So it's the last day of the year, 2010 comes to an end. If you had asked me five years ago, "where would you be on the 30th of December 2010?" I would've mentioned a couple of places, and a couple of activities but none of them would include sitting in my mothers lounge, listening to Bill Withers preparing a piece for a blog that has about twenty active SA visitors, two from the US and three from the UK...(My blog stats recently revealed this to me, I think it's the CIA and Scotland Yard checking up on me after I made that tasteless status update about 9/11 not too long ago).
I thought and hoped I would definitely be far by now (in terms of personal accomplishment).
Besides the hype around soccer world cup, 2010 for me was meant to be the end of a long, tiring and winding journey, and at the close of 2010 I would be preparing 4 a new chapter.
Well as you can tell by the bitter taste on these lines, I am not quite there. As a matter of fact the original plan has been aborted. Partly by choice and partly by circumstance.
That's the thing with all plans of life, you plan to get to point 'A' on method 1 and all of a sudden the winds of reality have pushed you into an intended direction landing you in unanticipated territory.
There are only a handful of people that have had the privilege of smooth sailing towards their goals.
Yet for those of us who haven't the benefit of reaching our goals in (desired) time, there is always the added benefit of lessons learnt.
When I look at where I was 5 years ago, and I look at where I am now I am quite pleased with the distance covered. Of course I could've covered more, but I do believe I have covered a reasonable level.
One of the greatest deterrents of efficient planning is that individuals have a tendency of looking at the original objective and desired outcome, and forget all the added benefits that come with the journey itself, e.g. when I went to Wits the original plan was to get a degree and get out, a degree that would prepare me for the corporate posts I would occupy over this life of mine. Yes I didn't get there in the desired time, but I had the opportunity of building 2 non-profit organization's and a business. I've rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest 'next-generation' leaders this country is about to see. All of these lessons and relationships are going to be instrumental in my development as a human being, as a businessman, father and whatever else I choose 2 be in the future.
Many of us stop dreaming and planning because we are tired of failed attempts, un-met expectations and the emotional roller coasters. Our hearts get so tired that they settle for no expectation instead of being teased and dropped.
But our lives are so much more than profit forecasts, and cash flow projections...they are a series of experiences, all of which are necessary processes for our next step.
All of these experiences are necessary for our growth, for our health and for our sanity and none of them should be undermined, or despised even in our temporary distress.
I don't believe that the universe conspires to help us reach our achievements (it's probably because I haven't met Mr. Universe), I do believe however that God works everything out for our good...I somehow trust that even though my own life does not go according to my plan, that his hand is somehow involved in ensuring that His plan (and not mine) gets fulfilled, and that is not at all an excuse for sluggish behavior.
As the year 2011 comes through I hope we will look back upon 2010 and smile and we will prepare our resolutions, our plans and desires and pursue them with all strength and determination.
Two years ago I was telling a cousin of mine how the year 2008 had been a rocky one for me, and how I just felt that I had deeply messed up. He advised me as such, "My chief it's alright, what has happened has happened, just make sure that when I talk to you next year on the same date, you are singing a different tune from the current one'
So I put this challenge to you, no matter how good or bad the year has been for you...put your plans down and make sure that when you sit down to sing next year (on the 31st of december 2011) with the orchestra of your achievements, you are singing the exact tune that was penned down on your music sheet 12 months before.
Heppy Heppy
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
FIGHT BACK
Fighting back is about standing up for what you believe in.
If you believe in your dreams you'll fight back when circumstances come your way, when people try to take it away 4rmyou, when lecturers attempt 2 steal it 4rm you.
Fighting Back means that you are not a whiner, you don't cry over spilt milk, or lost wars or failed attempts...you don't cry over what could've been, but u rejoice over what will be.
Your rejoicing does not stem 4rm unsubstantiated emotions, but on the understanding that you are going to give it your all. You are not consoled by false hope, your excitement is not rooted on figments of imagination but on Gods promises...he said he wouldn't leave you, you trust Him, everyday you wake up with that faith that trust, that He who has brought you this far will not leave you.
Fighting back is not only about recovering all that's been lost, but seeking to recover all and more. Its about understanding that the struggles were not 4 nothing and that the inevitable victory is not simply there to restore order, but to create a new order. The order of abundance the order of purpose, the order of new blessings every morning.
Those who fight back know that the Kingdom suffereth violence and the violent take it by force, we know there is an enemy. sometimes he portrays himself as such, other times he purports to b a friend, sometimes he spews violence other times he seems sympathetic 2 our cause. Whatever his strategies we know him now, we have seen him...we know his voice...we know who to run from and who to run to...
Fight back...fight back...nothing in the world will be achieved without fighting.
Throw a punch, or a stone or a brick, swing a slap, kick,put sum teeth and sum nails... , scratch, whatever you do don't watch while circumstances try 2 bring you down, even with your back against the ropes, or the referee counting you out...FIGHT BACK!!!
If you believe in your dreams you'll fight back when circumstances come your way, when people try to take it away 4rmyou, when lecturers attempt 2 steal it 4rm you.
Fighting Back means that you are not a whiner, you don't cry over spilt milk, or lost wars or failed attempts...you don't cry over what could've been, but u rejoice over what will be.
Your rejoicing does not stem 4rm unsubstantiated emotions, but on the understanding that you are going to give it your all. You are not consoled by false hope, your excitement is not rooted on figments of imagination but on Gods promises...he said he wouldn't leave you, you trust Him, everyday you wake up with that faith that trust, that He who has brought you this far will not leave you.
Fighting back is not only about recovering all that's been lost, but seeking to recover all and more. Its about understanding that the struggles were not 4 nothing and that the inevitable victory is not simply there to restore order, but to create a new order. The order of abundance the order of purpose, the order of new blessings every morning.
Those who fight back know that the Kingdom suffereth violence and the violent take it by force, we know there is an enemy. sometimes he portrays himself as such, other times he purports to b a friend, sometimes he spews violence other times he seems sympathetic 2 our cause. Whatever his strategies we know him now, we have seen him...we know his voice...we know who to run from and who to run to...
Fight back...fight back...nothing in the world will be achieved without fighting.
Throw a punch, or a stone or a brick, swing a slap, kick,put sum teeth and sum nails... , scratch, whatever you do don't watch while circumstances try 2 bring you down, even with your back against the ropes, or the referee counting you out...FIGHT BACK!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Dr. Spin
You have probably caught on to politicians’ mastery of giving long-winding names to straight forward activity. Like the most commonly used term for corruption these days is 'political conspiracy' in a America we saw 'The War on Terror', that as you already know was another phrase used 2 describe America’s attempted takeover of eastern resources. And (of course) “Weapons of Mass Destruction” is a phrase used to identify the figment in the U.S. Government’s imagination of evidence that they (the Americans) will use as the primary reason to attack...it's like the guns or the drugs they plant on people just so they can have reason to arrest them, only in America's case they don't actually get around to planting the evidence, and after their 'war on terror' is over and they realize that the world is waiting for answers they say 'Oops we were wrong, mistakes happen' and wait for the next president to clean up the mess.
This amongst others represents the way in which we as human beings have used the mastery of the English language against (both) others (enemies, people around us etc) and ourselves. For instance these days we have flings, this term is used to denote relations between two individuals that has as its primary purpose the satisfaction of the physical desires of the parties. “Friends with benefits” is another commonly used term.
Quite recently I have heard of the word, “itshotsho” which (directly translated) represents the money that you would pay to an official at the traffic department to get a license or a policeman/metro officer to allow you off the hook even though you smell like a brewery and just skipped a red robot at 200 km/h (in the middle of the CBD).
Of course one cannot doubt the far reaching implications of such tendencies. The war on terror is a perfect example, there is no excuse for the animalistic manner in which basic human rights were violated lives and families ruined, all in the name of oil and the furtherance of the American empire's hand (well) into the pockets of 'developing countries' (another term whose meaning will be saved for a debate for another day).
Our lives are shaped by a variety of factors, all of these are highly important.
A great determinant of the quality of our lives is the labels we place on the actions we partake in and those that happen around us. I think it kind of determines how far we are willing to push the line. The label will also determine the frequency of the action, for instance it is probably more common that you will find friends with benefits now (in our generation) more than you previously would, (of course the validity of my claim is subject to research and the growth of the population) but I think you may agree with me just based on your observation, the level of teenage pregnancy and what your grandparents say about this generation of ours.
If you don’t agree think about two sets of guys. They both have different names for excessive provision of drinks, playing drinking games, and the supplement of social drugs such as weed and then sleeping with girls. One group calls this “Date Rape” the other calls it “Alcohol Lubrication”, which group is (in your opinion) more likely to continue with the action?
The conclusion that labels determine frequency is further entrenched by this fact: once a label is attached, there is a definition that follows, this definition usually seeks to clarify the label (on the action) and further explain the relevance of the action. I actually saw the true meaning on a documentary I caught not too long ago.
Tshepo (a gangster) is interviewed on TV about the reasons he commits the crimes that he does. He started by mugging moved to house break ins, to car hijacking, to cash in transit heists until he founded his own organization that specialize in hijacking and cash in transit heists. Asked why he does what he does, his rationale is that he doesn't steal from black people, (not anymore that is) he only steals from the very oppressors (and their offspring) who took away the wealth that originally belonged to us. In essence he is 'taking back' (repossessing) what originally belonged to him.
What perfectly sound logic behind his cause don't you think?
Tshepo simply believes that he is in the repossessing business, simply taking back what rightfully belonged to us in the first place. Anyone can see some logic in the rationale, it has meaning. This deep level of thought (applied) allows the perpetrator to continue on his mission without the constant burden of his conscience.
The explanation is usually associated with a ‘need’ and an explanation of why the action meets the need. Once constructed this wall of thought becomes a stronghold in the mind of the individual. It now goes further than the phrase, but is further rooted by the reasons given.
“A smoke is a stress reliever, it helps me study.”
“It’s not cheating if she doesn't find out.”
So the first part in this deadly equation is the part where we give it a euphemistic term, to clothe its barrenness. For instance Tshepo would in this process swap the phrase stealing for repossession.
The second part is when we define it, of course in the definition the stage has already been set, and the wording is carefully chosen to fit the already euphemistic term. For instance America would call define the 'war on terror' as: the freezing/safeguarding of eastern capital so as to eliminate the possibility of that vey capital being used against them (America).
That's one of the characters of these words, they possess so much logic that as a listener you cannot help but concede as to the relevance and the need for the action. You agree, sympathize, nod, put yourself in the situation...you understand. “Of course it’s a political conspiracy, he didn't do anything to deserve the charge. It’s his enemies, the whites, the media. He didn't bribe anyone (neither did he accept a bribe). It’s not corruption, it’s a political conspiracy.”
My aim with this piece is not to point fingers, God knows there are three other fingers pointing at me…he also knows there are times when I... *no never mind.*
The primary aim is to present to you the dangers of words, the danger of using words to clothe the real intention of our actions and effect from its performance. The mind is a powerful tool, it knows the desires of the 'flesh' and it can (when pushed) present a range of explanations (for the affirmative) that will contend the original dissuasion.
It knows what you want and what you do not want, and it can assist you to effectively complete the assignments facilitated by human weakness.
The secondary aim is to present to you how low a bar can go. The phrase 'booty call' is more mature in age than its sibling fling/friends with benefits. It is a more raw and crude term denoting the very same thing. One is more likely to accept the phrase fling than booty call, simply because ‘fling’ is more sensitive to the cause. The word booty is a rather unpolished word for bum, and simply translated the word “booty call” means a call for sex (which usually happens in the late hours of the night/ early hours of the morning). Once human beings became more and more acquainted both with the English language and their ‘needs’ they invented a term that depicts more generally (and respectfully) the relations that they sought.
The lower we set the bar for ourselves whether in matters of accomplishment, standard of living and moral value, the lower it has the possibility of going, this is captured by the phrase 'aim for the stars and fall on the clouds'. I say this not because of my motivational speaker title but because of its reality.
I also hope that we would kill the spin doctor within. Yes the guy who keeps on using the English language against us. The guy who says, “Let me just rest” when we know we crossed the lazy line an hour ago. We should kill that guy, he's a liar, seriously. He's also the same guy who told you to bribe that cop, 'just get it over and done with so you can go to your family' good advice aint it. In the greater scheme of things? No! I mean who's going to be crying when their car gets hit by a drunk driver on the M1 who just paid inducement money on Empire Road.
We never really get to see the prelude to the accident on T.V., we just see the accident. We don’t see the guy arguing in his head whether he should or shouldn’t have another beer, whether he should call a cab. We just see a bus overturned and a car underneath it.
We also never get to see the man wrestling within his heart about whether he should get the hot girls number, arguing whether he should call her (or not), whether he should sleep with her or not. We just see a fed up mother leaving with the kids. I can bet you a thousand bucks, it started with the spin doctor within.
We never hear the spin doctor speak, but if you can listen carefully to other people speak you can recognize his voice he sounds a little bit like this: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", "how can a virus cause a syndrome" and the classic "I am a man I have needs."
This amongst others represents the way in which we as human beings have used the mastery of the English language against (both) others (enemies, people around us etc) and ourselves. For instance these days we have flings, this term is used to denote relations between two individuals that has as its primary purpose the satisfaction of the physical desires of the parties. “Friends with benefits” is another commonly used term.
Quite recently I have heard of the word, “itshotsho” which (directly translated) represents the money that you would pay to an official at the traffic department to get a license or a policeman/metro officer to allow you off the hook even though you smell like a brewery and just skipped a red robot at 200 km/h (in the middle of the CBD).
Of course one cannot doubt the far reaching implications of such tendencies. The war on terror is a perfect example, there is no excuse for the animalistic manner in which basic human rights were violated lives and families ruined, all in the name of oil and the furtherance of the American empire's hand (well) into the pockets of 'developing countries' (another term whose meaning will be saved for a debate for another day).
Our lives are shaped by a variety of factors, all of these are highly important.
A great determinant of the quality of our lives is the labels we place on the actions we partake in and those that happen around us. I think it kind of determines how far we are willing to push the line. The label will also determine the frequency of the action, for instance it is probably more common that you will find friends with benefits now (in our generation) more than you previously would, (of course the validity of my claim is subject to research and the growth of the population) but I think you may agree with me just based on your observation, the level of teenage pregnancy and what your grandparents say about this generation of ours.
If you don’t agree think about two sets of guys. They both have different names for excessive provision of drinks, playing drinking games, and the supplement of social drugs such as weed and then sleeping with girls. One group calls this “Date Rape” the other calls it “Alcohol Lubrication”, which group is (in your opinion) more likely to continue with the action?
The conclusion that labels determine frequency is further entrenched by this fact: once a label is attached, there is a definition that follows, this definition usually seeks to clarify the label (on the action) and further explain the relevance of the action. I actually saw the true meaning on a documentary I caught not too long ago.
Tshepo (a gangster) is interviewed on TV about the reasons he commits the crimes that he does. He started by mugging moved to house break ins, to car hijacking, to cash in transit heists until he founded his own organization that specialize in hijacking and cash in transit heists. Asked why he does what he does, his rationale is that he doesn't steal from black people, (not anymore that is) he only steals from the very oppressors (and their offspring) who took away the wealth that originally belonged to us. In essence he is 'taking back' (repossessing) what originally belonged to him.
What perfectly sound logic behind his cause don't you think?
Tshepo simply believes that he is in the repossessing business, simply taking back what rightfully belonged to us in the first place. Anyone can see some logic in the rationale, it has meaning. This deep level of thought (applied) allows the perpetrator to continue on his mission without the constant burden of his conscience.
The explanation is usually associated with a ‘need’ and an explanation of why the action meets the need. Once constructed this wall of thought becomes a stronghold in the mind of the individual. It now goes further than the phrase, but is further rooted by the reasons given.
“A smoke is a stress reliever, it helps me study.”
“It’s not cheating if she doesn't find out.”
So the first part in this deadly equation is the part where we give it a euphemistic term, to clothe its barrenness. For instance Tshepo would in this process swap the phrase stealing for repossession.
The second part is when we define it, of course in the definition the stage has already been set, and the wording is carefully chosen to fit the already euphemistic term. For instance America would call define the 'war on terror' as: the freezing/safeguarding of eastern capital so as to eliminate the possibility of that vey capital being used against them (America).
That's one of the characters of these words, they possess so much logic that as a listener you cannot help but concede as to the relevance and the need for the action. You agree, sympathize, nod, put yourself in the situation...you understand. “Of course it’s a political conspiracy, he didn't do anything to deserve the charge. It’s his enemies, the whites, the media. He didn't bribe anyone (neither did he accept a bribe). It’s not corruption, it’s a political conspiracy.”
My aim with this piece is not to point fingers, God knows there are three other fingers pointing at me…he also knows there are times when I... *no never mind.*
The primary aim is to present to you the dangers of words, the danger of using words to clothe the real intention of our actions and effect from its performance. The mind is a powerful tool, it knows the desires of the 'flesh' and it can (when pushed) present a range of explanations (for the affirmative) that will contend the original dissuasion.
It knows what you want and what you do not want, and it can assist you to effectively complete the assignments facilitated by human weakness.
The secondary aim is to present to you how low a bar can go. The phrase 'booty call' is more mature in age than its sibling fling/friends with benefits. It is a more raw and crude term denoting the very same thing. One is more likely to accept the phrase fling than booty call, simply because ‘fling’ is more sensitive to the cause. The word booty is a rather unpolished word for bum, and simply translated the word “booty call” means a call for sex (which usually happens in the late hours of the night/ early hours of the morning). Once human beings became more and more acquainted both with the English language and their ‘needs’ they invented a term that depicts more generally (and respectfully) the relations that they sought.
The lower we set the bar for ourselves whether in matters of accomplishment, standard of living and moral value, the lower it has the possibility of going, this is captured by the phrase 'aim for the stars and fall on the clouds'. I say this not because of my motivational speaker title but because of its reality.
I also hope that we would kill the spin doctor within. Yes the guy who keeps on using the English language against us. The guy who says, “Let me just rest” when we know we crossed the lazy line an hour ago. We should kill that guy, he's a liar, seriously. He's also the same guy who told you to bribe that cop, 'just get it over and done with so you can go to your family' good advice aint it. In the greater scheme of things? No! I mean who's going to be crying when their car gets hit by a drunk driver on the M1 who just paid inducement money on Empire Road.
We never really get to see the prelude to the accident on T.V., we just see the accident. We don’t see the guy arguing in his head whether he should or shouldn’t have another beer, whether he should call a cab. We just see a bus overturned and a car underneath it.
We also never get to see the man wrestling within his heart about whether he should get the hot girls number, arguing whether he should call her (or not), whether he should sleep with her or not. We just see a fed up mother leaving with the kids. I can bet you a thousand bucks, it started with the spin doctor within.
We never hear the spin doctor speak, but if you can listen carefully to other people speak you can recognize his voice he sounds a little bit like this: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", "how can a virus cause a syndrome" and the classic "I am a man I have needs."
Monday, November 22, 2010
Born for such a time as this!!!
Inspired by Martin Luther Kings' Last Speech.
If by some chance today as I was walking through the street, I bumped into my creator took me for lunch and asked me this question, “Son which area and era would you rather be born?” I would take a tour through the garden of Eden where the beginning began, where the sea was parted from the land and the sky was given its blue. I would watch as the animals were given their names one by one, and the first medical surgery was performed by the creator himself and woman was created from the bone of man.
I would carry on to the time when the Messiah walked the earth as flesh and blood. I would observe the wonder as he discipled the disciples that took the word of faith to the world, where he constructed poetic parables to school us on the soundest and simplest of truths...
I would laugh myself to tears as Lucifer attempted to deceive the author of our faith into sin, and I would rejoice as the messiah himself put truth to the principle: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
But I would kindly refuse to be put into that era. And as he further walked me, my tears of joy would turn into tears of sadness, when I pass through the times of the evil slave trade. When men of dark skin were violated by men of lighter skin, auctioned off to the highest bidders, and shipped away to a destination unknown.
I would weep even further when I see some of these men and women being tossed over the ships when they became unruly, or fell sick from the ocean, or when there was a shortage of food to fill their large and empty African stomach.
Witnessing all of this I would nag the Lord to take me to another place for this era is too painful for my nerves to bear. I know for a fact that he would take me to the times of the Civil Rights Movement when these very slaves started realizing their value and protesting purposefully and peacefully.
I would probably be enticed and inspired by that age. For I would listen as Donny Hathaway sang, “One day, someday we will all be free”
When Bill Withers said, “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.”
I would witness as a man changed his name from Cassius Clay to Mohammed Ali, and marvel as he flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee.”
I would watch from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C. as a man shouted from the top of his reverend’s voice as he told the multitudes gathered that he had a dream, a dream that very few saw as possible.
And as the Lord almighty tried to take me to yet another scene, a separate time and place I would stop Him and humbly say, “Lord you have taken through many a place time and various a time, I cannot help but honour the wonder of the world and sometimes ambiguous beauty of your people...it is good.
But I have heard of a place and I want you to take me there, and as he enquired, “Where my son?” I would humbly answer, “Take me to that place between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, that place with the summer rains and the icy dry winters.
Take me to a time ten years after the millennium, 16 years after the birth of a democracy. Take me to the South of Botswana and Zimbabwe to the west of Maputo.
I want to see the Cape of Good Hope where there is a mountain shaped like a table, from there take me to the playground of Durban so I can play the night away.
Take me to Pretoria Mahlanyeng, the city of Supersport and Sundowns where the men drink, gulp and swallow like fish and the women are shaped like 8.
I have heard of Egoli the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, where there’s nothing that you cannot do. Jozi the streets that make you feel brand new and big lights will inspire you.
Take me to that land, lord where the people hosted a certain soccer tournament in their very own backyard, even though the naysayers, the pessimists and cynics said they lacked the capacity to host it and even bound to mess it all up. Yet having said all this the whole World, yes the whole of the earth, (including the fish of the sea, beasts of the land and even the mountains themselves) all witnessed that these those people are people of vision and endless possibilities.
That is where I want to go. That land where the people are pregnant with prospects, are contagious with their can-do character and ooze Ubuntu.
Take me to the land of Tambo and Mandela, of Sobukwe and Biko, of Tutu and Luthuli.
I want to go to the land of wonderful melodies where a lady once sang, “Friday night, yes I know, you must be waiting for me, you must be waiting for me.”
Take me there Lord, that is where I want to go.
And if by some chance God grants me this wonderful wish, I will be very grateful.
I will wake up every morning with a skip in my step and a swagger in my stride, even when the times are tough and the finances rough, I will not lose sight of the possibilities that lie ahead.
I will make as many friends as I can, from as many backgrounds as I can.
I will find myself a fine African woman, (hopefully from Pretoria lol) , I will marry, have kids and raise them in that land.
I will play like a little boy and sweat like his father, I will dream like a little girl but labour like her mother.
After all is said and done I will go to God with one more request. “Lord help the people of that land. Help them to be aware of their deficiencies, but focus on their strengths (what they do have) and use these to build whatever future they would like to have. If the future is building rivers in deserts, or walking on water, if it is healing the sick or raising the dead, even if it is to run on the surface of the wind...as long as their mind can perceive...through their sweat and hands they can receive it. For I have seen possibilities in that land, possibilities that no naked eye can see and no ordinary mind can comprehend. I have seen your very presence and hand over that land...Lord make sure that you bless Africa, especially the Africa in the South.!”
If by some chance today as I was walking through the street, I bumped into my creator took me for lunch and asked me this question, “Son which area and era would you rather be born?” I would take a tour through the garden of Eden where the beginning began, where the sea was parted from the land and the sky was given its blue. I would watch as the animals were given their names one by one, and the first medical surgery was performed by the creator himself and woman was created from the bone of man.
I would carry on to the time when the Messiah walked the earth as flesh and blood. I would observe the wonder as he discipled the disciples that took the word of faith to the world, where he constructed poetic parables to school us on the soundest and simplest of truths...
I would laugh myself to tears as Lucifer attempted to deceive the author of our faith into sin, and I would rejoice as the messiah himself put truth to the principle: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
But I would kindly refuse to be put into that era. And as he further walked me, my tears of joy would turn into tears of sadness, when I pass through the times of the evil slave trade. When men of dark skin were violated by men of lighter skin, auctioned off to the highest bidders, and shipped away to a destination unknown.
I would weep even further when I see some of these men and women being tossed over the ships when they became unruly, or fell sick from the ocean, or when there was a shortage of food to fill their large and empty African stomach.
Witnessing all of this I would nag the Lord to take me to another place for this era is too painful for my nerves to bear. I know for a fact that he would take me to the times of the Civil Rights Movement when these very slaves started realizing their value and protesting purposefully and peacefully.
I would probably be enticed and inspired by that age. For I would listen as Donny Hathaway sang, “One day, someday we will all be free”
When Bill Withers said, “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.”
I would witness as a man changed his name from Cassius Clay to Mohammed Ali, and marvel as he flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee.”
I would watch from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington D.C. as a man shouted from the top of his reverend’s voice as he told the multitudes gathered that he had a dream, a dream that very few saw as possible.
And as the Lord almighty tried to take me to yet another scene, a separate time and place I would stop Him and humbly say, “Lord you have taken through many a place time and various a time, I cannot help but honour the wonder of the world and sometimes ambiguous beauty of your people...it is good.
But I have heard of a place and I want you to take me there, and as he enquired, “Where my son?” I would humbly answer, “Take me to that place between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, that place with the summer rains and the icy dry winters.
Take me to a time ten years after the millennium, 16 years after the birth of a democracy. Take me to the South of Botswana and Zimbabwe to the west of Maputo.
I want to see the Cape of Good Hope where there is a mountain shaped like a table, from there take me to the playground of Durban so I can play the night away.
Take me to Pretoria Mahlanyeng, the city of Supersport and Sundowns where the men drink, gulp and swallow like fish and the women are shaped like 8.
I have heard of Egoli the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, where there’s nothing that you cannot do. Jozi the streets that make you feel brand new and big lights will inspire you.
Take me to that land, lord where the people hosted a certain soccer tournament in their very own backyard, even though the naysayers, the pessimists and cynics said they lacked the capacity to host it and even bound to mess it all up. Yet having said all this the whole World, yes the whole of the earth, (including the fish of the sea, beasts of the land and even the mountains themselves) all witnessed that these those people are people of vision and endless possibilities.
That is where I want to go. That land where the people are pregnant with prospects, are contagious with their can-do character and ooze Ubuntu.
Take me to the land of Tambo and Mandela, of Sobukwe and Biko, of Tutu and Luthuli.
I want to go to the land of wonderful melodies where a lady once sang, “Friday night, yes I know, you must be waiting for me, you must be waiting for me.”
Take me there Lord, that is where I want to go.
And if by some chance God grants me this wonderful wish, I will be very grateful.
I will wake up every morning with a skip in my step and a swagger in my stride, even when the times are tough and the finances rough, I will not lose sight of the possibilities that lie ahead.
I will make as many friends as I can, from as many backgrounds as I can.
I will find myself a fine African woman, (hopefully from Pretoria lol) , I will marry, have kids and raise them in that land.
I will play like a little boy and sweat like his father, I will dream like a little girl but labour like her mother.
After all is said and done I will go to God with one more request. “Lord help the people of that land. Help them to be aware of their deficiencies, but focus on their strengths (what they do have) and use these to build whatever future they would like to have. If the future is building rivers in deserts, or walking on water, if it is healing the sick or raising the dead, even if it is to run on the surface of the wind...as long as their mind can perceive...through their sweat and hands they can receive it. For I have seen possibilities in that land, possibilities that no naked eye can see and no ordinary mind can comprehend. I have seen your very presence and hand over that land...Lord make sure that you bless Africa, especially the Africa in the South.!”
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