IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

The English phrase, “good things befall those who wait” sounds crucial, but there is a challenge of not knowing how much one must wait and not knowing when somebody’s time will come. Better life is for everyone. None must be subjected to waiting whilst others are benefitting now. Waiting is boring and it has resulted in certain important dreams ending up being not realisable.  

Of course, it is advantageous for people to do things at their time in a proper way. Waiting too unnecessarily could be failure of destiny. People ought to be careful not to take longer in order to exert control and purpose in their lives. For instance, Africa has waited for far too long to have leaders of great integrity, who are corruption free and exult with superior ideals of selflessness. Now the continent needs salvation for its own.

The elders teach us in parables. In French they say, “Profiter de l’occasion quand il est temps’’ (make the best out of the occasion whilst you still have time). In Swahili, they say, “Vunja mufupa kama ukingali na meno”, which means in English “use your time when you are young”. When is still fresh or when his teeth are still cutting one should take the opportunity to break the bone. However, we should not misinterpret these important phrases and change the direction of life and wisdom. These critical phrases seek to elucidate the journey of life.

Furthermore, a wise young person is the one who knows how to plan his life and execute these plans at a right time while other people are playing with their brains. In life, there is only one chance to make a success: there is not second chance. It is also common to hear some youth saying, “you only live once, so lets enjoy”. Africa is still young in terms of civilisation and modern conception of democracy. However, it needs to stop being permanently locked in the celebration mood. For instance, many black South Africans are celebrating political victory which came after 400 years of colonialism and apartheid. They have yet to take a step forward in the direction of realising their common goal as a people.

Unfortunately, harsh realities of life will teach a person a lesson for ignoring his time. There is time to go to school; to go to work; to get married; to give birth to bouncing and intelligent children. No one ought to start very late. The Englishmen conclude nicely,“time wasted will never return”. 

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WE ALL NEED MONEY?

Money is an economic commodity for exchange. It has defined our value in life. We all need money in order to survive, but we must not be a slave of it. Pursuit of wealth affects any human being. People seek money in many ways. Others terminate lives to get it. Compassion and mindfulness used to guide economic systems of the past, especially in Africa. But, today, be it a businessperson, a pastor in the church, a thug, a prominent figure in the society, they are all driven by desire to have more money. Some principles get washed away from the fabric of the society because of this money worshiping syndrome.

The world has become corrupt. Other people follow wrong ways for the sake of getting money faster. Killing people; selling drugs; hijacking cars; doing prostitution; armed robberies and illegal human trafficking are some of the many reasons why the demon of money needs not to be worshipped blindly. Of course, we all need money but we must get it by following the proper channels.

The money issue world is complex. There is unfair competition between the poor and powerful countries. The underdeveloped countries were robbed of their wealth, intelligence and human spirit to serve the insatiable greed of the wealthy countries. The ruling and controlling class even in the poor countries are controlling the resources and end up causing massive starvation and diseases. All is done because they need money to save their skins.

“More money more problems” sums it up. But this should not be the end in itself. Money should be used correctly as means to solve problems. Money coupled with the love human beings, respect for human rights, understanding of the collective need for development, putting an end to exploitation of the powerless is a route of all world goodies.  

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WRITE YOUR BUCKET LIST/ 100 THINGS TO DO BEFORE TO DIE?

It could be sometimes unfair to enlighten or to express to other people what I will do before to die. Death must be a secret even the seasoned writers do not want to share. To write is not necessary mean to inform of what you intent to do, but to persuade the reader to follow your arguments, and in order to conceive a thought about phenomena.

Life is too short, yet life can be lived to the fullest. Life has plentiful things to enjoy. People do make promises, “until death do us apart”, forgetting that death is always knocking at ones door. In Xhosa they say, “ukufa kusembizeni” (death is inside the pot). One can see similar that throughout the African continent people have come to realise that death is imminent. In Swahili they say, “Kifo ni rafla” whereas in French they say, “La mort est subite ou bien brusque”.

Each every one before to knock off the earth needs to understood what exactly life is all about. Every day our agenda must be to make plans for a better life for all. Some people could start by having big dreams. Now, everyone needs to write down a list of the things h really like to accomplish in life for the benefit of humanity.

Order your priorities and share your dreams with your kids. Tell them about your purpose in life. Tell them what they need to do to become human beings. Teach them about the value of education to shape up their future and that of many generations to come. Teach them to write 100 things they would like to achieve before they die. 

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ONE IS ONE DAY.

Courting is a form of dating used in the olden days especially in the event that a man develops an affection for the lady in the hope that they will get married. However, these days courting has lost its value and meaning. It is not important as people use dating just for fun.

One can get a partner anywhere and anyhow. If they found a perfect date in the league of courtship is another story given the amount of divorce that has plagued our society. It is “win and mislay” these days. Some say that the most people who are worse in dating are women and that they do not consider the consequences if those consequences may lead them into losing the men they fancy.

Women are empowered these days: they are go-getters. Sometimes, they pick the sour grapes. When this happens everybody in the family gets affected. It isnot uncommon to hear a woman stating, “I do not need a stable relationship. I take whatever comes my way because I do not want any strings attached”.

As a result of this attitude, some men have learnt to follow suite and others take advantage of the situation. Research has it that statistics of rape, domestic violence, abuse, loss of trust and dishonesty have become rampant in the society. Who holds the moral compass?

Worst of all one finds out that older men date girls younger than some of their granddaughters: boys will go out with women of the same age if not older than their mothers. The occurrence of that in the media we learn about incidents of rape where grannies fall victim to teenage boys.

This is a story of a new generation. The world has turned. We do not know whether it is has changed for the better or not. Cheating in the midst of HIV and infectious diseases has become a pillar of modern relationships. Some people or couples get murdered due to this, and there is no apparent solution in the horizon. 

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WATCH THIS SPACE.

I have had sundry people saying, “watch this space” and I sometimes get confused if they are threatening me or not. Usually this will appear at the end of my friends’ texts. But, I have just comprehended that it’s another way to promise something. Like my friend when we play chess or a checker game he would say, “Today I will bit you, watch this space”.

 As we are nearing to the end of our academic careers there is a lot coming up, though, of course each has their own goals. Some of us will join the industry; others will take a break (of which I don’t encourage any of us to). What is important in this day and age is to kickstart your own businesses, and be able to employ many people. Then, just watch the space!

 I have been processing my plans for a very long time now. I have been living a student life since I started schooling. Now it’s about time I ventured into other aspects of life. I am planning to do sports, traveling, among other things. There are number of other things I want to venture into but “watch the space”.

I have been very patient with my studies. Some have even thrown the towel and swore that I would not make it. I said to them, “Watch this space”. Now I have the exciting news for them that  I have completed the task I have set for myself five years ago, and now I want to watch out some developments and fantastic ventures I am about to undertake. Watch this space!

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MY FAVOURITE CAT IN THE HAT BOOK IS [ Fill in the title] BECAUSE

Cat in the Hat Book must have been a very interesting story read out when we were at pre-school. The Cat brings in a story a cheerful, exotic and exuberant form of chaos to a household of two young children, brother and sister, one rainy day while their mother leaves them unattended. The Cat performs all sorts of wacky tricks—the Cat at one point balances a teacup, some milk, a cake, three books, the Fish, a rake, a toy boat, a toy man, a red fan, and his umbrella while he is on a ball to the chagrin of the fish—to amuse the children, with mixed results. Then, the Cat gets a box from outside. Inside the box are two creatures named Thing One and Thing Two, who begin to fly kites in the house. The Cat's antics are vainly opposed by the family pet, a sapient and articulate fish.

This is very animated story with funny characters that kids love. One should enjoy reading the children’s books because they are funny and entertaining. The crazy story lines captured one’s imagination.  I want to read the Cat in the Hat Book. I have watched a movie based on the Cat in the Hat book which was released on the big screen in 2003.

I had an opportunity of watching the movie; I have seen the story come to life right in front of me. Cat in the Hat books have been around for over 50 years and hopefully they will be still around for generations to come in order for children to enjoy them.

Maybe I should give myself a chance to read one of the books soon, who knows the book might bring out the child in me. I think every child needs to read the Cat in the Hat books. It’s a good book to start reading to children at a young age already. Since they've heard the book so many times already, it’ll be easier for them to start reading alone.  The words are easy to sound out and some of the most common words in the English language.

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WHY I HAVE CONVERSATIONS?

Conversations permit for an exchange of information to take place. Through conversations we are able to learn new information and share knowledge. Conversations contribute to the intellectual growth of a person; the more we know the better we become accustomed to our environment.

We all have conversations simply because as human beings it is important to have some sort of communication in order to understand what the next person is thinking.

Conversations nowadays take place not just face to face but also through various mediums such as social media tools, electronically though e-mails, telephonically and via the letters. I personally engage in conversations with people usually because I want to know what their opinion is regarding a certain issue, or may be because I want to know more about them.

                                             

Regardless what the reason may be behind why I have conversations I feel that having conversations is the way of life. As humans we all have the need to engage in conversations each day may it be at work or school or even at home. It is good to have face to face conversation because you can tackle the issue head on and be able to correct some mistakes right away as well as be able to judge the facial expression of the other person: it is something that is missing in conversations through technology.

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MY BIG FAT BIG DREAM

My big fat dream would be to travel the world. I am adventurous. Though, I have never travelled outside of the South African borders in my entire life, I am determined to do that in my life time. Politics is my life. I can do better than my forbearers. Yes, I can!

My trip would have to commence right here in Africa. There is an encouraging poem about Africa, “Africa My Beginning, Africa My Ending” by Ingoapele Madingoane.

The first stanza is so liberating that it speaks about the movement of European adventurous from West to East:

Africa my beginning

They are coming from West

Sailing to East

The last stanza is also a declaration for action. It is an invitation to Africans to start doing something with strength and vigour:

In Africa my beginning

In Africa my ending

Lets do something Mbopha

My first stop would be Zambia. It is merely because I would love to witness the Zambezi falls with my own eyes, as I have heard so many accounts of it. The next stop would have to be Madagascar. It seems to be a beautiful island with wonderful creatures and beaches. Ancient Egypt and Morocco are the home to Africa’s greatest history of humanity.  The pyramids are great contribution to the world knowledge of mathematics and civil engineering. To these two countries, it is like a journey to home.

Before going to Europe and America my journey would lead me to the continent of Asia. I will ‘sail to the East’ since this is a poetic prophecy. Everyone adventurous in the world always go to the East. The Portuguese and Italian greatest explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Bartolomeu Dias ventured to the East. Comlumbus got lost to the West. With the new emerging markets in the East I think I must begin my journey to the Eastern civilisation.  

I would begin by going to Thailand be she seems to be a beautiful country with a rich heritage and various national monuments. I would then possibly visit China and India to experience their ambient culture and the way they live. I would also make a stop at United Arab of Emirates and visit Dubai to experience the glitz and glamour the city is known for.

I would then travel to the continent of South America, and the county I would visit is Brazil. I would make it to Brazil in time for the Rio Carnival as I have heard that it is the best time to visit the country.

I would then visit the U.S.A. I would make sure I visit the country whilst the African son of the soil, Barak Obama, is still in power. I will bring him luck to stay in power until Africa is fully developed, and enjoys the mighty of its own as it is had been naturally and divinely endowed. Africa is gifted with natural resources enough to make anyone self-sufficient and self-actualised.

About the USA I can think of such cities as Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Chicago.

Unlike a conqueror, an explorer, and colonialist in the Ingoapele’s poem I do not intend to colonise. I respect humanity. I like the people.

 Source image: Hortence Banza Basele's  camera.

CONVENTIONAL IS A GOOD FALLBACK POSITION ISN'T IT?

As human beings we tend to be afraid of the idea to do things differently as we fear being rejected by society. Being different is sometimes a good thing.

Take for example Lady Gaga. She totally does what she feels like doing. She doesn’t seem to care what other people will think about her. She has generated a huge following over the past few years: she has been in the limelight.

Conventional is a good fallback position when you realize that something you wanted to try out for the first time doesn’t seem to work out the way you had anticipated. You can always conform to the accepted standards which people have come to accept as the norm. So conventional doesn’t always work well for other people, being different can lead to various opportunities and experiences.

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YOU CANNOT CHASE TWO RABBITS AT THE SAME TIME.

Polyvalence is a recipe for success in the modern day society. However, one “cannot chase two rabbits at the same time”. This declaration is arguably advocating for focus, determination and specialisation since none can pursue two things or tasks at a time and expect to do wonders with both.

There is a school of thought that argues, “it depends on ones’ discipline” as an individual. This school is of the view that some people have the capacity to handle numerous tasks at a time. We simply have to remember that we are not all the same. However, there is another which recognises polyvalence but believes that multitasking is not a good thing to do as the value and quality of the other would be compromised. This school recognises that other people have to be constantly reminded to not take on more than they can handle, as they may struggle to cope when they have too many things happening in their lives. These people may end up not excelling in either task. They would not able to manage their time or resources well. One cannot be South African and Congolese at the same time or be in both places at once.

The third school says it does not matter as long as you can show that you can manage: just go for it! When you know how to manage your time you gain control. Rather than busily working here, there, and everywhere (and not getting much substantially done), effective time management helps you to prioritise. Time management and prioritisation helps an individual to choose what to work on and when. This is essential if you one is to achieve anything of any real worth.

I believe that each individual knows what they are capable of: they would not subject themselves to any multitasking if they feel they cannot “chase two rabbits at the same time”. It means one needs to measure his or her capabilities and bite only what he or she can chew. Therefore, I support the third school of thought which alluded to the fact that know your worth, know your strength and do what you can with what you have. We cannot attempt to chase two rabbits at the same time when we clearly know that it is impossible to do so.

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