Oh well... 🥱 My thoughts.

 I'm not scared of lions and tigers and bears, but I'm scared of the lyrics of a few of these Nigerian songs I'd be reviewing today. 

To make this article interesting, I'd taken to my Instagram page to ask people about songs that the lyrics seemed 'off' to them. And the responses I got were not all that encouraging, but I hope that in the future I would receive much more encouraging ones. 

So here we go:

1. Thunder Fire You by Ric Hassani. 

Okay fella, we get it. She cheated on you and broke your heart. While it is a good laugh and a go-to song to insult all of our exes, I don't think we need to be too harsh about it. I mean, what's her friends' business in the matter? If I was one of the friends of the girl he wrote this song for, we would fight. I'm not the one responsible for all the lies she told you, my brother. Leave me out of it. 

2. Girlfriend by Ruger. 

This should probably have been number one because what is this catastrophe we've been singing and whining waist to? Ah! OMO. This song just justifies everything Ric Hassani was swearing about in the song I listed as number one. My sisters, fear men! Especially a man like Ruger. If you encounter them, run. 

3. Booty by Skales. 

Why? What is the reason? I mean, you sang a whole song just to ask us how we say booty in our language? Talk about someone that's not even serious with their music, and you just know who I'm talking about. Get more creative, dude. I like some of your music, but this just wasn't it. 

4. Woman by Rema. 

Rema, I love you. You have some sections of my heart even if food has the better part of it, but this song scares me. Am I not enough? I thought we agreed that this was a bipartite relationship? No, no, no, don't sing a song like this again, please. I like bad boys like you, but I'm not ready to pay the price. 

5. Somebody Son by Tiwa Savage. 

I'll admit, this has nothing to do with the lyrics but more with the artist. 

Aunty Tiwa, but why? Let's be careful with the zobo we are dishing out to drink. Why will 'somebody son' be likened to Jesus Christ? Think about it, how is:

"Sorry, I'm not sorry

Alakori ni bobo yen se

Should I try? Try again?

But now my heart still dey pain me" 

You thinking about Jesus Christ? Like I often say, "It is well." 

6. Palazzo by Asake. 

I don't have a lot to say on this but...

How do you guys sing this? I can hardly breathe whenever I attempt it. If you can successfully sing this and you're failing in school, then something is definitely wrong somewhere. Why? You must possess retentive memory to be capable of remembering all of the lyrics to this song as well as being coherent in it. 

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XOXO

Wicca.

 Going back to this Wicca subject. I did some digging and found out that this religion was developed by a man named Gerald Brousseau Gardner. 

Now remember I said the reason why I believed that witches still exist is because of the whispers I hear about cults still existing till today? Well, I wasn't wrong. 

Apparently, Gerald was a retired civil servant who spent most of the duration of his career in Asia, where he learnt a lot of magical practices and he was even a fan of esoteric literature—(Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest, or an enlightened inner circle) and read widely on it. 

He came back to Britain and became a member of the British occult society and later on went on to develop a new movement based on magical practices and worship of numerous deities which is known as Wicca today. After the abolishment of England's old witchcraft laws, he published Witchcraft Today in 1954 and founded his first coven. 

In time, word of this religion that seemed out of the ordinary got out and spread to the United States in the 1960s. 

It's also good to note that Wiccans refer to themselves as witches and as such gained a lot of backlash from people who associate their religion with satanism. As a result, there has been a lot of denial in the bid to sever any ties with devil worship. 

Some believe in a horned god and a triple goddess. Some believe in a nature goddess. Others are agonists or atheists. From this, it is clear that there is no central authority, and this religion has a lot of variations to it. It is the largest pagan worship of today with the estimate of about 1.5 million members. 

Now my question is what led to its acceptance?

For it is known that humans fear what they do not understand and can't control and will seek to destroy it before it gets a chance to grow. 

According to my research, in the United States, several legal decisions validated the status of Wicca. An example is the case of Dettmer V. Landon in 1986. 

The plaintiff, Herbert Daniel Dettmer, was a Virginia prisoner and a member of the School of Wicca. Dettmer desired access to ritual objects, including several varieties of knife, with which to practice Wiccan rituals. Knives, of course, are not available to prisoners. When the State would not provide him these ritual objects, he sued Robert Landon, the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections in federal court to get access to objects he claimed were necessary for his religious practice. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia decided in Dettmer's favor, finding that Wicca was a religion, rejecting the argument put forward by the Department of Correction that it was merely a "conglomeration" of occult practices. 

Although it wasn't a full victory for Dettmer, it was the first time a court of law would recognise Wicca as a legitimate religion. 

Seems we've all gotten enlightened on this subject. It's safe to conclude that paganism itself isn't just in places like African or Asian countries, but actually exists in both European and American countries as well. Although, in my own view, it is a religion that will always be at the receiving end of criticism, however legal it becomes. Why? Like I said earlier, "people fear what they do not understand."

XOXO

Start your own race.

 I think life has gotten me to a point where I no longer feel the need to just be placid because it's expected of me. 

I've grown past the timid little girl who's always wondering how or when she's going to get her shot to run things. 

I have decided to make my own way even if it's not handed to me. And yes, maybe how I intend to do that is by writing my ass off on most days.

At least I make the effort to get up to do 'something'. And I'm not just speaking it into existence like it's some sort of spell that will create something out of nothing. 

I may probably not have what it takes, but I want to believe that I do. I want to affirm that I'm a special one and I can take myself there if I have the mind to do it. 

I made a tweet a few weeks ago about how we are all locked in cages that we've built. Now, don't get me wrong. The 'cage' here isn't necessarily one with physical iron bars. The cage might be a mental one in most cases. 

Well, oftentimes our perception of where we ought to be and what we can achieve depends on how we perceive it.

How do you think multi millionaires or billionaires made it to the top? 

Do you ever wonder if they probably wanted to stop and turn back at one point? Do you ever wonder if they were plagued with a series of self-doubts? Do you not know that we all possess collective similarities? Whatever it is that you've thought and felt, a million others have. But it takes just one step—just one nudge in the right direction to light up that zeal to want to succeed. 

So why not take it for yourself instead of waiting for what might never appear? Every other person is busy with running their individual races. You should, too.

Step out of the cage you've made for yourself. In other words, unbound your self-limiting habits. You are good enough. You can do this.

XOXO

BDD

Taking over from Tolu Ijaoba on the subject of body shaming. 

I believe that there is a need to shed some light on what exactly BDD entails.

So what is BDD?

BDD is an acronym for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It is a mental health condition in which a person is unable to stop thinking about their perceived flaws or defects.

It makes one extremely anxious and ashamed of their appearance, which convinces them of the need to always look for ways to repair their perceived flaws; which in most cases could be plastic surgery and other cosmetic based operations.

Signs and symptoms of BDD

How do you know if you have BDD? The signs and symptoms may include:

1. Having a strong and passionate belief that something is wrong with how you look, i.e a general discontentment with your appearance.
2. When you believe others see you the way you see yourself and that is what causes them to mock and say a lot of negative things about you.
3. Attempting to find ways to correct a 'defect.'
4. Always needing reassurance on your appearance.
Etcetera.

This might not look like a big deal to you, but that's where you're wrong. BDD can cause some certain complications. I'll list a few. They are:

1. Low self-esteem.
2. Depression.
3. Social anxiety disorder.
4. Eating disorders.
5. Risk of disfigurement— due to various body alterations.
6. Drug Abuse.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for this particular disorder,  but I think the best mode of treatment will be opting in for; Behavioural therapy, Psychotherapy and Cognitive behavioural therapy.

Thank you for sticking around till the end.                  

XOXO