Charity, they say, begins at home. This is one saying that Africans have to learn to employ today, more than any other day before. History has shown us that no one can come to your aid if you do not try to save yourself.
It is no secret that Africa is such a blessed continent. The untapped mineral deposit of DRC Congo alone for example, is estimated to be worth $24 trillion. This is the total GDP of the United States and almost half of Europe combined. What does this tell us? This clearly shows that Congo is the richest, or rather ought to be, the richest country on the face of the earth…this is not a myth, it is the truth and nothing but the truth! It is an open fact that Africa is becoming the biggest market for various continents; more and more countries from both the east and the West are fighting for a place in the African market. It is also true that Africa remains as the center of morality (positive morality) and the home of religion(s). Such is the story of a continent.
Yet, she is faced with serious dilemmas today. That Africa stands as the center of conflicts and wars is a fact you do not have to be a genius to know. Numerous countries today have internal conflicts and with the climate drastically changing, desertification and hunger seem to be encroaching very fast. The prospects of more wars are high and the life of an ordinary African seems to be at stake. The gap between the poor and the rich is increasing at an increasing rate and the level of morality and religious beliefs seem to be taking the reverse direction. Africa is faced with the dilemma of reconciling the progress in technology and maintaining her rich cultural values. She now has to face the problem of holding onto to her religious beliefs and taking up reason as a tool for progress in this new age. Many natives, young and not so young have been wiped away by the HIV scourge. The streets have become a home for numerous orphans who have to roam up and down in search of leftovers to call food. Africa, the richest continent on the globe, has turned into a den of beggars!
With the growth in technology and improved communication and transport systems, the world has seems to be turning into a global village: a diversified global village. The privacy of individuals is subliming into the demands of the new human community that is now growing from the new developments. The world is becoming small and smaller.
Yet it is a lesson from the previous experiences that without consciousness and unity in herself, her ordeals will never end. Learning from experience ought to be a basic human necessity! There are no greater lessons than the genocide in Rwanda, Darfu and Congo DRC. Over 800,000 people in Rwanda, six million in Eastern Congo and many more in Darfu died without the intervention of the UN or the west…and AU too. The fundamental objectives of AU today do not lie in fighting colonization and apartheid as it used to be in former times but in safeguarding the interests and the lives of not only the member states but more importantly, the citizens of the member states. Some of the objectives of this organization read in part that it will Endeavour ; “To achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the peoples of Africa; To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its Member States; To accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent; To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples; To encourage international cooperation, taking due account of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent; To promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance; To promote and protect human and peoples' rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments;…”
If these rays of light can be made to penetrate into Mogadishu, a stable government can be established and piracy and other activities of terror will be things of the past. Piracy is only thriving at the coast of Somalia because there are no modalities on how that country can be run. Living in an organized and peaceful society is a basic right of the people. Responsibility for self and others is a fundamental necessity for any person(s). If the people who live in this country (Somalia), cannot be responsible, then it should be the work of the union in seeing to it that they are helped to become responsible, using all peaceful means necessary. If economy is the problem, then the Union ought to ensure that urgent measures are put in place to restore and protect an economy in that part of the world.
Failure in all the above attempts suggests that more and more young boys will be recruited into this trade and the region will continue becoming insecure. Since the Somalia water is necessary for the trade between the world and east Africa, her insecurity will paralyze the economy of other neighbouring countries; especially Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Eastern Congo. The vision 2030, spelt out by Kenya, will sublime into thin air and their new constitution rendered rather sterile. The prosperity of this part of the world is dependent on the stability of Somalia, both politically, socially and economically.
Africa must learn to solve her problems, this is an urgent necessity!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
keen steps.
The government of Kenya has recently resolved to sending her troops to man the boarders between her and Somalia. Her navy officers have also intensified their patrol in the high seas as they endevour to tame the looming threat. Kenya, just like any other country of the world is aware of the potential threat cause by the Al Shabab together with their Pirate friends. This is particularly important keeping in mind that she has to take care of her citizens from any potential harm from the said 'enemies.'
However, she fails in one attempt, rather than taking a more vigorous and direct approach, she is acting like a spectator in a football match. Why?
For the past two decades, somalis have not had anything to call a government. They, as a result have become survivors. given that Somalia has no mineral base to earn her foreign pay nor enough rain to sustain her with enough food and water, many of the young men have lost hope. The only remaining solution is to use all means necessary to survive. These people have little to loose and Kenya should know this for sure. Secondly, the latest census results provide a sufficient proof that more than any other decade, the number of somalis has tremendously increased. They even have their 'capital' in Eastleigh. Therefore, Kenyan sending her troops at the boarders is a costly temporary measure.
Uganda on her part has sent her troop in somalia to curb the insurgency of al Shabab and other related groups. What she has however failed to recognize is that there is no known circumstance where weapons have ever brought peace. Peace can never be bought, she can only be achieved through dialogue of the people who are ready for her. Yes, there is a time when force is necessary in establishing peace, however, force is not the source of such a reality. As a result, Kampala has been bombed of recent and many more threats are coming in.
Possibly what this people want is to be recognized as human beings, so that they can live in a an organized society. May be what they want is for the world to help them establish a state of their own, to move from the Hobbean state of nature, to protect the little property they have and bury their differences.
The New Kenya's Constitution with her partner the vision 2030 will be rendered insignificant once this situation is not curbed. The world has indeed become a village and to protect 'you' is to protect 'me.'
However, she fails in one attempt, rather than taking a more vigorous and direct approach, she is acting like a spectator in a football match. Why?
For the past two decades, somalis have not had anything to call a government. They, as a result have become survivors. given that Somalia has no mineral base to earn her foreign pay nor enough rain to sustain her with enough food and water, many of the young men have lost hope. The only remaining solution is to use all means necessary to survive. These people have little to loose and Kenya should know this for sure. Secondly, the latest census results provide a sufficient proof that more than any other decade, the number of somalis has tremendously increased. They even have their 'capital' in Eastleigh. Therefore, Kenyan sending her troops at the boarders is a costly temporary measure.
Uganda on her part has sent her troop in somalia to curb the insurgency of al Shabab and other related groups. What she has however failed to recognize is that there is no known circumstance where weapons have ever brought peace. Peace can never be bought, she can only be achieved through dialogue of the people who are ready for her. Yes, there is a time when force is necessary in establishing peace, however, force is not the source of such a reality. As a result, Kampala has been bombed of recent and many more threats are coming in.
Possibly what this people want is to be recognized as human beings, so that they can live in a an organized society. May be what they want is for the world to help them establish a state of their own, to move from the Hobbean state of nature, to protect the little property they have and bury their differences.
The New Kenya's Constitution with her partner the vision 2030 will be rendered insignificant once this situation is not curbed. The world has indeed become a village and to protect 'you' is to protect 'me.'
Sunday, September 5, 2010
impaired
If impairment is one of the words employed in describing ‘sickness,’ then I am a very sick person. I am sick coz literally; I have lately discovered that I am to a greater degree impaired in unfortunately, all spheres of my life. I guess this must be a direct result of too much reading of stuff that has left me worrying either of the past or taken up too much by the future….this ain’t a good thing at all!!
Recently, I had to take one of my friends ‘out,’ that is too say, to a private spot with minimum noise and plenty of fresh air. This in normal circumstances was to involve taking a cold drink, watching some artificial pictures, that is; watching, on a screen, an image run around a pitch, chasing a ball that cannot stop. Afterwards, I was to hold this jamaa who was now too drunk, by the true sense of the word, and hire a Taxi, just to make sure that my friend reached safely back home. All this had implications!!
For the outing that is inclusive of the transport and other expenses, I had to part with enough Ugandan Mitualos, which was not an easy thing to do. Given my financial standing at the time, I realized that I was actually economically impaired. It forced me to go too deep into my pocket that at one point I had to tore them in the name of borrowing a soft loan for this very purpose. If you have ever had to incur a debt, you must know that it’s not the best of the positions to find oneself in. Apart from having enabled me to develop dodging tricks, it has left me psychologically tormented by figuring out how I should repay this loan. Truly, I’m a very sick person now.
Talking about sickness, my physical strength cannot allow me to support or lift something beyond 61kgs, this is according to a specialist I visited in an ‘international’ hospital. Given that my friend’s weight lies in the region of 80’s, my body is in torment, literally the whole of it!! I thought it was only the back, well, that was only a thought!! I am a very sick person.
My social standing now stands well below the normal levels, given that I have to always and at all times, dodge my friend whose money I still have. The dodging does not only involve the physical aspect, but also electronically speaking refusing to pick up his calls. Dear Jesus in heaven, I am impaired!
Recently, I had to take one of my friends ‘out,’ that is too say, to a private spot with minimum noise and plenty of fresh air. This in normal circumstances was to involve taking a cold drink, watching some artificial pictures, that is; watching, on a screen, an image run around a pitch, chasing a ball that cannot stop. Afterwards, I was to hold this jamaa who was now too drunk, by the true sense of the word, and hire a Taxi, just to make sure that my friend reached safely back home. All this had implications!!
For the outing that is inclusive of the transport and other expenses, I had to part with enough Ugandan Mitualos, which was not an easy thing to do. Given my financial standing at the time, I realized that I was actually economically impaired. It forced me to go too deep into my pocket that at one point I had to tore them in the name of borrowing a soft loan for this very purpose. If you have ever had to incur a debt, you must know that it’s not the best of the positions to find oneself in. Apart from having enabled me to develop dodging tricks, it has left me psychologically tormented by figuring out how I should repay this loan. Truly, I’m a very sick person now.
Talking about sickness, my physical strength cannot allow me to support or lift something beyond 61kgs, this is according to a specialist I visited in an ‘international’ hospital. Given that my friend’s weight lies in the region of 80’s, my body is in torment, literally the whole of it!! I thought it was only the back, well, that was only a thought!! I am a very sick person.
My social standing now stands well below the normal levels, given that I have to always and at all times, dodge my friend whose money I still have. The dodging does not only involve the physical aspect, but also electronically speaking refusing to pick up his calls. Dear Jesus in heaven, I am impaired!
democracy error
I have nothing personal against ‘the majority rule,’ but I think democracy is one of the worst, if not the worst, system of governance. I am sure that the Greeks had noble intentions on why they came up with such a concept of a government. I guess they were tired of their traditional governments and wanted something rather new. Looking at it critically, this concept is a combination of all failed systems of their time and ours (Monarchy, Oligarchy, Theocracy, and lastly, Dictatorship). Aristotle, a man who lived 3 centuries before we started counting down time, thought that this kind of government would bring about some sort of equality especially to women and slaves who were, as they have been, outcasts of their time (remember that he had studied 150 constitutions from different republics). Hobbes envisioned that it will bring harmony from the dangerous ‘state of nature,’ Locke’s idea was that it will help protect people’s property and establish some sense of equality and Nyerere’s view was that it would help to create leaders and not masters. Yet clearly, democracy has failed in all of these attempts.
It is democracy that has developed the campaign engines that sort to fight brothers against sisters. It is the same democracy that has demarcated time limit for ‘service’ creating prolonged desire for people to cling onto power even when it is apparently clear that they are incompetent (take for example the case of Omar Yar’Aduwa and uncle bob!). This type of rule has failed the majority by creating masters not leaders. By creating time limit for ‘service,’ democracy has built into people an insatiable greed to acquire as much as they can before they vacate their offices and thus, I will rightly say that it is the principle root of corruption, a vice that is eating up our society.
Let me explain myself on why I consider it the mother of the vice that is corruption. According to Aristotle, “democracy (is) that in which the many and the poor are the rulers.” This idea has also been shared by Locke, Nyerere and many other political geniuses both modern and contemporary. If that is true then, a state where a poor man rules ends up in poverty for he’ll try to satisfy his needs first (coz man is a greedy animal remember). A state where the majority rules ends up in anarchy for it is difficult to reach consensus. In fact, since everyone thinks that they are free, they will tend to fight each other, trying to rule oneself in the name of freedom…this basically throws us into anomie. Since, as Aristotle had already suggested that it is a system of the poor and the masses, the poor will try, by all means possible to reach at the top of the ladder with as little efforts as possible, and this my friends is the basis of corruption.
If the above is not true, then it is true that democracy has failed in the sense that, with daft and incompetent leaders, the majority rights has been placed into the hand of the minority who have taken full advantage. Democracy has for sure become the ‘minority rule’ and this for me is its greatest failure. The masses who elect have no say but the minority, who sit in offices doing nothing in particular and cruising around in some heavy fuel guzzlers.
Yet again, I may be wrong, because although the system has failed, the concept remains intact. May be we should think of coming up with another term for the ‘minority rule’…at least for our time!!!!
It is democracy that has developed the campaign engines that sort to fight brothers against sisters. It is the same democracy that has demarcated time limit for ‘service’ creating prolonged desire for people to cling onto power even when it is apparently clear that they are incompetent (take for example the case of Omar Yar’Aduwa and uncle bob!). This type of rule has failed the majority by creating masters not leaders. By creating time limit for ‘service,’ democracy has built into people an insatiable greed to acquire as much as they can before they vacate their offices and thus, I will rightly say that it is the principle root of corruption, a vice that is eating up our society.
Let me explain myself on why I consider it the mother of the vice that is corruption. According to Aristotle, “democracy (is) that in which the many and the poor are the rulers.” This idea has also been shared by Locke, Nyerere and many other political geniuses both modern and contemporary. If that is true then, a state where a poor man rules ends up in poverty for he’ll try to satisfy his needs first (coz man is a greedy animal remember). A state where the majority rules ends up in anarchy for it is difficult to reach consensus. In fact, since everyone thinks that they are free, they will tend to fight each other, trying to rule oneself in the name of freedom…this basically throws us into anomie. Since, as Aristotle had already suggested that it is a system of the poor and the masses, the poor will try, by all means possible to reach at the top of the ladder with as little efforts as possible, and this my friends is the basis of corruption.
If the above is not true, then it is true that democracy has failed in the sense that, with daft and incompetent leaders, the majority rights has been placed into the hand of the minority who have taken full advantage. Democracy has for sure become the ‘minority rule’ and this for me is its greatest failure. The masses who elect have no say but the minority, who sit in offices doing nothing in particular and cruising around in some heavy fuel guzzlers.
Yet again, I may be wrong, because although the system has failed, the concept remains intact. May be we should think of coming up with another term for the ‘minority rule’…at least for our time!!!!
religious consumerism
I am not so sure how Jesus has managed to gain billions of followers around the globe, all I know is that he has. If the same Jesus of Nazareth was to reappear amongst us today, I am sure he will sound more irrelevant to many than otherwise. Possibly, psychologists will term him a psychic case and the evangelists will turn their backs on their master. How can you convince me to sell off all my possessions and follow you? How foolish will I be? Who will take care of my uncertain future, take care of my aging parents, give me food to eat or water to drink? And how sure am I that I will attain an everlasting life just but by your words. I ‘m sure Jesus will have hard time trying to explain himself on this issues. I am also suspecting that with such radical demands and controversial way of life, he will either be a victim of suicide bombing or deleted from space by one unmanned aircraft, ones used to hunt ‘terrorists’ in Afghanistan and Iraq!
I am living in a materially possessed society. The proponents of this culture are the consumerists, whose main agenda is to make profit out of nothing and by all means necessary. They are the grandchildren of the pragmatists and the siblings of the capitalists, whose main focus is to get materially rich or die trying to reach such an end. For these groups, success and good life is assured by the amount of material wealth one amasses, and it does not matter by which means, for it is ‘God for us all and everybody for themselves.’ I guess it is based on the Machiavellian principle of the end justifying the means where man is part of those means and never at any point the end. This in brief is the society I am living in; a GREEDY SOCIETY, a consumerist culture, and it is because of the very same reason I am saying that Jesus will sound irrelevant and even look more ridiculous with such kinds of demands.
I am particularly concerned with the new product on the market; Religious consumerism! First, we have a group that preaches a gospel of prosperity, a gospel of ‘good life.’ How good that life will be is the question! There is a belief among many, that some pastors prayers are more powerful than other, that if I give this thousand dollars, the Lord will reward me with these bountiful blessings. These pastors and churches have come up as an instrument of tax collection, through the use of the gospels. The gospel has moved from being the word of life to an instrument of high profile theft, a theft without mercy! The churches are many, some will claim that ‘one suits all,’ while others only insist on the rich and the classy. Some have made it clear that they are for the ‘poor,’ of course in spirit, and that to get a little richer, in spirit, you have to pay the debts of your sins by use of your newly acquired credit card. Better still, we have a those members who choose a church according to the amount of cash they habour in their bank accounts or according to the gravity of their previous sins. It is indeed religious consumerism!
I am living in a materially possessed society. The proponents of this culture are the consumerists, whose main agenda is to make profit out of nothing and by all means necessary. They are the grandchildren of the pragmatists and the siblings of the capitalists, whose main focus is to get materially rich or die trying to reach such an end. For these groups, success and good life is assured by the amount of material wealth one amasses, and it does not matter by which means, for it is ‘God for us all and everybody for themselves.’ I guess it is based on the Machiavellian principle of the end justifying the means where man is part of those means and never at any point the end. This in brief is the society I am living in; a GREEDY SOCIETY, a consumerist culture, and it is because of the very same reason I am saying that Jesus will sound irrelevant and even look more ridiculous with such kinds of demands.
I am particularly concerned with the new product on the market; Religious consumerism! First, we have a group that preaches a gospel of prosperity, a gospel of ‘good life.’ How good that life will be is the question! There is a belief among many, that some pastors prayers are more powerful than other, that if I give this thousand dollars, the Lord will reward me with these bountiful blessings. These pastors and churches have come up as an instrument of tax collection, through the use of the gospels. The gospel has moved from being the word of life to an instrument of high profile theft, a theft without mercy! The churches are many, some will claim that ‘one suits all,’ while others only insist on the rich and the classy. Some have made it clear that they are for the ‘poor,’ of course in spirit, and that to get a little richer, in spirit, you have to pay the debts of your sins by use of your newly acquired credit card. Better still, we have a those members who choose a church according to the amount of cash they habour in their bank accounts or according to the gravity of their previous sins. It is indeed religious consumerism!
Friday, August 27, 2010
constituitions
Aristotle, the philosopher as Aquinas calls him, believed that there is nothing more necessary and natural than a society. He pioneered the idea that ‘man’, as he called a human being, is the only animal endowed with reason and that this reason makes them to behave in a rational way. He says, “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion and desire.” It is due to the same causes above and especially due to reason that we all come together and form fundamental laws and regulations to govern ourselves. It is reason that tells us that wherever we are and in whatever we do, we must hang together, it is reason that tell us that in our long journey of life, we must walk together, it is the same reason that advices us that as reflective beings, we must Endeavour to establish structures that will work for us without fears of creating unnecessary classes within.
Hobbes on His part sees society as a necessary though an artificial structure. His construct of the ‘state of nature’ brings to light how our desires and passions as human being throw us into war against each other, how our insatiable desire for more and more leaves us broken and disgraced and how our endeavors to survive ignite tension and unnecessary anarchy. Man (human being) has a very simple formula to save himself, with reason they are so much endowed with, form laws and cede there rights to a leviathan. Indeed, Hobbes mental construct seems more real than Aristotle’s natural state. Looking around us, and going back into history, man seems to be fighting against a fellow man and the limited resources seems to be the even more reason for such fights. Economics tell us that there are indeed limited resources and nature has showed us that man is in a constant rash for such resources. As a result, wars have been allover, and laws have been formed as a result.
Rousseau on his part disregards society in all its forms. That man is born free is not a secret to him. However, he claims that society holds man with chains that can never be broken. He says, “Man is born free but everywhere in chains.” He seems to differ with Hobbes on the state of nature by indeed claiming that such a state was the most blissful, most peaceful and most resourceful humans ever had. He is however quick to point out that although the state of nature was the most ideal, it is impossible to go back into time and as a result, we need to sit and formulate laws to govern us.
Such are the case of rationality
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Hobbes on His part sees society as a necessary though an artificial structure. His construct of the ‘state of nature’ brings to light how our desires and passions as human being throw us into war against each other, how our insatiable desire for more and more leaves us broken and disgraced and how our endeavors to survive ignite tension and unnecessary anarchy. Man (human being) has a very simple formula to save himself, with reason they are so much endowed with, form laws and cede there rights to a leviathan. Indeed, Hobbes mental construct seems more real than Aristotle’s natural state. Looking around us, and going back into history, man seems to be fighting against a fellow man and the limited resources seems to be the even more reason for such fights. Economics tell us that there are indeed limited resources and nature has showed us that man is in a constant rash for such resources. As a result, wars have been allover, and laws have been formed as a result.
Rousseau on his part disregards society in all its forms. That man is born free is not a secret to him. However, he claims that society holds man with chains that can never be broken. He says, “Man is born free but everywhere in chains.” He seems to differ with Hobbes on the state of nature by indeed claiming that such a state was the most blissful, most peaceful and most resourceful humans ever had. He is however quick to point out that although the state of nature was the most ideal, it is impossible to go back into time and as a result, we need to sit and formulate laws to govern us.
Such are the case of rationality
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Saturday, April 24, 2010
guilty untill proven innocent!
If a law is broken, it is appropriate that a reasonable punishment is prescribed; at least in legal terms. However, before such a punishment is meted on an individual, it is important to acknowledge that legally, at least according to the human rights declaration, an individual is ‘innocent until proven guilty!’ This should be the case in any normal circumstances, in any country and at any time.
If you’ll think that for a second such a thing could be applicable in any normal African state, then be ready for a reality check. In Kenya, and the neighbouring country; Uganda, the two countries am so much conversant with, the above statement is an opinion. You are actually ‘guilty until proven innocent!’ This is a statement of fact! May be I should also clarify the term ‘fact’ which I can only define as ‘any verifiable statement that is true, independent of time and space.’ In this part of the world, any person who has never seen the door of a court room on suspicion of a crime and proved otherwise is in all sense of the word, a criminal. This is not a mere opinion; it is a true and factual statement.
Recently, I had a pleasure of taking my girlfriend ‘out.’ This was a very normal outing with very normal and necessary accompaniments. After visiting the source of river Nile, arguably the second longest river in the world, after Mississippi river, we had to have a refreshing time at the banks the river, enjoying the beautiful scenery of what is now Bukaya and just gazing at the water that was just starting its three months journey to Egypt. Since for me carrying my babe or feeding her is not part of showing romance, I made it a point to give her a little history of lake Victoria, its catchments, how the water flows into the Nile and just how useful this water was to the people of North Africa. I also tried, in the best way possible, to give her the history behind the Nile, telling her that Egypt had, during the colonial time signed a treaty with the East-African countries on regulating the use of this water, which too me was more of enslaving the local people. I was at the middle of the most romantic gesture of my caliber, fetching the water using my right hand and explaining the chemistry behind this compound when two Kanyamas (heavily built men) suddenly appeared. That is when I realized that being a foreigner in your own country can be too costly!
The two slugs first lectured me to something that sounded close to the constitution of Uganda; they told me how Uganda is a sovereign state and how such a state has her own laws and regulations! To me, this was, in the words of Immanuel Kant, what I call synthetic aposteriori knowledge, because I was literally conscious of everything they were saying. They went ahead and told me that apart from being a public land, the place we were enjoying ourselves from, was also a governments private land in which trespassing was prohibited. This did not make sense to me at all; I took into my hands, the trouble of trying to explain to these constitutionally innocent soldiers that my girlfriend and I had all the constitutional rights to enjoy ourselves at such a spot. I also let them know that being a citizen of this country, by registration; I was a property of the state liable to my constitutional rights. It was at the middle of such an explanation that the whole saga started, in one second, I was counting hezillions of stars in my eyes and in the other, I was trying to apologize for having been so stupid as to argue with the government officials. My face was already swelling due to numerous blows and lacerations I was receiving. It was only due to my girlfriend’s cry that the beating stopped. For costing the government officials’ energy, I was forced to part with Ugshs 50,000. In addition, I had to spend over 200,000 on treatment.
Lessons…never take some laws so literally for this may cost you heavily. Secondly, know that in Africa, at least in most African states, you are free until proven guilty and that all public officials are always right. Thirdly, never be so over courageous because of a girl because, due to her physical strength, a girl cannot save you as you suffer physical pain. Lastly, learn to inquire on the possibility of having freedom to walk and seat wherever you feel like, this is very essential.
Remember, you are never at liberty to do what you feel like and what you call innocence in one state may be a vice in another! This is 21st century...
If you’ll think that for a second such a thing could be applicable in any normal African state, then be ready for a reality check. In Kenya, and the neighbouring country; Uganda, the two countries am so much conversant with, the above statement is an opinion. You are actually ‘guilty until proven innocent!’ This is a statement of fact! May be I should also clarify the term ‘fact’ which I can only define as ‘any verifiable statement that is true, independent of time and space.’ In this part of the world, any person who has never seen the door of a court room on suspicion of a crime and proved otherwise is in all sense of the word, a criminal. This is not a mere opinion; it is a true and factual statement.
Recently, I had a pleasure of taking my girlfriend ‘out.’ This was a very normal outing with very normal and necessary accompaniments. After visiting the source of river Nile, arguably the second longest river in the world, after Mississippi river, we had to have a refreshing time at the banks the river, enjoying the beautiful scenery of what is now Bukaya and just gazing at the water that was just starting its three months journey to Egypt. Since for me carrying my babe or feeding her is not part of showing romance, I made it a point to give her a little history of lake Victoria, its catchments, how the water flows into the Nile and just how useful this water was to the people of North Africa. I also tried, in the best way possible, to give her the history behind the Nile, telling her that Egypt had, during the colonial time signed a treaty with the East-African countries on regulating the use of this water, which too me was more of enslaving the local people. I was at the middle of the most romantic gesture of my caliber, fetching the water using my right hand and explaining the chemistry behind this compound when two Kanyamas (heavily built men) suddenly appeared. That is when I realized that being a foreigner in your own country can be too costly!
The two slugs first lectured me to something that sounded close to the constitution of Uganda; they told me how Uganda is a sovereign state and how such a state has her own laws and regulations! To me, this was, in the words of Immanuel Kant, what I call synthetic aposteriori knowledge, because I was literally conscious of everything they were saying. They went ahead and told me that apart from being a public land, the place we were enjoying ourselves from, was also a governments private land in which trespassing was prohibited. This did not make sense to me at all; I took into my hands, the trouble of trying to explain to these constitutionally innocent soldiers that my girlfriend and I had all the constitutional rights to enjoy ourselves at such a spot. I also let them know that being a citizen of this country, by registration; I was a property of the state liable to my constitutional rights. It was at the middle of such an explanation that the whole saga started, in one second, I was counting hezillions of stars in my eyes and in the other, I was trying to apologize for having been so stupid as to argue with the government officials. My face was already swelling due to numerous blows and lacerations I was receiving. It was only due to my girlfriend’s cry that the beating stopped. For costing the government officials’ energy, I was forced to part with Ugshs 50,000. In addition, I had to spend over 200,000 on treatment.
Lessons…never take some laws so literally for this may cost you heavily. Secondly, know that in Africa, at least in most African states, you are free until proven guilty and that all public officials are always right. Thirdly, never be so over courageous because of a girl because, due to her physical strength, a girl cannot save you as you suffer physical pain. Lastly, learn to inquire on the possibility of having freedom to walk and seat wherever you feel like, this is very essential.
Remember, you are never at liberty to do what you feel like and what you call innocence in one state may be a vice in another! This is 21st century...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
poverty: worlds leading pandemic
I have been keen enough to be in touch with my world, to reflect on the ‘privileges’ am given and also came to the knowledge of what my worth is. I have also come to realize that may be some of us do not have any worth after all; ask the paranoid inhabitants of Baghdad and Kandahar! Or let me be relevant enough, the people from my small village in Buwongo in the middle of the great Bunyala swamp that is now being sold by the government.
I have heard various people claim that HIV is the most dangerous disease in our world today. Others, particularly those who have been in Africa, argue that malaria, killing atleast half a million a year, should be considered the most life threatening disease, while others still hold that cancer, diabetes and hypertension combined are the worlds most dreadful ailments today. I guess such people have a point, a serious one! However, all these assumptions miss the most vital point, that is to say, it is not malaria, nor diabetes that tops this list, rather, the prime suspect here should be the failure to attain the means to curb such diseases. Therefore, allow me to make my own claim, which I am ready to defend, that poverty is arguably the most haunting ailment of our time!
Subject to statistics, 70% of the world’s population lives below a dollar. If the world population stands at 6.84 billion today, then it means that nearly 5 billion people share this bitter fate. Having said that, let us assume that every person lives on 0.5 dollars a day, then, their annual financial budget should be something in the region of 182.5 dollars. With such a figure, it is inevitably impossible to dream of a balanced diet, for such a thing automatically becomes non-existent, whether in present, past or future! With such a budget, medication and schooling becomes a pure luxury; it is like talking of peace and love at the middle of Mogadishu. With such a situation, sanitation and clean water is deleted from the equation resulting into an inequality that may be mathematically unviable if tried out. With such a scenario, people forget of the necessity of basic needs and end up in an identity dilemma, where most certainly, most of them fail to classify themselves as Homo sapiens or just the proceeding groups. Clearly, the number one pandemic in our world today is poverty, a deadly pandemic!
Allow me to justify my point that indeed poverty is the greatest pandemic! I have no clear knowledge why this happens, but statistically speaking, poor people tend to have bigger families than their rich counterparts, this is possibly because for them, sex becomes a consolation, a way of relieving the unnecessary stress! On average, a financially incapacitated family has seven members that is, exclusive of the extendended family members; grandparents, uncles and aunts, just to note a few that normally become part of the family by default. Let us then stick to the number seven. Assuming that the total annual domestic financial base for a household is divided equally among the seven members, each member will have an average maximum of 26.07$ a year. Let us also assume that daily, each member spends and average of 0.1 $ on food (believe me, this happens quite often), multiplied by the number of days in a year, this will add up to 36.525 $ a year. Already such an individual would have lived by a deficit of over 10$ a year, equivalent to 40.1% beyond their total income. Let us also assume that such an individual spends an average of 0.0133’$ on water, this will translate to 4.87$ a year, added to the deficit that already exists, they will easily get something in the region of 15.325$ in deficit, amounting to 58.78% beyond the budget. If the average amount of money required annually for schooling, medication and clothing is lets say 260$ (given that such needs have never been basic for this people anyway, because of their price), then one person will have an excess of 270$ deficit on their budget translating to approximately 1025.263% deficit. Such a mathematical shock spells doom for a poor man.
I am sure most, probably all of you, reading this article have never lived in slums or met people living on isolated islands or experienced the tough life of the upcountry, yet truly, we have many of such people and am sure that whoever sits down to make such global statistics (on poverty around), by far underestimates what many people face, for indeed there are such people all over in our habitats. Given such conditions, how do you expect someone to comfortably feed their family? Is it even possible to have enough money to buy malaria tablets that cost about 1.25$? Is it even possible for one to buy a daily dose of diabetes drugs or go for a medical check-up once a year or even afford a chemo for a cancerous misfortune? Such people opt to die peacefully and slowly, with all their sufferings of course, and it is people like me and others that blame the whole thing on some innocent anopheles mosquitoes! I am happy that the government is offering free ARV drugs to HIV patients; this is a really noble gesture. However, such strong drugs need a balanced diet, a thing the masses cannot afford. I sometimes ask myself of the nobility of such a gesture!
I remember when I was a little young, something to do with ten years, that should be around 1910, I was left home with my little sister. Next door, there were my cousins whose parents had three days back gone to search for their daily bread and were not yet back. These six young kids, who were obviously younger than myself, were starving, literally starving. For me and my sister, we had four eggs reserved for lunch which we hoped would be sufficient for us. But checking on our dear cousins (in Africa this are our brothers and sisters), we could not help but make enough for all of us; indeed we had to make sure that it was enough! So what did we do? Well, we prepared a big mountain of Ugali (posho) and with the eggs, we literally added half a liter of water and made what I can rightly call an egg-stew. It was necessary and my cousins’ hunger was averted. I could see a smile at those malnourished faces, the boys and girls started playing and singing. Unfortunately, two of them died young, the remaining four never finished formal education and are now still hustling, just like their parents who (RIP) are now gone!
It is because of such situations that many have come up with all sorts of organizations and ideas. I have heard of the ‘poverty elevation fund!’ Is this something positive or what? I am not just so sure what this means, for in truth, we should be talking about eradicating poverty and not elevating it. Some few years ago, the Kenyan government came up with what is now called the ‘universal education.’ Such a system has been long in use in the neighbouring country Uganda. The achievement of such a thought and initiative was the massive inflow of poor kids into schools and at one moment, I thought that ignorance will be a thing of the past. This was a noble idea because many parents whose financial base played in the above described tune felt relieved. It was a noble idea indeed! However, when many thought that the program was in top gear, reality started cropping in. classes were filled to the brim, there was scarcity of teachers, insufficient books, classes and so many other necessary education tools! The implications of such realities were quite evident.
First, it is estimated that a normal class should have an average of 16 pupils and given that with such a program the classes were as big as having 100 kids. This implies that the teachers had over 500% heavier work load. With the meager salary the teachers are paid and so lack of motivation, we can only expect a product of more ignorant brood than anticipated. We cannot also expect children to study on empty stomachs, for this is completely unrealistic. I personally develop headaches when am hungry, resulting into a lack of concentration. To say the list, I can smell a rat in such a program because the ‘proponents’ of such ideas do not take their children to such schools but rather opt to pay dearly for their children’s academics. This system, designed for the poor has left many people more poor and ignorant than they were, for there is no greater evil than opting for half apparent measures and there is no dangerous mind than a mind half informed! The implication in such a system is the creation of classes where the rich, who are also the ruling class, will continue using their wealth, to rule the masses, for their children, who will be more educated and so ‘informed’ will be in a good position to make decisions for the less educated. It is an elite ruling society; it is a situation of ‘no place for a poor man society; it is the fruit of the modern man.
Therefore, as I was saying, poverty is a disease. It is no wonder we have a cursed system in India. With this pragmatic world directed by the capitalist policies of among others, consumerism, it will definitely require divine intervention to pull the worlds’ poor out of their shackles. It will definitely require a change of heart among the rich few to be inclusive. The danger is that anyone who may come up with such an idea is likely to be rebuffed and condemned to be a socialist as they have already labeled Barrack Obama. Whoever will want to fight for the poor will share the fate of Jesus Christ whose noble efforts led him to Calvary. Yet, a time is coming when all will indeed realize how temporal our hard earned riches are, and how fast such riches can sublime into thin air, never to return! Until then, poverty remains a pandemic!
I have heard various people claim that HIV is the most dangerous disease in our world today. Others, particularly those who have been in Africa, argue that malaria, killing atleast half a million a year, should be considered the most life threatening disease, while others still hold that cancer, diabetes and hypertension combined are the worlds most dreadful ailments today. I guess such people have a point, a serious one! However, all these assumptions miss the most vital point, that is to say, it is not malaria, nor diabetes that tops this list, rather, the prime suspect here should be the failure to attain the means to curb such diseases. Therefore, allow me to make my own claim, which I am ready to defend, that poverty is arguably the most haunting ailment of our time!
Subject to statistics, 70% of the world’s population lives below a dollar. If the world population stands at 6.84 billion today, then it means that nearly 5 billion people share this bitter fate. Having said that, let us assume that every person lives on 0.5 dollars a day, then, their annual financial budget should be something in the region of 182.5 dollars. With such a figure, it is inevitably impossible to dream of a balanced diet, for such a thing automatically becomes non-existent, whether in present, past or future! With such a budget, medication and schooling becomes a pure luxury; it is like talking of peace and love at the middle of Mogadishu. With such a situation, sanitation and clean water is deleted from the equation resulting into an inequality that may be mathematically unviable if tried out. With such a scenario, people forget of the necessity of basic needs and end up in an identity dilemma, where most certainly, most of them fail to classify themselves as Homo sapiens or just the proceeding groups. Clearly, the number one pandemic in our world today is poverty, a deadly pandemic!
Allow me to justify my point that indeed poverty is the greatest pandemic! I have no clear knowledge why this happens, but statistically speaking, poor people tend to have bigger families than their rich counterparts, this is possibly because for them, sex becomes a consolation, a way of relieving the unnecessary stress! On average, a financially incapacitated family has seven members that is, exclusive of the extendended family members; grandparents, uncles and aunts, just to note a few that normally become part of the family by default. Let us then stick to the number seven. Assuming that the total annual domestic financial base for a household is divided equally among the seven members, each member will have an average maximum of 26.07$ a year. Let us also assume that daily, each member spends and average of 0.1 $ on food (believe me, this happens quite often), multiplied by the number of days in a year, this will add up to 36.525 $ a year. Already such an individual would have lived by a deficit of over 10$ a year, equivalent to 40.1% beyond their total income. Let us also assume that such an individual spends an average of 0.0133’$ on water, this will translate to 4.87$ a year, added to the deficit that already exists, they will easily get something in the region of 15.325$ in deficit, amounting to 58.78% beyond the budget. If the average amount of money required annually for schooling, medication and clothing is lets say 260$ (given that such needs have never been basic for this people anyway, because of their price), then one person will have an excess of 270$ deficit on their budget translating to approximately 1025.263% deficit. Such a mathematical shock spells doom for a poor man.
I am sure most, probably all of you, reading this article have never lived in slums or met people living on isolated islands or experienced the tough life of the upcountry, yet truly, we have many of such people and am sure that whoever sits down to make such global statistics (on poverty around), by far underestimates what many people face, for indeed there are such people all over in our habitats. Given such conditions, how do you expect someone to comfortably feed their family? Is it even possible to have enough money to buy malaria tablets that cost about 1.25$? Is it even possible for one to buy a daily dose of diabetes drugs or go for a medical check-up once a year or even afford a chemo for a cancerous misfortune? Such people opt to die peacefully and slowly, with all their sufferings of course, and it is people like me and others that blame the whole thing on some innocent anopheles mosquitoes! I am happy that the government is offering free ARV drugs to HIV patients; this is a really noble gesture. However, such strong drugs need a balanced diet, a thing the masses cannot afford. I sometimes ask myself of the nobility of such a gesture!
I remember when I was a little young, something to do with ten years, that should be around 1910, I was left home with my little sister. Next door, there were my cousins whose parents had three days back gone to search for their daily bread and were not yet back. These six young kids, who were obviously younger than myself, were starving, literally starving. For me and my sister, we had four eggs reserved for lunch which we hoped would be sufficient for us. But checking on our dear cousins (in Africa this are our brothers and sisters), we could not help but make enough for all of us; indeed we had to make sure that it was enough! So what did we do? Well, we prepared a big mountain of Ugali (posho) and with the eggs, we literally added half a liter of water and made what I can rightly call an egg-stew. It was necessary and my cousins’ hunger was averted. I could see a smile at those malnourished faces, the boys and girls started playing and singing. Unfortunately, two of them died young, the remaining four never finished formal education and are now still hustling, just like their parents who (RIP) are now gone!
It is because of such situations that many have come up with all sorts of organizations and ideas. I have heard of the ‘poverty elevation fund!’ Is this something positive or what? I am not just so sure what this means, for in truth, we should be talking about eradicating poverty and not elevating it. Some few years ago, the Kenyan government came up with what is now called the ‘universal education.’ Such a system has been long in use in the neighbouring country Uganda. The achievement of such a thought and initiative was the massive inflow of poor kids into schools and at one moment, I thought that ignorance will be a thing of the past. This was a noble idea because many parents whose financial base played in the above described tune felt relieved. It was a noble idea indeed! However, when many thought that the program was in top gear, reality started cropping in. classes were filled to the brim, there was scarcity of teachers, insufficient books, classes and so many other necessary education tools! The implications of such realities were quite evident.
First, it is estimated that a normal class should have an average of 16 pupils and given that with such a program the classes were as big as having 100 kids. This implies that the teachers had over 500% heavier work load. With the meager salary the teachers are paid and so lack of motivation, we can only expect a product of more ignorant brood than anticipated. We cannot also expect children to study on empty stomachs, for this is completely unrealistic. I personally develop headaches when am hungry, resulting into a lack of concentration. To say the list, I can smell a rat in such a program because the ‘proponents’ of such ideas do not take their children to such schools but rather opt to pay dearly for their children’s academics. This system, designed for the poor has left many people more poor and ignorant than they were, for there is no greater evil than opting for half apparent measures and there is no dangerous mind than a mind half informed! The implication in such a system is the creation of classes where the rich, who are also the ruling class, will continue using their wealth, to rule the masses, for their children, who will be more educated and so ‘informed’ will be in a good position to make decisions for the less educated. It is an elite ruling society; it is a situation of ‘no place for a poor man society; it is the fruit of the modern man.
Therefore, as I was saying, poverty is a disease. It is no wonder we have a cursed system in India. With this pragmatic world directed by the capitalist policies of among others, consumerism, it will definitely require divine intervention to pull the worlds’ poor out of their shackles. It will definitely require a change of heart among the rich few to be inclusive. The danger is that anyone who may come up with such an idea is likely to be rebuffed and condemned to be a socialist as they have already labeled Barrack Obama. Whoever will want to fight for the poor will share the fate of Jesus Christ whose noble efforts led him to Calvary. Yet, a time is coming when all will indeed realize how temporal our hard earned riches are, and how fast such riches can sublime into thin air, never to return! Until then, poverty remains a pandemic!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
our short-sightedness
in normal circumstances, I'll rather go by my own rational dictate, but allow me to commit a fallacy here, wot you'll rightly call 'ad verecundiam.' I must agree with Kant that at all times, our moral acts should be done out of obligation and should be objective enough. on what is now the basis of human rights, Kant says that "Act in such a way that you treat ...humanity, whether in your own person or in the ... other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end" This thought has stood the test of time and on it, the human rights movements have been built. the foetus in the womb is not just the other, but it is a subject that cannot be reduced to a mere object...
if our parents would have taken us as just a 'mean,' most of us wouldn't have been born. No matter what we do,we cannot justify an evil. the clause as stipulated in the (Kenyan) draft constitution is too open as to allow a woman, without any good reason, to convince a doctor to flash a fetus from her womb....yet, rightly as it has been affirmed by various sensible people, Life starts at conception...and that's for sure a fact! I fully agree with religious leaders on this issue!
The proponents of such a subject are claiming that money has been lost, and i will be put to task and ask, "between money and human life, what's important?" Consumerism and pragmatism is killing us, we want quick fixes and cheap ones indeed. but if we are to face the future with zeal and hope, we must learn to sacrifice our resources for this very task.
Others are claiming that we have waited for long to have a constitution, that this is the time, "but what type of constitution should we have?" are we ready for just any constitution? This is absurd, i guess many of those making noise do not understand the meaning of such a noble document, they probably do not recognize that not only our future but the future of our grandchildren's children heavily depends on this document we are unnecessarily making a fuss over. This document holds the future of this generation and generations to come and doing a shoddy work creates uncertainty to the coming generations. Clearly, the apparent good in not always the befitting and indeed, we should be striving for the higher course, the befitting!
Behind any constitution are the rights of a human being, the most fundamental one being "the right to life.." if such a right is ambiguously held, then what's the use of a constitution anyway?
Reality is a complex thing, as i have experienced it anyway, and we have a choice, we can choose to enter into such a complexity and so explore it ( as Americans have of recent done with the health overhaul), or fear such an obligation and hand the future generation a raw deal. We have a choice!
if our parents would have taken us as just a 'mean,' most of us wouldn't have been born. No matter what we do,we cannot justify an evil. the clause as stipulated in the (Kenyan) draft constitution is too open as to allow a woman, without any good reason, to convince a doctor to flash a fetus from her womb....yet, rightly as it has been affirmed by various sensible people, Life starts at conception...and that's for sure a fact! I fully agree with religious leaders on this issue!
The proponents of such a subject are claiming that money has been lost, and i will be put to task and ask, "between money and human life, what's important?" Consumerism and pragmatism is killing us, we want quick fixes and cheap ones indeed. but if we are to face the future with zeal and hope, we must learn to sacrifice our resources for this very task.
Others are claiming that we have waited for long to have a constitution, that this is the time, "but what type of constitution should we have?" are we ready for just any constitution? This is absurd, i guess many of those making noise do not understand the meaning of such a noble document, they probably do not recognize that not only our future but the future of our grandchildren's children heavily depends on this document we are unnecessarily making a fuss over. This document holds the future of this generation and generations to come and doing a shoddy work creates uncertainty to the coming generations. Clearly, the apparent good in not always the befitting and indeed, we should be striving for the higher course, the befitting!
Behind any constitution are the rights of a human being, the most fundamental one being "the right to life.." if such a right is ambiguously held, then what's the use of a constitution anyway?
Reality is a complex thing, as i have experienced it anyway, and we have a choice, we can choose to enter into such a complexity and so explore it ( as Americans have of recent done with the health overhaul), or fear such an obligation and hand the future generation a raw deal. We have a choice!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
tricky age
We are living in a tricky age,
In a world filled with rage.
When many people are making mistakes,
And the fate of humanity is at stake.
A globe where ‘I’ and mine alone matters,
For egoism is at the center of the matter.
Yet, it does not count!
Whether we are liberals or conservatives, religious or not,
It does not even matter,
Whether we are social or capitalists, rich or not,
It even counts less,
Whether we are intelligent or daft, wise or not,
It is of no point,
Whether we are fundamentalists or rational, staunch or partial,
Regardless of our colour or race; black or white, European or African,
Regardless of religion, race, nationality, status, and all customs,
Of everything we can feel, think, see or name.
We are all called to be a little bit more human, to love and serve!
For we should realize that everything we do
Affects not only our lives but others too,
That a single happy smile can always brighten the day’
For someone who happens to be passing by your way’
And that a little bit of thoughtfulness that shows someone we care,
Creates sunshine for both of us to share,
Yes, every time we offer a helping hand,
Every time we show a friend we care and understand,
Every time we have a kind and gentle word to give,
We find someone find beauty in this precious life we live.
For happiness brings happiness and loving ways brings love,
And give is the treasure that contentment is made of.
So my dear friends, humanity is the course we should take,
Healing human wounds and making sure we do not behind leave a speck.
For ‘humanity is like a great river flowing into eternity,’
Let us make sure we lead it there with all certainty!
In a world filled with rage.
When many people are making mistakes,
And the fate of humanity is at stake.
A globe where ‘I’ and mine alone matters,
For egoism is at the center of the matter.
Yet, it does not count!
Whether we are liberals or conservatives, religious or not,
It does not even matter,
Whether we are social or capitalists, rich or not,
It even counts less,
Whether we are intelligent or daft, wise or not,
It is of no point,
Whether we are fundamentalists or rational, staunch or partial,
Regardless of our colour or race; black or white, European or African,
Regardless of religion, race, nationality, status, and all customs,
Of everything we can feel, think, see or name.
We are all called to be a little bit more human, to love and serve!
For we should realize that everything we do
Affects not only our lives but others too,
That a single happy smile can always brighten the day’
For someone who happens to be passing by your way’
And that a little bit of thoughtfulness that shows someone we care,
Creates sunshine for both of us to share,
Yes, every time we offer a helping hand,
Every time we show a friend we care and understand,
Every time we have a kind and gentle word to give,
We find someone find beauty in this precious life we live.
For happiness brings happiness and loving ways brings love,
And give is the treasure that contentment is made of.
So my dear friends, humanity is the course we should take,
Healing human wounds and making sure we do not behind leave a speck.
For ‘humanity is like a great river flowing into eternity,’
Let us make sure we lead it there with all certainty!
categories in my world
No matter what we think, feel, do or say, it is an open fact that this world has always had three categories of people and that somehow, most of us are always trying to navigate the ladder to reach the third category. I have tried tocome up with three appropriate names for these categories.
The first group has always been those I’ll term as ‘the existing!’ To the members of this group, medication and balanced diet is a luxury. Their income summed up and divided by their basic needs results into a disgusting figure and sometimes into a syntax error! These guys wake up not knowing what they’ll have for supper (coz this is a vague future tense.) For them, breakfast and lunch is a forgotten past tense. Any education that goes beyond the secondary level where something beyond 125$ a year is involved, falls beyond their sphere. For these masses, diseases like cancer and apenditis become a curse, coz they cannot afford the huge sums of money to have an operation or carter for a chemotherapy session. Luckily, they rarely suffer from such misfortunes. Since they believe that they are just but passing through this life, they are very religious.
The second category is what I will call ‘the surviving!’ Members of this category can afford moderate medication and education. They can afford three meals a day with a fancy tag: ‘balanced diet.’ Since they can afford music systems, they enjoy loud music with a result that the majority suffers from acoustic trauma and other hearing disorders before their middle age! This group has most number of obese people due to the excessive junk food they consume. Cardiovascular diseases like blood pressure are just conditions and not diseases, a direct effect of raising a family and handling a nagging boss. It is the members of this group that struggle to save money to go visit foreign lands and watch sleeping lions, admire mischievous monkeys and get excited by free flowing waters. Most of you reading this note belong here. Since people here think that they have an independent mind, they engage in almost anything; from religion, to politics, to sports and yes, to sex!!
Lastly, we have those who ‘Live!’ Basically, most people want to reach here. The members of this group can afford virtually anything money can buy. They can have one-month holiday in Bahamas, another month in St Tropez, two weeks at the Grand Canyon and the remaining days visiting a sophisticated costly gym. These people do not bargain and do not carry coins and as a result, they are synonymous with the phrase; ‘keep change.’ Since they want to protect what they’ve acquired, they cannot be separated from the phrase ‘Mbwa kali’ (harsh dog). Because any slight noise may be offensive to them, they’ll rather live a solitary life in the middle of nowhere!! In Africa, if we have any, it is an abomination for these guys to visit their rural homes. Unfortunately, with lots of stress on how to manage their finances, most of their families are in shambles, divorce is their companion. They suffer from psychological conditions, engage in illicit drugs and sex and most of them live a wretched life and die unfulfilled people.
A real challenge therefore is trying to make people appreciate who they are. The problem we have in our world today is that most of us do not exactly know what we want or let me just plainly state it that most of us think that money can solve all our problems. Yet to be honest, the more money we acquire, the more insecure we feel. This desire to reach the third categories has built into materially poor guys a feeling of inferiority and an anger that says “you rich guys have taken all that is rightfully ours” and the materially rich on their part are insecure that “the poor may steal our wealth so let’s build walled fences around ourselves.” Despite all these struggles, the freedom to be happy and realize one’s worth is always hidden deep within us and it is only through contentment that we can actualize ourselves. The pragmatic world has taught us that consumerism is a good thing, that capitalism is unique to human beings, yet such a mentality only takes us to the Hobbean ‘state of nature,’ where there is ‘war of all against all.’ It is within our power to look at the reality a new. My uncle P. (R.I.P) before he died told me, “when I was young, I wanted to have as much money as I could; I wanted to have a good family and a honourable life. i got the money right, but definitely not the good life i dreamed of."
Material wealth and good life have never been synonymous!!
The first group has always been those I’ll term as ‘the existing!’ To the members of this group, medication and balanced diet is a luxury. Their income summed up and divided by their basic needs results into a disgusting figure and sometimes into a syntax error! These guys wake up not knowing what they’ll have for supper (coz this is a vague future tense.) For them, breakfast and lunch is a forgotten past tense. Any education that goes beyond the secondary level where something beyond 125$ a year is involved, falls beyond their sphere. For these masses, diseases like cancer and apenditis become a curse, coz they cannot afford the huge sums of money to have an operation or carter for a chemotherapy session. Luckily, they rarely suffer from such misfortunes. Since they believe that they are just but passing through this life, they are very religious.
The second category is what I will call ‘the surviving!’ Members of this category can afford moderate medication and education. They can afford three meals a day with a fancy tag: ‘balanced diet.’ Since they can afford music systems, they enjoy loud music with a result that the majority suffers from acoustic trauma and other hearing disorders before their middle age! This group has most number of obese people due to the excessive junk food they consume. Cardiovascular diseases like blood pressure are just conditions and not diseases, a direct effect of raising a family and handling a nagging boss. It is the members of this group that struggle to save money to go visit foreign lands and watch sleeping lions, admire mischievous monkeys and get excited by free flowing waters. Most of you reading this note belong here. Since people here think that they have an independent mind, they engage in almost anything; from religion, to politics, to sports and yes, to sex!!
Lastly, we have those who ‘Live!’ Basically, most people want to reach here. The members of this group can afford virtually anything money can buy. They can have one-month holiday in Bahamas, another month in St Tropez, two weeks at the Grand Canyon and the remaining days visiting a sophisticated costly gym. These people do not bargain and do not carry coins and as a result, they are synonymous with the phrase; ‘keep change.’ Since they want to protect what they’ve acquired, they cannot be separated from the phrase ‘Mbwa kali’ (harsh dog). Because any slight noise may be offensive to them, they’ll rather live a solitary life in the middle of nowhere!! In Africa, if we have any, it is an abomination for these guys to visit their rural homes. Unfortunately, with lots of stress on how to manage their finances, most of their families are in shambles, divorce is their companion. They suffer from psychological conditions, engage in illicit drugs and sex and most of them live a wretched life and die unfulfilled people.
A real challenge therefore is trying to make people appreciate who they are. The problem we have in our world today is that most of us do not exactly know what we want or let me just plainly state it that most of us think that money can solve all our problems. Yet to be honest, the more money we acquire, the more insecure we feel. This desire to reach the third categories has built into materially poor guys a feeling of inferiority and an anger that says “you rich guys have taken all that is rightfully ours” and the materially rich on their part are insecure that “the poor may steal our wealth so let’s build walled fences around ourselves.” Despite all these struggles, the freedom to be happy and realize one’s worth is always hidden deep within us and it is only through contentment that we can actualize ourselves. The pragmatic world has taught us that consumerism is a good thing, that capitalism is unique to human beings, yet such a mentality only takes us to the Hobbean ‘state of nature,’ where there is ‘war of all against all.’ It is within our power to look at the reality a new. My uncle P. (R.I.P) before he died told me, “when I was young, I wanted to have as much money as I could; I wanted to have a good family and a honourable life. i got the money right, but definitely not the good life i dreamed of."
Material wealth and good life have never been synonymous!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
the piracy lesson
I know so many of us may not like it, but surely, placed in the same position, certainly most of us, if not all, will not act differently. I am a Christian right, whose number one priority is to uphold high moral standards and hopefully, help others walk in the same path. I nevertheless, as a rational being, think that this pirates in Somalia, though their actions cannot be justified morally, have a point!
A human being, in the African context is termed as a social being precisely because he cannot live apart from others and as a matter of fact, others cannot leave them to live alone. Humanly speaking, all human beings have a fundamental right to live, that is to say, live in an orderly society with a right to adequate food, shelter and with the modern world, education and not just education, but a quality one. All human beings have a right to quality medication, free assembly, free association and of course fair trial based on the existing conventional rules. Such are the rights of man!! Now imagine yourself stripped off of all these fundamental rights as in the case of Somalis. For two full decades, these essential rights have been a luxury to these people. No sufficient food, no quality education, to proper shelter, no structures for medication, no peace. All they have known is how to fight, how to hate, how to revenge and possibly, how to kill.
In the background, the United Nations, an organization built with human rights as its backbone and the African Union, a panel set to protect the lives of all the Africans, are ‘blindly’ watching. The G8 (I cannot guess what this means) are silently watching. Basically, the world is silently keeping vigil in this dark hour when Somalis slaughter each other. They seem not to notice, may be because these are Somalis and probably less human: believe me, there are some people considered less human, ask Hegel! Or because these people have no interests in this country, no oil or minerals! Somalis are treated as criminal and may be terrorists. If it was you, wouldn’t you strive to survive?
I so much admire Barack Obama. This guy is not only a great president but also a great rhetoric. While receiving the noble peace price recently, he answered his critics on the issue of sending troops to Afghanistan by stating blankly that indeed “there are times when peace can be obtained by use of force.” I totally agree with him. If the Somalis have refused to come together for a dialogue, a reasonable force can be used to bring the rebels together. As we buy time, these people are becoming more and more dangerous. A rebel group recently claimed to be linked to Alqaida. It means that Somalis have not only become a threat to themselves but indeed to the whole world. When we cry of our loved ones killed by suicide bombers in Israel, Iraq or wherever, we should also remember that there are women and children in the streets of Mogadishu waiting for someone to show their brothers, husbands and sons to stop killing each other. We should know that there are peaceful men who cannot be peaceful anymore because no one is listening to them. Somalia has become a real ‘hell’ in the world.
I have been wondering how someone can afford to kill oneself in the name of suicide! Neglecting Somalia is a sure way of manufacturing such characters. Attaining peace is a collective responsibility we can never afford to ignore.
That’s why it is understandable when the Somali pirates, though it is ‘illegal’, hijack and ask ransom from multinational companies. These people are just trying to improvise ways to survive, to get food, shelter and education. They are reminding the world that yes, ‘we too deserve a better life than this hell.’ They are telling the world that if you don’t act now, it may be too late when you try. Yes, they are saying that we are tired…
I, put in the same position, will not act differently…and I am sure, you too. It is easy to criticize them because we have never faced the same ordeal!!
A human being, in the African context is termed as a social being precisely because he cannot live apart from others and as a matter of fact, others cannot leave them to live alone. Humanly speaking, all human beings have a fundamental right to live, that is to say, live in an orderly society with a right to adequate food, shelter and with the modern world, education and not just education, but a quality one. All human beings have a right to quality medication, free assembly, free association and of course fair trial based on the existing conventional rules. Such are the rights of man!! Now imagine yourself stripped off of all these fundamental rights as in the case of Somalis. For two full decades, these essential rights have been a luxury to these people. No sufficient food, no quality education, to proper shelter, no structures for medication, no peace. All they have known is how to fight, how to hate, how to revenge and possibly, how to kill.
In the background, the United Nations, an organization built with human rights as its backbone and the African Union, a panel set to protect the lives of all the Africans, are ‘blindly’ watching. The G8 (I cannot guess what this means) are silently watching. Basically, the world is silently keeping vigil in this dark hour when Somalis slaughter each other. They seem not to notice, may be because these are Somalis and probably less human: believe me, there are some people considered less human, ask Hegel! Or because these people have no interests in this country, no oil or minerals! Somalis are treated as criminal and may be terrorists. If it was you, wouldn’t you strive to survive?
I so much admire Barack Obama. This guy is not only a great president but also a great rhetoric. While receiving the noble peace price recently, he answered his critics on the issue of sending troops to Afghanistan by stating blankly that indeed “there are times when peace can be obtained by use of force.” I totally agree with him. If the Somalis have refused to come together for a dialogue, a reasonable force can be used to bring the rebels together. As we buy time, these people are becoming more and more dangerous. A rebel group recently claimed to be linked to Alqaida. It means that Somalis have not only become a threat to themselves but indeed to the whole world. When we cry of our loved ones killed by suicide bombers in Israel, Iraq or wherever, we should also remember that there are women and children in the streets of Mogadishu waiting for someone to show their brothers, husbands and sons to stop killing each other. We should know that there are peaceful men who cannot be peaceful anymore because no one is listening to them. Somalia has become a real ‘hell’ in the world.
I have been wondering how someone can afford to kill oneself in the name of suicide! Neglecting Somalia is a sure way of manufacturing such characters. Attaining peace is a collective responsibility we can never afford to ignore.
That’s why it is understandable when the Somali pirates, though it is ‘illegal’, hijack and ask ransom from multinational companies. These people are just trying to improvise ways to survive, to get food, shelter and education. They are reminding the world that yes, ‘we too deserve a better life than this hell.’ They are telling the world that if you don’t act now, it may be too late when you try. Yes, they are saying that we are tired…
I, put in the same position, will not act differently…and I am sure, you too. It is easy to criticize them because we have never faced the same ordeal!!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
common sense, not common at all.
Common sense is a very funny phenomenon. I guess this should be the reason why people like me think that it is not common after all. By stating that we all have somewhat the same capacity to synthesize the various objects of external sense is saying that we are all the same, yet nature as we know it proves otherwise because all of us are unique entities. In this regard then, it is certain that despite this kind of sense, we also have a sense that I will rightly call “faulty common sense.”
Examine for example the Karamojong (traditional natives of North-Eastern Uganda) who, because of the extreme hot weather, choose to walk around naked. Is this some kind of common sense? For a normal or rather abnormal person like me touring this region, I’ll definitely feel otherwise. I will stick with my clothes regardless of the weather, no matter how heavy they may be. Then I ask myself, who amongst ourselves has a proper common sense and who is definitely wrong. Their can never be too rights regarding the same situation because in such a case, we’ll be falling into relativism which is not, by any standards, the best way of judgment.
It is because of the very same reason that I disagree with Immanuel Kant. By Kant arguing that morality is a duty, he negates the whole essence of free will and categorizes all people as same. This definitely is not just because although some may view it as a sense of duty, it is also out rightly clear that most people’s moral acts are out of a sense of free will. We can never have the same motives, thinking, imaginations or even dreams. We are all unique and a sense of commonality can never arise. I have already, by my own reason, refuted the idea of universal and necessary ideas, but that is for another day.
I have lately been following the developments as regards the health-care overhaul in the United States. If there is anything like ‘common sense,’ then any sane normal being would have realized that that bill has more sense than ‘non-sense.’ It is, by our human nature, our responsibility to take care of the not so fortunate in the societies we live in. That would have been some sort of ‘common sense.’ But since it is true that we can never think or act in the same way nor speak the same voice, there is all these nasty bickering and cheap politics that has clouded that part of the world. Should I blame the republicans and their disciples? Not at all! All of us, as I have already stated, are different in our own right and capacity. It is no wonder that all will differ even on a subject ‘so clear’ as the controversial health issue in the USA. Goes without saying; that bill, if passed, will be the best thing that has ever happened to the citizens of united states, of course after the declaration of independence that has eluded them up to now!! It is only through accepting that we all different that we can start living together
Thus, I refute that there is anything like common sense. This is reducing a human being to a pure animal. We will always have opposing views and as such, no objective ideas can ever exist. If at all we want to talk of ‘common sense,’ then lets also accept that their will be a ‘faulty common sense’ along the way. For we will never be the same at any particular point!!
Examine for example the Karamojong (traditional natives of North-Eastern Uganda) who, because of the extreme hot weather, choose to walk around naked. Is this some kind of common sense? For a normal or rather abnormal person like me touring this region, I’ll definitely feel otherwise. I will stick with my clothes regardless of the weather, no matter how heavy they may be. Then I ask myself, who amongst ourselves has a proper common sense and who is definitely wrong. Their can never be too rights regarding the same situation because in such a case, we’ll be falling into relativism which is not, by any standards, the best way of judgment.
It is because of the very same reason that I disagree with Immanuel Kant. By Kant arguing that morality is a duty, he negates the whole essence of free will and categorizes all people as same. This definitely is not just because although some may view it as a sense of duty, it is also out rightly clear that most people’s moral acts are out of a sense of free will. We can never have the same motives, thinking, imaginations or even dreams. We are all unique and a sense of commonality can never arise. I have already, by my own reason, refuted the idea of universal and necessary ideas, but that is for another day.
I have lately been following the developments as regards the health-care overhaul in the United States. If there is anything like ‘common sense,’ then any sane normal being would have realized that that bill has more sense than ‘non-sense.’ It is, by our human nature, our responsibility to take care of the not so fortunate in the societies we live in. That would have been some sort of ‘common sense.’ But since it is true that we can never think or act in the same way nor speak the same voice, there is all these nasty bickering and cheap politics that has clouded that part of the world. Should I blame the republicans and their disciples? Not at all! All of us, as I have already stated, are different in our own right and capacity. It is no wonder that all will differ even on a subject ‘so clear’ as the controversial health issue in the USA. Goes without saying; that bill, if passed, will be the best thing that has ever happened to the citizens of united states, of course after the declaration of independence that has eluded them up to now!! It is only through accepting that we all different that we can start living together
Thus, I refute that there is anything like common sense. This is reducing a human being to a pure animal. We will always have opposing views and as such, no objective ideas can ever exist. If at all we want to talk of ‘common sense,’ then lets also accept that their will be a ‘faulty common sense’ along the way. For we will never be the same at any particular point!!
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