The time is now, yesterday, not tomorrow, we're running out of time. To do this we need to have the ability to enact changes of this magnitude quickly. We need to fast track the systems so that they can begin to take effect immediately. Sadly in our world of bureaucracy without great political will and vision this could be a pipe dream.
We cannot afford to give up trying though. Su Kahumbu, Nairobi Kenya. The decline of all aspects of the earth's environment and resources is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. At Revelation's Fourth Seal, one-fourth part of the earth is to be destroyed before we move forward to the next Seal events Re. The earth is on a downhill slid from which it will not recover. Revelation's first four Trumpet events will destroy an additional one-third Re. Tess from Nairobi, Robert Harris from Derby and others have rightly pointed out that belief in God entails stewardship and responsibility towards creation.
By contrast, this article paints the rather simplistic picture of poor, uneducated people who refrain from responsible action because of their religious belief - the argument being based on the utterance of one single person somewhere in Kenya. In any case, the Pope, in his encylica "Charity in Truth" and his message "If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation" has recently made quite clear that a new global solidarity, new socio-economic rules, new lifestyles and even a new model of development are needed to tackle the great ecological and socio-economic challenges of our day.
The encyclica also makes clear that the environmental challenges cannot be adressed separately from integral human development in all its dimensions. This advice stems from the type of integral, interdisciplinary approach which we need, and which the type of simplistic thinking which would isolate the sciences from one another and from their philosophical and moral dimensions is unable to provide. Re your comment about people in developing countries having larger numbers of children than in developing worlds you should realise that one of the main reasons for doing this is purely for survival.
If you don't know whether your newborn will survive their first bout of malaria then why put all your eggs in one basket? I dont think it is God's will for global warming to occur, though of course he is letting it happen. I do wonder if it is part of the end times in which according to Jesus there will be enormous suffering? Peter Culbert, Belfast, N Ireland. To Billy Hires of Tampa Fla; It is pathetic people like you with their "God disposes and I obey, therefore I do what I want" irresponsible attitude what put us here in the first place, all I have to say is that faith is blindness, and there is not worse blind than those like you who do not want to see.
It is not ignorance what blinds you my friend, it is sheer stupidity. With the article of Greig Whitehead here is my misfeelings,global warming is man made no doubt and it is one of the major criterion of climate change. In addition with Africa, I would like to say that young people of all poor countries hold the key to tackling climate change. And also would not like to add climate science with relegious beleifs. Rich countries are mostly liable for this global warming. Because human beings have been changed their lifestyle through industrial revulution and this activities are influencing the temperature of the global atmoshphere.
So rich countries are mostly responsible to reduce the GH GAS emission by investing money to keep the global temperature in limit. Yes, climate change is in the hands of the Almighty God. Does anyone know where the snow comes from. Who formed the beatifull Alps and Victoria falls?. Can anyone try to form them?. Does anyone know who withholds or creates rain?. It is all in the power of God.
Man cannot predict about the weather for next year. We cannot prepare with accuracy. We can only rely on the past weather patterns and the current phenomenon particularly across the vast water ocean masses to predict the immediate weather for the next couple of days. God changes the waves and the rain at any time and at His will. In addition, we go to church to pray to our Creator God to give the world including the sciencetists and environmentalists like the Nobel Prize Winner Wangari Mathai of Kenya the knowledge and wisdom to help us conserve the environment and make the world a better place to live in.
As we are talking, Kenya has embarked on tree planting which means God is answering our prays. Read the Bible, Job 30 God speaks at last. Verses 22,23, 25 speaks of the condition in Europe currently, when God asks ' Have you entered the storehouse of the snow and seen the treasury of the hail.. Which I have reserved for the times of stress, for the days of the war and battle?
Who has laid out a channel for the downpour and for the thunderstom a path.. To bring rain to no man's land the unpeopled wilderness. My dear friends read the rest and gain more knowledge and wisdom. The fear of the Almighty God is the beginning of wisdom. After the general elections, Kenyans were the most optimistic people on earth. They believed that their new leaders would steer them to greater heights economically and otherwise.
The youth were very positive and believed Kenya was on the threshhold of a new dawn to control the destiny of the country. Many embraced political decisions such a free primary education including going as far as making free will contributions for any project that would bring prosperity to the country.
Five years later, it is the same youth who were being used to destroy the very foundations they had painstakingly build. In a nutshell, Kenyan youth have the energy to build and bring to fruition the dreams they cherish including a prosperous country where there is no blackouts, drought, etc, all brought about by poor management of the country's resources and political polarisation. The youth only need patriotic, selfless leaders to inspire them into catalysts of positive change. The youth are the future of Kenya! The problems facing much of Africa are not caused by 'man made climate change' but by local decimation of the land.
Deforestation caused the Ethiopian famines in the '80s and contrary to what Al Gore says is why the snow on Kilimanjaro is melting. Its still well below 0'C on top of the mountain but the deforested slopes mean that dry air, not humid is flowing up the mountain so no new snow is falling. Management of the land is an African issue not ours. I agree with Thom from Vancouver, it is directly possible to engage with such thinking.
The problem is not that she believes in God, but that she believes in an impersonal God who does not react to our own behaviour. Fatalism prepares people to die, which is awful if there is a way to live. The Christian position is that there is always a choice, a way to find life in a situation and choose it. We believe that things can change, not because we are resourceful or stubborn, but because we can listen to warnings and change our behaviour as with Jonah and Nineveh. To sabotage your own predictive ability in this way is foolish, but it can perhaps be reduced by using examples from their own life where they avoided danger.
Oooh, we can't do anything, so we can continue on our path. My opinion, keep your ignorance if you wish, but do not expect any help from the science that you willfully ignore. No more medicine, agricultural assistance, etc, for Kenya. How ironic that in an article declaring that the children of Kenya must be the ones to spearhead change, there is a photo of a child whose shoes can't hold her feet in, who has barely any flesh on her stick-thin legs, carrying a bottle with only a tiny amount of very dirty water.
The word 'trees' appears only once in the article, but Kenya's drought has as much to do with tree-cutting as with climate change. As Waangari Maathai says 'You have to see the linkages'. The problem with "climate change" as presented by Mr Whitehead is that it is based on the assumption that the pre-industrial state is somehow ideal, and should be preserved. The truth is that the climate always changes, with or without human contribution, and that life is, and has always been a major factor in that change.
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Life created the current atmosphere, for without plants there would be no oxygen. So the fact that humans affect the climate is neither exceptional, nor by necessity bad. Many regions of the world could become more human-friendly through "global warming". Earth has seen far warmer periods than the projected "catastrophe", and the ice-ages were not exactly balmy. The planet will be fine, even when its "average temperature" whatever that means will be 3C higher. Life will adapted and thrive, as it as done since it aeons.
Whether humanity will be fine, either during a warmer phase, or during a new Ice Age as we were fearing in the seventies: If not, we'll be one of the many species that lived for a while on Earth, like the dinosaurs. Like many of Africa's problems, wailing about who or what caused them and how unjust it all is does not contribute one jot to the solution.
History is history, and if we go back far enough, each and everyone of us has ancestors that were robbed, enslaved, displaced, raped, tortured and killed. By "historical" standards every human is both victim and perpetrator. The drought in Kenya will not be solved by globally reducing CO2 emissions, but by local measures, such as reforestation, better land and water management, and reducing population growth. Stefaan Eeckels, Harlange, Luxembourg. The young people in Africa are a key part to the future of their country in this crisis but they need help from the industralised world to survive this terrible tragedy.
Climate Change will continue to increase in severity based upon the majority of scientist findings. Religious beliefs are very important and it may be the only thing these people will have to rely on for help but without physical action by the world's industralised nations the loss of human life and untold suffering will increase. We must decide now to help or face a very dangerous world for all the young people of the world!
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Mike Koutelis, Epping, New Hampshire. Until all religious recognize that man created the divine, delusion will continue. We could say that it is God's will that they suffer their delusion and die from it, too, but that would be unkind to the naive. Nonetheless, their delusion hinders the serious effort to reduce global warming.
They are putting themselves in a position where they will simply not matter anymore, and that is tragic. Most of Africa is dysfunctional with criminal dictatorships and really ignorant and stupid administrations. When Ethiopia first requested food aid 30 years ago, their population was 30 million - today it is 70 million. Last year for the first time in history South Africa became a net importer of food - over 10 00 farmers have been chased off the land in Southern Africa since Commercial farms divided up into small subsistence plots is no answer - but it is "African Culture" Maybe starvation every so often is "African culture" too??
Whitehead's piece has little truth. Not only the youth can do this. All Kenyans alike are to play their roles, since this is a complex society where every old man's opinion highly valued by the youth and the whole society for that matter. Benn Olage, Nairobi, Kenya. This is God's work i doubt there is much we can do about it!
The poor countries are the most vulnerable to increasingly unpredictable weather. We are all responsible we should take action now and come up with solutions and pray for a better tomorrow. I strongly agree with Greig Whitehead. Many African youth do not possess the basic skills to combat climate challenges as result of poverty, illiteracy and youthful exuberance. In African tradition, religion is best understood in the conservation of the environment, thus in many African societies, natural forest is protected and conserved based on the belief that it serves as abode for supernatural beings.
Therefore, if such tradition is still in practice, there would be less deforestion which is a major cause of climate change. It is the duty of developed nations to mitigate dangerous climate change because they are more responsible for the causes and feel less of its impacts which is majorly felt by most African countries and consequently aggravating sincere efforts to reduce poverty and other economic problems.
Yes, climate change is a man-make disaster, which the LDCs ,specially the Africans , are the most affected and victimized. Food production is enough to all , but not equally distributed.. I beleive that young people have a responsibility to their environment and a connection to our planet which combines spiritual and pragmatic phenomena.
Earth is a mother, and should be cared for as such, with lovingkindness, dignity, and wisdom,and responsibility, not trespassing the will of the creator. Climate change is in the hands of the Creator, in whose infinite wisdom we all rely and through Whom we are all connected. It is a great pity if Greig Whitehead does not seem to see that religious leaders are at least as important as schools, and probaboy much more so, in educating and mobilising the population to meet climate change, especially in a country like Kenya.
Christian Aid has produced material for educatio and discussion on climate change in churches here in the UK read 'Angels with Trumpets' by Paula Clifford, head of theology at Christian Aid, pub. The way to tackle theological ignorance is through good instruction, making the churches a real force for change. Of course it is overpopulation less consumption is in our hands there are no supernatural gods. Reality is more powerful than us it will destroy us all if we continue to deny it.
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In a way these Kenyans are right to believe that climate change is out of their control. Combating climate change will have to be a global effort, and it seems we would need a miracle of some kind for that to happen. If Kenya is a deeply religious country, there needs to be more emphasis put on the facts of science with regards to the global climate change. Kenyans need to know that they are a significant factor when it comes to preventing their harmful future.
They need to see that things CAN be done to limit the probability of their everyday living negatively affecting them. Why make it harder for you when you can take insignificant but significant tasks that will continualy advance your surroundings despite what is happening where you have no control. How can something that is being proven right in front of your face not be undertaken as a serious matter? With regards to young people holding the key to tackle climate change, sure, I think young people have the ability to raise awareness of climate change. It's just a matter of them learning about the effect by school or an outside source and being shown that they CAN make a difference.
Lindsey Warburton, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Young people are much more aware of the damage we are doing to the planet, so yes they should be heavily involved in helping to tackle the problem. As to industrialized countries, of course they should be responsible, they have made enormous sums of money treating the planet as one large waste dump, now that those effects threaten all the planets inhabitants it is their responsibility to take action. However having witnessed how things work in the US, I don't have much faith that people will do the right thing, greed always trumps doing whats right: Whether on religious or other grounds the story is always; "my contribution is too small to make a difference, a drop in a bucket.
While others starved he prospered by doing three things. He kept his farm covered in cotton burrs which he got for free from the local gin. By so doing he acquired several inches of good Oklahoma land. He dismantled a gallon cedar water tank a firm no longer needed and re-erected it on his farm. He changed his primary crop from cotton to a commercial garden and by taking advantage of the water tank he was able to produce fresh vegetables in seasons when others could not.
In short, he did all he was able six days a week and prayed for God's forgiveness and help on the seventh. One man can make a difference, at least to his wife and seven children, his neighbors and the community in which he lives. If the world becomes a slightly better place that is a good thing too.
We all have a stake in the fight against global warming. Although the young and the old have differing perspectives on various issues, climate change requires unity of purpose. I like the idea of involving high school and University students in environmental conservation efforts. In addition, I would suggest that all kenyans to have a mandatory National Youth Service for atleast one year. During this period, the youth would participate in environment and infrustructural development.
It makes me angry that people think that the dire situation in Kenya is caused by global warming. Global warming is real but the inequalities between the worlds richest and poorest countries have always existed. I'm sick of global warming being used as a scape goat by the developed world were in fact we are enjoying an earth destroying lifestyle by taking advantage of those from poorer nations.
Ian Pham, Kenmore, Australia. This "God not man" business is a more subtle frame-of-reference problem than it might appear to be at first glance. I, for example, would use the word "nature" in place of "God" when trying to frame phenomena such as droughts. Furthermore, I would link an effect such as a drought to causes such as human activity. There may be other causes as well, but human activity is one that we humans can do something about. My framework could be summed up as one in which nature reacts to everything that takes place, including human activity. A framework in which God reacts to everything that takes place, including human activity, is little different, and might be just as useful for encouraging people to change their ways.
It is easy enough to argue that God is so angry at us for burning so much of His fossil fuels, cutting down so many of His forests, and despoiling so much of His world in general, that He is punishing us with droughts and other calamities, and will continue to do so until we repent and change our behaviour. In my example here, I have used the concept of a male God, but it is easy enough to substitute Him with a female God, a gender-neutral God, or multiple Gods that vary widely in description.
None of that really matters. The point is that all frameworks that spring from the human mind are imperfect models of how the world really works, but they are all we have to explain the world to ourselves, so we might as well work with them as best we can. Thom Oud, Vancouver Canada. Yes, there are many religious people who think that either God OR man does things in this world. This is also assumed by many non-religious people well, by all of them.
I am a religious person Muslim and I think that causation is more complex than that. The great Muslim thinker al-Ghazali came up with a theory of proximate and ultimate cause the ultimate one being God , that still leaves room for human agency. Thus, God and man do not have to be alternative hypotheses.
This fact is appreciated by the more educated Muslims, but if the BBC insists on quoting only whatever "person in the street" they happen to encounter, they may never understand the subtleties of the Islamic faith. We ,the human race have put this on us, the earth deserves a break from all our toxins, the earth wants to breath so it is taking action by eliminating the problem. Poverty A Personal response…. Poverty A Personal response… Psalm Parenting Workshop Raising Spiritual Champions.
Worship and a Word Bible Study! Learning to Be Content October 5. Think About It … What elements of our culture cause difficulty in achieving or maintaining contentment? My presentations Profile Feedback Log out. Auth with social network: Thereafter he demonstrated the skinning, removal of internal organs and delicately dismantling of the body parts.
You clean the space for the exercise. A helper holds down the rear side of the animal and you place your right knee on the front shoulder of the animal. Your left hand holds the mouth and your right hand places the knife aiming to make a single cut between the ears. Anatomically, it cuts through between the Atlas and Axis and you sever the Spine. On application of the cut, it seems like the life drains from the animal. It stops struggling and stretches, culminating with the hoofs. The heat leaves the body with the life and after pouring some water at hand on the cut, you can let it relax and the exercise is complete.
The temperature gradually decreases and the blood clots. I have on numerous occasions tried in vain to imagine this same process in a genocide or murder. It is said that: When you conduct the cut, you proclaim: It seems that this proclamation helps you to focus on the task at hand and in the execution of the order. In the case of the sacrifice, it is incumbent on me just like it was for Prophet Abraham17 as a religious duty to perform the same, and likewise for the case of defending my country against aggression. It would be more difficult in cases of dubious or borderline nature.
Man has been blessed with an intellect and one needs to use it to decipher right from wrong in regard to violent deaths. Hawa heard the cell-phone ringing and woke me up. Just like salt and water, it is difficult to think of any dish absent or deficient of the two. Yes, the Muslims believe that every soul submits itself to God Almighty, which is the central pillar of Islam and children are as such born as Muslims. Parents convert them into the other religions, or so we believe. Similarly when you wake up: Hawa had initially mumbled about the ringing of the phone and that I should wake up.
Getting no response from my side, she turns and lifts her head and covering her mouth with her right hand while yawning, she increases the pressure by gently tapping my right shoulder as I had turned my back to her. I give out a mourn but the response is still lukewarm for her liking. I sleep on time and keep the family vehicle moving.
Hawa looks after the welfare, nourishment, health and education. She has developed this load to military precision in her actions and commands. The next wake-up call would not be an invitation. Reminds me of an architect friend of American origin married to a Kikuyu lady. The second is followed by some droplets of water, which she keeps close at hand. Just remove whatever you are wearing and put on your office attire.
My friend had a coach in his office for him to complete the remainder of the sleep. These could be offered after an hour or so and the whole office schedule was programmed with this in mind. In my case, the third is followed with a shake and remembering my friend, I usually am wide awake by now. My bedside cabinet has space for books of diverse interest and a drawer which I use as a medicine chest for emergencies and normal usage. I believe the phone was erroneously placed here and so the ringing sounded like my half-complete dream without knowing that my nightmare was about to begin.
A week earlier, my mother had visited our office at Kyuna, Nairobi and prior to that, I had moved into a flat having spent close to a decade as an extended family. About three years of having just a room and sharing other amenities at the newly acquired house on Fourth Avenue, Parklands, had its toll on Hawa and myself, and we had secured a flat about two hundred metres from the rest of the family.
I believe that I was the central pillar for my mother. But I was having numerous challenges of my own, too numerous to recall. My world was in shambles, my vision blurred and not in a position to lead or follow. This excluded Kenya Shillings Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand which was due in quarterly rent and the bank overdraft was over the second limit of Four Million that my Co-director had extended. You literally have to beg your clients to pay you and many-atimes you receive only insults for your wages. My head felt like lead and my movements, if you had seen me, resembled a drunkard even though neither drinking nor smoking form a part of my bad-habits.
Staff have over the years noticed this transformation and made a point of avoiding mat at this time of the month for fear of instant dismissal or other repercussions. A moving time-bomb if you like! The office was set in a lavish European House in the lofty area of Nairobi, set in about five acres of neatly trimmed gardens.
The amenities and bedrooms were converted into drawing offices and other staff facilities on the ground floor with management offices on the first floor. We had made other changes to complete our resume as a World Class Architectural Franchise. Our staff and consultants numbered over fifty persons and I was head of the Kenyan Operations. Mother arrived quietly at the Reception and was told to take a seat without anyone bothering to inform me of her arrival.
Perhaps it did not matter as described earlier. Did you want to see Ebrahim? She had an aura all of her own, almost omnipotent and definitely omnipresent, like a Swan she would gracefully float or glide into a room and the image strengthened by the array of perfumes made a grand entrance, a privilege to behold. She was now like a beggar! One reduced by her children and grand children to fend and beg, not for herself or her husband, but for others ungrateful enough to do it themselves.
Why does she do this? My office was large with spacious furniture and cupboards for ample storage and even a wash-hand basin and mirror for my personal use. Arrangement was such that I could see everything at vantage point and my back was never to anyone for fear of an assault or being caught unawares. They walk in and after some greetings, I concentrate to offer her the easy seat and I draw near on my leather swivel executive chair.
She refuses an offer of coffee or tea and gets down to business. Nyumbani sina ata chakula leo. At home there is no food. There is a long silence, which looked like eternity, before I spoke or even made any motions. Remember the credit cards and the allowances? I struggle aside the comatose and sit up straight, while I stared at her for a while. It is said that at your time of death, your whole world passes through your eyes in a flash.
Years back I had been diagnosed with low blood sugar and acute ulcers. This was strange as mother was the opposite. I felt like I would faint and only let out a cry: She repeated her plea: To drive my point home, I took another line of attack. I decided to approach the problem by addressing the cause, my younger brother and his litter. I started by saying that everyone must carry their own crosses and herself and Mzee should be allowed to retire in peace. She shed a single tear and made the last words that I would her from her before walking out: No words were exchanged.
Years back, when the taboo subject had caused a scene, I had sort elderly intervention to restore sanity. She made a garland of this sweet fragrance and sent it to Hawa on the next day. It works wonders and like the Bees, Jasmine now has been added on my list of phobias as it conjures up images of death. My younger brother was on the line and said: I confirmed that I would take about twenty minutes as the said hospital was near to the flat where I resided.
Hanging up and informing Hawa on the proceeding, we prepared for the journey. Picked my cellphone and my wallet and made movement to the Toyota Surf. Hawa joined me after she had made provisions for those left behind. We arrived at the hospital and went to the Enquiries. We were informed that the family were on the floor above and found them in a crowd at the entrance of a ward. Until than, both my maternal and paternal grand mothers had died and we had made funeral arrangements as required by Islamic Sharia.
It had not dawned on me that The Matriarch could die. My world revolved around her pleasure and keeping away from what displeased her. So when the doctor walked through the double doors and asked who the head of the family was, everyone looked at me as Mzee had not accompanied Mum to the hospital and for good reasons. We tried all we could but we could not revive her. For a while I stared at him in disbelief. What followed was a series of well calculated and choreographed manoeuvres, one that our mother had taught us over the years. Everyone knew exactly what to do and the order it had to follow.
The acts were so seamless that it was astonishing to behold. We would later be informed that such events seriously affected the kind doctor and we try to avoid loading him with our problems. We agreed that we had to device a strategy in passing the message to Mzee at home and that under Muslim Custom, burial would be done the same day. Her girls went into the ward and started preparing the body while the boys returned home to do the needful. By this time it was five in the morning and being a Friday, it would be good for the burial to happen the same day.
But extended relations and friends had to be informed and the funeral paraphernalia needed to be addressed. What followed was surreal and not of much consequence or interest. At the height of my career, I wanted to join the club of cigar smokers and sort audience with Mzee for his advice. I love the smell of Cuban Tobacco and other incense. For an ardent smoker to say this sounded contradictory and baffling to say the least. Referring to a popular brand of a cigarette and alluding to the fact that in his youth he smoked, drank and chewed virtually anything and everything, but had to stop on account of his children.
This was Mzee at his best. So head strong and disciplined. I believe that given the opportunity and the right circumstance, he could do anything humanly possible once he put his mind to it. Mum was a politician and knew just the right words to say to get the desired effect. Unfortunately, her death seems to have had the most devastating effect on him and their eldest daughter.
They lost the will to live and longed to join her.
He reached out for his Packet of Embassy and drew out a cigarette and delicately placed it between his lips. He lifted his gas lighter and struck it to produce a flame. Drawing ever so close, he drew in the air and was about to lit it, when he realized that something was amiss? Over the years, the smoke had choked Mum and the coughing that followed threatened to cause an early heart attack.
Mzee would smoke three cigarettes at most per day to accompany meals and it would be done in the outdoors. Now that she was gone, why did he have to go outside to Smoke? The whole compound woke up to his cries and lamentations; we thought that we would have to make additional funeral preparations for another soul. This would be his cry till that last Friday of his life.
Weekend excursions become the norm and some blood returned to his face. A frown developed into a grin and eventually a smile.
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Things started to take a turn for the worst when the coughing increased and his behavior became erratic. By now I had built my Studio and a Prefabricated House in the same compound and had moved-in. Relations between family members had been deteriorating at an alarming rate. Security was of national concern and disparity between family incomes was increasing. So when the grand-child was moved, the same day Mzee developed complications and I had to rush him to hospital. The doctor took one look at Mzee and demanded that he must be hospitalized. I called him aside and sort intervention from the chief administrator.
At no cost could the family afford the hospital charges. I was willing to bring him everyday for out-patient and specialized treatment and care. We could even look at possibilities of home-nursing and procurement of drugs on wholesale basis or even by direct importation. The doctor agreed, but he insisted that Mzee stops smoking. Ironically, the said doctor also smoked and this made matters difficult for me as the implementer of policy. We bought the drugs and Mzee was given some injections to calm him down.
We headed home and I breathe a sign of relief. Once there, I rang some school mates and they gave me names and contact addresses for some young doctors from the major referral hospital to continue the home treatment and therapy. One such doctor came home and we agreed on what drugs were needed and how they were to be administered. Weigh your odds and calculate your risks, develop an image of where you want to be and workout procedures and protocols to achieve it. Accept no compromises, always aim for the best. Maximize your potential and rally support from like-minded stakeholders.
Allow for uncertainties and eventualities and be kind to yourself. Many times, we show generosity and forgiveness to everyone but ourselves. You provide resources; time and energy for all, yet these are the very same ingredients necessary for your good health and wellbeing. You need to create harmony of sorts with the universe, an atmosphere of give and take. You need to pull the rest of mankind from the doldrums of poverty, hunger and desperation to a level playing field of plenty, fulfillment and ecstasy.
They build dams along rivers and channels, and create sustainable ecosystems that men of wisdom have learned to emulate and replicate in the building of modern day dams and channels or waterways. On sensing the approaching Winter, the Beaver would buildup body fat and prepare for hibernation. So they consume in plenty and start collecting non-perishables like nuts and seeds. It makes realistic plans and implements accordingly. Having developed a working plan, the next step is to work out your incomes and projected expenditures and to agree on a budget.
It works wonders and you will be the wiser in the process. But it would be foolish for one to shoot himself in the foot and continuously do so as a lunatic. I would administer it myself and use commercial and social standards to guide its use, contributions could be cash or kind and adherence would be strictly followed. I make no excuses or apologies for failure or my short comings, and I seek no prize, praise or reward except from the ultimate and divine.
I saw my father suffer at the hands and expense of profits for the tobacco companies. We broke down barriers and a peace prevailed. He learned my softness of heart and saw the transmission of his inner strength to me. His decreasing strength was counteracted with my build-up and visa versa. His failing will to live, transformed to hope and acceptance.
He slowly returned to dignity and a sense of pride. He talked with authority and took control of his destiny. We shared many moments together and our relationship came of age. No more father and son relationship, one of top to bottom or tyrannical and filled with dogma. Now we were friends and we talked openly. We criticized each other and we made no apologies for it.
A typical conversation would be like this: Actually, by now the damage had been done and there was no stopping the inevitable. It starts of as denial, leading to hostility and eventually cunningness. You start by deceiving others and eventually yourself. You will use all the arsenals at your disposal to achieve your mission.
She lacked the ability to control her temper and to compartmentalize issues. Mzee was a director in charge of procurement. While she lived, this machinery ran like clock-work, but it was now threatening to break at the sieves. Yet each is autonomous and answerable to its own concepts and hypothesis. The future can only be addressed in this manner and human needs and aspirations need nourishment and freedom of expression within the universal or if you like religious confines.
The Undertakers struggled to contain the situation and it took all their years of experience na gadgets to relieve an otherwise hopeless situation. On all packaging materials, they need to add the following words of caution: Cigarette Companies spend millions in advertisement and marketing campaigns and are relentless in increasing of their market share and bottom-lines.
Coupled to this, stringent legislation in the developed parent countries has forced these companies to diversify to poverty struck cheap labor nations such as ours. Something will give in the end. Commencing from Thursday Night, right through to Monday Morning is a case in question. Mzee was stable and it seemed like we had managed to contain the situation until that Friday Morning. Monitoring Mzee from this space was easy and likewise for him to see the goings-on in the compound. This morning, there was a frenzy of activity in the small room. My entrance seems to have heightened his anxiety and restlessness.
Helpers were trying to help him to dress after showering and shaving. His movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. He found it difficult to sit straight. Words were spurted out accompanied with mucus from both his mouth and nostrils. Weeks of preaching to him on cause and effect of addiction and making peace with his creator, seems to have had a positive effect.
As he relaxed, I also decided to do the same. I awoke at about 4. It would also give me a chance to check on the current status of Mzee. I opened the main door and was about to sit when, someone ran to say that something was absolutely wrong with Mzee. I dropped everything and rushed to his room. The activities were next door and I headed in that direction. On the bed was Mzee facing blankly towards the ceiling. People were everywhere trying to revive him. Some were trying to massage the area near his heart while others asked for water to be administered as a last drink.
A bucket was brought and as I was leaving to ring the doctor in charge, it was almost half full. The doctor arrived in less than fifteen minutes and I left him to do his work in peace. I knew what we were dealing with here and had not illusions on the sequence it must take. Ringing the other family members took priority and making sure that I broke the impact of the event to avoid devastation. By now I had received many messages from doctors on deaths and I took it in my strive. Apart from the ID were other pieces of paper which I have never bothered to read and Kshs.
I handed all these to one of my brothers as it dawned on me the fallacy of wealth and other worldly possessions. Before Mzee relaxed his last, he had said: I have recorded cries of a few and can complete many more pages of other stories. Many more go untold and unheard as they say: An addiction is a friend to none but an enemy to all. The image of shattered dreams and the stories doing the rounds is of societal concern.
Devilish elements are out for no good and they will not rest until you meet your doom. I have yet to talk to a single family which has not been touched directly or indirectly. We have come a long way from days gone by of ignorance, prejudice and confusion.
It is important for us to continue in the struggle and eventually, headway will be made. Help others where possible and especially those genuinely seeking it. By the time you realize what is happening, you scratch and a blister develops. Starting with the less essential elements and culminating with the vital organs or members. Allow them to drink to their fill and are to full to fly. Than strike and strike them hard. Hunt them at the joints and hunt them in the open. On our last visit to the coastal city of Mombasa, I slept under a net as usual. In the morning, the net was full with their vermin.
Cleanliness was a prerequisite for the farm and the animal survival. Pull it from the dog and place it under your shoe sole. Use two pieces of stones instead. It is a classic case of finding yourself next to hard surfaces. Individuals or groups can apply for grants to start-up or build commercial enterprises. The aim is that if we give you such a grant, you will in the ensuing years assist others.
And the ticks that escape the two stones, I remind them that I usually end by washing the dog anyway. I must have read this somewhere, but where? Changing environments necessitates new approaches to look at the challenges and explore opportunities. You will not remain in business for long when these qualities are confused or interchanged. My first contact with drawings for buildings was through a family relation in the mid nineteen seventies. Other contacts were through the Housing and Estates Department where we made regular complaints for repairs to the Company House provided to Mzee, who by now had been promoted to Management Level.
Mistakes you make in your youth may haunt you for the rest of your life. Jamhuri High School was next door and it offered opportunities for university entrance. Looking at my subject range, it looked logical to work towards the combination of Mathematics, Geography and Economics. Taking a step at a time, I worked hard in the Fourth and Final Year and I arrived in the school of my dreams in The first term of year one was hell.
I talked to my Mathematics Teacher and he assisted me with extra tuition for the same. Geography required extra reading and I gave it my all and also for Economics. Images of class come vividly to mind. Coupled to this, high school is of mixed genders compared to the lower years and unions were being explored and developed. I was always at my desk studying this or that. When others idolized themselves, I made the Library my friend and books my companion. The pace had its toll and by the end of the first interim examinations we did, I was exhausted and bed ridden.
I missed class for a day o so and when I arrived on Monday next, Mister Nyanjom, our Economics Teacher returned our answer scripts and made his declarations: Mister Njanjom handed me the script and warned everyone else of dire consequences if this performance would be repeated in the next paper. Thereafter, everything changed for the better. Kenyans are known to be good long distance runners and I would not disappoint them. The rest of the bunch would not catch-up with me again to the finish line. Our Career Counselor was a Mister Sheikh. For some curious reason, he asked me to stand and state my choice in one of the classes.
I was caught unawares by this statement as it shattered my whole life in an instant. This question haunted me for the remainder of my stay at Jamhuri. Architect George Wilson of Dalgliesh Marshall conducted the class and gave an overview of the building profession and industry. The time was limited and so, he allowed more question-time for the audience. This was also insufficient and at the end of the session, I walked him to his car to extend our discussion and to get his contact address. During the lecture, Wilson mentioned the qualities and challenges facing an architect.
A week later, I was at his Reception seeking an appointment for his audience and the rest is history.
Two years of post-graduate work at Cambridge UK and back to Kenya at the end of An opportunity arose when we had to move to new premises as a result of the above transaction. Surprisingly, my offer was accepted and I rushed to Westlands Nairobi to see the new premises for myself. My plans were falling into place. I would do all the work and he would retain a fee for administration and public relations.
Eventually my workload grew and I had to return them to DMJ. Salvation comes in little packages. Another opportunity arose from the blue. We investigated on different formats but eventually decided to move office to Kyuna. The premises was big and we invited other consultants to sublet the same. Just like the prehistoric dinosaur, the beast was too big and sluggish.
The individual consultancies were choking in infrastructure expenses and quality control was impossible. On my part, I rejoined the university in after an absence of over five years. My life had gone on a full circle and I wanted to explore the academic and research world. My aim is to, God Willing, finish my doctorate work and my family had come of age and their education was paramount to me. Philanthropic seeds and also publishing and software development are interesting. There are also new products to consider and challenges abound.
This is my heritage. I hope therein lies lessons for others and myself to learn. Ebrahim, your credit card is awaiting your collection at your nearest supermarket.