“We are born from the womb of our mother; we are buried in the womb of the earth.” – Ethiopia proverb
“The system is broken,” is a chorus we all love to sing. But if we are a part of a system and it is broken, why are we not fixing it? What is the essence of your talents and education if you are merely going to whine and revile, and refuse to ensure working system for our humanity? What we fail to notice about this negative chorus we sing every day, is that it signifies a life of excuses. And these excuses subsequently prevent us from living our fullest potential. We all know lamenting about madness does not make it go away. That attitude is more like coming up with explanations so fantastical that they become parables in their own right. It is no secret that when sing “the system is broken,” chorus we are unconsciously saying we do not want to do anything about the challenges around us.
Have you ever noticed how often we blame the politicians for our woes? But have you noticed that you never explain why you wouldn’t, you couldn’t, or just don’t do anything about our challenges in our society? Are you aware of the negative footprints you leave as you strive to enrich yourself? It is easier to blame the system when things are not working. When you go to the hospitals and you do not receive the expected treatment, you blame the system and you do same when the traffic is terrible. “The system is broken,” is all we sing when anything does not entirely go our way. What about us rolling our sleeves up to ensure the system works?
Too often, too many of us are quick to spew out excuses instead of undertaking a proper discernment of ‘what is,’ and ‘why it is,’ when we come face-to-face with challenges. Self-awareness is an essential tool in dealing with challenges. If we do not know who we are and where we stand, we are most likely to make excuses. We need to reflect often about who we are as individuals. As James Allen outlines in his bestselling book “As a Man Thinketh;” “the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his/her inner state… People do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”
Life is sacred and ingenious, but it is often slower in unfolding its wonderfulness if we merely sit on the fence waiting. As it is often said, we have to grasp it by its horn and lead it along the path of the boldest vision for a more just and inclusive world. We have a duty to “always treat (life and) others as we would like them to treat us.” When we extrapolate from our own needs and feelings about the system, we will understand how others feel and what our systems need to function well. We must always lead by example, conducting ourselves in a proactive manner to promote respect, dignity, justice, love and compassion for our system to heal. We might not always be recognised for our efforts, but that should not deter us from always being proactive.
We have to live even if the system does not want us to. We have to carve paths where there are no streets, and we need to trample down the mounds erected in our way. Instead of throwing up our hands in the air out of frustration, we must do whatever little that we can. We must crawl if need be, walk when they expect us to stand, and run with opportunities when they present themselves. We must be ready always to make life better and meaningful for our humanity. It is a deeply seated response to the natural universe, which is part of our humanity.
The longer we delay in repairing the ‘broken system,’ the bigger the challenge becomes. We have start now and we have to take the initiative before others join in. The reality is that there are some amongst us who will only complain and never lift a finger to correct that which is broken. Very often they are the ones who benefit most from the brokenness. They will school you on how think only about yourself and make the most out of the fractured state. We must not entertain their negativity, or they may lead us astray. They would ruin us before we become the greats our proactive-ness will make us.
Our humanity has always been a mass of great courage. Our individual convictions to positively take action in the face of daunting threats has ensured our thrive. We always overcome the hurdles, and a broken system is no different. Let us stop sitting on the fence and instead let our actions and voices embolden all of us to fix whatever is broken in our system, and claim a stake in ensuring the well-being of our humanity. Let us rouse ourselves from our sleep and work on the dream of a just and function system that ensures our prosperity and guarantees our future…
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Kodwo Brumpon is a management consultant and a life coach who inspires individuals, groups and corporate bodies to think and feel that which is true, and empower them to positively respond to that which is beautiful is, whilst nudging them to let goodness govern their actions. Comments, suggestions and requests should be sent to him at [email protected]
