JB Lifestyle

Someone close to me is unhappy with me because i didn't tell them something about another person close to me.  Secrets have a way of coming between people. (sigh) However that particular thing i didn't say was not my place to talk about it. It was supposed to be the person directly involved telling her about it. Anyway she found out and here we are. She is mad at me. Its not good to keep secrets but somethings are best kept to yourself.  People always say" i kept something a secret to protect you." I know it sounds very cliche but sometimes i think its true. Knowing the truth about certain things is painful and sometimes destructive to the person. You need to judge the situation before you speak. Some truth's may even damage someone's reputation or be used as fodder for gossip and ridicule. Lets all be prudent with the secrets we are keeping and learn when not to say anything about certain truths. I hope she forgives me some day. (sigh)

There has been alot of criticism of pope Francis I in particular especially after the recent synod of catholic bishops in October. There has also been alot of criticism of roman catholic priests in recent years following the sex abuse scandal. Yes, they are called to live exemplary lives and are held to the highest moral satndards. However they are human beings like you and me and are this fallible. No one is perfect and have we ever considered that, we are to a certain extent responsible for each others failings as human beings. Priests make mistakes just like we all do. I am not saying that mistakes are right, they are not, they are just human and we need to see beyond the mistake in order to take corrective action and ensure that it does not happen again. The media seems to twist francis' words sometimes or to exaggerate what he says. The result is alot of controversy and criticism for whatever the pope does or says. People always have opinions about  you and what y...

We are indeed a society so obsessed with sensuality especially in modern times. From our clothing, to our music, to our media, to our lifestyle. Freedom of expression is a good thing and everyone should be able to live according to their rights but sometimes i think we take it too far. A certain female artiste had some nude photos of herself taken for her ex-boyfriend. I know alot of young men and women take nude photos especially in their youth. However because of the society we live in, it is more damaging to women. Anyway, the photos of said artiste were leaked by him after an angry spat with her. Of course her fans may say they still love and support her but her reputation is ruined now. Almost everyone with a smart phone in Uganda has seen her naked. I was also reading story in one of the local papers about how somebody's marriage was almost destroyed by her husband's addiction to pornography. He no longer desired his own wife. When are we going to get it. There is...

I am sometimes selfish, it is one of my weaknesses as a person. I pray that God gives me a selfless heart so that i can give, and not just give but give with a joyful heart. When we are being charitable, it is important not to grumble inwardly but to give freely with joy. I know it is hard because it goes against our selfish nature but truth be told, it feels good to help out someone in need. We hold on to so many things that we do not need anymore. Our basements and storage spaces are filled with things we may not need anymore but we just keep holding on to them. However one important thing to note when being charitable especially when giving away things is, you need to respect the dignity of the person receiving. Do not give them torn clothing, or things that are basically best thrown out in the trash! Lets also understand that people receiving are human beings and we all want to receive good things. A priest once told me that when we are giving, we should give something ...

Take a moment today and be grateful for the "little things" in life.  We usually want "big things in our lives". We want that top job, mansion, luxurious new sports car. We want to be recognized and considered successful in life. We are taught in life that in order to succeed, we need to achieve something greater than others. We need to be 'better" than just average. I think that the idea that you need to be better is a good one. However, do not measure success based on the lives of other people. We love to compare our lives to others and sometimes think "why cant i be like so and so? why cant i have his or her life?" This is a very wrong way of thinking indeed. No one's life is perfect no matter how much money they have, or  power or good looks or fame. The irony of life is the people we are envious of are actually envious of your life too. We cannot all have the same lives no matter how much we want to nor should we be envious o...

In our world today, there are so many cases of detachment from the people we live or work with, even in our own families. I work in the travel industry and visa regulations change frequently. Last week i was reading the visa regulations for certain countries. If you had recently traveled to Liberia or sierra Leone, you would be refused  entry into some of these countries. Some people even suggested closing the borders of those countries entirely. We tend to see the problems of others as not directly affecting us. What a world we live in today! We should be ashamed of ourselves because this Ebola crisis in west Africa and other crises have brought out the worst in us. Over 4500 people have died in west Africa as the world looks on. It is just heartbreaking to think that we have ignored our brothers and sisters to die in unimaginable pain and squalor.  Many children are now orphaned and the entire health structure is too strained to handle other health problems like malari...

Oh to be young and innocent again! Children are so innocent and sweet, so pure especially when they are still very young. They are a treasure and a joy whose innocence should be protected at all costs. Some one once told me that when he got home, his child came running to hug him and ask how his day was. Very touching indeed! Some people especially in our modern era, decide not to have children, including married couples. Some people abort(murder) their own children because they "are not ready." Some people abandon their children and disown them as if they didn't exist. Some people even give the reason of the cruel and harsh world we live in as an excuse not to have them. All these reasons cannot justify the destruction of innocents(children). Even by our own selfish actions as adults for example through abortion, through broken families, through rejection of responsibility, we cause sometimes irreparable damage to children. We sometimes force them to grow up so ...

The month of November is traditionally dedicated to the souls of the departed. In the homily the priest gave in my local church last Sunday, he said that especially in Africa, we usually forget our dead relatives and friends after the burial. This is kind of ironic because in traditional African culture, the dead were revered and honored.  Of course in some ways this practice was misguided as in the worship of ancestral spirits which is occultist, we need to honor and remember our dearly departed ones. We always love to comfort those who have lost heir loved ones by telling them "they are in a better place, they are at peace". But are they really? Some people have dreams and shall i say "visions" about their departed loved ones or other people. I believe when this happens, that soul is restless and searching for peace on the other side.  Try to find out what the soul wants from you and pray about it. Also pray for that soul to rest. However please note that ...