Say it like it is

After reading 19 chapters of Things Fall Apart, I've come to the conclusion that the people of Umuofia, or the Ibo people in general, are brutal people and servants to religion. But they are in no way stupid or uncivilized; they're extremely intelligent and skilled at what they do, and they have an unparalleled level of civilization and hierarchy that simply differs from the one that we are used to.

To be honest, and relating to the TED talk of how the people of Africa seem to have "one story," I really didn't think much of Africa before reading this. And of the little that I did know, I just knew about blood-diamonds, or the struggle to overcome anarchy, and just in general the dilapidated state of Africa that the media loves oh so much to cover.

And what I like about this book, is that it doesn't just shine light on the Ibo people and show them as a flawless, extremely civilized tribe. Chinua Achebe, the author of the book, really just tells it as it is. The world of the Ibo people is indeed civilized, but with it comes violence and an overwhelming amount of religion and superstition to back it up. Okonkwo himself is a perfect example for this violence; he beats his wife and children which is oddly accepted in his community, where in ours it would be an atrocity. Yet the violence is always justified; the man who beat his wife senselessly was brought before the egwugwu and put on some sort of trial to decide his punishment.

The author also doesn't portray the white men as people who go around killing others with darker skin. Although it was for religious purposes, Mr Kiaga, known as a harmless white man, even accepted the osu, or outcasts, telling the people that "We are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers" (Achebe 156). Not every white man was a ruthless conquerer.

Achebe shedding an equal amount of light and darkness on both the Ibo and the white people has opened my eyes to the reality of the situation.

Diana Nyad: Never, ever give up

I had the pleasure of watching Diana Nyad's TED talk, where she described her epic swim from the shores of Cuba to Florida. After previous failures and almost being killed by the dangers of the ocean, she accomplished her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida. And she did it for herself, not for the ego or for the pride, but for the sake for her own, inspiring dream.

The part that really hit home for me what when Nyad said: "It wasn't so much about the athletic accomplishment; it wasn't the sort of ego of 'I want to be the first.' That's always there, and it's undeniable. But it was deeper, it was how much life is there left. let's face it, we're all on a one way street, aren't we?" She really emphasized the journey versus the destination; what are we going to do as we drive down that street before we hit the dead end? And I felt inspired by these words; it's 9 o'clock at night and I really want to just hop on my longboard and bomb down the hills of Laguna Beach, perfect my tricks, and go fast for the experience. Downhill longboarding seems like the perfect way to emphasize the journey, rather than the destination. I don't normally skate down a hill to reach the bottom, I do it for the exhilarating feeling of going up to 30 mph on a piece of wood and some wheels.

It's the journey we remember, not where we end up.

The second thing that Nyad really credited towards her accomplishment was her team. She believed her team was expert, and without them, she could not have possibly accomplished her dream. Where would I be without my own sort of 'team,' or my friends in this case? They're the ones that push me forward, provide me with the competition and will to improve in the social and athletic gauntlets of being a teenager.

And finally, the main point of the video: Never, ever give up. We hear it at every sappy, motivational speech, but we never really take it to heart. But sometimes you just have to fight your inner demons telling you to stop and push to the end.