The dog who shopped
A dog came into a shop, having a bag in its mouth. The bag had a list of items to be bought and money so the shopkeeper took the money and put the items in the bag. Immediately, the dog picked up the bag of items and left. The…
The rope walker
The great tightrope walker Blondin strung a wire from one side of the Niagara Falls to the other. A crowd gathered to watch him attempt to walk out over the deadly falls. The silent tension turned to cheers as they watched him walk out, turn and come back. He…
The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman and the Banker
An American investment banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it. The investment banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Mexican how long it took…
The Story of a Dead Man
This is a story of a man who was dead. It is hard for you to imagine how it would feel to be dead because most likely you are not dead. I also suspect that you have never been dead. I therefore perfectly understand why you may not get…
Good luck, Bad luck
A man’s horse ran away. His neighbor came to him and said, “Bad luck that your horse has run away.” The man said, “Good luck, bad luck, what do I know?” But a week later, the horse came back, with 20 wild horses in his wake. The neighbor said,…
The story of two fish
Two fish were swimming when they saw a piece of meat dangling before them. The younger fish darted toward it with an open mouth. The older fish cried out, “Stop!” “You can’t see it, but there is a hook inside that meat. It is connected by an invisible…
The Dog who Ate a Leopard
A young girl takes her pet chihuahua with her on a safari holiday. Wandering too far one day the chihuahua gets lost in the bush, and soon encounters a very hungry looking leopard. The chihuahua realises he’s in trouble, but, noticing some fresh bones on the ground, he settles…
If you want to be influential, start blogging
‘If you want to hide something from an African, put it in the books,’ thus goes the old insult. However, there is some element of truth in the statement, considering the attitude some of us Africans have towards books, and especially when there is no exam attached to the…
Dead Reckoning
It is possible to know where we are and whether we are moving at all, when we are walking, cycling, or even driving. We can see objects around us, and our position relative to them can help us know if we are moving or stationery. The road markings on…
The Most Foolish Bird
There is a very foolish bird called Ngune. That’s the name in my native Embu language, I don’t know its English name. The bird only feeds on frogs, and the highlight of its foolishness is that it spends the whole day catching frogs from the river and placing them…