About

Pawns is a self-help and personal-development blog/brand that offers simple, honest, and realistic advice to help you overcome the challenges of life and achieve personal growth and happiness.

We have a saying: “Grow, Level, Step Up”

Our Philosophy:

Life is inexplicable. It is beautiful. It is a miracle.

Life starts from simple to complex. From small to big. From weak to strong.

But life is also volatile. It is brief. Each life is like the twinkle of a firefly. Blink and you might miss it

For all other Living things, this has been true (and continues to be). They come and go. Like the twinkling of the firefly they hold no “specialty” – they are all the same – coming and going – replaced and mistaken for another.

For example, a billion birds are hatched and killed yearly, yet none is held in higher esteem – because their lives glow the same – they are all animals of no significance – another blink in a seemingly endless series of blinks

But humans are different. We do not blink and then go off. We blink and transfer some of our “light” to the next blink before we fade away

We do this by transferring knowledge and tools. So that, the next Life doesn’t start from the blankness of ignorance or the helplessness of nakedness, but the light of knowledge wielding the arsenal of technology

We have gradually progressed from the darkness of the Stone age (cavemen) to the light of the Computer Era (civilization as we know it)

We have made so much progress that we have almost unrecognizably distinguished ourselves from all other animals

We rule supreme as the apex in all territories we’ve encountered so far.

We are no more blinks, but blinding lights. We’ve almost obliterated the darkness of the indifferent world we found ourselves

We now live in luxury for most part of our lives. You could even say, we’ve become gods on earth

And remember, it isn’t that we got hold of more resources as a species…

(because on earth, all resources – all we ever need – are already available. )

…but that we grew smart enough to harness those resources (and we are only growing wiser and extracting even more out of the earth, and the universe around us)

But the majority of humans would never understand this. They are obsessed with keeping their short blinks as long as possible that they forgot how we got this far – Together!

…they have forgotten that it was by transferring our knowledge from one generation to another

They forget that knowledge is the principal thing, and would continue to be as long as we remain

And by ignoring the importance of knowledge they never seek it. They are only forced to consider it by institutions that the smartest of us have wisely established

They hate feeling stupid or being called stupid, but they ignore knowledge confirming what they deny

Like Cane, the true blessings of this universe are kept from them, and they (being frustrated) hate (and kill) any Abel they find

It is easy to blame those who appear to be favored by life without considering the sacrifices they made

And killing Abel isn’t the worst of crimes. Refusing to continue making the sacrifices is.

It is not just that it is harmful to hate those who are smarter than you are, but refusing to embrace learning as the ladder to greatness degenerates humanity – it reduces our shine in this bleak universe

Resources – money, food, shelter, minerals, etc – have always been available, and would continue to be, long after we are dead (they aren’t really special)

What is truly special, gained, and worth inheriting is knowledge.

And this is why it is so heart-wrenching when the light of a smart person fades away – for example, Einstien

The desire for the perpetuation of knowledge was so strong that the brains and eyes of Albert Einstein were quickly harvested after he died and studied critically

Sadly nothing was salvaged from the organic leftover of the genius. But his theories of Relativity, a product of his mind, revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe

Just as Einstein studied Isaac Newton, University students are mandated to study Einstein (indirectly).

Our species have only thrived this long because of knowledge. And the increase (explosion?) in knowledge has also led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of our lives

We now have jets, phones, and organ transplants readily available…none of which our ancestors could even dream of

But knowledge has not only been expanding in the realm of technology.

Our ethics and morality have also been shaped. We are less brutish and animalistic.

We now have human rights, and even give thought to our mental health

And because knowledge expands exponentially, traditional institutions can’t keep us “educated”

It is also impossible to know all that is available for the simple reason that we learn too slowly and our lives are too short

At this point, it is not just about knowing, but choosing what to know

Nevertheless, there is the knowledge that cannot be ignored for the simple reason that it is fundamental to who we are

This is the realm of Personal Development.

It is important because by getting our personal lives in order, we put ourselves in a position (and create the ideal condition) to offer something tangible to the world

Without attributes such as love, discipline, selflessness, and the like, how can anyone live with themselves or another?

How can civilization exist without respect and tolerance?

How can we act without courage and teamwork?

These, and many more are the reasons Pawns was created:

To help each and every one of us become the best versions of ourselves

To Grow Up, Level Up, Step Up – so we can shine brighter together

And because Pawns has its roots in continuous improvement – through learning, practicing, and teaching – we have an elegant Logo that depicts our mission

A Logo that represents our ideals; which are continuous improvement, and the passing on of knowledge and tools to posterity

About Pawns Logo

The vertical lines are arranged like a staircase: It signifies gradual steps that lead to the top.

The short lines on the top of each bar are curved like an exponential growth graph: It signifies progress in life hardly seems like much at first, then suddenly shoot upwards

From the apex of each exponential curve is the vertical bar running downwards to the horizontal line: It signifies death – the end of life. No matter how high we rise, we eventually die

However, successive exponential curves (at the top of the next horizontal line) start where the former stopped: It signifies that though we will all die, we can give posterity an advantage by achieving more with our lives

The little arrow at the tail end pointing backward means no matter how low or backward you are, you can gradually climb (it covers everyone)

At a glance, the Logo looks like the side view of a Crown: Which indicates the ultimate prize of a Pawn

Who Writes on Pawns

Dick David was the sole writer of Pawns from 2018 to 2021. However, the blog is now open to anyone willing to share their ideas and perspectives. But, all content is vetted for quality control purposes by an editorial team.

To find out how you can become a contributor and also improve your writing, visit this page

Who Is Dick David?

Dick David is a Nigerian Self-help writer and editor who keeps it simple (yet elegant). He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering but prefers to be addressed as an artist, writer, and teacher. He has published a number of books and is also the Founder of Pawns.

The Council:

Pawns have grown over the years and now rely on the effort of a number of special individuals referred to as “The Council”.

Members of the council include

• David Ifeanyi
• Tobechukwu Azogu
• Linda Onuoha

“Grow, Level, Step Up – Long Live the Pawns”