

My dear Jil, I know what the average man will do as regards this situation is condemn you. But I have seen life. I have seen life happen. I have seen that matters of the heart don’t always proceed rationally, that things do happen. I have also seen the power of need, that emotional needs are powerful. And that these needs are not easily understood by a bystander or third party. Our needs are invariably a catalogue of our history. They are demands made by us for the shortcomings in our life. Sometimes you meet that one person who ticks all your boxes – he’s all you want, only he’s married. Sometimes needs cross, like a pair of scissors – needy single girl meets needy wonderful man in a bad marriage. These are realities of life, one we’re not always willing to acknowledge despite the facts before us. Continue reading
My dear Jack, you and I know the Osu caste stuff is cultural irredentism. And it’s from a bygone era. The logic embedded in that caste system is so obtuse. How do you hold someone in the 21st century responsible for the alleged crime of her ancestor from antiquity? And the moral standing is doubtful. By one account Osus were condemned to serve as sacrificial offering to contumacious demons to clean the land from abomination. The saner version of the narrative is that Osus were criminals who sinned against their communities or were disobedient to the edict of the king. So how can a lady who is 100 times removed from her primogenitor be held responsible for his ancestral crimes? Why should she be socially isolated and denied her marital choice in the 21st century? Even more illogical is the notion an ancestral line can be branded with blemish forever, and this irrespective of the personal qualities of the descendants. And there is no redemptive recourse. Continue reading
My dear Jack, you’re going to put yourself on an emotional rollercoaster trying to keep this lady. Your heart can’t afford it. First, your relationship is in a state of plausible deniability. She never said yes to your boyfriend proposal. She just allowed things to carry on. There’s no definitiveness about the relationship. Perhaps you should have asked her a simple question: Are we boyfriend and girlfriend now? Sometimes it’s wise to ask such questions, especially if a relationship seems borderline. Not sure she really wants to date you. Seems she just used you as a gap filler. She didn’t want to be alone. She sucked emotional nutrient from you but she had no plan to commit to you. Continue reading
My dear Jil, I think the seeming complications in this relationship are being driven by your insecurities. It seems the things you’re worried about are nothing to this man. He doesn’t care. For instance you’re worried about whether you’re fine enough for him. (He had a beautiful girlfriend). But he wants you. Which means you’re beautiful enough for him. You’re also allowing his profile and achievements intimidate you. That’s a bit understandable. And yet he wants you. You really don’t know why he wants you do you? He doesn’t want you because of your beauty, he wants you because there’s “something” about you that resonates inside him. There’s something. You said it yourself: you just click! You just seem to get along. You can talk freely with him, you’re free with him, you can be yourself… And you feel safe around him. When you met the chemistry was instant. Continue reading
My dear Jil, to be honest with you I don’t understand why you’re walking around imagining yourself damaged on account of some past abortions. And you WERE a teenager for goodness sake! Now, of course different folks have different attitude towards abortion, but that’s beside the point. It’s done, it’s done, you can’t reverse history. You can’t keep living in regret. At some point you have to accept the past for what it is and move on with your life. Of course, there’s moral provincialism at play here and it’s largely dictated by culture and religion. That’s the reality of the society you live in. It’s a context in which abortion is treated as a definer of character and essence. The hypocrisy is that the impregnating male is not held equally responsible. And so he can’t have any residual guilt about the abortions. After all you didn’t impregnate yourself. A boy did. How come you’re the only one bearing continuous guilt for the abortions? He’s moved on. You better move on too. Continue reading