If a child grows up to be kind, healthy, responsible, self-sufficient, and decent—but not wealthy—has the sacrifice failed? Most people would instinctively say no. Yet many families behave as though the answer is yes. Not openly, of course. No parent sits their child down and says, "I didn't raise you to be happy. I raised you to be rich." But expectations have a way of revealing themselves. In comparisons with more successful relatives. In questions about promotions, land, and home ownership. In the disappointment that hangs in the air when a child is doing well enough to survive but not well enough to transform the family's fortunes. And perhaps nowhere is this tension more visible than in Kenya, where sacrifice is often treated as the highest form of love. Parents sacrifice for their children. Older siblings sacrifice for younger siblings. Entire generations sacrifice in the hope that the next one will live better. But what happens when sacrifice quietly becomes an...
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Ask someone on the street in Nairobi, Nakuru, or Kakamega: “What is your personal life philosophy?” You’ll likely get silence, or a shrug, or a vague answer like “just trying to survive.” And yet, the truth is—we’re all already living by some philosophy. It may not be written or thought through, but your repeated choices are the loudest expression of your beliefs. So the question is not: Do you have a life philosophy? The real question is: Is it one you chose? Or one that circumstance chose for you? Why Many Kenyans Don’t Live by a Clear Philosophy 1. The Tyranny of Survival In a country where millions live below the poverty line, there’s often no time or mental space to think about deeper things. When rent is due, school fees are late, and fuel prices are rising, philosophy can feel like a luxury. But here's the risk: If you don’t shape your beliefs, you...