When your eyes become your lord, you will be bound to satisfy all their cravings—whether good or evil.

“Do not take anything with you when leaving, okay?” the elderly man warned sternly. His voice echoed through the small room as he addressed the four young men taking shelter in his home. A violent storm had swept through the city, stranding them on their way back to their respective universities.

“Yes, sir,” they chorused, watching the elderly man quietly step out of the room.

Charles flopped onto the bed, eyes roaming across the ceiling.
“This room looks like it hasn’t been used in a century,” he said.

“How would you know?” Peter asked, unpacking his bag.

“Look at those drawings. They look like Mediterranean-era paintings.” He pointed toward the ceiling.

“Historian!” Henry mocked, making the others burst into laughter.

“I’m serious,” Charles insisted. “I bet there are ancient antiques in this house. First thing tomorrow, I’m going searching.”

“Remember what the old man said,” John reminded him.

“Forget the old man,” Charles replied, shutting his eyes with a smirk.


---

The next day, the storm cleared. The water receded, and the sun pierced through the clouds. The housemaster gathered the boys and gave them parting words of wisdom. In return, they handed him small tokens of appreciation and went on their way.

But not long after their departure, the housemaster made a troubling discovery—one of his most precious antiques was missing.

Panicked, he raised an alarm. The neighbors quickly rallied and pursued the young men. When they caught up with them, a search was conducted—and the missing item was found tucked inside Charles' bag.

They were all arrested and thrown into a prison cell.


---

This fictional tale echoes the ancient story of Achan—a man who let his eyes override the commandments of God.

Achan saw, desired, and took—and his disobedience brought ruin not only upon himself, but upon his people.

Just like Charles, when the eyes become your master, you’ll be driven to satisfy every craving, regardless of consequence.

Beware what your eyes fixate on—because what you stare at too long, you may start to crave. And what you crave, you may soon disobey to obtain.

© Juliet Chinenyenwa Alex

Over 2,200 years ago, a man measured the Earth… using shadows and a stick.

In the 3rd century BCE, in the great Egyptian city of Alexandria, lived a man named Eratosthenes.
Some mocked him by calling him Beta — the second letter of the Greek alphabet — implying he was second-best at everything. But in truth, he was an Alpha in knowledge.

Astronomer, geographer, philosopher, poet, historian, mathematician, and director of the Great Library of Alexandria — he was a true Renaissance man… centuries before the Renaissance.

One day, he read in a scroll that in the city of Syene (modern-day Aswan), on June 21st, the summer solstice, a vertical stick cast no shadow at noon. The sun stood directly overhead. But in Alexandria, on the same day and same hour, a stick did cast a shadow.

Where most would overlook such a detail, Eratosthenes saw a cosmic clue.

He reasoned:
If the Earth were flat, the sun’s rays would hit both sticks equally — the shadows would match. But they didn’t.
So, what could explain the difference?
Only a curved Earth.

He measured the angle of the shadow in Alexandria. It was about 7 degrees — roughly 1/50th of a full circle.
He hired someone to measure the distance between Syene and Alexandria: about 800 kilometers.
Then he did the math:
800 km × 50 = 40,000 km — the circumference of the Earth.

That’s astonishingly accurate.
No satellites. No telescopes. No calculators.
Just observation, curiosity, and a mind that dared to ask why.

Eratosthenes became the first person to calculate the size of a planet — and he did it by watching how a stick cast its shadow.

~ Carl Sagan
#astronomer
#geographers

In 1993, Émile Leray, a French electrician, broke down in the middle of the African desert while driving an old Citroën 2CV out of Morocco to join a military site.

His car was seriously damaged after hitting a rock. Unable to repair on site, and too risky to walk in this hostile environment. So he came up with this crazy but genius idea to turn his wrecked car into... On a motorcycle!

With the tools he had with him and recycling car parts, he built a functional motorcycle in 12 days, using the supplies (water and food) he had in the trunk.

Shortened the chassis, fitted two wheels, moved the engine to the center... and it worked!
Thus he managed to leave the desert and join civilization, but was welcomed... by a fine from the Moroccan police for driving a vehicle that did not match the official documents!

His improvised motorcycle still exists today, preserved as a symbol of ingenuity and adventure in the heart of the desert.

#history #historia #historyfacts #historymatters #historylovers #historyinthemaking #Egypt #egyptian
#nakupenda
#Discipline