Solar Eclipse? Thanks. I'll Pass.

-


Niagara Falls. Canada, 8 April. It seems like all roads lead to Ontario Province for people that are fascinated by the sun. Why? They want to watch the solar eclipse, up close and personal, wearing special glasses to protect their eyes, of course.

Question: What is an eclipse?

Answer: It’s when the sun is covered by the moon.

I Googled it because I had forgotten. We learned it in school and like all ‘education’ the eclipse had nothing to do with our daily life. What is education? It is information forced upon people in order to function effectively in a particular religion, culture or currency. It was the British pound before independence. It’s the U.S. dollar now, because it inherited the British Empire.

I digress. Where was I? Aaah! The sun. We learned about the eclipse in school but it was totally different from home wisdom. Don’t look at the sun my child. You’ll go blind. That is why there are special glasses sun worshippers are going to wear to look at the eclipse in Niagara Falls and America. Believe it or not, the waterfall has dual citizenship. One side is in Canada, the other side in the U.S.

I won’t be watching the eclipse because mama told us not to sleep in the sun, we’ll get sick. Cindy got sick. Who is Cindy? She was one of my managers at my first job in Toronto. She came back from vacation scarred in the face and arms. What happened? Sun burn. Mama wouldn’t understand. Taking a plane to the other side of the world, to lie on the beach, and say to the sun: Burn me! Burn me!

Enjoy the eclipse, but count me out. I’m a simple person, not educated, not sophisticated, but wise enough that I should respect the sun, because it is life. However, it is long distance respect. Dear sun, continue to stay up there, I will respect you down here, but under an umbrella or a tree.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

No Air Miles

-
Image
I don’t have Air Miles.   I’m considering putting that on a T-Shirt because I cannot go to the drugstore (chemist) or coffee shop without the cashier asking me if I have air miles. We waited for about two minutes the other day, while this guy looked for his Air Miles card in his overweight wallet.   For what?   For a few points. I don’t have air miles because Mathematics is a foreign language.   I was never good in numbers. That is why I squashed the idea of being an investment banker very early in life.   I understand you can invest in cornfields before the soil is turned up or pork bellies even before a baby pig is born. That is how I view air miles, investing in tomorrow or the unknown.   I’m the dumb one.   Some people understand this air miles’ thing so well, I overheard one customer saying: I can even convert my points into cash. Points and air miles are the same thing in Canada and the U.S.   Drugstores or clothing stores even give you a card to collect point
Read more