Monday, November 28, 2011

Many people long to change the world. Throughout their lifetime, even when social, political and economic hardships have seemed to undermine their efforts, their strong conviction has kept them on their toes.  There are those who have longed to change and start living differently, with a commitment to keep within bounds of integrity. Some have always hoped to change others and end up ‘forgetting it’. A number have made it and left legacies. I think of remarkable and influential world figures of the 20th century like Mother Theresa, Gandhi and others who have had a significant contribution towards a non-violent, just and peaceful world.   

I tried finding my calling during the Action for Life 5 programme- a five months leadership programme for young people. The aspect of ‘a team’ working for a common purpose to bring change was interesting. Self discipline and commitment were “must have” things together with confidence, motivation and a need to be in tune with the needs of the world I am living in. Then I identified where I needed to change, in myself and in my country. Corruption and negative ethnicity came first in the list of shame. I knew it would be challenging to address the two problems, especially because many people assume them to be unavoidable and as a way of life.  Everything in my country Kenya seemed wrong and I was afraid of blending in with everything in my society and go with the flow without knowing. 

Today, 5 months after Action for Life, I look at how much I have achieved from what I expected to do five months ago. Not so much and not so little. The goal still remains; to live effectively for the rest of my life, create answers and build trust. 

Many things are happening in the world today and we continue working to move our nations from confrontation to co-operation between us and our neighbours. As Libya marks the end of a dictatorship, the question still remains whether there have been lessons learnt. Every effective leader emulates the likes of Gandhi and absolutely concurs with his idea of non-violent resistance. We all know the results of his sacrifices. As someone said, ‘your footsteps may not always be loud but your footprints leave a silent message that your soul has travelled.’  In the simplest ways, answers have been created through the acceptance of our weaknesses and taking one step at a time to implement our God-given purpose. No person is born without a purpose for the good of the world. It is just a matter of choice for each and every one of us to reject what is wrong and do what is right.  

 We must face the future boldly.
 
By Mike Muikia