almost ZERO processing power to thinking about the keys when I'm typing. Somehow, my fingers know where the right keys are and it does it automatically. All I have to do is think about what I actually want to type. I can type at the speed of my thought because I've freed up conscious processing power that I used to share with typing on the keyboard.
I wonder how many more areas of my life I'm dedicating conscious energy to that I can leverage the subconscious a lot more.
How we can train our subconscious
Based on my research, there are two ways we can train our subconscious to create new behaviours, modify old beliefs, learn new skills and more.
Repetition: You likely know about the popular 10,000-hour rule. It states that when you go past the 10,000-hour mark in a skill/area of focus, you attain mastery. This makes sense seeing that the subconscious has been provided with so much data. With little effort, the conscious mind can work miracles on such data.
Many simple changes we need to make though don't require that many hours. We just have to repeat them long enough. So if you want to take up a new habit, repeat it for as long as possible. The same goes for new skills, modifying some beliefs, changing our attitudes and more. We can rewrite our truth.
Hypnosis: To be fair, I don't understand this fully yet and my conscious mind wasn't able to process it, lol. That said, think of it like deep meditation.
In a hypnotic state, you are able to access your deepest thoughts which is usually only possible when you're asleep (i.e, unconscious). In this state, you are aware and able to access that data.
Many people say that hypnosis can help us to resolve trauma. Especially trauma from our childhood. It’s something I'll dig into more later. From my little experience of meditating once in a while though, the clarity that comes from accessing your deepest thoughts is enriching. I am calmer, more assured, less worried and generally more fulfilled when I meditate. We all should do more meditation.
Image credit
Our conscious mind is like an API. It is an interface through which we can get access to unlimited data. Every single thing we experience is stored. This means that we're likely not leveraging all of the information we have access to because we don't even know that we have access to it.
Try to get closer to your subconscious. Explore it. Try to dig into your data bank to understand some of the beliefs you have and why you have them. Explore it to resolve some issues you're facing but you usually wouldn't have time to settle down to tackle. Explore it to understand what happiness is to you. Explore it to understand you better.
It probably has more relevant data than any pastor, friend, acquaintance, or the internet can give you.
Stay subconscious.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about the subconscious and how much of it do you think you leverage?
Let me know in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to a Jon Bellion mix.
The deeper mind is something that has the ability to know more than we do. Because it has more data. When we work from the heart, we are tapping into our deeper mind.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
How are you doing?
Crazy times in Nigeria with the govt’s crackdown on Twitter. I’ve tried to mentally distance myself from going down the content hole of all that’s going on. October 20, 2020, is still fresh in my memory and I can’t help but think that a similar day might be close at hand.
My hope is that something positive happens. I don’t know how practical that is but sometimes, it’s the best we can do alongside contributing our little actions/voice wherever possible.
As always though, please stay safe and never lose belief and hope.
Stay Jiggy!
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
In 2018, I met two interesting young men. I was managing the FbStart Accelerator, Africa's first deep tech accelerator in partnership with Facebook, that year. The accelerator was focused on supporting innovators building with advanced technologies.
On a fateful day as I was reviewing applications with the team, we came across the application of two young men who had built an open-source solution. The solution had been downloaded over a million times by developers across the world.
What stood out for us though was that these young guys didn't look well dressed in their video and there was no mention of university education in their application.
Intrigued, we did some research and found very little information about them online. So we invited them for an interview as part of the review process. On the day of the interview, they strode into the 6-storey CcHUB building in identical green shirts and trousers, catching the gaze of everyone.
Image credit
They were brothers who didn't get the opportunity to attend a university due to economic issues. But they had self-taught themselves programming and built technical skills that was up there with the very best AI engineers on the continent.
The issue though was that they were living in Ogun State and had little resources or access available to help them hone their abilities. They blew us away with their technical capacity and were accepted into the accelerator. They received a $20,000 equity-free grant from Facebook and all of the support that the program offered.
The brothers decided not to build a for-profit company after the accelerator but the advanced version of the product they built is now being used actively by hundreds of thousands of developers across the world. Today, they are AI engineers at Microsoft and are very likely earning multiples of the income of the richest person in their town in Ogun State.
Image credit
How often do we have stories like this? Where people can move through different economic classes based on their effort, skills and hard work. A system that's based on meritocracy. Would you describe Nigeria as one?
Upward mobility is the experience of moving up into more privileged economic positions in society. It describes how people are able to change their economic status and is a good gauge of meritocracy and equality of opportunity in a society.
This musing was suggested by a reader, Sam, a couple of weeks ago. And I connected with it when he shared it.
It is popular to say in Nigeria that you need connections to make things happen. Do we understand the impact of this on the long term progress of our nation?
Two attributes that are good for measuring upward mobility in society are class origins and class destinations.
A class origin refers to the occupation/income of someone's father/parents. While class destination is the economic status that individuals achieve at a significant point in their life.
In economies where there is a strong correlation between class origins and class destinations, there is a lower likelihood of upward mobility. In such instances, your economic destination is highly influenced by your class origin. In instances where the correlation is much lower, there is a higher likelihood of upward mobility.
Think about yourself, your circle and well-off people that you know. How closely tied is their family background to their current economic status. In many regions of Nigeria, the ties are very close.
Image credit
A recent World Bank study explained that in Nigeria, sons could expect to make 60-70% less than their friends if their father earns half of their friend's father's income.
One of the few research papers I could find on social mobility was conducted by Zuhumnan Dapel in 2018. He researched poverty mobility in Nigeria between 1980 and 2010. An interesting approach he took to the research that we don't think of most times, was to evaluate the transient nature of poverty.
We typically look at statistics like poverty rates, unemployment rates etc as static numbers. They say Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world with over about 40% of the population living in poverty as of 2019, according to NBS.
Zuhumman however took the approach of trying to figure out how people move between states of poverty. Some people can escape poverty and never return to it. Others escape it but unfortunately return to it. Others who were not poor before can become poor. Sometimes they make it out, other times they don't.
This approach helps us to see what the social mobility of Nigerians across different economic classes is.
According to his research, the percentage of people who moved in and out of poverty between 1996 - 2010 was about 60.41% of the population. This figure is very high when compared against only 24.53% between 1980 - 1992. An important stat that's relevant for us that is the number of people who have never experienced poverty reduced from 35% between 1980 - 1992 to just 10% between 1996 - 2010. A larger number of Nigerians are experiencing poverty during their lifetime.
Image credit
It is unlikely that these numbers have changed much in the past decade. What it means though is that a higher percentage of Nigerians are experiencing downward mobility as opposed to upward mobility.
Two brothers living in North-Eastern Nigeria who have the exact capabilities and attributes as the brothers I described at the beginning of this letter will likely never be able to get a job a Microsoft. They'll likely never go beyond their current economic class in their generation. They'll likely be downwardly mobile.
(An important caveat is that 81% of people living in poverty are in the Northern region of Nigeria while the oil-producing South-South has the lowest poverty rates)
I once read somewhere (I think in The Prosperity Paradox) that intelligent people exit from societies that are not merit-based. An intelligent person knows that his efforts would not be optimized in such an environment and would likely flee that society in search of a society that presents some form of equal opportunity.
You ever wonder why we hear so many great stories of immigrants who go to America and get to the very top echelon of society. Elon Musk. Sundar Pichai. And many more. Let's even bring it home. Nigerians are among the highest-earning income class of immigrants in the United States of America!
I have hope that our social mobility problem can and will change.
Institutions and individuals have a key role to play. I often find that my friends in positions of power like to 'help their people'. While this isn't a bad thing, I don't think it should never be the case where some sort of connection takes priority over meritocracy. I strongly believe in meritocracy and I try to act as such when I'm in decision making positions.
Image credit
The government and institutions that serve society are made up of individuals. If you only share opportunities with your church members and people within your circle as a civilian today, it's likely you'll continue to do so when you get into institutions.
And if you do so, you might be closing the door on the next Chinua Achebe, the next Chimamanda Adiche, the next JJ Okocha, the next Shola Akinlade.
I also have hope in how technology can help us increase our upward mobility as a society faster. Technology is one of the few sectors in the country where anybody can become anything as long as they apply themselves. Folks like Codebeast (Christian Nwamba) who left the east for Lagos in 2016 and less than 5 years later is a leading dev. advocate at Microsoft.
I know many people with disadvantaged backgrounds who went from living from hand to mouth to living in Lekki or Germany, within a very short period of time.
Upward mobility allows people to achieve their potential regardless of their family backgrounds. We all have a role to play in increasing this mobility for all Nigerians. It starts with our little actions.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What are your thoughts on upward mobility and how we can improve it in Nigeria or other parts of the world?
Let me know in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to Nipsey Hussle.
Equality of opportunity does not guarantee an equal or “just” society. It merely guarantees “an equal chance to leave the less fortunate behind in the personal quest for influence and social position” (Rawls 1999, p. 91).
Love & curiosity always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
I hope you’re doing okay and you’ve had a good weekend.
I find music to be an energizer. A companion that provides support to me in different moods. The right music in the right mood gives a beautiful feeling of serenity.
Find the right music for your different moods and I can bet you’ll be able to manage different moods better.
As always, please stay safe and never let your mind stop being curious.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
I think of myself as a very logical person.
For instance, table tennis is a game that I love to play. If I find myself playing a tennis match against an opponent who is better than me, I would likely play out all the possible scenarios in my mind. I would analyse the probability of me edging him out and prepare my mind for the possibility of defeat.
I'll push myself as much as possible but there's always the feeling that my 'realistic thought' already allowed me to 'limit' myself. I already prepared for the possibility of losing and likely wouldn't push myself beyond what I thought was possible.
Image credit
However, there are some people I know who while they can be logical, they also have the unique confidence that anything is possible. They push themselves to the very limit and don't bother about the potential outcome. I don't know if they prepare themselves mentally for defeat and how it affects them if it comes.
I've however always wondered what the balance is. What's the disadvantage of thinking too logically and 'being realistic'?. I think being analytical allows you to manage situations better and you're prepared for any potential outcome.
But does it limit you?
I'm an avid Chelsea fan. My earliest memories of club football are from 2003. I actually liked Arsenal that year while Nwankwo Kanu was at the club. The next year though, something attracted me to Chelsea and my heart has been 'blue' ever since.
This season, we fired our legend & manager, Frank Lampard, and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel, who was fired from his previous role at PSG. While I wasn't ecstatic about his appointment when the announcement was made, I noticed that there was something about him after his first press conference.
Tuchel is a mentality beast. After his first game in charge, he mentioned that his vision was "to build Chelsea into a team that nobody wants to play against". What struck me was the total confidence in his abilities side by side with his humility in action.
There are some people who would make similar statements and be arrogant in action and attitude towards others. Tuchel is one of the few people who I've observed to have a good balance.
Image credit
It is quite common for people to say that anything is possible. It is less common to find people who approach life in this way though. Not caring about the 'limits' and taking the action required to bring their mentality to life.
A good number of these people who have this nothing is impossible mindset are often arrogant. And the arrogance increases as their success increases.
I've always been intrigued when I find people who have this mindset but can still find a way to be humble.
As someone who's very logical, today I thought back to some moments in my life when I decided to go all-in, regardless of the outcome. One of such moments came when I was in SS2 (penultimate year in Nigerian secondary schools). I decided to try to see what would happen if I committed to reading and achieving distinctions in all my subjects.
I was the best version of my student self that year. I aced most of my subjects, achieving near-perfect scores I never thought possible and winning 'first position' for this first time in my secondary school life.
When I think about it though, I probably wouldn't have been confident to speak about my ambition publicly while it was in progress. In fact, I'm not sure I was fully confident in my ability to get it done. Because realistically, I had never done it and I would have wanted to prepare mentally for a situation where I didn't achieve it.
While I am very proud of the progress I have made and continue to make in my life's journey, this self-doubt still exists. Another instance is these letters. Before I took the leap to start MIMH last year August, I always thought that I was not ready to share my thoughts with the world for many years prior. That I needed to get to a certain stage to do so.
These past few months have shown differently. My thoughts are valuable to some people and there is no limit on what's possible.
So perhaps thinking realistically is a way to avoid the fear of reaching for the impossible and not achieving it. And not speaking confidently can be from the fear of avoiding being seen as a disappointment or not living up to your words.
Image credit
I've begun to learn that speaking confidently allows you to push beyond what you 'recognize' as your ability. Allows you to explore a capacity that you did not believe/know existed previously. We often limit ourselves with our hands and not through external forces. Like my friend Ife likes to say, the capacity of the human mind and body is greatly underestimated.
We need to push to the existing limits to only realize that they are no limits at all.
Thomas Tuchel has taught me that it is possible to push to these limits and still remain humble. In January, Frank Lampard had said that the team was not ready to win or challenge for titles. That they needed time.
Less than 1 month later, Tuchel said that he had come to win titles and there was no reason why that wasn't possible. Lampard was probably being realistic and we obviously can't compare their capabilities as coaches. It is possible however that there are coaches as 'capable' as Tuchel who aren't as confident in those abilities.
I will take that lesson and apply it to my logical mindset. I'll bring back that boy from SS2 who pushed himself to limits beyond what he thought possible. And I don't think I'll lose my humility along the way. Tuchel has shown that it's possible to keep both.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about balancing logical reasoning with aiming for the impossible? Do you think realistic reason can go side by side with reaching for the impossible?
Let me know in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to “A Sky full of Stars” mix by Coldplay.
“We would build a team that no one wants to play against” - Thomas Tuchel.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
How are things with you? I read this post by a good friend of mine, Akin Agbeja, this week.
He talks about how social media is ‘curated’ content. A few pictures selected from tens that were taken. A few words posted after multiple edits. Actions that are ‘reviewed’ before they are published.
That is what many of us benchmark our lives against. And it just doesn’t make sense. We should know that what we see online is not the full picture. It’s similar to looking at a reflection of yourself in a broken mirror. You’ll make the wrong decisions if you decide based only on what you see.
Take things you see online with a bucket of salt.
Stay content. Stay happy. Stay curious. Stay you always.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
When you hear this word, what comes to mind?
Aboki
Suya.
Hausa.
Low-income workers.
Women
Helper
Good cook.
Homely
Entertainer
Womanizer
Smoking
Bling Bling (Jewelry)
Catholics
Worship Mary
Sing hymns
Don't speak in tongues
People with Disabilities
Need your help
Have low self-esteem
Incapable
For all of the five groups above, it's very likely that you can relate to at least two of the three 'attributes' I assigned to each group.
As humans, we interact with a lot of information and stimuli in our environment. It is inefficient for our brain to process information anew each time. So we develop pattern matching and rely on past data/experiences to help us make split-second decisions.
Image credit
If you're Nigerian and you see someone in tattered clothes walking towards you on the street, your brain is likely to match that pattern to a mad man. You'll be conscious as you approach the person and it's possible you'll even cross to the other side of the road to avoid any issues.
Your brain also does this for simple decisions like choosing who is trustworthy, identifying when someone is lying and more. It helps us to make decisions faster.
When we do this to classify groups of people though, we are creating stereotypes. If we have identified an attribute in someone who belongs to a particular group previously, it is likely that we'll assume that anyone else who declares that they belong to that group possesses the same attribute.
For instance, you've probably been told that the French are romantic. So it is likely that when you encounter someone from France, you would presume that they are romantic. We see entertainers in media and they all look so positive and have good vibes. So you'll assume that sitting in a room with one will create the same experience.
Well, these are some good examples of stereotypes. They are not harmful and even though we might be wrong, when we act on these stereotypes, we might not cause a lot of harm. A simple laugh might clear the air.
Some other stereotypes can be harmful.
In western Nigeria, it is believed that people from Ijebu are stingy. So it is likely that if you go into a business transaction with someone from that tribe, you would prepare to negotiate with someone who is stingy.
People from Arab-speaking countries, especially those with a full beard are frequently associated with being dangerous. Presumably, a good number of terrorists we see in movies and news have this appearance. So there is a chance that you'll classify an Arab that you meet at the restaurant as a potential terrorist.
Image credit
To many western Nigerians, a large number of the Hausas they know are 'Abokis'. Low-income earners who are 'illiterate' and do odd jobs. It is very likely that when the average westerner meets a Hausa, they'll interact with this mindset.
Stereotypes are normal. We can not eradicate them. As social beings, humans would always belong to different and diverse groups. And people in each group would evaluate others based on the groups they belong to and vice versa.
It is important to note that not all stereotypes are true. Some are 'opinions' that were popularized at a point in time and have stayed mainstream. Some are based on cultural myths. Some are based on ethnic differences and historical feuds. While some are true.
We should remember that belonging to a group does not define an individual. Because someone is part of a group either by their choice or not, does not equate to them sharing all attributes and characteristics of that group.
While our efficient brain might match the pattern at first sight, we have to make a conscious effort to give each individual a chance to express themselves. Occasionally, they might validate our stereotype but even when they do, it should not be the basis for total judgement.
Image credit
Prejudice is when we have a belief about a person or group based on a stereotype. The belief is ingrained and in conversations about that group or interactions with that group, our opinions are based on that belief. Many times, we have prejudice about a group without actually having any real-life interaction with that group or with more than a small segment of that group.
Discrimination is when we proceed to act on these prejudiced beliefs.
If you have a belief about Muslims and act on it, that's discrimination. If you have a belief about people with disabilities and don't allow the individual an opportunity to show their uniqueness, that's discrimination. If you have a prejudiced belief about an ethnic group or a race, that's discrimination.
Some acts of discrimination are popular and of greater societal significance. Discriminations like racism, gender-based discrimination, homophobia and more.
However, we should be conscious of the prejudice and discrimination that we do on a smaller scale.
Not employing people from a certain geographic region/ethnic group. Restricting people of certain groups from accessing establishments and organisations. Refusing to give people a shot at something because of our belief about their group. Acting in a condescending manner to people who fit a certain description/group.
We're all likely guilty of this. I know I am sometimes.
I am consciously working on it and pursuing an approach of giving everyone a chance before passing judgement or making decisions.
There are certain stereotypes that negatively affect our ability to grow as a society and nation. If some stereotypes were created by people, that means that it is possible for us to correct some of them, eradicate others and perhaps create more positive ones in their stead. You have a role to play in that. I do too.
We can do better. We should do better.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about stereotypes? Do you think it’s possible to eradicate them?
In what ways can we reduce the impact that negative stereotypes have on our society? Let me know in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to a Ruger YouTube Mix.
Action breeds confidence.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
How are you doing? I hope you’re taking some time out to relax this weekend. Have a great new week ahead.
Stay Jiggy always.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number hereGot a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
I was feeling a little sick last week Sunday while writing the letter about the different ages of the world. I stopped self-medicating about 2 years ago (you should too esp. if you have an HMO), so I usually go to the hospital when I feel sick nowadays. My guys yab me that I'm not giving my body the opportunity to fight the intruders on its own.
Image credit
Well, in this case, I gave my body three days to fight for the cause. By Wednesday, it hadn't won the fight so I proceeded to the hospital.
Diosa advised that I change hospitals since I used to complain of the same symptoms every 2 or 3 months at my previous hospital. So I asked my good friends on WhatsApp for hospital recommendations and they flowed in like a river.
At the hospital I decided upon, I did some tests and even got time to go get a quick haircut while waiting for the results. Results came finally and what stood out was the diagnosis by the Doctor.
While I had 'scanty' malaria (something I seem to have frequently), she mentioned that my occasional feeling of tiredness and weakness could be due to monotony. She asked about my lifestyle and when I told her most of my days revolve around being in front of a screen, she advised that breaking that routine might be helpful.
So a potential solution for my constant feeling of tiredness is to go out more.
Image credit
This made me interested in learning what a fully remote life has been like for other people in my shoes who made the transition recently.
When I was not remote, it wasn't like I was a social animal anyways. I typically got to work in the morning and left late at night around 9pm/10pm. Most of that time was spent in front of screens but I always got to interact with people since I work with founders.
There were events, meetings out of the office sometimes, 1-hour/2-hour tennis games after working hours with Yele and the gang etc... There was more activity. The mere process of going to work every day in Lagos is an intense activity.
So what replaces this 'activity' in our remote lives?
I want to share what it's been like for me in the letter today. Then I'll love to hear from you if you work from home or have done it recently. I'll publish them next week in the letter alongside other interesting perspectives I learn about during the week.
You can share your story by clicking reply to this email, using the comments section or filling this form.
One year and two months remote. What it's been like?
This is what my typical day looks like:
I'll wake up in the morning, go for a jog, have my bath and get to work. I've not jogged actively in about a month, so the jogging part has been out for a while. If I don’t jog, I should do my pushups before my bath but that has reduced recently too.
I'll spend the first couple of minutes going over my schedule for the day and things I want to get done. Once I finalize my To-do list, I can either jump right in or go down the newsletter/ Twitter rabbit hole before getting to work. I have breakfast at my work table around 10am/11am and occasionally have lunch on some days. We have a chef, so I don't have to spend time cooking/cleaning.
Most of the day is spent on my chair in my mini-office in my room. There are two other spots in the house I can go to if I want a change in environment. On most days, I'll take a break from work around 5pm/6pm to go relax. But since I started working with the US timezone, 9am - 5pm strict work hours doesn't work for me anymore.
I'll check WhatsApp, Twitter and newsletters occasionally throughout the day. In the evenings when I don't have work, I spend the time chatting with Diosa, playing FIFA 212 with Lively, reading/listening to books or podcasts, on an evening walk, gisting with my mom and very occasionally watching movies.
From a bird's eye view, this is what these days over the past year have felt like:
Being in a simulation: With most of these activities happening in a single place, life can very easily feel like a simulation. It's hard to differentiate between days of the weeks because visually, the environment was the same all through.
I like routines and from experience, a set of daily routines are the best way to get freedom in life. That's one thing I'm optimizing for: Defining my lifestyle and living it day to day as much as possible.
But when all elements of the routine take place in the same environment every day, you can start feeling like you're in the Matrix.
Image credit
Gaining weight: At a recent work event, I told folks that I gained 20kg in 6months and most people were shocked. As of March 2020, I used to weigh somewhere between 62kg - 64kg. I had an injury to my Achilles in July that did not allow me to walk well for about a month and I couldn't jog until 8 months after the injury.
During this period, I was well fed and I think these circumstances made it easy for me to gain weight. When I went to the hospital on Wednesday, I weighed 85kg. Lol, the growth is insane.
I'm not worried about it though. I actually wanted to gain body weight, so I can gym it into muscles. The weight has come but my fitness drive of old is yet to be fully restored. Working from home doesn't help matters much.
Energy levels: Pre WFH, going out every day naturally made it easy to keep energy levels high. I'm a naturally high energy person and I know it's one of my strengths. It's harder to maintain high energy levels when working from home. One of the biggest blessings I've had in the past year was that I decided to move from the mainland to the island. My brother and I stay together and we constantly have friends around.
This made the lockdown period fun as you can imagine what living in a house with two comedians looks like. Till today, having this community and family around has made it easier to cope. It's one of the reasons why I'm interested in learning how people who don't have this kind of community around everyday are faring.
Image credit
Reduced acquaintances: When working from home, your circle decreases. You'll have a small group of family and friends whom you interact with often. But the number of active 'acquaintances' and relationships I keep in touch with actively has reduced. It was much easier in a physical office environment.
What's the impact of this? For me, I've tried to be intentional with staying in touch with my people. Being proactive has helped but it's not the same. I wonder what it's like for folks who can not be as proactive as I've been.
Well, now I'm working to incorporate more activity into my life. Especially activities outside my estate. I'm signing up to a gym, volunteering at an association in church, followed Lagos events pages on Instagram (Af.Lagos, Lagos Weekender, Silent Disco, TerraKulture etc) and I'll try to go outdoors more often in general.
I'll also like to say that I actually prefer a remote work life. I like the flexibility it offers, how it takes away the stress associated with going to an office every day and the new opportunities it creates for you to build relationships across multiple geographies. As with all new things though, it presents new challenges.
Image credit
I think a new way of 'socializing' will need to be developed. Since the second industrial revolution one century ago, our way of life has been designed around the industrial production system. A fixed set of working hours (9am - 5pm), fixed days for relaxation, fixed modes of socialization and more.
The remote-first lifestyle is becoming mainstream, accelerated by the pandemic. Not all roles will or can go fully remote but in the next 20 - 30 years, a huge amount of jobs would have some remote elements. Especially as the passion/creator economy continues to grow.
What would a 'social' lifestyle that works for the masses look like in this type of world? I have a feeling it'll be different from the setup we have today.
What do you think it would look like? What are some side effects of working from home that you've experienced? Let me know in a reply to this email, in the comment section below or in this form.
Stay active.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
This letter was written while listening to Naija’s Top 100 on YouTube Music.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
How are you doing? I hope you’ve had a great weekend and I wish you a really super week ahead.
Remember that we all have a purpose in this world. Sometimes more than one. Live it and enjoy your journey.
Stay Jiggy. Stay safe.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, according to science at least. According to most religions, it's much younger. Humans are much younger. The earliest signs of humans are about 2.5 million years ago. And this was early humans like homo habilis and eventually homo erectus, Neanderthals and Denisovans.
We, homo sapiens, are estimated to have emerged about 300,000 years ago. Most people don't know (or have forgotten) that humanity began from Africa. The earliest home sapiens began to migrate out of Africa and across other parts of the world. Interesting.
What I've been curious about recently though is learning about the progress of humanity after this period. The aim is primarily to quench my curiosity about world history. But importantly, it's also the figure out what we can learn from history about the progress of civilizations and how that information can help Africa step up our game. I believe that understanding history provides a richer context for our daily lives and our approach to socio-economic issues.
Today's focus is on trying to understand the different 'Ages' that humanity and the world has been through. There are four main ways that time periods of history are classified: cosmological (time periods in the origin and mass evolution of the universe), geological (time periods in the origin and evolution of the Earth), anthropological and historical (time periods in the origin and evolution of human civilization) (Source).
The standardized way of classifying historical time periods of human history is the 'Three-Age' system. This system essentially puts human existence so far into three major periods (Source):
The Stone Age (2.5 million B.C. to 3000 B.C.) - documents the human migration from Africa and first use of tools by Neanderthals, Denisovans and early humans
The Bronze Age (3000 B.C. to 1300 B.C.) - humans settle in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and ancient Egypt; invention of the wheel and metalworking
The Iron Age (1300 B.C. till today) - formation of planned cities, introduction of ironworks, steel, and writing systems
Image credit
Some people argue that the Iron age ended around 600 BC but a huge part of our modern society still leverages iron.
So an easier system to use to visualize different time periods since 1300 BC is the use of Eras. In this system, there are 5 main historical eras.
Prehistory Era
Classical Era
Middle Ages
Early Modern Era
Modern Era
What each Era looked like
(Adapted from YourDictionary.com)
The Prehistoric Era
The Stone Age (2.5 million B.C. to 3000 B.C.)
The Bronze Age (3000 B.C. to 1300 B.C.)
The Iron Age (1300 B.C. to 600 B.C.)
The Classical Era
The Classical era was mainly centered around the civilizations on the Mediterranean Sea and their contributions to world culture. These empires included:
Ancient Greece (600 B.C. to A.D. 600) - foundation of democracy, philosophy, mathematics, drama, and poetry
Ancient Rome (753 B.C. to A.D. 476) - political power that developed the legal system, irrigation, architecture, city roads, and Christianity
Persian Empire (550 B.C. to 330 B.C.) - Middle Eastern empire that practiced Zoroastrianism before Islam and fell to Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.
Byzantine Empire (A.D. 285 to A.D. 1453) - Mediterranean culture that incorporated practices and beliefs from ancient Greece and Rome; the only major power not to fall until after the Renaissance
The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages was an unstable period that lasted for nearly a millennium. Historians often group the era into three distinct periods: the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages.
Early Middle Ages (A.D. 476 to A.D. 1000) - also known as Late Antiquity; this period shows most powers rebuilding after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the beginning of Islam in the Middle East.
High Middle Ages (A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1250) - 250-year period that saw the height of the Catholic church’s power in the Crusades.
Late Middle Ages (A.D. 1250 to A.D. 1450) - a period that saw the Black Plague, the beginning of European exploration and the invention of the printing press.
Image credit
The Early Modern Era
The major movements in politics, religion, and geography helped to guide human civilization into the Modern era. These movements include:
Renaissance Humanism (A.D. 1400 to A.D. 1500 ) - break from medieval scholasticism that incorporated Classical thought into Early Modern ideas
Protestant Reformation (A.D. 1517 to A.D. 1648) - religious movement in which Lutheranism (started by Martin Luther) broke with the Catholic church and redefined Christianity
The European Renaissance (A.D. 1450 to A.D. 1600) - known as a cultural “rebirth” in art, music, literature, society, and philosophy
The Enlightenment (A.D. 1650 to A.D. 1800) - an intellectual movement that is also called the Age of Reason; saw the re-examination of politics, economics and science before giving way to Romanticism in the 19th century
The Early Modern Era
Because our history of the last three centuries is so well documented, it’s possible to examine each period of the Modern era on its own. These eras include:
First Industrial Revolution (A.D. 1760 to A.D. 1840) - beginning of the modern era that saw several technological innovations, including the invention of the cotton gin, the increase of city factories and mills and the completion of the Erie Canal.
Revolutionary Period (A.D. 1764 to A.D. 1848) - period of revolutions around the world, including the American Revolution, French Revolution, Spanish-American Wars for Independence, Italian Revolutions, Greek War of Independence, and the Spring of Nations.
Age of Imperialism (A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1914) - century of time in which France, Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States colonized in other nations around the world.
Victorian Era (A.D. 1837 to A.D. 1901) - reign of Queen Victoria I that saw increased urbanization, the American Civil War and the end of African slavery
Second Industrial Revolution (A.D. 1869 to A.D. 1914 ) - often referred to as the Technological Revolution; period in which the light bulb, the telephone, the airplane, and the Model T automobile were invented
World War I (A.D. 1914 to A.D. 1918) - worldwide conflict centered in Europe; also known as the Great War
Great Depression (A.D. 1929 to A.D. 1939) - extended period of worldwide economic hardship that started with the stock market crash in 1929
World War II (A.D. 1939 to A.D. 1945) - wartime period that began with Germany’s invasion of Poland and ends with the surrender of Japan, the last standing Axis power
Contemporary Period (A.D. 1945 to current) - also known as the Information Age; the period in which technological advances define social, economic and political life
This time series of the past couple of millennia is fascinating. The technological and social evolution of the world we live in today is a faster pace than ever before.
In 2006, there was about 0.16 zettabytes of data created by humans up until that point. At the end of 2020, that number was at 59 zettabytes. This means that data created on a single day in 2020 was more equal to or more than all the data the world had created by 2006. The amount of data we produce yearly is expected to reach 149 zettabytes by 2024.
While this seems like such a fast pace though, it would not be possible without the foundation built by our ancestors across different eras of human history. It however shows us that the progression of the human race is built off the efforts of those that are no longer with us.
Image credit
Here are some lessons/thoughts that I have from journey of exploring this musing:
Some lessons/Thoughts about the Ages
The role of contrarians and a progress mentality: In my recent study of human history, in almost all instances, society progressed as a result of the efforts of contrarians. People who were curious, who asked questions, who questioned rules, problem solvers and people who differed from the norm. This is interesting because most of our education and societal rules are geared towards making people conform. I personally do not think that everyone will be contrarians. However, every society that progresses and goes on to outlive others had contrarians who created new things that made the old obsolete.
Therefore, we should encourage people who are contrarian to explore their curiosities and weirdness because we never know if they're the ones who'll create something that moves the human race forward.
Western supremacy in influencing the narrative: When you think about what you know about the world, a huge amount of it is skewed to western cultures and societies. I wrote about the renaissance age last week for instance but that was largely the view of what happened in Europe.
Most people don't know much about what was happening in China and other parts of Asia around that time. Or in the Americas. Or in Africa (Outisde North Africa). The lesson from this is that history as we know if today should be taken with a grain of salt because it's likely incomplete.
But this also shows the importance of documentation and quest for human progress. While Asia had strong dynasties and documentation that might just not be as popular, there is very little known about large parts of the Americas and Africa for instance.
One reason for this could also be that in Africa, we don't have a strong archeology culture. How much exploration of our lands have been done to better understand what the life of those who lived 2,000 years ago in the region I'm writing this letter from? At the end of the day, history is written by those who emerged victorious.
Generalization: I enjoyed reading this contrarian article by Prof. Föll, a professor of material sciences at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU). In his opinion, there is not a clear distinction between the different ages.
We describe the stone age such because most of the tools we discovered date back to that time period. This however doesn't mean that the use of bronze and iron tools didn't exist during that period. Prof. Foll shares multiple examples of discoveries that date much later to the 'Ages' they're constricted to.
Another point that he makes is that the "Ages" will differ by geography and people. The fact that humans in Egypt used bronze tools in the creation of the pyramids does not mean that iron tools were not already in use in other parts of the world. While standardization of dates for Age might help in sharing information about them, it's important to remember that it's not rigid.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about the documentation of the different historical ages and what we can learn from them? Do you think the lack of deep historical data about Africa is an issue?
This letter was written while listening to a Jon Bellion playlist.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
MIMH - Helping you explore yourself & the world you live in.
Hey,
I hope you’re doing great despite all that’s going on in Nigeria right now.
Please stay safe as much as possible.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
When I think of the word 'Renaissance', what usually comes to my mind is the renaissance man. I remember reading the story of Leonardo Da Vinci many times when I was younger. His ability to master many skills excited me and I always thought of the renaissance age with glee.
I have some friends that I call Renaissance women/men. You probably have some too. People who seem to be able to do many things excellently. My friend Tobi for one is an excellent salesman, understands medicine, a great automobile engineer, understands electronics and also animals. Kenny, Jennifer, Wawa and a few other people come to mind as well.
Leonardo Da Vinci (Image credit)
I'm always amazed at how they're able to understand concepts in different areas of life and apply them with little stress. So this week, I thought to explore the renaissance age to learn more about the time when people were able to do many things.
To my shock, there's a big difference between renaissance women/men and the actual renaissance age. Renaissance women/men refer to polymaths or folks like I described above while the Renaissance age is the 'period' between the Medieval Ages and the Age of Enlightenment.
I found reading about this age quite fascinating and I'm happy to share some of these learnings with you.
So you likely remember that during the time of Jesus, the Roman Empire reigned supreme. It was Europe's leading power and even Jesus said we should give unto Ceasar what belonged to Ceasar. Well, that empire fell in the 5th century (476AD).
It left behind a gulf in power. This gulf in power was filled by the Catholic church. Different regions and leaders gained legitimacy for their territories by pledging their allegiance to the Church. That's why you'll see that in many movies about these times, Bishops & Popes always play significant roles.
The implication of this was that Scholastic (Academic) philosophy took the place of classical traditions and teachings from the Ancient Roman and Greek Empires. With the Church at the top of the food chain, people lives revolved around religious knowledge and obligations. Science and religion became very inter-wined and thinking independent of the Church's teachings wasn't very welcome.
This period (476 AD - 1450 AD) is called the Medieval Ages/Dark Ages. While the people who lived in the Renaissance age liked to call this the dark ages because they felt that there was little advancement in this period of time, historians have argued that they were perhaps too critical.
There is however no doubt that not a lot of technological progress was made during this period. Most people (In Europe because that what we have recorded) lived their lives following rules and ways of life set forth by the Church.
What is the Renaissance Age?
Historians advise that we should think of this age in terms of key events that took place and not a timeline. However, the generally agreed period for this age is between 1350 and 1620.
The word renaissance comes from the French word 'rebirth'. It refers to the reawakening in art, culture, science, technology, and music.
A couple of things happened. Some people became more liberal and started to challenge the teachings of the church. Others came across texts from the Classical age (the Ancient Romans & Greeks like Aristotle, Plato etc). They were in awe of these ideas and baffled that not much had changed since then. In fact, most things from that age were lost. So they began to consume these ideas and concepts.
They also started the humanist movement. Humanism at the time referred to exploring the abilities of humans and doing things for the good of humans. It has evolved to be interpreted in different ways over the centuries but you can read more about it in this Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism).
The renaissance is believed to have started in Florence, Italy around 1350. After the Black plague wiped out over 30-50% of people in many European cities, you can imagine that some people were more interested in helping humans live a better life here on earth rather than waiting for the afterlife.
The very wealthy Medici family moved to Florence in this period and one of the ways they decided to show off their wealth was to back artists, scientists and politicians. They would commission expensive works of art and this gave artists & scientists the freedom to experiment. Coupled with the rediscovery of the Classical texts, they were able to recreate some of the things that existed before and push the boundaries to create entirely new things.
Five Important things that happened during the Renaissance Period
The fusion of art, science and philosophy: It is said that 'never before (or since) had there been such a coming together of art, science and philosophy'. Geniuses like Da Vinci studied anatomy, architecture and mathematics and used that in creating paintings that were as close to the reality as possible. This was the period where the incorporation of emotion into images was first explored.
(Pieta by Michelangelo, 1499) Image credit
From the beauty of Michelangelo’s David to the perfection of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, from the genius of Shakespeare to the daring of Luther and Erasmus, and via breathtaking advances in science and mathematics, man achieved new heights.
The invention of the printing press: Have you ever thought about what the world was like before books could be printed? How did people get the information that they required?
Well for many centuries, manuscripts (the prevalent collection of writings at the time) were written with ink. The ink will be mixed by hand and then written on material made from animal skins. As you can imagine, this was a very tedious and expensive process. Hence, only institutions like the church, military, merchants and extreme elite had the ability to read and write.
Before 1450, the maximum number of pages that could be produced by a manuscript producer was 30-40 pages per day. This changed in 1450 when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. His press could churn out 3,600 pages a day resulting in an explosion of literature and ideas unprecedented in history.
(The Gutenberg Press) Image credit
Before the invention of printing, the number of manuscript books in Europe could be counted in thousands. By 1500, after only 50 years of printing, there were more than 9,000,000 books. By 1600, it was 200 million.
The protestant reformation: It's interesting that as a Catholic, most of my information about Martin Luther (1483-1546), who started the protestant reformation, has come from teachings in Church or reading about it from a religious perspective.
It was refreshing to read about it from a different angle. Luther was a priest who disagreed with how Christianity was practised. Remember what I said about books being hard to produce before Gutenberg. Well in those days people only got to learn about the bible through priests, art and music.
Martin Luther (Image credit)
So most people did not have a bible and Luther felt that this shouldn't be the case. He felt that salvation should be as a result of individual relationship with God and not by instructions /ways of life set forth by the church. Using the 'pen as a sword', Luther wrote numerous pieces about his thoughts and the boom in printing allowed the masses to read and understand things for themselves for the first time in human history.
He eventually translated the Bible from Latin to German after being excommunicated by the Church. The translation of the Bible to English by William Tyndale was based on Luther's translation. Luther's actions played a key role in diminishing the power of the Catholic Church which opened the door for the 'liberal thinkers' of the renaissance age.
The exploration of the world: While advancements in science, arts, philosophy and politics were ongoing in Europe during these times, other more adventurous Europeans focused on World exploration.
Famous journeys were taken by Ferdinand Magellan (first man 'documented' to travel around the world), Christopher Columbus (discovered Americas), Amerigo Vespucci (after whom America is named), Marco Polo (one of the first Europeans to live & trade with China), Ponce de Leon (Explored Puerto Rico), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Conquered South America), Hernando De Soto and other explorers.
Christopher Columbus (Image credit)
What is interesting to me is that most of history as we know it is written from the perspective of the people who prevailed from those times. They say Colombus discovered America but that's from an 'European' perspective. As trade routes opened, Europeans started to use gunpowder which enabled this exploration.
The adventurers were able to leverage the growing wealth & innovation of the Renaissance folks back home. This gave them an edge against anyone they met in their path during their exploration and it is their history we read today.
Foundation for the Modern age: After reading multiple accounts, it is clear that the renaissance age was a connector between the Classical Ages of the 'smart' Ancient Greeks & Romans and our Modern world. The liberation of thought that the renaissance age enabled set the foundation for exploration of the human mind. It laid the foundation for the technological revolution that came in centuries that came after it.
How did the renaissance age end?
It's interesting that the output of the age also influenced its demise. The discovery of new trade routes to the Americas and Asia reduced the wealth of Italy. With superpowers France, Spain and England getting stronger, Italy grew weaker.
Spain eventually conquered Italy in the 17th century and the work of the renaissance people was done. The enlightenment age came afterwards.
What would the world look like without the Renaissance age?
Imagine a world where we couldn't access books. A world where our actions and way of life were dictated by a central authority. A world where living for the afterlife was more important than how we lived while on earth. A world where intellectual exploration was not encouraged.
I don't think that's a world I would love to live in. This Age also reminds me of a pattern that repeats itself many times in history: A small group of people are able to impact the world in a way that changes the future of their societies, countries and human civilisation.
The world has never become better from being 'normal'. Weird and new ideas ALWAYS displace old ones. Don't let anyone shame you for being different. Don't let anyone stop you from pursuing new ideas.
The world we enjoy today is possible because of weird people. Be weird. Channel your inner renaissance woman/man.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think about the Renaissance age? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
This letter was written while listening to Enya and Loreena McKennitt
Notes
Curious to read more facts about today’s letter? You can check out my unedited notes here.
Never before (or since) had there been such a coming together of art, science and philosophy. - The Renaissance Age.
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Holla,
I hope you’re doing great as always.
Today’s letter is about an intriguing topic so I’ll let you jump right in. Ps, I shared two great playlist recommendations at the end of the letter.
Enjoy & Stay Jiggy always.
Want to receive notifications via WhatsApp when I send these letters out? Share your phone number here
Got a musing you think I should explore in my letters? Share it with me here and I might just write about it.
Let's play a game. I'll mention a country and you'll think about what you know about that country for 10 seconds.
Kazakhstan
Myanmar
Uzbekistan
Guatemala
Laos
Eritrea
Haiti
Trinidad & Tobago
(There are 145million+ people living in these countries combined.)
When you think of these countries, the people that live there, what their world is like, the languages they speak etc. What comes to your mind?
My guess is your mind blanks for at least half of the countries listed above.
I have no idea what it's like to live in Kazakhstan. When I think of Guatemala, what comes to mind is Guantanamo Bay from American action movies (Based in Cuba & not Guatemala). When I think of Trinidad, what comes to mind are Olympic athletes from the country who always excel at one sport or the other.
I thought Laos was a city in Portugal not knowing it's a South East Asian country. I have a friend who is of Eritrean origin but there's no image/information associated with the country in my head. When most people hear Haiti, they visualize earthquakes and poverty.
Share this image & ask your friends what they think of when they hear the names of these countries.
It's interesting that for most of us; the information, images and thoughts we have about people on earth is limited to some countries. There is a high likelihood that you have very little knowledge/information about more than half of the countries in the world.
There is an even higher likelihood that the information you have about the countries you're aware of is skewed. How much do you know about Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Switzerland etc? How much do you really know about them?
Image credit
Most of the information and knowledge we have about people, people and things is based on information we've taken in during our lifetime. While there are many sources of information, I'll try to highlight the top sources:
Mass media (TV, Social Media, Newspapers, Radio etc)
Familial media (Your family, relatives etc)
Faith-based media (Your religion) and
Peer Media (Information from friends, peers etc).
Of all these sources, Mass media has the highest influence. This is because all other three sources are influenced by it as well.
Our beliefs, understanding of the world, what we believe to be truth/lies, etc is moulded by the information we take in through these different forms of media. While some people (like me) can claim to be independent thinkers, the thinking is still based on the reflection of information that one has been exposed to.
What brought about this musing for me was the realisation that there's so little African-produced content online. When I search for stuff online every week for work, personal use and even for these letters, I am constantly greeted with content written in other parts of the world.
Image credit
If media shapes our very understanding of the world we live in and our beliefs, what is the impact of a world where Africa contributes so little to this narrative? Tweet this
According to most researchers, the three basic functions of mass media include: News/Information, Entertainment and Education. For this letter, my focus is on the education component. I also believe this is a huge reason for searches people make online.
Why do we have so little African produced educational content online?
My first inclination was that the only reason is because we have a culture of silence. A culture where you're not supposed to speak about your success because evil people will bring you down. A culture of fear where you're scared that your ideas will be stolen when shared rather than improved upon.
(I'm speaking from a Nigerian perspective because I've lived in Nigeria most of my life. I however found that it's a similar situation in most African countries. Happy to hear rebuttals)
While I found some of this to be true, I also made an interesting discovery along the way. The digital hegemony of the United States, facilitated by the Google Search engine.
Over 70% of all search engine activity goes through Google. So whenever the 4.66 billion active internet users around the world (outside China & Russia) search for information online, they use a Google powered search engine.
Image credit
For a layman like me, this should be a very good thing. Google has made information accessible to people around the world. According to Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig;
“For the first time in a millennium, we have a technology to equalize the opportunity that people have to access and participate in the construction of knowledge and culture, regardless of their geographic placing.”
This 2017 research by Andrea Ballatore, Mark Graham & Shilad Sen shows a different side to the story. Most of the content shown to the average user is content produced in countries from the Global North (A term I dislike that is used to described developed nations in North America & Europe).
In their research, they searched for the capital cities of all countries in the world using IP-free browsers and Google's dedicated pages for each country (E.g google.com.ng, google.co.uk etc).
In the results for sixty-one countries, the United States supplies over half of the first page content on Google.
For instance, the search results for "Accra" on Google's Ghanian page includes pages from six countries. Five of these countries are firmly located in the Global North.
Below is what I see what I search for Accra on my end. A local page is the last on the list.
So the 'description' of Accra is not being written by Ghanaians but by writers in countries from the "Global North". Some people will argue that if you search multiple pages, you'll eventually come across content from a local page. But only 25% of Google searches go beyond the first page and they only account for 6% of all website clicks.
This essentially means that if the information is not on the first page, there is only a 6% chance that it will get clicked on. This results in a situation where producers in a few countries get to define what is read by others, with the United States leading the pack.
Why is it like this? Well, there are a lot of complex reasons but these are two key reasons identified by Andrea Ballatore and co:
First, much of the reason for the lack of local voice in the Global South (Developing countries) is likely simply because the production of Internet content happens at a much lower rate compared to that in the Global North (Graham, De Sabbata, and Zook 2015).
Second, since the company's creation in 1998, Google's algorithms have tended to favor highly central Web content: Pages linked to by a lot of other pages are prioritized, and others largely ignored and demoted in the rankings. This creates a worrying situation whereby it becomes difficult for those on the information peripheries to break out of their digital marginality.
Their research also showed that there is a high correlation between the presence of a strong publishing industry & scientific research and the amount of locally produced content that is displayed by search engines.
In their empirical study, only the results of eight countries in Africa (incl. Tajikistan, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania) have a majority of the content that is locally produced. South Africa is the only "Big" country of the eight. Populous nations like Nigeria and Kenyan consume a lot of their content from overseas content producers.
I believe this is an important problem to tackle. As the world becomes increasingly digital, the source of information and influences would become more digital as well. If we're not careful, our view of the world would be moulded largely by content producers in the United States & a few European countries in the next couple of decades.
Image credit
The image I have in my head today about Eritrea might either go away fully or become very different from the reality of the actual country. There's a famous Ghanian proverb that says:
“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter". Tweet this
In this case, the Global South is the lion.
We need to publish more. We need to do more scientific research. We need to advocate for more transparency in Google Search results. We need to set up more data centers in Africa so that our websites load faster. We need to actively contribute to how our own stories are being told.
We need to tell the story from the lion's perspective.
What did you think of this week's letter?
I love it! ◌ I Like It ◌ Not Bad ◌ I Don’t Like It ◌It’s Awful
Musing in Your Head
What do you think can be done to improve the amount of African produced educational content online?
Let me know in the comments section or as a response to this email.
This letter was written while listening to a playlist of Aurora and Yanni. It’s an absolute blast.
“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter"
Love always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
No single thing will make you happy forever - Naval Ravikant.
What is happiness to you?
Happiness is an interesting topic. It means different things to different people.
As the first part of this series, I’ll like to hear three questions with you and hear your thoughts.
My questions to you
What is happiness to you?
Can happiness be achieved as a constant state of mind? If yes, how? If no, why not?
How does happiness impact our drive to be successful?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
As a young boy, I always wanted to change the world. I always imagined that I'll bring an end to poverty and pain in my country.
When I read The Richest Man in Babylon (by George S. Clason), I was even more motivated to bring prosperity to all and make everyone happy.
As I've grown older though, my perspective on this has changed.
In this letter, I explore the different ways we can change the world
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
I’ve always been keen to find out why switching devices on/off work.
When I learnt the reason why, I couldn’t help but see a link between it and anger management.
In this episode, I explore what we can learn about anger management from the concept of rebooting devices.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Why do we spend so much time working?
Especially work that involves only one of our many possible expressions.
What will happen if we intentionally focused on spending more time with family/loved ones and our other expressions?
I think it could increase the overall quality of our life.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
I remember the first time I got positive feedback from my CEO. I felt like dancing that afternoon and the rest of my day was made no matter what happened.
I felt a burst of creativity and my confidence was at an all-time high.
If feedback can have this effect on people, why are so many of us very defensive when feedback (especially negative feedback) is shared with us?
In this letter, I explore why people are defensive when receiving feedback and how we can improve our delivery of corrections to be more effective.
Enjoy.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
According to G. Gurdjieff, there are three types of thought; Pathological thought, Logical thought and Psychological thought.
Image credit
These different thought patterns have upsides and downsides.
In today’s letter, I explore these multiple sides and reflect on the pattern I’ll like to exhibit more often.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
We learn about something at a point in time and it doesn’t become relevant until much later in the future.
How important is residual knowledge?
Are there ways through which we can harness and optimize it?
I explore this in the last letter for 2020.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
We use words daily. In different contexts and with different people.
In my 100 level as a student, I lived in a hostel called Angola.
I had a roommate who said words that I didn’t like. This words made me feel less of myself and influenced my drive to become more in life.
Sometimes, people are not able to turn it around positively.
In this letter, I explore how our words can impact people’s lives and why we should use it for good, where possible.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
More than 80% of my male friends have cheated on their partners before.
The common excuse that guys give for cheating is that men get sexually aroused easily and need to take care of that sexual tension.
That when they get intimate with a lady that's not their girlfriend, in most cases, it's just a one-off. They are not emotionally attached, so it shouldn't matter much.
Is this the case? Even if it is, does it give men a right to feel more entitled to cheating than women?
I explore this in today’s letter.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
A previous non-dreader, I dreaded my hair this week.
And it made me reflect on how our opinions are transient. But how it’s still very hard for us to change them when we find new information.
So in this letter, I explore how we can be bold about changing our minds and why it’s important that we do so.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
I've found that the word 'luck' is used to describe things that are not logical. Things that don't make sense.
What is luck to you?
In my opinion, luck is randomness.
I share why I think this is so and more in this letter. Check it out.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
The concept of true love is a truly interesting one. We are raised (most of us, I assume) on the ideology and information that there should be one true person out there for us. We pray for it. We filter interactions for it. We try to identify patterns for it.
Does it exist? What factors play a role in making it happen in our lives?
I explore these questions in this letter.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
When most people pass a correction across, they often do it from a place of wanting to help the other person become better.
The challenge is that we sometimes expect people to always align with our worldview. We expect people to understand why we see something in a certain way and can get angry/confused when they don't see it that way. This then sometimes leads us to judgement or hypocrisy.
What is the middle line between these two extremities and how do we find it when sharing feedback/correction?
Listen to my thoughts in this letter.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
What is the common denominator in the evolution of societies, cultures and people?
One critical thing I identified is 'Rebels'.
By rebels, I do not refer to violent people who oppose new governments or fight political battles or any other violent classification.
I'm referring to people who are curious and strong-willed enough to not accept the status quo. People who are open to disputing 'the way things are done' and go to extreme lengths to discover and find out new ways of doing those things.
In this letter, I explore why I think Rebels are important in changing societies and cultures.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
The great people we know, they've been able to figure out the unique gift that the universe gave them when they incarnated (born) and they've put that to the service of their goals. - Caroline McHugh
Comparing ourselves others is something we all tend to do from time to time.
The general sentiment is that it’s not a good thing to do. They say we should just be ourselves. But there’s usually no in-depth thought into understanding why we do it, situations in which it’s beneficial, how to avoid the bad sides of it and how to ensure it doesn’t affect our happiness.
I explore it in this letter. Why do we compare ourselves to others? Is it always bad? How can we do it less or for the right reasons?
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Listen on the web here.
Mass action and protests is a fundamental human right.
Humans have protested for generations and it’s unlikely to ever stop.
We all know of the ones that ‘succeed’ and the ones that don’t.
The question is what makes a protest more likely to succeed than others? How do we truly measure the impact of protests?
Image source
Inspired by the protests in my motherland, I explore these questions this week and find really interesting facts and experiments.
I’ll advise that you listen on the web, so you can scroll down to view the images as you listen, if possible.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Love Always,
Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
What is beauty? Is it only in the ‘eyes’ of the beholder?
This week, I go on a journey to discover what beauty really is and the role our understanding of it plays in our lives.
I use a lot of pictures in this letter, so I’ll recommend that you scroll down to read the letter as you listen.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments section or via email.
Stay Jiggy this week.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
There are only two industries that call their customers "users": illegal drugs and software". - Edward Tufte
In our history as humans, we have invented many tools.
The hairbrush to make our hair look good. The hammer to make it easier to slam a nail into an object. The cup to help you drink water. Glasses to help you see. Slippers to make it easier to walk around. You get the gist.
Social media, however, is a different type of tool.
This week, I explore how deeply social media influences our lives.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
This week, I explore why we feel bad after we do/don’t do something.
Image credit
I learn that this is largely because of self-criticism which leads to a deep feeling of guilt. When this guilt lasts long in our minds, it makes us create an image of ourselves as bad people.
When we think we are bad people, we tend to continue taking bad actions.
How do we stop this guilt from eating us up? Listen and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
Hey,
With over 100 listens last week, I decided to continue with the audio version of the letter.
This week, I talk about the sunk cost fallacy - when should you let go?
Click play and give it a listen. You can also read the text alongside if you like consuming information that way.
I look forward to your musings in the comments section.
Love, Francis.
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe
I’m experimenting with creating an audio version of my weekly letters. If you prefer to listen than read, click play and enjoy this week’s letter.
Why do we judge so quickly?
Get full access to Musings in My Head [MIMH] at mimh.substack.com/subscribe