He had this easy-to-love personality.

Two people start on a journey.

One, easygoing and accommodating.

The other, a genius and tolerable.

Who will arrive first?

Two weeks ago, I watched an interview with Get-out star, Daniel Kaluuya.

He sat on the hot seat for Ladbible, on a segment they called snack wars, where he had to choose between certain US and UK snacks to point out which he liked best.

There was this twinkle in his eyes.

From the start, you felt his charm.

He had this ability to stir up joy in all around without being too forceful with his jokes.

Plastered on his face was a permanent smile that moved with his words.

If you gave him more than a moment to speak, he would start a story that’ll make you love him even more.

When he was speaking, his face moved, his eyes accentuated his words, his shoulders slumped to make his point, and his hands told their own story.

Even when he didn’t like something, you laughed.

Plus, he also made the cameraman feel seen.

And this is no surprise to how far he has gone in his career.

We are all aware of his massive talents, but the power to move a room like that is one left to unique individuals.

Who would you choose to spend time with?

• He was a warm person, easy to hang out with. He cracked a lot of jokes and kept telling me how awesome I was.

• He was a smart person, and it felt like he knew everything. Hanging out with him was fun. He kept bursting my brain.

One fateful afternoon, while the sun pierced and scorched us on the verandah of a five-story building, I and my friends sat in a circle and asked ourselves this question.

“Would you rather be a person with charm or a genius in isolation?”

Now, as much as you can be both. Let me tell you that geniuses can be feared, envied, and hated for nothing so much as knowing too much.

But when you are in a dark room with someone that seems to be the light bulb, with someone who also teaches you to be bright. Your memory of that soul is different because as much as the brain can be stimulated, emotion is what retains memory most. If not, you would have passed further maths. Yes, Amaka, I’m talking to you.

If you think my parameters are wrong, let me tell you about two wonderful geniuses: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Today, we remember Edison for the light bulb and many more patents. But Nikola Tesla was a more prolific inventor, and some even say Edison stole a lot of Tesla’s ideas.

Now, some of you might not know Tesla, except Elon Musk’s car company, but I’m sure, one way or another, you must have heard of Edison.

Many of us are Edisons. Some of us are Teslas.

Imagine the image you’ve been giving out all through your life: “Ah, Michael is always frowning. He never knows when to smile.” “Ah, Jumoke always has something to criticize.” “I hate my boss. He is too demanding.”

All of these are representations of people by their actions, and as much as each one of us has perceived images of ourselves. Our pictures might not coincide with the ones the world has about us.

How can we make a change? Easy, by choosing to care.

The reason why Edison decided to mass produce light bulbs and be known for it was that apart from the massive profit he was envisioning, he was also doing it for someone, for people, for nations, for those who needed light.

When you care so much about another person’s joy, another person’s perspective, you’ll be hearing things like: “Micheal is so bright and hardworking, I think he would be a good fit for the job.” “Don’t talk about Jumoke like that. You don’t know her well enough.” “My boss is too demanding, but he’s the funniest man I know.”

A lot of our interaction rides on empathy. Empathy makes us remembered.

Today, I’m calling you out. Yes, you, Amaka.

Be like me. Believe that the world needs more empathy.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing Daniel Kaluuya's interview, click here.