I discovered C++ not too long ago, and it is fast becoming an integral part of my life; my own Game of Chess, I would say. But I have one regret, and it is that I discovered this brain-tasking engagement very late in my life. I am in my twenties though, but I still feel intense remorse that I should have been introduced to it early enough, maybe when I was ten.
While growing up, we had no Chess in our house. We lived in a peaceful countryside where nature governed - blossoming trees in June, charred grasses in December, black and white birds twittering among trees' branches, large red-earth streets and compound where we fell upon and bathed ourselves with dry sands during beautiful moonnights. In those days, we had a few brain-tasking games at our disposal. Ludo was one of them. But "Ayoo" was by far the most influential because we could easily construct it on the dry earth under the mango tree in front our compound. It had two rows of six holes each facing themselves, and each hole had four smooth oval pebbles. And to win these two games, you had to be a fast-thinking person. Just like it is with Chess, as I'd later find out.
I discovered Chess and Scramble far too late, and so I avoided them like plagues. I still avoid them, although I often dream of playing.
Recently, in my self-inflicted solitude, I have discovered C++ language. It is not a game like Ludo, Chess and Scramble, but I have viewed it as such, and I play it to silence the ticking of the clock in my mind. For those of you who know C++, it is a programming language which can stretch your brain to the zennith or sometimes nadir. Well, I find that "stretching" enticing. The overall feeling of this brain-tasking endeavor is like the sweet taste you get in the end after chewing a bitterleaf or kolanut.
Now I set real life problems for myself and stare deeply into my computer for hours trying to get solutions to the puzzle I have set for myself. Most times I fail and feel sad. But when I get any correct, I feel a soaring upliftment in my soul.
E. Isuku.
