While growing up, you probably heard of those fake stories about how kids in China were making the Television sets,Laptops,Watches and Radios we save to buy come end of the month.

From Influencers,YouTubers and other Blogs, we can all agree that they are all preaching about the same Motto:Escaping The Matrix.

What is a Matrix?

A matrix is defined as a cultural, political and social environment, in this case, we humans develop.

What does it really mean to escape the Matrix?

From a personal perspective,when we wake up,we have a decision to either swallow the Factual Truth of life pill, or the Truth that is painted for us to believe,the Illusion.

The Gospel of Escaping the Matrix I believe was derived from “The Matrix” film where Keanu Reeves(Actor) was given a choice of two pills that he had to choose in order to swallow.The Blue pill represented the Illusion that everyone else in the world was being made to believe while the Red pill represented the Truth and facts of life.

Besides Keanu Reeves choosing the Red pill,I strongly believe he had the choice of swallowing the two pills at the same time due to curiosity.Why?,you would ask, but have you gone ahead to ask yourself who really came up with the “Escaping the Matrix” quote and his intentions.It is said that separation is the greatest Illusion and this “Escaping The Matrix” for me I believe is another deeper way to separate two groups of people hence an effective matrix all the same.

Authenticity and Dependency

Technology has greatly become part of our lives since we constantly depend on them for various reasons.It’s however interlinked to some of the ways rulers of the land keep people in the Matrix through instilling fear for example through what people watch on these gadgets.This I believe is what people consider to be the authentic self of themselves.This now becomes a loophole that rulers of the land can take advantage of since people need phones to work and to catch up on social life.

Dependency on Technology to be specific gadgets makes it hard to change the perspectives of many people at this stage.

Deprogramming oneself from the web of lies that as a society or an individual have been fed in I really think it requires alot.It’s like teaching an old dog new tricks which I really think requires ample time or a miracle.Many people are already consumed to the believes and lies that has made it their absolute truth.From Social Media Applications that have access to people’s private information and behaviours,I believe it would be hard to tell them to forget the Gospel they have been used to all their lives.

I believe it would be easier to make the Deprogramming goal a long term one for the Next Generations to come.One step at a time,we target the thoughts and how to reduce over dependency on Gadgets.

Or what’s your take ?

By.Vincent Kimathi.

You’ve probably acquired a Hair Force,Niek,Aiyaa Jordan,Neik or a Guchii sneaker before with some great level of confidence while gassing up your shoe plug as we call them.

Yeah, so I recently had an Alcohol Brand funded Activation gig where I really wanted to dress the part,show up and impress.So it just happened that I was on the other part of CBD running errands since Am-Pm  and the plan was heading back home by 7pm ,freshen up and head to the gig by 9pm.

Not yet blessed to drive,I boarded a Matatu at around 6:15pm headed on Jogoo Road only to find an incident along the way that translated to an accumulated massive traffic.Decided to be patient for around 30minutes while doing the math of actually just buying some sneakers and heading straight to the gig by using Mombasa Road as an alternative route to my destination,Imaara Mall.

First things first,I call my plug shop where they sell the Sneakers at a good whole sale price and unfortunately they closed by 6Pm.Sadly I alight,cross the Road and board another Matatu back to Town while arguing in my head why I should or should not buy a sneaker  at a Town Store that deals at 5,000 Ksh. on a retail price. Close to Muthurwa Market I recall a guy who i used to buy some T-shirts from and just to cut the story short,he sold me a pair of fake sneakers.

Here I was, walking out of Muthurwa Market with a pair of fake sneakers that didn’t wait for like 10 minutes to get spoilt at the front and my 3,000 Ksh. gone while vowing not to ever buy anything from him.I didn’t even get to negotiate since he had introduced me to the wholesaler plug.The saddest part is that later that night a lady noticed the sneakers only to claim they were fake since the company had not yet shipped the pair to Africa.

It’s very sad on how many counterfeit shoes are sold in Kenya.Back in 2021,a Kenyan Designer Ali Abdi popularly known as Nairobi West Niccur, was accused of selling fake sneakers to the former Prime minister Raila Odinga by his fans.

https://www.the-star.co.ke/sasa/word-is/2021-10-13-i-did-not-give-raila-fake-nike-sneakers-kenyan-designer-says/

Many of these counterfeit sneakers are alleged to be manufactured in China and shipped to various parts of the world since the real sneakers are very expensive for the common citizen to purchase.One can only imagine the vast wealth the stake holders in the sneakers counterfeit business have managed to acquire over the Years.

To avoid buying fake pairs,
1.Make sure the sneakers are wrapped in the type of paper the brand provides and not in plastic or tissue paper.
2.Check the inside tag for the SKU no.s in the sneakers to help check if they are real online.
3.Take note of the smell of the shoe.
4.Check key  unique features of the Original sneakers online before you go to buy.You’ll be on the lookout of those features when buying a pair.
5.Original sneakers are imported with a Show Box each in it’s own box.
6.Don’t be in a rush to purchase a pair and forget to compare with the Original.

By: Vincent Kimathi.