Perhaps one of the most overlooked privileges is not wealth itself, but having enough margin in your life to respond to reality. Over the last few years, we have become fluent in the language of privilege, speaking easily about financial privilege, pretty privilege, racial privilege, passport privilege, educational privilege and social privilege, and in doing so we have become increasingly aware that people do not all start from the same place and that some doors open more easily for some than for others. Yet there is one form of privilege that seems to receive far less attention, and that is the privilege of being able to do something with the information you have, not simply knowing, but acting, because the truth is that information alone changes very little. We like to imagine that if people only knew better, they would do better, and entire industries are built around this assumption, from self-help books and documentaries to podcasts, awareness campaigns, public health initiative...
There’s a quote that says: "To understand something deeply human, you need to immerse yourself in the human experience." In Kenya today, many of us are detached from this experience—not only from others but also from ourselves. We perform life instead of living it. We chase survival or success but forget to feel. We go through heartbreak, loss, joy, and struggle without stopping to ask, _"What is this teaching me about being human?"
What Is the Human Experience?
The human experience is not just being alive. It is the full range of what it means to live with emotion, memory, choice, culture, struggle, and connection. It’s the smell of githeri on a cold day, the grief of burying a parent, the weight of regret, the joy of first love, the frustration of Nairobi traffic, the laughter at a matatu joke, the panic of a rent deadline, or the hope of a new chama cycle. It is pain, pleasure, confusion, beauty, ordinary moments, and deep resilience.
To become a student of the human experience is to observe these things with curiosity. It’s about making space for reflection, even in the middle of hardship.
Why Have We Become Detached?
In Kenya, detachment is often survival:
Hustling leaves no time or energy for reflection
Emotional pain is masked with humour or alcohol
Many people grow up in homes where expressing emotion is seen as weak
Our education and work systems reward output, not awareness
So we harden. We power through. We pretend everything is fine. We stop noticing our own lives.
But when we disconnect from feeling, we also disconnect from meaning.
We misunderstand each other. We parent on autopilot. We lash out. We pass on trauma without knowing. We lose our capacity to hope or imagine.
Why It Matters (For Everyone)
This isn't just for the middle class. Even when life is hard, it is still trying to teach us something. A mama mboga in Gikomba, a boda rider in Kisumu, a young man in a mjengo site, a househelp in Syokimau—everyone is living a human experience. But not everyone has the language, time, or emotional tools to reflect on it.
Yet:
If you’ve ever forgiven someone, you’ve participated in the human experience.
If you’ve ever felt hunger and still shared your food, that’s it.
If you’ve ever cried quietly in a matatu and then gone on with your day, that’s it.
We don’t study the human experience by sitting in a seminar. We study it by noticing, by feeling, by growing. Whether you’re jobless, employed, hustling, or in school, it is available to you.
A Simple, Practical Formula
1. Pause and Name
— What am I feeling today? What happened? Even one word: tired, hopeful, angry, proud.
2. Ask "Why?"
— Why am I feeling this? What does it remind me of? Who else might feel this way?
3. Connect It to Something Bigger
— Is this something my parent also struggled with? My neighbour? Can I learn from someone else’s way of dealing with this?
4. Do One Kind Thing (for yourself or others)
— Help a friend carry groceries. Speak kindly to your child. Rest. Say no. Say thank you.
5. Reflect Weekly
— At the end of the week, even during a walk or commute, ask: What did I learn about people? About myself?
A Kenyan Awakening
Kenya doesn’t just need better infrastructure. We need emotional infrastructure. We need better humans—humans who are emotionally awake, morally grounded, curious, and connected. People who don’t just chase progress but understand pain. People who don’t just perform religion but live compassion. People who study life as it is, not just as they wish it were.
Mantra: "I am a student of the human experience. In the chaos, I pause. In the routine, I feel. In every moment, I grow."
Reflection: When was the last time you looked at your life and found meaning in something small?
Explore more grounded reflections at kenyaonashoestring.co.ke
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