For Everyday Life

Abstract

For Everyday Life Ndaba Sibanda (bio) Perhaps the expression "life is what you make it" is still relevant today in spite of some people`s personal beliefs, ones that are rooted in the power of fate or destiny rather than in decision or action. After working for several months or years, sometimes we feel the need to go on vacation to recharge our batteries. One day I made a choice to visit the mighty Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I also chose the mode of transportation I would use to get to that world-famous tourist center, the Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders"), also known as the Adventure Capital of Africa and the Adrenalin Capital of Africa. The linking buzzword between my choice of destination and my choice of transportation was none other than mathematics. I am a teacher by profession and a poet by avocation. As an educator and author, I use my laptop on an almost daily basis for classroom lessons, charts and graphs, writing, and data storage. (I consider any working computer a mathematical genius.) Teaching has been known to be a noble profession. Like any job, what makes it noble is how one applies mathematics to one's personal and professional schedules. Without that mathematical flair, it can be an ignoble and thankless occupation. Jamie Lyn Beatty Thi is of the opinion that, "Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul." (Twitter, 22 December 2016) Traveling begets memories. No amount of money can buy our recollections of our experiences. We are the best witnesses of our travels and experiences. A person who hits a jackpot and then goes on a spending spree without accounting for each and every cent is like a businessperson who cannot work out how much they need to charge for their services or goods. Evidently, the danger of failing to think logically or mathematically can lead into a disaster no matter how much money one has. Along Victoria Falls Road, I saw few thriving businesses and farms. I knew that the owners had basic models that detailed their business concepts like procedures, processes, practices, production costs, staff wages, assets, and liabilities. Some shop attendants were doing stocktaking and bookkeeping. Mathematics was certainly at work. Of course, I do not need to be a rocket scientist or a mathematician to know that the salary and perks of a job need to be enough to keep the [End Page 17] family ship afloat. If it is not enough, mathematics tells me that there is sufficient reason to jump ship jobwise. That means that the first port of call before one signs a contract is to examine the overall value of the job. For example, I would do a calculation of my expenses. How much money would go into fundamental bills like rent, utilities, car insurance and maintenance, house maintenance, fuel consumption, school fees, and life and health insurance? How much money would I save after paying those bills? Would I have enough for capital projects like extending a residential property or investing in a business venture like a café? Would I have enough money to spoil myself and my family once in a while with outings and gifts, or enough to keep up with technological advances in household gadgets, laptops, and mobile phones? I remember that before I embarked on the trip to Victoria Falls, I had to consider time and the duration. Would it be a two-day adventure? Would I travel by car or by train or by plane? Being a big fan of safaris, I decided to go between May and October, when the vegetation is comparatively low and animals are easily spotted. Of course, this happened after determining several figures: the temperature, the best time to visit Victoria Falls, and the specific experiences I sought to invest myself and time in. Being fearful of a night safari, I chose a morning drive. I told myself that next time I would go in the afternoon. Some people chose to rent bikes or cars, but I said, "Canoe and copter, take me away." Next time, maybe a horseback expedition. Why not? Victoria Falls is not only a World Heritage Site...