Today I thought about all the Zimbabwean women around me and
joined a very long bank queue and started some
conversations with some of them as we shared the problems
we are going through. So this article is a true reflection
of what is going on, on the ground, in Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean woman waiting patiently in the bank queue for
her turn to get her daily bank allocation of $50 000 which
is not enough to buy a loaf of bread. Bread now costs
$90 000. How pathetic!!!
The truly magnificent chaos deflector who is my maid and looks
after my kids and my house with a smile no matter what, whether
we are in plenty or in need. Thank you God for my loyal maid.
I know of maids who have left not so well-to-do employers like
me and went in search of rich employers in this hyper-inflationary
environment.
The Zimbabwean lady I meet on the street looking hungry and
walking with a baby on her back and a loaf of bread under her
arm, which is going to be the baby's only meal for the next two
days but still affords to smile as we pass each other and
exchange pleasantries. I wish I had some food to give her.
The pregnant Zimbabwean woman who has some food cravings that
she can't entertain because of the economic situation in
the country and the food shortages and can but only stroke
her belly while going from shop to shop looking for the food
she is craving for. I feel pity not only for her but also for
the little baby in her uterus who is looking forward to coming
out into the world in a few days time and has no idea that he/she
is better off enclosed in the womb than coming out into Zimbabwe
as it is now.
The single mother who is an underpaid professional and has resorted
to Marange illegal diamond dealing during the weekends so that she
can be able to provide for her children's needs as well as her own.
Damn, the risks women take for the sake of their children.
The cross-border Zimbabwean woman whose trips to and from foreign
lands is full of episodes of utter humiliation from customs and
immigration officials. For Christ's sake those women are only
trying to feed their families or make an honest living, they
should be treated with respect.
The black market forex trader woman on the Zimbabwean streets
telling everyone that passes by that she has competitive foreign
currency exchange rates. Can you imagine spending day after day
standing or sitting in the streets and calling it your office?
The single Zimbabwean woman who would have wanted to impress the
man she loves who had visited her from a foreign land not only
with excellent hospitality but with an immaculately groomed
appearance but failed to do so because of financial constraints
caused by the economic situation in the country. How depressing?
The married Zimbabwean woman whose conjugal rights are not being
met by her husband because the hyper-inflationary environment
in the country has made him impotent. It( the husband's male organ)
refuses to function when he is worrying about where he is going to
get enough money to sustain the family and provide them with the good
life-style that he wants them to lead and which they had become
accustomed to before inflation had become so high. The hyper-inflation
has even got into the Zimbabwean bedrooms and jumped into their beds.
Oh, my God, Oh, my God!!!!
The Zimbabwean woman married to a well-to-do man who has no time
to spent with his family because he will be too busy networking
and looking for money in the Zimbabwe hyper-inflationary
environment. The happy normal family life has been destroyed
by this hyper-inflationary environment.
The Zimbabwean woman whose pantry has run short of mealie-meal
which was the only food item in there and has no idea where she
is going to get US$10 or its Zim dollar equivalence to buy her
next bag of mealie-meal. Can you imagine the stress of looking at
your hungry children and not having food to give them and surviving
that without a heart attack.
And so I can go on and on ...........and make you aware of all
the virtuous sacrifices that the Zimbabwean woman is having to make
for her family to survive the hyper-inflationary environment.
Every single one of these women is remarkable in his own way and
I salute them for that. We the women, don't always see ourselves
that way. We always doubt ourselves: "Am I a good mother, am I
a good partner, am I a good worker, am I a good Christian, am I
a good leader or manager, am I good entreprenuer, am I a good
business person or am I too fat? Rather when we look in the
mirror, we should see the crow's feet under our eyes, the lines
on our faces and the stretch marks on our bellies as something
we have given to the people around us, gregarious laughs and
life, the most awesome privilege the universe has bestowed
upon us.
I truly believe that if all the world's nations were run by women
and mums in particular, the world would be a better place. Not
that I don't like men, (I think some of them are great and I truly
would love one of them to become a very important part of my world)
but I believe that once you are a mum, you have all the qualities
to run a nation and the world. For one, there would be peace - we
learn patience and empathy. We can put ourselves in helpless little
people's shoes and understand what their frustrations can be. We
learn to accommodate other people,(especially ones who scream about
a toy in a shop)so just think how we would handle someone who screams
about a piece of land! We see a storm brewing long before it even
happens and defuse it. And we can multi-task and just keep going
in the face of adversity. We see to it that everyone has something
to eat and keep them all safe (if you can keep a toddler from putting
his finger into an electrical socket, you can keep people from pulling
guns.)
To get to the point: I personally think the world would be chaotic
without women in it. I salute you women. Honour yourselves and
see yourselves not only as beautiful but also as brilliant, unique
and special. Be everything you possibly can. Use your talents, whatever
they are, your mind, your heart and your soul to change the world
for the better. For your own information, we women really do rule
the world indirectly, it's just that men just haven't figured that
out yet. When they do, and they will one day, I want to be there
to witness the removal of that smug on the faces of male chauvinistic
pigs who happen to suffer from a superiority complex and looks down
on women.
So my fellow women may the world be yours to enjoy as you continue
being president of your own world indirectly if not directly by
dishing out loads of love, peace and happiness as well as by making
right all that you see wrong and in so doing introducing order
into your world. Don't waste time talking about gender inequalities
and forming women's equal rights movements because they are not
worth it since you are great and already in control of the world,
and doing so will further distract men's minds from realising your
worth as women and how you actually rule the world.
To all the women of the world I say, "Je'taime" and to the Zimbabwean
woman in particular I say, my profound respects.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Love, Peace and Happiness is the road
HAPPINESS
The truth is there is no better time to be happy than right now.
We convince ourselves that we will be happy once we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and convince ourselves that we will be happy once they get older. Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.
We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.
As Zimbabweans we tell ourselves that we will be happy once the GNU leaders agree on cabinet power sharing and our economy and our empty shelves are replenished. My question is why place something as important as our happiness in the hands of leaders who seem not concerned with our plight. Let's find ways of being happy in spite of everything going wrong in our country.
The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, then when? Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.
For the longest time, it seemed that my life was about to start. Real life. But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.
I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life. That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness. Happiness IS the road.
So, enjoy every moment. Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten kilograms, to gain ten kilograms, for a new government, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.
Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. There is no better time to be happy than… NOW! Live and enjoy the moment.
LOVE
Now, think and try to answer these questions:
1 – Name the 5 richest people in the world.
2 – Name the last 5 Miss Universe winners.
3 – Name the last 10 Nobel Prize winners.
4 – Name the last 10 winners of the Best Actor Oscar
Can’t do it? Rather difficult, isn’t it? Don’t worry, nobody remembers that.
Applause dies away!
Trophies gather dust!
Winners are soon forgotten.
Now answer these questions:
1 – Name 3 teachers who contributed to your education.
2 – Name 3 friends who helped you in your hour of need.
3 – Think of a few people who made you feel special.
4 – Name 5 people that you like to spend time with.
More manageable? It’s easier, isn’t it?
The people who mean something to your life are not rated “the best”, don’t have the most money, haven’t won the greatest prizes…
They are the ones who care about you, take care of you, those who, no matter what, stay close by.
Think about it for a moment. Life is very short! And you, in which list are you? Don’t know? Let me give you a hand. You might not be among the most “famous”, but if you have made a permanent positive mark in someone's life because of the love you exude then you know what list you are in.
PEACE
Some time ago, at the Seattle Olympics, nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for the 100 m race. The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running, but everyone wanted to participate and win. They ran in threes, a boy tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying. The other eight heard him crying. They slowed down and looked behind them. They stopped and came back… All of them…
A girl with Down’s Syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked, “Feeling better now?” Then, all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line.
The whole crowd stood up and applauded. And the applause lasted a very long time…
People who witnessed this still talk about it. Why?
Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves. The most important thing in this life is to help others to win. Even if that means slowing down and changing our own race.
"A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.”
Our own peace is a by product of the peace of the people we share our lives with, those who touch our lives and whose lives we touch.
The truth is there is no better time to be happy than right now.
We convince ourselves that we will be happy once we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and convince ourselves that we will be happy once they get older. Then we are frustrated because they reach adolescence and we must deal with them. Surely we’ll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.
We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire.
As Zimbabweans we tell ourselves that we will be happy once the GNU leaders agree on cabinet power sharing and our economy and our empty shelves are replenished. My question is why place something as important as our happiness in the hands of leaders who seem not concerned with our plight. Let's find ways of being happy in spite of everything going wrong in our country.
The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, then when? Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.
For the longest time, it seemed that my life was about to start. Real life. But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start.
I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life. That point of view helped me see that there isn’t any road to happiness. Happiness IS the road.
So, enjoy every moment. Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten kilograms, to gain ten kilograms, for a new government, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.
Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. There is no better time to be happy than… NOW! Live and enjoy the moment.
LOVE
Now, think and try to answer these questions:
1 – Name the 5 richest people in the world.
2 – Name the last 5 Miss Universe winners.
3 – Name the last 10 Nobel Prize winners.
4 – Name the last 10 winners of the Best Actor Oscar
Can’t do it? Rather difficult, isn’t it? Don’t worry, nobody remembers that.
Applause dies away!
Trophies gather dust!
Winners are soon forgotten.
Now answer these questions:
1 – Name 3 teachers who contributed to your education.
2 – Name 3 friends who helped you in your hour of need.
3 – Think of a few people who made you feel special.
4 – Name 5 people that you like to spend time with.
More manageable? It’s easier, isn’t it?
The people who mean something to your life are not rated “the best”, don’t have the most money, haven’t won the greatest prizes…
They are the ones who care about you, take care of you, those who, no matter what, stay close by.
Think about it for a moment. Life is very short! And you, in which list are you? Don’t know? Let me give you a hand. You might not be among the most “famous”, but if you have made a permanent positive mark in someone's life because of the love you exude then you know what list you are in.
PEACE
Some time ago, at the Seattle Olympics, nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for the 100 m race. The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running, but everyone wanted to participate and win. They ran in threes, a boy tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying. The other eight heard him crying. They slowed down and looked behind them. They stopped and came back… All of them…
A girl with Down’s Syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked, “Feeling better now?” Then, all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line.
The whole crowd stood up and applauded. And the applause lasted a very long time…
People who witnessed this still talk about it. Why?
Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves. The most important thing in this life is to help others to win. Even if that means slowing down and changing our own race.
"A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.”
Our own peace is a by product of the peace of the people we share our lives with, those who touch our lives and whose lives we touch.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Zimbabwe go borrow vessels to put your oil.
DR MENSA OTABIL
It is because of this great man that I am inspired to write this article. I attended
a church conference this year in August at which he was one of the speakers and in his speech he taught me that success and development comes from seeing the good that
others do and adapting it to your own life to produce excellent results. It is those good ideas that you borrow from others that he called vessels and your own vision or plan that you come up with and implement using those borrowed ideas plus your own ideas is what he called the oil, hence the title of his speech, "Go borrow vessels." Before you misinterpret this as meaning infringing other people's property rights, i.e copyrights, patents, programmer's source codes, plagarising, etc, let me tell you that he emphasised that you should only borrow the vessels and not the oil, meaning that you only borrow ideas and not how to implement the ideas.
Zimbabwe my beloved nation which happens to be experiencing the highest inflation ever in the history of the world could do very well by borrowing ideas from the qoutes from great minds that I have listed below as well as the great mind of Dr Mensa Otabil and then use those ideas to come up with responsive and practical policies that can revive the nation back to good economic health. Yes Zimbabwe needs to borrow a lot of vessels for it to succeed in coming out of the economic and political black hole that it is in right now.
NELSON MANDELA
Whatever the sentence Your Worship sees fit to impose upon me for the crime for which I have been convicted before this court may it rest assured that when my sentence has been completed, I will still be moved as men are always moved, by their conscience. I will still be moved by my dislike of the race discrimination against my people. When I come out from serving my sentence, I will take up again, as best I can, the struggle for the removal of those injustices until they are finally abolished. (Nelson Mandela on the day he was convicted, the conviction which led to his stay in jail at Robben Island for 27years)
From this speech Zanu PF and its green bomber militia needs to know that jailing, punishing, beating, maiming and displacing a person for his political beliefs will not change that person's beliefs and convictions.
I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. (Nelson Mandela soon after he was released from prison)
From this speech the designated Mr President and his former ministers and governers who fought for the freedom of Zimbabwe should learn that they made a mistake of thinking that since they had won the war their long walk had ended and instead of continuing the walk by performing excellently in the different ministries they were responsible for they neglected their duties. The result was a decay in the country's instituitions.
This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy - pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such calm, patient determination to reclaim this country as your own, and now the joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops - Free at last! Free at last! I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for you. I regard it as the highest honor to lead the ANC at this moment in our history. I am your servant.... It is not the individuals that matter, but the collective.... This is the time to heal the old wounds and build a new South Africa. (Nelson Mandela when the political party ANC of which he was the leader won elections to make him the first black South African president.)
From this speech Zimbabwe's leaders need to take note that Nelson Mandela said, " I am your servant," and realise that they are there to serve the people, not for the people to serve them.
DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
From "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963
Oh yes, the Zimbabwean police needs to repent for their appaling silence and lack of action whilst innocent people were being beaten up by the Zanu PF green bomber militia.
I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
From "Rediscovering Lost Values," Feb. 28, 1954
Zanu PF green bomber militia should take heed of what Martin Luther King Jr said and show their trust and loyalty to God and not to their little god whoever it is who sent them to beat up innocent people.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964
We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobile rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind. I am aware that there are many who wince at a distinction between property and persons--who hold both sacrosanct. My views are not so rigid. A life is sacred. Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and
respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on; it is not man. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience, 1967
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
From the "I Have a Dream" speech, Aug. 28, 1963
In my last article on this blog- of random thoughts and admissable banter I mentioned the need for all Zimbabweans to work on changing their characters to ones that are inducive to sustainable development of the nation and in the last three qoutes Martin Luther King Jr is saying qoutes that can help Zimbabweans to change their characters for the better.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained. Mahatma Gandhi
Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. Mahatma Gandhi
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world... as in being able to remake ourselves. Mahatma Gandhi
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Mahatma Gandhi
The last qoute from Mahatma Gandhi urges the designated Mr President and Mr Prime Minister of Zimbabwe to think of the plight of the common people (who as we speak are getting immune compromised because of lack of enough food) before they decide to disagree on cabinet power sharing issues that can easily be resolved using the rule of sharing equally.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Any government is in itself an evil in so far as it carries within it the tendency to deteriorate into tyranny. However, except for a small number of anarchists, every one of us is convinced that civilized society cannot exist without a government. In a healthy nation there is a kind of dynamic balance between the will of the people and the government, which prevents its degeneration into tyranny. It is obvious that the danger of such deterioration is more acute in a country in which the government has authority not only over the armed forces but also over all the channels of education and information as well as over the economic existence of every single citizen. I say this merely to indicate that socialism as such cannot be considered the solution to all social problems but merely as a framework within which such a solution is possible. (Albert Einstein, 1947)
Einstein is warning Zimbabwe on the dangers of tyranny.
Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become
a man of value."
(--Life magazine. May 2, 1955.)
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest ... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Albert Einstein)
If every Zimbabwean would take heed of what Einstein said then there won't be any get-rich-quick schemes and black markets that exploit ordinary Zimbabweans off their hard earned money.
MOTHER THERESA
Life
We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Unity
There is a tremendous strength that is growing in the world through sharing together, praying together, suffering together, and working together
Love
It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.
Mother Teresa
Christianity
There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.
Mother Teresa
Mother Theresa is advising most Zimbabweans who have done so much, for so long, with so little, that they are now qualified to do anything with nothing that their hope lies in living a Christ-like life in love and unity.
MARGARET THATCHER
Human Nature
We conservatives understood, and understand it: the socialists didn't, and generally still don't.
Our experience tells us that Man is neither as good nor as bad as he's painted. Given the right framework of laws, taxes and regulation, most individuals will apply their talents and energies productively. They will certainly make far more effort on behalf of themselves and their families than they ever would for an impersonal entity called "government". What government has to do is to set the right rules, so that the game - and it's never a "zero sum game", remember - is played to the best of every player's ability. That's on the positive side of human nature. And from it stems everything which the West has achieved and which the world calls progress.
But there is also a negative side to human nature. We conservatives have no illusions about the perfectibility of Man. Human beings are as capable today of unspeakable brutality as they ever were. And the march of science and technology has provided new means of cruelty. If there are no assured penalties against wickedness, some people will disrupt and, if their numbers are sufficient, destroy all the good things of civilised life.
And it's not just the under-class but the "over-class" that causes the trouble. If politicians or bureaucrats are given power that is unaccountable and unrestrained they will, in the long-run, be as corrupt as they can get away with. That's the best possible argument for limited government - and a pretty good one too against a centralised European Super-state.
Without me repeating what she has said, I am sure you all agree with me that from this speech by Margaret Thatcher, Zimbabwe can borrow a lot of vessels.
BARRACK OBAMA
Let us affirm the greatness of our Nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
That is the true genius of America, a faith - a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted - at least most of the time. We can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one." (Barrack Obama)
Barrack Obama has stated clearly the beauty of democracy. Zimbabwe this vessel
of democracy needs to be borrowed and put into place in all governance systems so
that we make sure that all our children have a decent shot at life.
We've got a tragic history when it comes to race in this country. We've got a lot of pent-up anger and bitterness and misunderstanding. ... This country wants to move beyond these kinds of things.
Barack Obama
Speech on race, March 18, 2008.
Yes the British colonised Zimbabwe many decades ago, yes the West takes advantage of the developing nations and this can bring a lot of pent-up anger, bitterness and misunderstandings among the unforgiving hearts but Zimbabwe needs to forgive, forget and move beyond these kinds of things and concentrate on developing its economy.
In Africa, you often see that the difference between a village where everybody eats and a village where people starve is government. One has a functioning government, and the other does not. Which is why it bothers me when I hear people say that government is the enemy. They don't understand its fundamental role.
Barack Obama
Profile in The Independent Magazine, March 10, 2007.
As we speak ordinary Zimbabweans are starving, need I repeat what Barrack Obama said and say that the problem lies in an unfunctioning government.
I honor -- we honor -- the service of John McCain, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine.
Barack Obama
Speech following Montana primary, June 3, 2008.
Barrack Obama is indirectly telling Zimbabweans that so what if you are political rivals, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't respect each other and each other's views and achievements.
GOD & JESUS
Gen 11:5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
If as one people speaking the same language the two parties MDC & ZANU PF solve this cabinet power sharing problem in a win-win way, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
God said...) "He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain." (2 Sam 23.3b-4)
Zimbabwean leaders you are advised to let God lead you in all your decisions.
Select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. (Exod 18.21, NIV)
Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Mutambara take heed of this when you are appointing ministers.
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Ps 2.10-11)
*************************************************************************************
Let me conclude this article by quoting Albert Einstein to cater for those who might feel insulted, annoyed and challenged by this article and are hating my guts or my intelligence for writing it.
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."
(--letter from Albert Einstein to Morris Raphael Cohen, professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of the City of New York, defending the controversial appointment of Bertrand Russell to a teaching position, March 19, 1940.)
It is because of this great man that I am inspired to write this article. I attended
a church conference this year in August at which he was one of the speakers and in his speech he taught me that success and development comes from seeing the good that
others do and adapting it to your own life to produce excellent results. It is those good ideas that you borrow from others that he called vessels and your own vision or plan that you come up with and implement using those borrowed ideas plus your own ideas is what he called the oil, hence the title of his speech, "Go borrow vessels." Before you misinterpret this as meaning infringing other people's property rights, i.e copyrights, patents, programmer's source codes, plagarising, etc, let me tell you that he emphasised that you should only borrow the vessels and not the oil, meaning that you only borrow ideas and not how to implement the ideas.
Zimbabwe my beloved nation which happens to be experiencing the highest inflation ever in the history of the world could do very well by borrowing ideas from the qoutes from great minds that I have listed below as well as the great mind of Dr Mensa Otabil and then use those ideas to come up with responsive and practical policies that can revive the nation back to good economic health. Yes Zimbabwe needs to borrow a lot of vessels for it to succeed in coming out of the economic and political black hole that it is in right now.
NELSON MANDELA
Whatever the sentence Your Worship sees fit to impose upon me for the crime for which I have been convicted before this court may it rest assured that when my sentence has been completed, I will still be moved as men are always moved, by their conscience. I will still be moved by my dislike of the race discrimination against my people. When I come out from serving my sentence, I will take up again, as best I can, the struggle for the removal of those injustices until they are finally abolished. (Nelson Mandela on the day he was convicted, the conviction which led to his stay in jail at Robben Island for 27years)
From this speech Zanu PF and its green bomber militia needs to know that jailing, punishing, beating, maiming and displacing a person for his political beliefs will not change that person's beliefs and convictions.
I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. (Nelson Mandela soon after he was released from prison)
From this speech the designated Mr President and his former ministers and governers who fought for the freedom of Zimbabwe should learn that they made a mistake of thinking that since they had won the war their long walk had ended and instead of continuing the walk by performing excellently in the different ministries they were responsible for they neglected their duties. The result was a decay in the country's instituitions.
This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy - pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such calm, patient determination to reclaim this country as your own, and now the joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops - Free at last! Free at last! I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for you. I regard it as the highest honor to lead the ANC at this moment in our history. I am your servant.... It is not the individuals that matter, but the collective.... This is the time to heal the old wounds and build a new South Africa. (Nelson Mandela when the political party ANC of which he was the leader won elections to make him the first black South African president.)
From this speech Zimbabwe's leaders need to take note that Nelson Mandela said, " I am your servant," and realise that they are there to serve the people, not for the people to serve them.
DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
From "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963
Oh yes, the Zimbabwean police needs to repent for their appaling silence and lack of action whilst innocent people were being beaten up by the Zanu PF green bomber militia.
I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
From "Rediscovering Lost Values," Feb. 28, 1954
Zanu PF green bomber militia should take heed of what Martin Luther King Jr said and show their trust and loyalty to God and not to their little god whoever it is who sent them to beat up innocent people.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964
We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobile rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind. I am aware that there are many who wince at a distinction between property and persons--who hold both sacrosanct. My views are not so rigid. A life is sacred. Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and
respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on; it is not man. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience, 1967
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
From the "I Have a Dream" speech, Aug. 28, 1963
In my last article on this blog- of random thoughts and admissable banter I mentioned the need for all Zimbabweans to work on changing their characters to ones that are inducive to sustainable development of the nation and in the last three qoutes Martin Luther King Jr is saying qoutes that can help Zimbabweans to change their characters for the better.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained. Mahatma Gandhi
Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well. Mahatma Gandhi
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world... as in being able to remake ourselves. Mahatma Gandhi
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Mahatma Gandhi
The last qoute from Mahatma Gandhi urges the designated Mr President and Mr Prime Minister of Zimbabwe to think of the plight of the common people (who as we speak are getting immune compromised because of lack of enough food) before they decide to disagree on cabinet power sharing issues that can easily be resolved using the rule of sharing equally.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Any government is in itself an evil in so far as it carries within it the tendency to deteriorate into tyranny. However, except for a small number of anarchists, every one of us is convinced that civilized society cannot exist without a government. In a healthy nation there is a kind of dynamic balance between the will of the people and the government, which prevents its degeneration into tyranny. It is obvious that the danger of such deterioration is more acute in a country in which the government has authority not only over the armed forces but also over all the channels of education and information as well as over the economic existence of every single citizen. I say this merely to indicate that socialism as such cannot be considered the solution to all social problems but merely as a framework within which such a solution is possible. (Albert Einstein, 1947)
Einstein is warning Zimbabwe on the dangers of tyranny.
Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become
a man of value."
(--Life magazine. May 2, 1955.)
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest ... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Albert Einstein)
If every Zimbabwean would take heed of what Einstein said then there won't be any get-rich-quick schemes and black markets that exploit ordinary Zimbabweans off their hard earned money.
MOTHER THERESA
Life
We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Unity
There is a tremendous strength that is growing in the world through sharing together, praying together, suffering together, and working together
Love
It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.
Mother Teresa
Christianity
There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.
Mother Teresa
Mother Theresa is advising most Zimbabweans who have done so much, for so long, with so little, that they are now qualified to do anything with nothing that their hope lies in living a Christ-like life in love and unity.
MARGARET THATCHER
Human Nature
We conservatives understood, and understand it: the socialists didn't, and generally still don't.
Our experience tells us that Man is neither as good nor as bad as he's painted. Given the right framework of laws, taxes and regulation, most individuals will apply their talents and energies productively. They will certainly make far more effort on behalf of themselves and their families than they ever would for an impersonal entity called "government". What government has to do is to set the right rules, so that the game - and it's never a "zero sum game", remember - is played to the best of every player's ability. That's on the positive side of human nature. And from it stems everything which the West has achieved and which the world calls progress.
But there is also a negative side to human nature. We conservatives have no illusions about the perfectibility of Man. Human beings are as capable today of unspeakable brutality as they ever were. And the march of science and technology has provided new means of cruelty. If there are no assured penalties against wickedness, some people will disrupt and, if their numbers are sufficient, destroy all the good things of civilised life.
And it's not just the under-class but the "over-class" that causes the trouble. If politicians or bureaucrats are given power that is unaccountable and unrestrained they will, in the long-run, be as corrupt as they can get away with. That's the best possible argument for limited government - and a pretty good one too against a centralised European Super-state.
Without me repeating what she has said, I am sure you all agree with me that from this speech by Margaret Thatcher, Zimbabwe can borrow a lot of vessels.
BARRACK OBAMA
Let us affirm the greatness of our Nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
That is the true genius of America, a faith - a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted - at least most of the time. We can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one." (Barrack Obama)
Barrack Obama has stated clearly the beauty of democracy. Zimbabwe this vessel
of democracy needs to be borrowed and put into place in all governance systems so
that we make sure that all our children have a decent shot at life.
We've got a tragic history when it comes to race in this country. We've got a lot of pent-up anger and bitterness and misunderstanding. ... This country wants to move beyond these kinds of things.
Barack Obama
Speech on race, March 18, 2008.
Yes the British colonised Zimbabwe many decades ago, yes the West takes advantage of the developing nations and this can bring a lot of pent-up anger, bitterness and misunderstandings among the unforgiving hearts but Zimbabwe needs to forgive, forget and move beyond these kinds of things and concentrate on developing its economy.
In Africa, you often see that the difference between a village where everybody eats and a village where people starve is government. One has a functioning government, and the other does not. Which is why it bothers me when I hear people say that government is the enemy. They don't understand its fundamental role.
Barack Obama
Profile in The Independent Magazine, March 10, 2007.
As we speak ordinary Zimbabweans are starving, need I repeat what Barrack Obama said and say that the problem lies in an unfunctioning government.
I honor -- we honor -- the service of John McCain, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine.
Barack Obama
Speech following Montana primary, June 3, 2008.
Barrack Obama is indirectly telling Zimbabweans that so what if you are political rivals, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't respect each other and each other's views and achievements.
GOD & JESUS
Gen 11:5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
If as one people speaking the same language the two parties MDC & ZANU PF solve this cabinet power sharing problem in a win-win way, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
God said...) "He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain." (2 Sam 23.3b-4)
Zimbabwean leaders you are advised to let God lead you in all your decisions.
Select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. (Exod 18.21, NIV)
Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Mutambara take heed of this when you are appointing ministers.
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Ps 2.10-11)
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Let me conclude this article by quoting Albert Einstein to cater for those who might feel insulted, annoyed and challenged by this article and are hating my guts or my intelligence for writing it.
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."
(--letter from Albert Einstein to Morris Raphael Cohen, professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of the City of New York, defending the controversial appointment of Bertrand Russell to a teaching position, March 19, 1940.)
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