November's Big Ideas [TMP #104]

the responsibility to do, Tunde Onakoya & beautiful BC!

This is where I apologize to you and me for not publishing consistently this year. Because I’ve started my master’s in Chemical Engineering (aka I would appreciate all the study time I have 😅), cherish privacy, and still want to write, I’ll be publishing monthly henceforth. By December 2025, I’d have kept my word.

Moving on…

This episode at a glance:

• November’s Big Ideas

• Book Club 📖

• The Gallery 🎨

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November’s Big Ideas

After much reflection, engaging conversations, and a few aha moments in November, three core ideas struck me and influence the kind of person I want to be.

First, every person with even an ounce of privilege has a responsibility to do something beneficial for their community. Second, given that resources will never be evenly distributed, those blessed with financial resources have been entrusted to manage them in ways that benefit many. Third, cultivating a giving character has to be intentional, starting with the small. These three are related, not groundbreaking, but profoundly significant.

The Responsibility of Privilege

Every person with even an ounce of privilege has a responsibility to do something beneficial for their community. My best friend describes this as “giving someone a chance at life.” It’s something we all can—and should—do. Thankfully, giving someone a chance at life can take many forms. At its core, though, it means providing the resources someone needs to improve their quality of life. When privilege is involved, it’s about using your unique access or advantages to do so.

Think of the essentials that contribute to a good life: food, shelter, health, education, community, and mindset (which is kind of education). Primary school teachers that bother enough to give good advice to students do this—in fact, that’s the best basic example I can think of right now. The unique advantages of the teacher? Age and influence. Privilege exists in many forms—financial resources, education, access, or even time. If we choose to recognize it, we all have something to offer.

Starting with What We Have

With this in mind, it becomes clear that while resources may never be evenly distributed, others can have because we exist. It is then easy to see how we can give or share when we start with what we have. We don’t have to [wait to] be presidents, politicians, or policymakers to create better conditions for others. Giving our time, attention, or other resources already goes a long way.

Please watch this Ted Talk by Tunde Onakoya, the founder of Chess in Slums Africa :)

And again, you don’t have to [wait to] be a ‘Founder’ to do something meaningful.

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Book Club 📖

I finally took up audiobooks because I couldn’t continue with the excuse of not having time. So, I’m currently listening to The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin. It’s a history of the oil industry and I’m in Chapter 3.

Cover, The Prize by Daniel Yergin

I am also reading Ed Conway’s Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization. I really like this book—makes you appreciate engineering and the non-tech companies out there. I am also on Chapter 3 and have learnt about the wonders of good old sand :)

Cover, Material World by Ed Conway

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The Gallery 🎨

Here’s a picture of a skyline in ‘Beautiful British Columbia’:

was it this saturated or was my camera performing magic?

There’s a painting of a similar view by Paul Ygartua in the Ukama Gallery, Vancouver, BC and I think that’s sick!