“A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he marries.” – African proverb
Everywhere you turn, you see statements and hear slogans about how we want to make this world a better place. The raison d’être that has always been offered – about everything from meaningful innovations to accidental creativity – centres on a struggle to improve the quality of life for individuals and groups. This sounds so sweet until you ask yourself: “If this is the chorus we are all singing, why is the world full of exploitation, humiliation, violence, insolence, discrimination and many other negativities and challenges, despite our so called ‘enlightenment’ and ‘education’?”
What is the use of our possessing knowledge if instead of the world becoming a better place, it is becoming a scarier and more-dodgy place to live in? We hear of better health care, and yet poor health and diseases are on the increase everywhere. We talk about better governance systems, and yet the bulk of citizens are being marginalised economically, politically, religiously and socially. We sing of freedom and right/s, and yet consumerism has chained us as prisoners. As the popular adage goes, “if you are not for us, you are against us”. Likewise, if you are not utilising your knowledge cache to minimise or eradicate the suffering and challenges around us, then you are effectively contributing to the rise of such problems.
It is never too late to make a u-turn or make a fresh start. That is one of the most beautiful attributes of life. And so, today, you are being called to renew your world-view and compose a new struggle. Step out of your comfort zone and take a walk through the realities of the whole. Feel the majority’s reality and become that rarity of hope they pray for. Today, you are being called on to strive at becoming an activist in the struggle to augment the worth of humanity. Do not tiptoe around this.
You have been selected not just because you can, but primarily because that is what life created you for. It is because, right from go, the purpose for you was to make this world the best that it can be. Too bad – the success culture assimilated you into its egotistic movement and moulded you to live for your selfish dreams. But now you must break the yoke of living for you and yourself. It is time to live as life demands – in communion with everyone. I need you and you need me. Let us therefore be honest with each other. It is time to live as truthfully as you think beautifully. It is simply time to sync the words of your mouth with the desires of your heart.
The new struggle is a new beginning of history. It is not a drive to achieve wealth or fame. Rather, it is an invite to the living party. If you decide to attend, then you have to understand that you have come to socialise, not to shoot your mouth off. And you have not come just to make up the numbers. You have been invited to participate in the struggle – and that is what you just must do. It is a simple, straight struggle to keep faith with life. It is about you taking active and proactive measures to prevent exploitation of the weak and less fortunate. It is about you utilising your intellect and abilities to minimise humiliation and dishonouring of another human created in the image and likeness of God. It is about you preventing the swell of negativities in our communities.
Today, the ranks of the few who are making sacrifices to sustain the new struggle are asking you to dream of dignity and respect for all humanity. They honestly need your help. They want you to serve society for the good and magnificence of life. They want you to cross into the expressive active territories where you can stand up against wrong, against challenges and problems, and negativities. They want you to be optimistic about life, and for life to smile because of you.
The new struggle is about love. It is love of self and love of humanity. You should never forget that you were created out of love, conceived out of love and birthed out of love. Your root is simply love; and so, your stem, branches, leaves and fruit should also be love. Your call to engage in the new strive is to live inside the hope of love, and let the faith of love move you to rescue humanity out of its present ‘enlightenment’ misery. The road is not smooth. It is fairly littered with adversities, but with love you can adapt and overcome them.
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Kodwo Brumpon is a partner at Brumpon & Kobla Ltd., a forward-thinking Pan African management consultancy and social impact firm driven by data analytics – with a focus on understanding the extraordinary potential and needs of organisations and businesses to help them cultivate synergies which catapult them into their strategic growth and certify their sustainability.
Comments, suggestions and requests for talks and training should be sent to him at kodwo@brumponand kobla.com
