Rantings of a Geek

Hello there 😊

Welcome back to my blog.

Today we’re featuring a special segment. We have a guest writer on this blog.

His name is Ron Oronyi.

I hope you enjoy this piece guys 😊😊.

And also if you want to feature in this blog , comment and I’ll get back to you on how we can work together.

What propels you to do what you do? This is a question that I have heard many a time (Believe me. I never missed those Saturday morning talks from the principal, which most of the time were motivational.) is it money, fame, power? Are you trying to please someone? Your parents maybe, because they paid the fees and said that is what you must do? Is it for someone’s love? Is it just because you can do it? What motivates you?

I remember the standard three composition I wrote on how I wanted to be a soldier. Why? They carried guns, and I wanted to be like Rambo, or chuck Norris. But all that changed when I came across this guy called MacGyver. And after seeing him disarm a bomb with nothing but a Swiss army knife, I knew I wanted to be that guy. The guy who knew everything. The guy who you could engage on any topic. My love of knowledge began there. I became curious about how everything works. From fridges, to cars, to electricity.

Two of my uncles fueled this thirst, as they were willing to answer every question I threw at them. “Ankoo, chuma inatoka wapi?” I remember asking one of my uncles as we were slaughtering a goat for my brother’s birthday. “It is dug from the ground” he replied, as he was in the process of separating the gal bladder from the liver. “Na sasa nikichimba hapa chini nitapata chuma?” I asked innocently, a question to which he replies with a laugh. He then shrugs me off and we continue sorting out the innards of the goat. But that question still lingered in the back of my mind. Later I would learn about mining. And how metals are purified to a point where they are usable.

A few years later, I meet a different uncle, who happens to be a technologist (A guy who is between an engineer and an artisan. These guys are highly skilled but lack design training.) I see him repair the television at home and ask him how it works. He laughs and tells me that I couldn’t possibly understand at my age. But he compensates by telling me how electricity flows and boom! My love for electricity begins. I would later pursue Electrical Engineering at university level.

Where am I going with this you ask? Well, I am doing what I am doing right now because I love it. Not because of the money, or fame (Though a little recognition would do.) I have seen collueagues drop out because they quickly get bored, or tired when things get tough. Or those who copy assignments ten minutes before submission. Most of whom don’t even care. I don’t hate on them, I simply wish they were doing what they love.

And sure, you might be good at it, but do you love it? (believe me. Some of my classmates thrash me during the exams. Lets just say I’m a sea level guy.) but then do you explore beyond what the teachers teach? Do you get that good feeling whenever you are taught something new? (You know it. Like when the waiter finally comes with your chapatti mandondo to the table. Halafu amekuwekea sukuma wiki hapo juu kama salad. So you are now having a balanced diet kibandani at fifty bob.)

Do you take the time to check out what is trending in your field of interest? Do you do research on things you hear of but know nothing about? Well, here is your chance. Get a bit of knowledge on a wide variety of fields, not just your own. A bit of philosophy here, history there, politics, a dash of physics.

I am personally tired of people telling me how they think Einstein was awesome and how his theory of relativity gave him the Nobel prize (For the last time, it was his paper on the photoelectric effect. In short, E=hF, not E=mC2 won him the Nobel prize). In short, learn things to get rid of ignorance, and to be able to hold a meaningful conversation. (I don’t care about Diamond’s new girlfriend, just tell me how far they’ve been able to go with unified field theory.)

Finally, be easy on yourself. Remember, we are here for a good time, not a long time hence we should try to find pleasure in everything we do. And with that I bid you adieu.

Come back on Tuesday for more.

Have a lovely weekend guys ❤❤