Chinyere  Nwakanma  writes  about  how  capitalism has  made us to forget  about the simple things of life

May   21  2025 20.55pm  BST

I  happen to be someone reserved , with  many conservative views  about  life, which  is one of  the nature  of the people of my own time. But  I  became drawn into   the world of capitalism  , which  some of my friends    are  also stuck  in.And life became more about what you can  get and  what you can acquire , which    made all of us to  join the panicky life of meeting deadlines and meeting times, of which  I am not against  those who have chosen to embrace the rat race to the point of forgetting  about beautiful family moments  .I actually  used to think that the  24 hours  a  day  was  too  small  for mankind  to  do  everything that they needed to do.Nightshifts, dayshifts,weekend shifts  became my best friends, standing at the train stop alone  by midnight became  a habit after working    and  sleepless nights  of work took a toll on me.  Fatigue and lack of concentration at the  things I used to do became my friends  .    I started looking at  what I could have  , rather than what I could do for others. Capitalism is the root  of every selfish living,  of which  the thought of  getting everything , gets us  

consumed with greed,  when we fail  to keep  the boundaries by  separating needs from  want.And sometimes  we fail to understand that others  exist , because  we are too busy  to see the humans  in them.Our caring attitudes to others  disappear  and we begin to see them as objects  and even numbers.We  see them as  data, not humans  walking down the streets , just objects  to  satisfy our  capitalist tendencies,  because we have been driven away from the realities of being human  and the warmth that comes from  family relationships  and  having relationships with others.This is the reason  why our  cousins drift  away  to the point of  thinking  of ending it all ,  because they think that they are alone in this huge wild world, when they should have our arms around them and a  shoulder to cry on when  pressed by the  problems  of life.We  seem  not to care for  anyone  anymore  or think  about reaching out to others, when we become consumed  by the greed  of capitalism.We  become objects of quarells  and  antagonisms,  rather than  humans full of love.Our lifestyles  become that of   dragging things with  others  and even our kin ,those dearest to us  and family gatherings  become  aliens, but they are  supposed  to be the most important  parts of  our lifestyles.Family  becomes  far away  people  and sometimes  we  embrace the folly of seeing  our families and those who love  us as enemies ,when they are not.We are    frail humans, born with with  the  abilities to embrace love  and compassion,  but when we get drawn into  capitalism   we  become species with no care for anyone  except   our selfish  inner  selves craving for more.Everyone  we see  becomes  an  object  to help  the   expansion of  our  financial books,  rather  than  friends,  sisters and  loved ones.Being relaxed and contented where  one is,  is a good quality  that  helps one to live a life  of  less worries  and  anxieties.I am not asking my readers  to become hermits ,but if  one feels that  her  capitalist  circles  are bringing  her anxious  moments, that the crowd  with you runs you out of steam, leading to  constant   anxieties  then  it is better  to withdraw, to keep your mental  health clean and return when you can think properly  but maintain  close relationships with your friends,untill  you can think  soundly rather than getting to the point of  having  a mental breakdown  which  could  lead  to  so much  losses  and  sometimes  ridicule  from those  who  do  not actually  know you.Pressures  are not good  for  productivity  and  capitalism makes people  to lose the  essence of living,  hence  our angers and frustrations  about those around us.It is this capitalist tendencies that lead to  relationship breakdowns,  making sisters  to point accusing  fingers  at their brothers,  as the sources of their  bad luck or vice versa,dragging whole circles  of families and friends  into bickering  and shows of no love , while the world watches on. Writing Graceful  has helped me to  have an understanding of the lifestyle of reaching out to others  in true  love  and  seeing them as humans  with frailties .I  used to have  this love of wristwatches  and I   tried to  see  if  by acquiring  too many  wristwatches, my endless  and constant  cravings  for  seeing  wristwatches   at the shop windows will end.I bought  all types of  wristwatches,  until  my cravings  stopped  and I  have come to see  the futility  of  asking for more, more, more  of which those  around me found very  strange ,being  part of the rat race of  trying  to  get more  ,more ,more  and  putting some in the potholes  and that does not bother me anymore.I have come to an understanding that contentment is gain  .I am not asking my friends  not to be  ambitious,  as I  have  always  encouraged the young  ones to aspire  to achieve.But when one fails to see the beauty  of our world  and  the opportunities  given to  us to enjoy  what we have,because of  capitalism by dragging things  giving to us   freely with others, it becomes a  problem .Nobody brought  the goldmines  and oil blocks to the world.Everyone  saw them  when they grew up and became adults  ,we happen to own our oil blocks  by   being born into  a  particular  region  of  the world where  they were  born,which we had no  choices of determining our ancestry, we are where we are through grace.The  person who   fails  to embrace the beauty  of  the  blessings around us, is missing out  on the beautiful moments  of life as aging comes  quickly  and suddenly.The person  passes the streets  without thinking about the  builders of the  houses,those who clean the  streets  ,those  who tender the grasses and those  who make our environments clean and  fine.All  he thinks is  the   making of more ,more more.Some of the gardeners do their jobs   without thinking about how much they earn  because they do   their  jobs as   their passion, which is their  calling  to help our world to stay beautiful.Doing  something people love ,brings people to   places of fulfilment , but those gripped by Capitalism ask people  how much they have made  doing what they love to do.That is why  many people  do not enjoy their jobs  and they  leave their places of work  miserable and   enter  a life of depression , some  spiralling  out of control  to  the point of  ending it up,while everyone  screams and ask the reason why that has  happened to him. He was on his own solitary  life , surrounded by many but with no-one.Despite the millions he  was making ,he never enjoyed his  work.He missed his families and friends  and his mental health  was impacted by the pressures of his work  which was  not the lifestyle he wanted to live.He craved for   solitude, he craved love and family times.But he had the endless  crowd  and the pressures of life with him.He got tired  and decided by himself to exit without any reasons  on his own.That is what capitalism can sometimes do to people  who are detached from love and family life.From the time  we were little  until now ,our world has changed  with many overlooking the simple things of life, while  asking for  more, more, more.

Image   credits  Graceful magazine/Graceland Books  and Allied

GRACEFUL

Author Chinyere Nwakanma speaks about her new book, new award nomination and her rumoured single life

April   22  2025  17.15p.m   BST

Children's writer and Playwright Chinyere Nwakanma speaks about her new book and being nominated for Net Zero Hero Award- FIN Best of Africa  and the rumours that she is now a single madam .The multi award winning London based Playwright,Poet and children's writer tells her fans that she  is excited  about  her new  book  release  and the  book   will  bring  laughter to   kids  in reading  rooms.The book  title is  -A  Tale of the Penguins and the great elephant fall  by  Chinyere  Nwakanma I.S.B.N  : 9781036917494  Publisher-Graceland  Books and Allied   June   2025  which  she  described  as a very  beautiful  book that must be read, seen  and be shown  around. She pleaded  with   her fans to  buy  her new  book  to encourage  and support  her. She pleaded with those who love her styles of writing to buy her new book and help her to continue her works. She thanked all those supporting her through the years, especially those buying  her  books and those who gave her multiple awards, telling  everyone that  they  are greatly  loved  and appreciated  by her .She told  her fans that the future of books and libraries  is in danger  of being annihilated by those  blocking  people's  books   and  hampering the circulation of  beautiful  pieces  of  artworks because of prejudice  and  people  who  do not  appreciate  the hard work  involved in writing  and producing new  books. And this is  not good  for the  future  of books   and the  youngsters  hoping  to continue the legacy  of books  and the  libraries. She told grapevine  that  most  writers are afraid that  in the near  future, there  will be no more  books, as picking up  a printed book today to read  has become  like  climbing  Mount  Kilimanjaro for the  young  people, which is not good  for the  future  of books. She told her fans that  she  is  growing into  a  very  mature elderly woman  and remains  a  wife  as  she is an ordained  woman practising  her  faith ,which  is  something more  important  to  her than the other  things  she is  doing. She  debunked the  single life rumours , being  circulated by  those  who  just  pick  on others especially when they  are  doing  fine, but  she reassured  her  readers  that she  belongs to  the old   systems  and does not live  as she likes or get  herself  involved with  things that  do  not  align  with her  beliefs. She  told  Grapevine that  she loves  the people  around her, who  are very private people  and  are too busy for  little  talks.She tells her fans that  being nominated  for  the FIN  AWARDS  gave her the strength  to sit up  and pen her new  book and  she  is  grateful  to  her  mentors  and all those encouraging her by buying her  books  and magazine writings.