Thoughts In Traffic: 243 Quickfire Notes

Have you at any point in time thought about writing a book documenting all your most private and profound thoughts as one indivisible unit? I bet you have, if subconsciously. 

Well, that’s exactly what you have here. Only that this was not planned to be a book, just some Whatsapp Status. One thought-note on a random evening led to another, and another, then another, until, voila, 243 of the most profound notes bound the book together.

Thoughts in Traffic is a book of thoughts, expanded from quotes to philosophical notes and essays, Shakespearean poems, gnostic revelations, and intellectual discourses.

You also get to read the Author’s “Letter to the World-beater”, “Letter to Top CEOs on Linkedin”, “Letter to Elon Musk”, and even a “Letter to God”!

Two things are certain for the reader once you are done reading:

1. You will love or loathe the Author,

2. You will wonder who on earth is Aramide Salako.

Reviewed by Tommy Wong for Readers’ Favorite

While stuck in a traffic jam, instead of getting frustrated, wouldn’t it be better to use the time to write out our thoughts at that moment? Indeed, that is just what Aramide Salako did. This exercise gave birth to Thoughts in Traffic: 243 Quickfire Notes to Aid Your Outlook on Self, Life, and The Afterlife, which is a collage of thought notes. Some are brief, while others occupy several pages. The topics covered by the notes are wide, ranging from the mundane to the philosophical and the spiritual. There are several letters in the book, including those to the Nigerian Citizen, the World-Beater, others to the top CEOs on Linkedin, one to Elon Musk, one to readers, and even one to God.

Wouldn’t it be nice if one shared one’s thoughts on self, life, and the afterlife? Others could contemplate these thoughts to get a deeper understanding of self, life, and the afterlife in the same way that Aramide Salako shared his reflections in Thoughts in Traffic. I liked the conciseness of the thought notes, as one can read them quickly, think about them, and then move on to the next. In this book, there are many notes related to God and Christian teachings and I assume that Christianity had a major influence on the author’s life. If you are interested in sharing the thoughts of Aramide Salako, this book is a good read.

Reviewed by John Anthony for Goodreads

We have the Lagos traffic to thank for this book. The author conceived the idea on his journeys to and from work, invariably stuck in traffic. We’ve gained as a result. He shares many of these thoughts with us. He mentions some incredible statistics he has read for the number of random thoughts which on average pass through our heads in the course of a day.

The book is a kind of thought for the day, 243 rather than 365. Reflecting, meditating, praying, a manual for self help and growth. So much wisdom here. Hard to believe it is from the pen of one so young. I found large parts of it both helpful, moving and interesting. It could have benefited from some editing though, to keep the reader fully engaged. His writing would have punched home even more effectively than it has done already. I admire his courage and commitment in writing this and for sharing his faith and belief with his readership.

To Thyself

From the world, we may hide,

The unclad nakedness of our shameful nature,

And apt to display in like manner,

The spotless whiteness,

Of a soiled robe turned inside out,

To whom belongs truth?

To whom belongs falsehood?

To thyself, be true.

On special affairs, we must parade,

The cultured nobility of blue-blooded nature,

And Butlers and Kings,

Handmaidens and Queens,

Must become in character,

Stage actors that can do no wrong,

Ornate facades and proper etiquette,

Foreign to the crude, unaffected self,

To whom belongs truth?

To whom belongs falsehood?

To thyself, be noble.

For if thou canst be true to thyself,

The soiled robe is revealed to self unmistakably,

And from within, errors undisguised,

Can be improved, to the whole embodiment,

If thou canst be noble to thyself,

The true character of self cannot resemble Janus,

Butler or King,

Handmaiden or Queen,

There can be no case of mistaken identity,

Nobility is of the soul,

And noble shall thou ever remain.