@Maxline

A Few Tips For Rusty Good evening/night readers. Hope your day was great?( for those in other time zones, hope it's going well?). I am sure a lot of people are off to bed by now, and I really should be doing same considering how tired I feel right now not to mention my day tomorrow promises to be another long one. I have been on read.cash for more than a week now, and in that time, I have seen Rusty ( the guy everyone wants to please😂😂) spread kindness and love around, to seeing him take an unannounced leader of absence, even though that seems to not have affected his relationship with some, to seeing him return, only to forget some of his lesser known friends. Since his return as we must all known by now, he has not shown any interest in some authors and their articles. As this is something that some of the bigger fishes on this platform has experienced before, not to mention the average recovery time, a lot of new authors and young authors must be getting discouraged and skeptical. I can't say I blame them, especially for those whom Rusty started visiting very early in their read.cash journey. This has forced me to start thinking of how better Rusty can going about his business to ensure new authors are encouraged while also justly rewarding the hard work of it's best authors. If I saw Rusty right now, I will give him these few suggestions for better satisfaction on this platform that he (and us) so dearly love. **Reward** Rusty is known for giving so much attention to the articles of certain very good authors, tipping those articles back to back even with little to almost no interaction on those articles, and that's quite understandable seeing how they have managed to build themselves to get to the top of the food chain, not to mention diligence and loyalty ought to be rewarded. The problem sets in when some new authors are been treated in this same special way while others with better interactions are ignored. If I saw Rusty today, I would tell him not to just give away but actually reward authors by taking all factors into consideration. **Random**? I don't know whose idea it was to make Rusty a random giver, but from the little I seem to not is even his randomness can sometimes seem not so random. If I saw the guy today, I would suggest the random reward system should offer base reward( say $0.2 at least) to every author on the platform. You might want to ask, what happened to rewarding diligence and hard work?. What I'm suggesting is like a two stage process where all articles get at least $0.2 as long as it doesn't violate any rules. The second step will be where the diligence, hard work, quality content and all that will be rewarded. The total daily reward can be spread in a ratio of 1:3, with the second system taking 3/4 of the daily total. The council Have you ever gone to a place, say bank, to make a complaint to the customer care personnel only for you to be ignored or told to come in a week's time? Well, hopefully not. The thing is, it can get quite frustrating and I like to think a lot of new (or old authors) must be probably feeling that way right now. This platform is one of the best, if not the best altogether. I have come to love read.cash and the efforts of a number of people here has been the reason for that, and I am sure this is true for a lot of new authors. Imagine a scenario in which these superstar authors (who are already defacto ambassadors of read.cash) are actually made mods or something that will empower them to attend to complaints on the platform. This will give the other authors a personalized experience while helping to resolve any complaints or issues quickly. They might be asked to dedicate a certain time of their day for this task and be rewarded for it. This will help to simplify and enrich the support on the platform. **Closing** thoughts These suggestions could help Rusty become better at his job if it could be implemented, while also enriching the platform through personalized experience with the mods who are also authors who must have had any sort of complaint at one point or the other. This may make no sense to you, I write at the risk of that. But think about it, could this not help read.cash become better? Or what suggestions would you give?

Rusty's Disappointment Hey readers. Hope your day was/is good? Well here in Nigeria, it's safe to say most people are already asleep, not me though. Well, for me the day was hellish and tasking and killing in more ways than one. I woke up this morning knowing fully well it was going tho be one of those days I would want to forget in a hurry, but nothing would have prepared me for how bad it turned out to be (except for the words and encouragement of @Mhizutty ). My day was basically what I am going to be writing on the article; **The Cabal 3.** *To understand what I mean, you might want to read* https://read.cash/@Maxline/the-cabal-965278e5 ( not that I have written the episode 2. Sure will see to both tomorrow). Ok, i don't know how much I was missed around here, or if I was even missed at all ( definitely not by Rusty😂😂), but I have been away for more than a few days, howbeit not by choice but due to my extremely tight schedules these days ( that's not to acquit Rusty at all, he didn't seem to have noticed😂😂) What's it really about my busy schedule? You might want to ask that, and I think if I was to answer honestly, the answer would be a definite no. As much as my schedule these days have been really choked up, I usually still try to make out time to do things that time do not permit me to, because they matter to me, I love them ( or the benefits😂). That's begs the question, what then? Well, in all honesty, it all boils down to Rusty's rift with me. For reasons I still don't know, rusty stomped out of the house a few days ago after I looked at him the wrong way, but I wasn't bothered. He will come back in no time, I told myself. You can imagine my shock when he didn't show up for a number of day while I kept working, jist like my role models @bmjc98, @Princessbusayo , @HappyBoy, @Kushyzee , @Pearlkel , @George_Dee , @GarrethGrey07, @PVMihalache , @ZehraSky, @nheng1118 , @Jane, @FarmGirl etc. on this platform. Even in those his days of malice, he still took out time to stop by some of his friends place (post), he just wasn't staying long. Fast forward a few days, Rusty was back in the hood and I was elated, thinking he will stop by at my place(posts) soon. But I guess I still don't fully get what I did to him or how much it offended him, because since he came came to the hood, he hasn't stop by at my place. I kept hoping and praying that he would, but he didn't and still hasn't; and that's why. The why is I got demotivated after seeing Rusty go around, distributing his goodies and completely ignoring me. It actually got more dejecting when I realized that there seem to be no pattern to it,but yet I was been ignored. I decided to take a break and think about my relationship with him( if I want to keep doing this;doing read.cash ). It took a lot of thinking, but I have decided not to give up on our relationship ( on read.cash). If I gave up at every first obstacle( not that this is the first 😂😂 considering I had to open this account after my first one was spammed) I faced in every journey, I probably wouldn't start any. So, I was highly disappointed in the manner with which Rusty handled and is still handling our little squabble, but I am really hoping that he doesn't give up on me, as I have not given up on him, cos that will be too bad, just too bad. Closing **thoughts** So, this is my way of publicly apologizing to you, O Rusty. I am sorry for whatever I did wrong, I miss your visits and I would really love to have them back. I want and need them. I am really hoping you see this and it make you come back to me ( more like my post😂😂). Please, if anyone of you cashers can get to Rusty on my behalf, pls do, I beg you. I really, really miss him

A Lie Birth A Thousand (and more) Love was the only currency that had us spent on that floor, soaked in each others’ sweat. The colourful lies that we baked in each others’ company were fascinating. And I realized, the promises were nothing but pictures captured in the heat of the moment. Apparently, my hands are buried in my face. My name is Gideon Adewale but my friends call me G-boy. It’s not just a name. If you knew me, you would know that it is indubitably so. It is called packaging. Although, I don’t have an inkling about how the street works. One thing you should know about me is that; I’m a fashion freak. Like literally. Plus, I’m that guy who can lie my way out of anything. Yea, the only way you won’t be moved by my persuasive speech, is if you don’t give me audience. There is no story without a HER, right? One thing you should know about me, I respect my dad, a lot. Why? He is the reason why I can write with tears of pain and joy on my face. Let’s take it back. When I was ten years old, I caught my mom with my dad’s friend. To crown it up, she asked me to cover up for her. That shit really messed me up. Yea, it wasn’t a “one time thing``. And it wasn’t a “one guy thing. `` My mom was a super woman. She successfully perfected a messed up childhood for me. It was more like a routine. Different men when dad was away. Even as a child, I hated infidelity. To put a clip to the Long story, I told my dad. And that was when I started picking the shredded pieces of my family. My brother stayed with my mom after the divorce. While I stocked with to my dad. He’s a great guy. Yes, he’s not perfect. Although, he’s more like my map to life. Basically, he’s my navigator. Why am I tell you all this? I like being explicitly detailed about events. When I was in my early twenties, my dad looked me in the eyes and said, “My son, I know your hormones are all over the place. And you will want to try stuffs and do them. I’m not against it. You are a grown ass man. Although, I want to tell you something. If you must get in bed with that beautiful girl without protection, market that date on your calendar.” Those words echoed hard in my thoughts. Look, I’m not that into girls. Hell no!! I know what you are thinking. I’m as straight as an arrow. I’ve been with way too many girls to be drafting or marking a calendar. I mean, am I in the seventies? Although, one thing is certain: Experience was an advantage my father had over me. And I respected that. Blablabla…. Now, the story… On that gracious Saturday, Tony hit my place. You see, Tony happens to be one of those guys who has the money but doesn’t look it. Although, he was looking a thousand dollar rich today. So, we decided to hang out at Chicken Republic, an eatery. We made our orders and as we began eating, something happened. A shabby looking guy approached this hot chick. OK, I guess, I exaggerated. Although, he wasn’t looking… you know? You’ll figure it out. “Ten thousand naira, that girl will embarrass the guy.” I said to Tony. “ I’m in.” he reply abruptly. So, we watched as the whole incident was going to play out. The guy approached her. “Hi! I’m Jack. You have a lovely hair. Do you mind if I sit with you?” He made an attempt to sit face to face with her. “Really!! What are you? Dude!! you smell, like literally. And you wear one hell of a cheap trash for clothes. Hey! Let me do you a solid. Because you look like a gold digger. Drop your account details, let me upgrade your wardrobe and compliment it with some perfumes. Geezzz!!! Yuuuuk!!! You are gonna make me want to puke!!! Get up!! Please, you dirty thing.” She shouted. The young man stood up with all eyes surveying his appearance. It was a pitiful sight to watch. He rushed out of the place like his ass was on fire. I won the bet. I kinda have a thing for tough girls. They spark my interest. So I made another bet. “ Another Ten thousand naira, I will date that girl. I love her but the money will be an icing on the cake.” I said. “ I’m in” Tony said. I know a thing or two about such girls. So, walked to her table and sat directly opposite her. I stared at her and smiled. “Hello, lioness. Waitress, bring your most expensive wine.” I ordered. She smiled. “ So you are one of those guys, ehn! What makes you think I can be bought?” she asked with a smile. “ Take it easy on me, my lady. Or would you rather I dropped my account details too? I mean, I would oblige.” I said with a smile. “I love your guts, I’m Omolara, Omo for short and you are…” “I’m Gideon, G-boy for short. Can I have your contact? I am in a hurry.” I stood up and paid her bills, after I dropped my card with her. It’s not like I was busy. It’s the code. I didn’t want to give her the impression that I’m deeply into her. “ Call me, so we can have a proper date.” I told her and zoomed off with Tony. That was how I started dating òmó! It’s been three years since then. We’ve never had enough of each. We were always together. Rich girls and fun are inseparable. We visited the most exquisite hotels in town. I believed our feelings were deep rooted down the ground. Like very deep, I mean the marriage kinda deep. On that gorgeous Sunday, Òmó visited me. She was crying. I didn’t understand why she was in tears. I spotted a letter in her hand. “ I’m pregnant, babe. “ she said in midst tears. I looked at her and smiled. “ Wow!! So, I’m going to be a father. Yes!! Stop crying!! We should be celebrating!!!” I was quite ecstatic about it. Until my eyes caught the paper. Something apprehended me. She was three weeks gone. That’s impossible. We haven’t made love for about a month. I quickly tossed the ring back into my pocket. My expression changed. “ Babe, tell me the truth. Who is the father?” I asked calmly. I tried hard to control my anger. “ It’s you, babe. I swear, I love you and you alone. I’ve been with just you. You met me as a virgin, didn’t you?” she asked me. “ Ehn! This is emotional blackmail. And I won’t have it, in as much as I love you. I won’t be dragged into a lie. You had better take your bastard child out of my house,” I finalized with a deafening look. Òmó left my house in tears. I felt my heart shred into tiny pieces within but I couldn’t go after her. If only she could trust me enough to come clean. I won’t mind accepting the baby. I couldn’t sleep. I kept rolling on my bed. I went to my calendar and checked. I was right about it. I had marked down the last time we had sex and it just didn’t tally. The next day came like a lightening. I heard a knock on my door and when I opened it, the cops stood there. I smiled. “ Are you Gideon Adewale?” the officer asked. “ Yes, I am. What is the problem,” I asked with a straight face. “ You will have to follow us to the station. You have be accused of impregnating one Omolara Ogunwale,” he said, and brought out handcuffs. I followed them angrily. To be continued. What will happen to G-boy? Was G-boy responsible for the pregnancy? Was Omolara right for getting G-boy arrested? *Watch out for the final part.*

The Cabal.... Hey read.cashers, how are you? Hope your day was good and not as intriguing as mine? I certainly hope not. Setting out to school this morning as usual, I thought it was just going to be another school day (although, I should have known better). Well, to fully grasp what I am about to tell, lets go back one day (and a little further, maybe a year or two). So, late yesterday my class rep scheduled a meeting for today, so the class can iron out some issues and obligations imposed on us by the Faculty . Over time, experience has taught me not to say much in these kinds of meeting because it always end the same way: in chaos. Let me quickly and give you a little background story. I am currently studying for a degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management (a five-year programme). During my 100LeveI(freshman year), I was pretty isolated, as I was a hardcore introvert (I remember not saying up to 20 sentences to my parents in a space of three years. I was that bad. Looking back now, It’s kind of funny😂😂). But in my 200L, I kind of well, let’s say started leaving my nest, it was mostly because of one person really, why I thought I could or should make that exception for her, I still can’t answer. Well, the thing is over the next two years, I made a number of friends (note : I am extremely particular about those I call friends). In that two years, I made just five friends, of course there were a lot of acquaintances, but I never saw anybody other than the five as friends. Back to present day. Like every other day, I walked to school with my friends. On getting there, I opened the storeroom of the farm and did all my coordinator morning duties ( yea, I forgot to tell you, I was appointed the student farm coordinator of my university experimental farm at the beginning of the semester), while every other person was doing an assignment on what was given two weeks ago, to be submitted today ( as per we are unserious students). At about 10:00am, the meeting that was called the day before, scheduled for today finally got underway. A lot of items on the agenda were laid out ( not discussed), a number of us had objection, but were respectfully bidding our time. We had been asked by our professor to spawn in four groups as we had four hatchery tanks available ( but two needed repairs, very costly repairs at that). My class rep, out of his own wisdom said that the two groups who picked the two bad tanks were going to fix it themselves (me in my head: Yeye talk), and at that point, the objections began to fall. The two groups would have nothing of it, and the other two would not have it any other way. At this point, people were no longer careful about their choice of words, but interestingly myself and my friends stayed out of it. But they had to just pull our legs (because that is the real intent of every meeting we have ever had in the past three years). The table was been gradually set, when one of my friends called Gift was accused of trying to question the class rep’s decision. Another of my friend and @Mhizutty was accused of lack of financial transparency. The table was ready and the bombshell came: me and my friends had been accused of imposing our will on a class( 5 students imposing on 40, shameful talk). In a matter of minutes, we had gone from being just friends to being a CABAL(as christened by someone right there in the meeting) . It was really hilarious. If I was to detail this story, it would be so long rusty will be forced to walk past it 😂😂. Let me introduce you to the cabal. There’s the dick, Gift, there’s the angel @Mhizutty, the funny one @Kushyzee, the I can’t kill myself one, Karen, and there’s me, just me. Five friends who chose to dedicate their time, money, strength, body and soul to do that which they came to school for: learn, and for this, they had earned the respect of every staff member of the department, and for this the five had earned the hatred of the forty. I will complete this story tomorrow as my eyes are red and really heavy. Closing thoughts You may not have the whole story yet, but one thing you can take from what you have so far, is that not everyone will like you, no matter what. As a matter of fact, if too many people like you, you are doing something wrong, like allowing yourself to be used/taken advantage of.

Wawoo!! I got my first sponsorship today. You wanna guess who? Wrong. It's @FarmGirl, you heard that right, the one and only. Thanks so much @FarmGirl for the sponsorship, the support and for believing in me.

The Loss Series: Who's Family? It was the 9th day of the year 1973, Mazi Nzeogwu was about to retire to bed, when it dawned on him that the compound of Mazi Nwadugbo was unusually quiet. Over the years, the people of Emele village have come to know the Nwadugbos for their late night gathering which causes enough noise but has come to be nothing but a beautiful symphony to the villagers. Mazi Nzeogwu was really tired, but he couldn't ignore the feeling that something must be wrong in the household of his friend. As if that was not something enough to cause him to worry, the last two lanterns outside suddenly went off. Against the will of his tired body, he came out of his hut and headed towards his friends coming. As he approached, he heard hushed voices inside his friends hut and without thinking twice, he could tell that there were at least two people in that hut whose voice he couldn't recognize. It was obvious something was wrong. Armed with that knowledge, he went to Mazi Okafor's hut to call his attention. Both men armed with cutlasses headed towards the hut of their friend, long story short, fifteen minutes later they had managed to save Mazi Nwadugbos family from two assassins whom were going to have their fill of his wife and daughters before they did away with them. It was the 16th day of the year 2019, Police officer Adeyemi Philip was heading home from work and took the road beside Dr Maxwell's house. As he took the left turn, passing through the front gates of the doctor's house, the dogs which usually rained barks on him as if he hadn't had enough from his superiors were not there as usual. Having had a stressful day, he was too tired to notice and just continued driving. Thirty minutes later, as he sat down to eat, he heard what ( for a police man ) was a gunshot and in no uncertain term could guess it was coming from the doctor's house. Five minutes later, there was another shot, but as he stood to look out the window, the wife ( a towering figure by all measure ) stood on his way "what are you doing" she asked. He knew better than to argue, he simply ate and went to bed only to wake up to the news of a dead (and multi-violated) Mrs Maxwell and Dr Maxwell with their only child missing Okay, I know you are thinking, what's going on? Well here goes, two starting scenarios set in two different centuries ending with different outcome. It's simply a reflection of how our society has changed over time. In the 1800s-1900s even before the different entities that make up Nigeria was forced together ( to satisfy Luggard's ego and pride ), people were living in units I would call communal families. Communal families refers to a group of people not related by blood or genes, with something in common living together as a single family unit. Everybody living in a community saw themselves as one family, children could wander off for days, sleeping and feeding off from people who weren't their immediate family and the parents would have complete peace of mind knowing that their child's "other parents" ( which could be any other adult in the community) will be taking care and looking out for them. People knew their neighbors and knew them in detail. Look at the first case above, because Mazi Nzeogwu cared about his neighbors, he was friends with them, he knew their ways and that knowledge helped in noticing that things were wrong and he was able to save the day. Communal way of life was so ingrained in them to see each other as one family so much so that communities were paying to sponsor the child of a single member to school abroad. Children were always thoughtful of their actions as a result of the fact that they were always within sight of their parents as long as any adult was around, because whether or not they are family (by blood ), they will give you a taste of the rod of correction and your parents will send a gift over the person when they hear of it😂😂😂. It was hard to see a family go hungry a day for lack of food cause they had people to look out for them. Back then "blood was by no means whatsoever thicker than water"This kind of living birthed a society where there was so much love and rightful upbringing, and environment that is needed for proper child development. Children bred by this system never saw crimes nor vibes as options, they knew to work out, they lived by societal code, norms, values and culture. It encouraged peaceful living which is a recipe for progress and prosperity. Fast forward a few decades, the complete opposite is what we see. You dare not scold nor correct another person's child or else you and the mother go put leg for the same trouser😂😂. Children are no longer allowed out of the house to play with other kids. People have started living lives that mimics the kind of houses they build these days, fenced. In today's society, two families can live fence to fence for years and barely know each other name and as we can clearly see from the second scenario above, a situation like this is not only bad but can be disastrous and fatal. People now care only about themselves alone and this is reflecting in our nation at large, where different group of people will rather pledge allegiance to sub-units ( criminal or not, violent or not) rather than the state. This situation has given rise to a society that teaches children any of the virtues ( at least, not in actions ). This new way of living has birthed a dysfunctional ecosystem for child development, resulting in teenagers and youths with almost no value system. People birthed by this system believe they have no obligations to anyone. The resultant effect of this way of thinking can be seen everyday in our streets, on our TV and heard on radio channels. People no longer feel safe in the streets, or in their home, the church is not by any means safer (except for the grace of God), government officials no longer serve but enslave ( the massages with poverty ). This as results in a society where progress and prosperity is slow and in some cases non existence. Infact some societies are retrogressing. Closing thoughts As earlier stated, the society we are building today is the "everyman for himself society". We are and will continue to reap the rewards. Of course I don't except us to go back to those good old days ( not even possible in 2 centuries) but every river started as a drop of water. We can all try to become better and more compassionate people spreading some love and as we become parents, train our kids right and teach them their obligations to country, community, family and to self( of course for the religious ones their obligation to God must come first) until we meet again, its goodbye for now Thanks for reading.

A Joke Too Expensive To Buy On a fateful Friday, after the class had come to an end. It wasn't like I was in the class anyway. I was just sited there, lost in thought, wondering where I had gone wrong that Rita had to dump me for a guy she barely knows. She had being to my place a day before today. She complained that she couldn't bear the burden of being with a broke guy, but I am not broke. ( At least, I could deal with that indubitable fact) And that I couldn't even pay her bills, she crowned it up with me being a financial handicap who could only glory within the four walls of the classroom. Her words kept taunting me in the class. Crippled in what seemed like a nightmare, I wailed within like a baby denied of his breast milk. The only word that I could grasp was the lecturer asking us to read and prepare for our examination. I felt numb, dumb and utterly useless, dejected but, 'why? was all I kept asking myself. In midst my thoughts, I failed to realise I was walking and stepped on the lioness’ tail. “gbooah!!!” Was all that I heard, I felt my ears producing tintinnabulations that I couldn't begin fathom, but that slap revived me back to my sanity, as well as threw me off balance into the arms of another girl, only this one was compassionate and understanding. Something happened when I stumbled in the cause of the lightening that had befallen my cheeks, of course my cheeks were virgin but this slap had screwed me. “You are a fool, look at this nitwit, are you blind? How could you step on my one hundred thousand naira shoes.” she shouted at me, that was more like Amanda. No one goes scot free after dangling his hands in the mouth of a lion and lives to tell the story, my case was not made an exception. She continued, “and you even kissed Thessy, with your smelly mouth, jeez!!!!.” she said with an irritated expression hovering all over her. “Please, Amanda. It was not his fault, obviously, the poor boy was lost in thought and everyone noticed that today in class, so why are you pulling up such a stunt here over nothing.” Thessy was being defensive but why she was doing that, I couldn't tell. “I am sorry to have ruined your mood and shoes , Amanda.” I said with all humility. “Keep your sorry to yourself, dummy.” She said scornfully and walked off. I stood there drowning in my perplexity as well as watching Amanda walk away in a modeled manner. All her curves were displayed in that tight skirt. She is no doubt a champion of beauty, a picture perfect figure eight. Her left and right buttocks wrestled flawlessly with each other as she walked off. “I am sorry about her, you know she is always like that, dear.” She said calmly in a tone that seemed too enigmatic for me to comprehend. I mean, after dropping a kiss on her, she still felt oblige to tender that? 'Wow!' was all I could utter within me. “Thanks, and I am sorry about the kiss.” I said in a timidly polite tone, expressing my gap toothed dentation at sight. She smiled and said, “You take care of yourself, dear.” and went away. Back in the prison of my thoughts again, I wondered home aimlessly, but something happened when I got to the doorstep. My door was open and this bewildered me as the only woman with a spare key to my humble abode was my girlfriend, which had just tendered her resignation letter yesterday. (So who on earth will be inside, well, there's only one way to find out) I said to myself and turned the knob, only for me to see a lady sleeping on my bed. (No, it can't be my Rita, it's too good to be true) I said to myself. She woke up and walked towards my direction seductively, with an impassive smile. “hehehe..., so you fell for that lovers’ joke? jeez!!!so it got to you that much. Oh!! My God!!! Babe, it's April fool.' She said feeling so sorry, it was written all over her before I could utter a word, she drew me to herself. Breast to breast, chest to chest. I tried to dive into the whirlwind of passion but I couldn’t. It was the end of something beautiful. I couldn’t live with the joke. It was an insult to me. And I just couldn’t let it go… Was I wrong to end it? Was she justified to play the joke? What are your thoughts on this?

The Loss Series : Is Technology Your Friend? Hey guys! Happy second day of the month. I know I sound weird right now cos nobody says that but don't you think everyday is worth celebrating? I think so though. I mean why should only the first day of a new month be celebrated? I don't know about you but I will celebrate everyday like its October 1st. How has your day been? Hope it's going great? Well the sun shining at my end is so hot right now that the beads of sweat running down my face would be enough to fill up a swimming pool. Well, you must have guessed right there is no light and of all days to have a hot weather, it has to be today. I'm presently out of my hostel to look for a place to charge. I don't know about you but I'd be bored to death without my phone. Well what can I say, I'm grateful. Thinking about how boring my day has been with my phone dead and how distraught I've been, made me wonder how addicted this generation is with their gadgets. I'm sure you reading this right now cannot stay a day without your phone, laptop or any other gadget you're used to operating on a steady. As I spent time thinking about this, i started to see a lot of things I didn't see before that I'm afraid to say are negative. **negative really**? Yes you heard me right negative and I can't help but put the blame on technology. Now I know you are asking, what harm has technology done? I know it has its great perks, i mean I'm only able to do this now because of an advancement in tech. But I really want to show you the effects it has, had on the family and the immediate society. Family and tech. Lemme tell you `a` short story. I was home one day in the living room and my younger sis was downstairs with her friends gisting and doing all their girl chitchat. My mom needed to send her on an errand and asked me to call her. Guess what I did? I brought out my phone and literally dialed her number on my phone. I know some of you might say it was stress free but I'm guessing you don't see how much physical conversation this so called advancement in tech has introduced into the family certain. Parents and their children under the same roof now hold family meetings on social media platforms. Siblings in the sitting room abandoning each other and chatting with other friends abroad and wherever they may be without saying a word to each other. Look at the family certain of old, how kids gather around an elder to listen to tales and stories, how they play together under the moon, singing and clapping their hands, how they converse together and you can literally fill the love and true bond in the air. In most families these days, its easy to be in a house with your siblings and know nothing about their daily activities or what they are going through. That's because everyone is busy with their phones, headsets, laptops and many more inventions, all thanks to technological advancement. A busy mother feels okay to pacify her bored child with her phone instead of sparing time to play with the child. A father would deliberately buy their child an ipad to keep the child occupied because he has no time for the busy child. And said children grow up and do same, enacting an endless chain of technological dependency. **Tech** and society People live in the same locality and not know each other. They are all too busy to make physical friends and have cordial relationships with each other. Complaints and congratulatory messages are sent through the mail, parent-teacher complaints are sent through non physical means and so on and so forth. The church is somehow not left out from all these occurrences. People now stay at home and hold their services with whatsoever means that they have within their disposal. What I actually find funny about this is how people conveniently call it a service while they are probably cooking and doing church at the same time. Imagine we all did this? Sounds weird right? In all this we all see only the sweet and beautiful aspects in tech growth like access to the net, better and evolved communication and information circulation. We forget the bad exposure kids get from said tech advancements, the internet dependency and more. I believe more time should be invested in physical communication and even more in family relationship outside the realms of technology.

My New Beginning Hello fellow read.cashers, hope you are having a fruitful day? As for me, all I can say is, all is well. I was quite optimistic about the new month when I went to bed last night, but I didn't go to bed on time and I still woke up early. I'm guessing you know how that will leave you feeling like. Despite that, I had to rush to my university's experimental farm to ensure everything was done right this morning( the fishes clearly do not obey the federal government, neither do they approve of any holiday). The whole experience at the farm is a story for another day (I know you're itching to hear it). Well, while at it, I was trying to interact on read.cash and that was when @Kushyzee dropped a bombshell on me that my account @Philipmax was effectively useless as it had been labeled spam. I know what you are thinking; ' that must have hurt, I can imagine your pain', well I don't think so, you can clearly sympathize but to imagine my pain, I don't know, because I was absolutely gutted. It felt like I had just lost a winning lottery ticket. What hurt the most about it is not the fact that I lost the little earning I had accumulated(of course that hurt a little.wait, who an I kidding a lot), it was the people that I had managed to successfully interact with. It just felt like I was being demoted while others were being promoted. I still don't know exactly what I did wrong, I can only hope it doesn't happen again. Forgive me, happy new month folks, and happy independence day to all Nigerians and other nationals on this platform celebrating independence day( not that there's much to celebrate if you are a Nigerian). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the freedom isn't worth celebrating, I just think there are so many loopholes in this "free Nigeria" that needs fixing. Alot of us Nigerians hold the opinion that the government owes us this long awaited reform and change we need, I think that we as citizens have a role to play. A huge one at that! I have been trying to write something since , but my head still won't get past the loss of that account.. As if that's not bad enough my phone is getting bad( not exactly how anyone will want to start their new month, but a guy can hope for the best in the midst of a storm, right?) In a country like Nigeria where superstitions, believe and customs play important roles in people's everyday life, most people will call these bad omens; I mean come on, first day of the month, two not so good incidents; I'm not a very superstitious person but I'm hoping they are not. I had plans to work on the first episode of a series I called the loss series which I had already introduced in my former account @Philipmax but I'm going to have to reintroduce it or maybe even call it something else, who knows! Can i regain lost grounds? Maybe. I sure wouldn't let this seeming new beginning kill my fire, I am going to keep it burning bright. Do I think I can do it? Yes! Do you think i can? I sure hope you do, so let's make this happen!