Why a Little Knowledge is Dangerous: The "Oga" Experience

When she wants to leave the house: "I beg Oga!"

To feed Jay: "I beg Oga!"

To change the channel: "I beg Oga!"

To borrow a novel from me: "I beg Oga!"

To set aside a snack for another time: "I beg Oga!"

To borrow my slippers: "I beg Oga!:

To listen to Daughtry: "I beg Oga!"

To watch Mseto East Africa: "I beg Oga!"

To accompany me to the grocery shop: "I beg Oga!"

To stroll in the evening: "I beg Oga!"

And, I have lost all nerves save for this one I am using to type this article! So why the sudden fascination with "Oga?" Simply put she has been watching too much of Afrosinema, and it doesn't help that KTN also has picked up n showing such movies during the day!

So, it's been a week of such revelation that has made me thank Heavens for having taken a course on patience-or is it understanding, no...it is a course in simply letting people be, also known as Psychology!

So, she goes on ranting about "I beg Oga around the house and it reminded me of children and how curious they are. When a child learns a new word, he/she will use it all the time till they have mastered it. When you grow and are faced with the 8-4-4 system you have to replay the words even in writing exams and here it's called 'cramming.' But when you are from the village and such new words or experiences bombard you, then Kenyans term it 'kuchanuka' and of course Westerners deem it 'culture shock.'

Either way, I will have to admit that now that I can write about it, it makes me smile knowing that she is learning to put into practice vocabulary, which means her hearing, understanding and memory are top notch- and all this makes me smile because when my Mom calls her once-she doesn't respond. She only responds when Mom has managed to send me or get what she wanted hours back.

So, why is a little knowledge dangerous?

It can be misused!

Knowledge is so specific that it expects a certain outcome most of the times, but wisdom on the other hand is knowing how to use what you know not only to your advantage but also to the acquisition of more important experiences. Like Jay's Nanny-she uses the phrase "I beg Oga!" even in reference to females, but it's an Igbo term though referring to 'boss' 'master' or 'man in-charge' it is mostly taken as a masculine phrase. I'd not mind one bit if she referred to me 'I beg Madam!' But knowing her- and she's keen on watching AfroSinema today too, I am sure she will pick up soon.

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How can one change the world if one identifies oneself with everybody?