The Sweet Wind That Carries the Hidden Fire: My Eyes Watching the Vaping Clouds Over Our Lands

The Sweet Wind That Carries the Hidden Fire: My Eyes Watching the Vaping Clouds Over Our Lands

The Morning I Saw the New Smoke in the City

Myself, I have lived in this beautiful country of Kenya for all my many years, and I have walked the busy streets of Nairobi since the time when my hair was still black and thick. In my long life of observing the ways of our people and writing about the changes in our society, I have seen many new things come and go like the seasonal winds. But the thing which is called vaping, or the using of e-cigarettes, is a wind that is blowing very strongly among our young ones today, and it is a thing that is making me sit down and think deeply. When I was walking early in the morning near the bus stages last week, I saw the young boys and girls standing together, and they were not smoking the old bitter cigarettes which we knew in the past. Instead, they were holding small shining sticks in their hands, and they were blowing out thick, sweet-smelling clouds into the morning air. It is a thing that catches the eyes very quickly because the smoke which is coming from these e-cigarettes does not smell like the burning of dry leaves or the bitter tobacco which our older brothers used to smoke when I was a young man. The air around them was smelling like sweet mangoes, like fresh mint, and like the sweet berries which we do not even grow in our own soils here. I stopped my walking and I just watched them from a distance, and I saw how they were passing the small shining stick from one hand to another, laughing and enjoying the sweet wind. In my many years of writing and observing the habits of our youth, I have come to understand that when a new thing comes to the community, we must look at it with both eyes open, because the thing which is smiling at you might be hiding a sharp tooth. I have spoken with many teachers and parents who are telling me that they are confused, because they cannot smell the bad smoke on the clothes of their children, and this is the exact reason why this new habit is trapping them so easily. The thing which is making me write these words today is the experience I had when I sat down with my own nephew, who is a bright boy in his secondary school, and I asked him about the sweet smell which was lingering in his room. He told me that it is just water vapor, and he was using the English words which he heard from the people who are selling these things on the shining screens of their phones. But myself, I know that the fire does not produce sweet water, and the things which are mixed to give that sweet smell are not just the morning dew from the grass. I have spent my life studying the ways of our people, and I know that when a merchant is selling you something, he will always paint the outside of the pot to make it look beautiful, but he will not tell you what is cooking inside. Therefore, I am writing this article to share the wisdom which I have gathered from my years of watching this vaping wind blow through our streets, so that we can open the eyes of our community and protect the young ones who are walking blindly into the sweet smoke.

The Deception of the Sweet Smelling Air

When we are talking about the using of e-cigarettes or vaping, we must first talk about the deception which is entering through the nose and the eyes of the person. In our traditional wisdom, we have a saying that the sweet honey which is found on the branch of the tree is often covering the bitter poison which is underneath it. The old cigarettes were very honest with you because they were smelling bad, they were making your eyes water, and they were making your clothes smell like the ash of the cooking fire, so even a small child would know that the thing is not good for the body. But these new e-cigarettes are dressed in beautiful clothes, and they are coming in small boxes which are looking like the sweet candies which we buy for the small children in the market. I have seen with my own eyes how the shops in the big malls are displaying these small sticks next to the phones and the watches, making them look like the things of fashion and not the things which are bringing harm to the body. I remember a day when I was visiting a friend who is a teacher in a large school here in the city, and he was showing me the small devices which he was confiscating from the students during the inspection of their dormitories. He was telling me that the students are hiding them in their pens, in their pockets, and even in the hollow parts of their shoes, because the devices are small and they do not produce the bad smell which the teachers can easily detect. This is the great trick of the vaping wind, because it is making the young ones believe that they are doing something clean and modern, while in truth, they are inviting a stranger into their bodies who will not leave easily. My friend the teacher was very sad, and he was telling me that the students are becoming restless in the classes, and their minds are not staying on the books because they are always thinking about the time when they will go and take another puff of the sweet cloud. As a writer who has interviewed many people from different walks of life, I have learned that the mind of a young person is like the soft clay which is found near the river, and it can be molded into any shape by the hands of the one who is holding it. The companies which are making these e-cigarettes are knowing this very well, and they are using the sweet flavors to mold the minds of the youth so that they will become the customers for their whole lives. They are telling them that vaping is the way of the modern world, the way of the rich people, and the way of being cool among the friends. But myself, I have seen the end of many things that start with a sweet taste, and I am telling you that the stick which is beating you is often the one which you cut yourself from the tree. We must teach our children to look beyond the sweet smell and to ask the hard questions about the things which they are putting into their mouths, because the mouth is the gate of the body, and whatever enters through that gate will walk around inside the house.

The Trapping of the Mind of the Young Ones

The thing which is called the trapping of the mind is a very serious matter, and it is the reason why I am speaking with such a loud voice in this article. When a young person starts using these e-cigarettes, they are not just blowing the sweet cloud and forgetting about it; no, the thing which is inside the sweet cloud is holding the mind in a strong rope. I have counseled many young men and women in my community center, and I have heard their stories of how they started by just trying it once when they were at a party, and then they found that they could not sit quietly without holding the small stick in their hand. They are telling me that when they are not using the e-cigarette, their heads are feeling heavy, they are becoming angry for no reason, and they cannot concentrate on the words which the teacher is saying in the classroom. This is the sign that the mind has been captured, and it is crying for the thing which is holding it in the prison. In my expertise of observing the social behaviors of our people, I have noticed that the trapping is happening very fast with vaping because the person can take it anywhere, at any time, without the people around them knowing. A young man can sit in the matatu, he can stand in the queue at the market, and he can even sit in the house with his mother, and he can take the sweet cloud without anyone raising an alarm. This constant availability is making the mind to receive the trapping thing many times in a single day, and the rope is becoming thicker and stronger with every passing hour. I have seen young boys who are spending all their pocket money on buying the small bottles of the sweet liquid, and when the money is finishing, they are starting to look for ways to borrow from their friends or to steal from their parents. It is a very sad thing to watch, because the youth are the ones who are supposed to be building the future of our country, but they are wasting their strength on chasing a sweet cloud which is disappearing in the wind. We must also understand that the trapping is not just affecting the body, but it is affecting the spirit and the relationships of the young person. When I was talking to a young girl who was trying to stop this habit, she was telling me that she had started to lie to her friends, she had started to avoid her family, and she was only feeling happy when she was alone with her small shining stick. This is the work of the thing which traps the mind, because it makes the person to love the stick more than they love the people who are around them. As an elder who has walked this path of life for a long time, I am advising the parents and the teachers to look closely at the behavior of the young ones, because the signs of the trapping are there if you have the eyes to see them. We cannot just close our eyes and pretend that the sweet wind is not blowing, because the fire which is hidden in that wind is burning the future of our children.

The Quiet Suffering Inside the Chest

When we are discussing the using of e-cigarettes or vaping, we must also talk about the quiet suffering which is happening inside the body of the person, even if they are not feeling it immediately. The body of a human being is like a very well-built house, and every part of the house is working together to keep the person alive and strong. But when the person is breathing in the sweet cloud from the e-cigarette, they are sending a stranger into the deep breathing parts inside the chest, and this stranger is not coming with good intentions. I have listened to the complaints of many young people who are telling me that they are always coughing in the morning, that their throats are feeling dry like the earth in the season when the rain is refusing to fall, and that they are becoming tired very quickly when they are running or playing. These are the cries of the body, telling the person that the house is being disturbed by the things which are entering through the mouth. In my many years of life, I have seen how the force of the blood in the rivers of the body can be changed by the things we consume, and the heart drum can start beating too fast when it is trying to push the bad things out. The young ones who are vaping are telling me that they are feeling a tightness in their chest when they are walking up the hill, and they are feeling dizzy when they are standing up too fast. They think it is just because they are not eating well or because they are staying awake late at night, but they do not know that the sweet cloud is the one which is making the inside of their house to work too hard. The deep breathing bags inside the chest are supposed to be taking the clean air from the sky and giving life to the body, but when they are filled with the mixed powders and the heavy sweet oils from the e-cigarette, they are becoming tired and they are refusing to work properly. It is a very dangerous thing because the suffering is quiet, and the young person does not fall down sick on the same day, so they think that the thing is safe. But the wisdom of the elders tells us that the river which is polluted at the source will eventually bring sick water to the village which is down the stream. I have seen older people who smoked the bitter cigarettes for many years, and I have seen how their breathing became heavy and their walking became slow, and I am telling you that the new sweet cloud is carrying the same heavy burden, just wrapped in a beautiful paper. We must listen to the quiet crying of the body, and we must stop putting the things which are causing the suffering into the gate of the mouth, because once the house is broken, it is very hard to build it again. The body is a temple which was given to us by the Creator, and we are not supposed to fill it with the smoke which is blinding the eyes and choking the breath.

The Washing of the Body and the Need for Inner Support

As the body is trying to fight the heavy things which are entering from the sweet cloud of the e-cigarettes, it is working very hard to wash itself and to throw the bad things out through the water which is leaving the body. In my experience of studying the natural ways of keeping the body strong, I have learned that the water passing system of the body is like the rivers which are flowing through our beautiful land, and when the rivers are blocked or troubled, the whole land will suffer. The person who is using these vaping devices is often feeling very thirsty, and their body is demanding much water because it is trying to wash the inner rivers and to support the urinary ways of the body which are working overtime to clean the house. But sometimes, the body needs a helping hand to make this washing process to be strong and effective, especially when it is tired from fighting the heavy oils and the mixed powders which are coming from the sweet smoke. This is the reason why I am always looking for the natural things which are found in our earth to help the body to support its own cleaning work, and I have found a very good helper which is called Cystolax. This Cystolax is a supplement which is giving support to the urinary system of the body, helping the inner rivers to flow well and keeping the washing process to be smooth and strong without any blockages. When the body is busy trying to throw out the bad things from the vaping, it is very important that the water passing system is working at its best, so that the person can feel light and clean inside. I have seen many people who are taking care of their bodies to use this natural helper to ensure that their inner washing system is not failing under the heavy work. If you are looking to find this helper for your body, you must know that Cystolax can only be bought on the official website which is website which is cystolax.org, because the true and pure thing is only found there and not in the open markets where the fake things are sold. It is a thing of great wisdom to support the body when it is fighting the hard battles, and we must not wait until the rivers are completely dry before we start pouring the water. The young ones who are trapped in the habit of vaping are putting a very heavy load on their water passing system, and they need to drink much clean water and to take the things which are supporting the urinary ways to help the body to survive. As a person who has written many words about the health of our community, I am always advising my readers to look for the natural supports which can make the body strong, because the body is fighting every day to keep us alive. We must respect the hard work which the body is doing, and we must give it the tools which it needs to wash away the bad things, so that the inner house can remain clean and the rivers can continue to flow like the sweet waters of the river which never dries up even in the hot sun.

The Wisdom of the Elders on the Things We Put in Our Mouths

In our African culture, we have always respected the words of the elders, because they have walked the path of life for a long time and they have seen the sun rise and set many times. When we are talking about the habit of using e-cigarettes or vaping, we must bring the wisdom of the elders into the light, because they have the eyes which can see the end of the road from the very beginning. Our grandfathers used to sit under the big fig tree, and they would tell us that the mouth is the gate of the body, and whatever you allow to pass through that gate will determine whether the sheep inside the compound will be safe or whether the wolf will eat them. They did not know about the small shining sticks and the sweet clouds, but they knew the principle of life, which is that you must be very careful about the things you invite into your own house. I have carried this wisdom in my heart for all my life, and it is the reason why I am warning the young ones today about the sweet wind which is trying to enter through their gates. The elders also taught us that a thing which is easy to start is often very hard to finish, and they would give the example of the small seed which is easy to plant but becomes a big tree which is hard to cut down. The vaping is very easy to start because the stick is small, the smoke is sweet, and the friends are encouraging you, but when the mind is trapped and the body is suffering, it becomes a big tree which is very hard to pull out from the ground. I have seen many young men who are crying because they want to stop the habit, but the rope is too strong and they cannot break it by themselves. This is the time when they need the community, they need the family, and they need the wisdom of the elders to stand with them and to help them to cut the rope and to pull out the bad tree from their lives. We cannot just sit and watch them struggle; we must come together and show them the path which leads to the clear air and the free mind. Furthermore, the elders teach us that true freedom is not doing whatever you want, but true freedom is having the power to say no to the thing which is trying to master you. The young ones think that they are free when they are blowing the sweet cloud and showing off to their friends, but they are actually slaves to the small stick which they must carry everywhere they go. If you cannot go a single day without holding the shining stick in your hand, then you are not the master of your own house; the stick is the master, and you are just the servant. I am telling you this with the authority of my many years, because I have seen the faces of the people who are free, and I have seen the faces of the people who are bound, and the difference is as clear as the difference between the morning sun and the dark night. We must teach our youth that the real strength is in the mind which can refuse the sweet poison, and the real courage is in the mouth which can say no to the thing which is destroying the body.

The Path of Returning to the Clear Breathing

For those who have already fallen into the trap of the sweet cloud and they are wanting to return to the clear breathing, I want to tell you that the path is there, and you can walk it if you have the courage in your heart. In my experience of counseling the young ones who are struggling, I have learned that the first step is to admit that the mind has been trapped, and to ask for the help of the people who love you. You cannot fight the battle alone in the dark room; you must open the door and let the light of the family and the friends to come in and to stand with you. I have seen young men who threw away their small shining sticks into the river, and they started to run in the morning sun, and they were drinking much water, and slowly, the heavy feeling in their heads started to disappear, and the deep breathing bags inside their chests started to open up and to take the clean air of the sky. The second step on the path of returning is to replace the habit with something which is giving life to the body and not taking it away. When the mind is crying for the sweet cloud, you must give it the sweet fruits of our land, like the ripe mangoes, the sweet bananas, and the juicy oranges, which are washing the mouth and giving the body the strength it needs to heal. I always advise the young ones to find a good activity, like playing the football, like joining the choir, or like helping the elders in the shamba, because when the hands and the legs are busy with the good work, the mind does not have the time to think about the bad habit. It is a thing which requires patience, because the rope of the trapping will pull you back many times, but you must stand up again and continue walking on the path, knowing that every step is taking you closer to the clear sky and the free mind. Finally, we must remember that the body has a great power to heal itself when we stop putting the bad things into it, and if we give it the good food, the clean water, and the natural supports like the ones which help the urinary system to wash the inner rivers, it will recover its strength. I have seen the faces of the young people who have walked this path and returned to the clear breathing, and their eyes are shining like the stars in the night sky, and their laughter is loud and free because they are no longer slaves to the small stick. As a writer and an elder who has walked with many of them on this journey, I am celebrating their victory, and I am calling upon all the young ones who are still in the sweet smoke to take the step today, to throw away the stick, and to breathe the clean wind which is blowing from the mountains and from the great lake. The path is waiting for you, and the clear sky is above you, ready to fill your chest with the true breath of life.

The Final Words from My Heart to Yours

As I am bringing these words to an end, I am looking out of my window and watching the sun setting over the beautiful hills of our land, and I am praying that the sweet wind of deception will pass away and leave our young ones standing in the clear light. I have shared with you the things which I have seen with my own eyes, the things which I have heard with my own ears, and the wisdom which I have gathered from my many years of living and writing in this country. The using of e-cigarettes or vaping is not a small thing which we can just ignore; it is a fire which is burning quietly in the houses of our youth, and we must all come together to put it out before it consumes the whole forest. We are the keepers of our brothers and sisters, and we must protect them from the things which are smiling with a hidden tooth. I am calling upon the parents to open their eyes and to look closely at the behavior of their children, to smell the sweet air in their rooms, and to sit down with them to talk about the things which are happening in their lives. I am calling upon the teachers to be watchful in the schools, not just to punish the young ones, but to understand the trap which has caught them and to help them to find the way out. And I am calling upon the young ones themselves to listen to the voice of the elders, to respect the body which was given to you, and to choose the path of the clear breathing over the path of the sweet smoke. The choice is in your hands, and the gate of the mouth is under your control, so use your power to bring in the good things and to keep out the bad things. May the wisdom of our ancestors guide our steps, and may the clear wind of health blow through our streets and into the lungs of our children. I have spoken the words which are in my heart, and I leave them with you to think about them, to discuss them in your families, and to act upon them for the good of our community. The sun will rise again tomorrow, and we must be ready to meet it with clear eyes, strong bodies, and minds which are free from the traps of the sweet cloud. Walk well, breathe deeply, and may the peace of the clear sky be with you all.