Thinking Inside the Box

Man as an individual is a genius. But men in the mass form the headless monster, a great, brutish idiot that goes where prodded. – Charlie Chaplin

Chama

In our country, there is an explosion of chamas (self-help groups). They are popular among Kenyans from all walks of life. People with the flimsiest of bonds, be it co-workers, business associates, or just neighbours, will be found struggling to form a chama as soon as they are faintly familiar with each other. While the basic concept of a chama is good, I don’t think it should replace individual dreams and ambitions. Most people join chamas to enable them save money; which is in itself a positive thing. What I have a problem with is the assumption that joining a group can replace hard work and actual wealth creation.

Tribe

We are headed towards an election year as a country. Alongside political campaigns, this is also the time many of us will retreat into our respective tribal cocoons. This will be at the expense of beneficial personal relationships with neighbours and friends from other communities. We will assume that there will be enough time after the elections to rebuild all the bridges we will burn during this volatile season.

Politics

Still in line with electioneering activities, leaders with previously impeccable stands on critical values, will be joining those who only hear about standards and ethics from international media. These leaders who we have often looked up to for guidance will lead us to support those things that they have always warned us against.

G8

I am reliably informed that there is a group of eight countries who are super powers. They control the entire world economy and decide who trades where and who fights with who. I am also informed that it is not their union that made them powerful. Each of them was powerful on their own before forming this formidable union. These eight did not become great as a result of hooking up. They hooked up because they were already great individually.

Self Development

I believe that for us to grow as communities and as a country, we must first grow individually. We need to acquire actual knowledge and skills that will help us to earn an honest living. Our education and examination system has had a tainted image which the current Education Cabinet Secretary is, thankfully, trying to fix. The need for knowledge has been replaced by the desire for useless titles and accolades.

Self Esteem

In the quest for fitting in, many people (especially the youth, but also older people), are swept away by the floods of peer pressure. They fall into the trap of alcoholism, drug addiction, and crime. Experts concur that the underlying cause of this collapse is a poorly developed individual self-esteem. This causes people to look for their worth in acceptance by others.

National Development

A friend who adores our President once told me, “You always complain that the government is not doing enough to improve our economy. Don’t you see how many foreign presidents are coming to visit? Would they come if we were not doing well?” I was at pains to explain to him that Presidents don’t visit to help the host countries. They visit to find help for their own countries in the form of markets for their goods, and as a source of cheap resources. After a long discussion, I could tell that he had no idea what I was talking about and I had probably just pushed him into adding me to his hate-file.

The Neglected Box

After myriad clarion calls to think outside the proverbial box, we have managed to leave the inside of the box unattended. It has grown dusty and musty. We have failed to develop our special gifts and talents and instead become cheerleaders to those who have. We have stopped believing in ourselves as individuals, as communities, and as societies. We have shifted our values to how others perceive us instead of how we view ourselves.

When we were growing up, our teachers often gave us the example of washing a dirty cup. They would tell us that it is more important to clean the inside of the cup rather than the outside. Inasmuch as people might view us badly for using an apparently dirty cup, we would be comfortable in the knowledge that the most important part of the cup was clean. I therefore say, think inside the box. The outside will take care of itself.

When you start to live outside yourself, it’s all dangerous – Ernest Hemingway.