We All Need An Explanation for How Everything Came to Be

Both the Ibo ancestral religion and the Christian invaders both explain the world around them. I understand why the Ibo people were reluctant to accept Christianity because it goes against their traditional practices that have been around for generations. While Ekwefi told her daughter a story about how a turtle’s shell became jagged, Christianity would teach that God is the almighty creator. Christianity preaches that God is the answer to how everything came to be. Both Christianity and Ibo culture are trying to explain the natural world around their people. 

            Instead of banishing all of Christian followers and trying to curse them by having them build on evil land, they should see the commonalities between their religions. I cannot understand why Okonkwo gets so angry with his son for joining the Christians, when it seems to be the most logical explanation without math or science. I understand that it is hard to let go of tradition but Christianity seems to be more appealing to the masses. The Christians are promising a simple lifestyle that guarantees equality between men, women, and children, and an equal chance at an eternal life with God. Whether it is a tribal religion or a major religion like Christianity, we are need an explanation for how everything came to be.

What is the cost in Celebrity?

            I remember sitting at lunch with my family a couple of weeks ago, when my Dad asked my brother, sister, and I what we wanted to be when we grew up. I immediately answered saying, “it might be nice to be famous…?” I have grown up my entire life trained to look up to celebrities and envy their money, cars, cloths, their bodies, and their boys. I didn’t think it was unreasonable to want that life too; but the look my dad shot at me was so cutting; you’d think I suggested dropping out of high school to clean outhouse toilets after every major concert. My Dad proceeded to sternly ask me, “why would you ever want to be famous?” I was startled because I had never really thought about the toll it takes to be famous or wealthy but because of my Dad’s explanation and Paul Piff’s Ted Talk, “Does Money Make You Mean?” I began to see past the glamour in celebrity.

            Paul Piff’s Ted Talk “Does Money Make You Mean?” explains how money and status corrodes positive character traits like compassion, empathy, and egalitarianism. In one of his studies, he rigged games of Monopoly by making one player very rich and the other very poor. He gave one player twice as much money, two dice, and twice the salary when passing go. After the game had finished (guess who won?) those who were Monopoly rich had explained to Piff and his team what he had done to make him win. Winners told them what their tactics were for buying property and putting up houses and hotels up, forgetting that the game was handed to them. Although Piff later on goes to explain how to fix this problem through small mindset interventions, I understood what my Dad was saying. Although there are perks to being famous, they will never outweigh the cost to my personality, my morals, and the way I treat others. I never want to be the monopoly player that complains about having too much money, laughs when the poor pay me, or become loud, obnoxious, and forget to be egalitarian, just to walk around in Valentino.