Ever watched or read Bill Cosby’s ‘Kids say the darndest things?’ They really do. I tend to think anything that Cosby puts into production is hilarious,so I may be biased,but that was a really funny show. And why was it funny? Because kids are so unassuming,so innocent,so unpretentious and unadulterated,that they constantly say the things we wish we had the bravery – or lack of societal pressure – to say.

Kids are cute. I’m the first to admit it. Then they grow up into adults. Adult stuff is fun pause but adults can be some pretty nasty,annoying creatures. I’m also the first to admit that I was probably much cooler when I was a kid than I am now. Weren’t most people? Except for the cruel bullies,coz everyone knows,kids can also be preeeeeetty mean. I look back on playing chobowa in primary school and really wonder what that was supposed to be training for?

Adults can say some pretty stupid **. The other day I overheard a conversation about a boy who died,and the person was saying that he wanted to die because he was living a ‘reckless’ (raving,drinking,etc) life. ???!! First off,who died and made you God? Second,no one really WANTS to die. Do they? I dunno. Maybe I’m being too idealistic here,but I still think that was an idiotic thing to say.

High school was hard for most of us. Mine was easier than most. Except for the fact that I was Adventist. For some reason,Kenyan public schools feel the need to purge the nation of anything that isn’t Protestant. We were often persecuted (I feel like John writing Revelation) unnecessarily,but we bore it because it was expected. No one likes students refusing to go for Saturday morning prep,or classes,or exams.

They would tell us that they couldn’t give us special treatment because they didn’t want the rest of the students to feel bad. They wanted us all to be ‘equal’. This was also the reason that they would eventually put a ban on how much ‘grub’ – junk food – you could carry.

This is not reality. No matter how little grub you carry,or what uniforms you all wear,or what religion you all belong to,humans are not equal. That’s not the real world. It never will be. Hell,it’s not even Kenya.

The other day, a parent sued my alma mater because the principal would not allow Muslims to wear hijabs. I thought it was a worthy cause,except for the fact that Kenya High is as yet unable to accept anything George Orwell ascribes to. No one is going to see the bigger picture of the supposed and indeed,questionable existence of religious freedom against the backdrop of striving to stick to the rules – least of all an adult.

tSN