My father was a firm believer in
develop learning skills (curiosity, observation, studying, asking, listening,
analyzing & critical thinking, creative thinking, selecting information and
applying these skills to achieve results, aspects of life that I have learnt to
embrace. I will not shy away from these
even where everyone around me doesn’t support this approach. That is the way I
have been socialized. It is these questions that we the young folk must ask you
our elders not to polarize and build walls but to build the future. Generations
will come and go. Your opinion will not stand forever; change is inevitable. I
firmly believe that he would be ashamed of me if I told him I am doing
something for no other reason than because he did it or so and so said so.
As I was looking through my father’s
notes I see something that brings back a very familiar experience through all
these preparations. The heading is My Diseases & Peculiarities and goes to
highlight how and I quote, “doctors & adults did not listen to me well
enough; Did not understand me. Did not help me to the extent I expected. I met
many people who had despaired because of this. Strong feeling that I belong to
myself and must learn to live with it. In all honesty these are the words of a
man far beyond this community’s years. A man who selflessly gave regardless of
whether he personally got anything in return. I recall his stories of how he
would play ‘sigongi’ which he turned out to be good at. Most of his winnings he
gave to his sisters, especially. A man who expected nothing less than adequate
information, for people to listen to understand and assist in charting the way
forward rather than listening to respond in a generic manner. Interrogating
issues, dissecting beliefs to get to the root of the matter at hand will be the
hallmark of his journey here on earth. He was very dissatisfied and frustrated
when he couldn’t get enough answers. A logical and systematic thought process
that invited discussion rather than alienated others’ sentiments positioned him
as one of if not the greatest mobilizers this community has and possibly will
ever see. If you do not examine all possibilities and scenarios, then you will
fail. You may take a wrong decision but worse would be to do nothing at
all. The age old saying “that is how we
have always done it” depicts a lazy approach to decision making, practices
stand for decades on end rubbishing the fact that times change, people change,
the situations we are presented with change but we still remain comfortable in
the status quo; very dangerous approach to life for any young, logical thinking
individual. As far as community is concerned, we come together. But as an
individual, it is in your best interest not to lose your identity in the crowd.
All in all, be sure to make yourself a priority because after all is said and
done, you are your longest commitment.
We owe it not only to my father
but to humanity to be a progressive people. Picking what makes sense and
discarding what has been overtaken by time & events. We owe it to him to
have binding threads, a clear vision, progressive attitudes that create a
platform for inclusion and involvement, recognize our responsibility to achieve
results, our unwavering commitment to each cause at hand, raise the bar on our
performance standards, deliver honest reports and appropriately utilize the
information we have at our disposal.
Having learnt from a master
tutor, I believe very strongly that as a global citizen, it is imperative that
you hold steadfast in what you believe in and always make your intentions and thoughts
known regardless of whether they are popular or not. Your best defence on
judgement day won’t be they told me to and so I did.
I personally wouldn’t be standing
here if my father accepted wholesale the unanimous decision that he was making
a mistake in marrying my mother. This lesson guides my actions to this day that
the world can have their opinion. But mine is also valid none the less. You all
know how that story went.
He was always angered by people
who purported to know everything saying, ‘you people have endless degrees but
you have learnt nothing. You go to school so that you can know, we went to
school so we can learn how to learn. Learn how to learn so that you can
navigate every single adversity, question and challenge. If you are still stuck,
consult the bible. It has all the answers; past, present and future.
Every time he encountered a
challenge he, ‘engaged a different gear’. He did not have a blanket one size
fits all approach to people and situations like many people do. He dealt with people
at their own level & in the way they presented themselves and situations as
they are and not as he wished they would be.
Believe it or not, there are
those who felt that my father did not live up to his full potential. The skewed
basis on which we view success such as how many earthly belongings we
accumulate...cars, houses, how many dignitaries know you by name and grace all
your functions, how often you appear in the news at the expense of content of
our character and positive social impact should baffle any right thinking
individual. His brother in law once brought him application forms to enrol at
the University of California, Berkeley’s medical school. He did not fill them
and kept them hidden away to this day. His reason was simple…he hated the sight
of blood. How then would he be able to treat anyone? Our perceptions of what
goes on in other peoples’ lives are informed by our own world views. If you
aren’t speaking from a position of factual knowledge, then you better not speak
at all.
In his younger years he was
fascinated by mechanics because when he once went to see them as they worked
and they bought him gifts which convinced him at the time that that’s what he
wanted to become when he finished his education. He would probably be the best
mechanic that ever lived, but who am I to brag. This dream quickly faded as he
got to upper primary. By the time he was in high school he was doing better in
languages and began to write for Nation’s Flamingo magazine and there his
passion remained. For me, the lessons from this one paragraph are many.
Decision making without proper interrogation of the situation at hand doesn’t
necessarily lead to an informed and practical decision. Time shapes everything.
It allows things to fall in place as they should. And once you find your
passion, pour your soul into it…the fruits shall surely come.
Thank you very much for these
many lessons. Lessons I will forever carry with me until I breathe my last,
lessons I too will pass on to my children but not shy away from adding or
subtracting as the demands of the present & future dictate.
To the county leadership, if you
are honest with yourselves you know full well what you must do. Lest you
forget, it is your God given duty to do right by this community. Involve the
community in driving agendas that benefit them. Let the target beneficiaries
have a voice in how the intended help is packaged to achieve its intended
purpose. Invest wholeheartedly in growing this community through promoting
cognitive learning skills (literacy & numeracy), nurturing good character,
values & standards, creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship
& innovation, offering transparent leadership, fostering people &
community skills and encouraging fair & healthy competition in all facets
of community life. Only then can this
community, ward, constituency and county at large be freed from the yoke of
poverty and stagnated development.
