Love

by

My Love for Mathematics

For a few years now, I have had a question that I could not quite answer. The question is: “why do people hate mathematics?” Perhaps hate is a strong word but even when I tone the question down by using the word ‘like’ I still cannot find an answer that satisfies me.

Today being world maths day, I shall ignore the urge to find an answer. Instead, I shall attempt to answer the inverse of the question, which is: “why do I love mathematics”?

I suppose my love emanated from the realisation that mathematics is but a language backed with the ‘power’ of logic. From this realisation, I fell in love and I have almost always managed to view mathematics as nothing but a tool to explore the unknown without worrying about the uncertainties. For example, in aspiring to run a business of my own in the near future, I am aware that I will be faced with multiple uncertainties. Should these uncertainties deter me? Perhaps! But since I believe the key to success lies in the ability to formulate a sound (logical) strategy, I know that my focus should not really be on the uncertainties. The challenge therefore, is how do I start to build a sound strategy? For me, as you would expect, my answer, courage and inspiration come from the world of mathematics in the form of a simple productivity formula shown below.

    \[ productivity =\frac{output}{input} \]

 

Using the above formula and a simple mathematical analysis, one can deduce that productivity and hence profitability will be high if:

  • Fewer or less resources are used to yield an output i.e. input < output
  • There is more output than input i.e. output >input

From the two above-mentioned facts, it follows then that I can easily develop a strategy that always strives to lower the inputs and increase the outputs – or at the very least make them equal! This will therefore result in success since the strategy itself will be developed with the sole purpose of offering me the highest probability of a successful outcome.

With the strategy, my exuberance or enthusiasm and my mathematical background that has equipped me with the ability to reason logically, what are the odds that I would fail? Quite frankly, I don’t know! But the point I am trying to make is: I love mathematics because it provides me with the understanding that many things in life are relative just by simply knowing that 1+1 is not necessarily 2! I am thus able to dream for I know success itself is relative… Happy maths day to all!

PS: I also love mathematics because it helps me spell out my name to people: MATHEmatics without the ‘matics’ ;-)! 

 

by

Love: the bind to our being

I am seeing red but I am not at all angry. Its that time of the year for Limitless Obnoxious Valentine Extravaganza!

I am not against people expressing their love to each other but (yes, there is a but!) … It has to be free from the pressures of the commercial world. And free as in no cost, because love in its pure form is a precious gift that we get but may not even deserve!

If/when you find this gift, you will also learn that love is the secret glue that binds our being. Before we find love, our sense of being is scattered like grains of sorghum. If you are not familiar with the expression of endearment involving “mabele” (sorghum), my analogy may seem strange. But don’t despair, below I offer you the expression together with how each gender may use it 😉

FemaleMale
"Ngoana nts'oare! Ke mabele kea qhalana."

Translated: Baby hold me! I am the sorghum grain I scatter.		"Ke mabele kea qhalana. Ke hloka mothonaki".

Translated: I am the sorghum grain I scatter. I need someone to pick me up.

As you can see, there are gender nuances in the use of the expression. But as they say, men and women are from different planets. Whether or not I believe this saying, is a different story altogether. My simple point is: love is a priceless, precious gift that needs to be celebrated in different ways not just as the commercial world dictates. Love is what roots us even as the winds of change threaten to scatter us like “mabele” because in whatever form, it binds us to our being and existence!

by

My thoughts on valentine

A simple visit to the stores to get milk around this time of the year can make one pause for a minute to consider the true significance of valentine. Perhaps it only happens to those of us who are not yet ready to get a cat as a companion or those of us who get overwhelmed by valentine’s day marketing. Whatever the case may be, I paused and I think while the idea of celebrating valentine is good, the capitalist spin to it de-values it completely.

Valentine’s day is about celebrating love. If it is true that money can’t buy love, then it should follow that celebration of love should not involve money. Ok that might be slightly flawed but my point is money shouldn’t play much role in valentine’s celebration. So the challenge for valentine should be to celebrate the day as cheaply as possible but with meaningful gestures that show affection.

The gestures differ with each individual. For me, a cup of coffee in bed with a chocolate croissant would do the trick 😉 . I wouldn’t also mind a hand written love letter but that can wait until I meet that frog which I can turn into a prince with just one passionate kiss … (that may cause the prince to turn my frock into tatters 😆).