BBI (BLINDED BY IGNORANCE)

"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change my town either, and as an older man, I tried to change my family."
"Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that, if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town, my town's impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world." By Monk-11 A. D.
Even though the above conscious thought which is loaded with vast wisdom dating back to 11 A.D. is still inspirational to this day, the fact that this advice eminated from a monk portrays ambiguity of both wisdom and regrets.
Learning that he could have first changed his mindset before trying to change the world is a great lesson that contrived this wisdom loaded advice. To his regret, he learned a lesson at an old age meaning that he couldn't recover the time he had already wasted.
Noting that fools learn from their own mistakes while erudites do it from other people's mistakes, oh how I wish that; just like myself, this monk's mistake have taught you a lesson on the need to first change your mindset before you embark on a trajectory to change the world.
While our so called leaders have intentionally been blind to the plight of ordinary Kenyans for far too long, we have also been blinded by our own ignorance and that's why we never hold them accountable for neglecting their constitution mandated responsibilities of serving Kenyans relentlessly.
Out of our own ignorance, these selfish 'leaders' have now taken advantage of mutilating the constitution and they have the audacity to deceive us that they are doing so for our own good.
Although it's inarguably true that a great percentage of my fellow citizens are well educated people, it's extremely unfortunate because our knowledge have not brought any change for the longest. This is a clear indication that; intelligence without integrity is futile. In a more simplistic way; knowledge without wisdom is useless. That's why despite of our immense knowledge, we can't resonate with a commonsense issue like being aware that; Adding 70 more members of parliament and creating five new positions in the executive will automatically add a heavier burden of footing an enormous wage bill to the already heavily laden Kenyans.
In order to foot the proliferated wage bill in the BBI, there must be an increase on revenue. This begs the question; WHERE WILL THE INCREASED REVENUE COME FROM? The answer to this question isn't a matter of rocket science but an issue of commonsense. THEY WILL RUTHLESSLY CONTINUE TO OVERTAX US. Without perusing the entire BBI document, the fact that we will knowingly but ignorantly subject ourselves to higher taxes makes BBI a malicious and a devious plan to advance personal interests and simultaneously nurture a few individual's sense of self-entitlement. 
In his Solomonic wisdom, this are the words of Winston Churchill; " A nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
When moments of total ignorance from Kenyans are at hand as it is now, I inadvertently find myself quoting the great words of wisdom from the 32nd first lady of United States madam Eleanor Roosevelt; 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'
The naked truth is; we have ourselves to blame for our total ignorance. Indeed, we have for a very long time allowed our 'leaders' to manipulate us to a point that we are now brainwashed to a point where we perceive them as demigods whose tune we must dance to unquestionably as we continue to live in extreme indigence. Whenever they ask us to jump, instead of asking WHY, we 'innocently' ask; HOW HIGH? Infact, we are the people in the biblical reference; 'Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear....Jeremiah 5:21 Just like the boers,(Afrikaans) our so called leaders have for decades continued to impoverish us in order to forever rule us. The most vexatious thing is how they take advantage of our ignorance to effectively manipulate us. 

Out of his ingenuity, Bob Marley once said this words; "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds." If anything, His three decades old words of wisdom tells us that; each one of us have a personal responsibility to redeem his or her conscious mind lest we fail in our collective responsibility of liberating our beloved motherland from decades of tyrannical rule.

Unless you are a visitor in Kenya, you know very well that we are deficient of servant and visionary leaders but surfeit with selfish, corrupt and power hungry politicians in the name of leaders whose agenda is to sate their greed for power and opulence. That's why amidst covid-19 and medic's strike, their concern is how more positions of power will be created for them to continue to rule over us. Our government times without number have approved the words of Ronald Reagan; "The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other."
Turning to the word of God; Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Luke 6:39 While most of our leaders are blind to the plight of ordinary Kenyans, we on the other hand are blind to their evil strategies of impoverishing us for their gain. 
In their selfish quest to change the constitution, please be advised that; they can keep on changing the constitution every year if they so wish, but their unsustainable greed for power and their unwillingness to honor the constitution at hand are a crystal-clear indication that; NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY  COERCE US INTO CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION, THEIR CONCEIT AND LACK OF GOODWILL TO HONOR THE CONSTITUTION WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL. 

In other words, any person who lacks self-discipline to necessitate a sense of responsibility to support, obey, uphold, defend and protect the very constitution he or she vowed allegiance to when he took the oath of office, but out of his or her sense of superiority complex, ignorance, self-importance, ego, pride or whatever other reason decides to dishonor the constitution, that person is a recusant and is not fit for leadership whatsoever. 
As we await for the referendum with mixed feelings and anticipation, kindly liberate yourself from the blindness of ignorance and remember that; the mouth that consumed the seedlings will be the same mouth that will ask; what will I sow? Please don't be an enemy of your own and always remember the wise words of Albert Einstein; 'Insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, over and over, but expecting different results.' Before you consider changing the constitution, first consider changing your mindset because that's the root cause of all the problems. 
 

Coming to America

'Over the land of the free and the home of the brave.' These are the words that mark the last sentence of the United States of America national anthem. Since it's only in the bible that you can't add, remove, adjust or change not even a word but a punctuation mark lest the curse of death befell on you as it's written by apostle John in Revelation 22:19, I've choosen to change the last sentence of the United States of America national anthem to read; 'Over the land of the free because of the brave.' 
The reason behind my need to restructure the last sentence of the national anthem is in reference to the centuries old misconceptions that the myriad opportunities that denotes United States as a land of milk and honey are in reference to a collective responsibility of every American being a hardworking and law abiding citizen. This misconception pushes me to recall the words of an American musician and Grammy award winner, James Antony Carmichael;  'if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
Even though I don't disagree with the part of myriad opportunities, I beg to differ on the part of opportunities being realized out of a collective responsibility of all Americans. While a great number of Americans are hardworking people, truth be told, a smidgen of Americans are opportunists who suffer from what I call; Work ethics deficiency syndrome.
Work ethics is the term that will allude to most of my statements in this blog. In reference to the wise words of pastor Charles R. Swindoll pertaining attitude; “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% of how you react." It's inarguable true that; in the United States of America, you will encounter numerous trials and tribulations of many kind, racism and prejudice notwithstanding. All the same, your reaction and resilience towards all these challenges must stand the test of time if you are determined to succeed. 

On matters work ethics, it doesn't matter which country you migrate to, without great work ethics and resilience, you will never ever realize your potential and the potential of the country of your residency. 

The greatest aspect of suitable work ethics is attending to whatever legal job that comes your way. In support of my conscious thoughts, the scriptures are at the surface in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:10a; Whatever your hands finds to do, do it diligently......As you attend to whatever job that comes your way with total deligence, it's very imperative to know that;  United States is a country where your might be judged by the color of your skin rather than the content of your character and in isolated cases, your accent might as well follow suit. Whenever such moments are at hand, kindly remember that; it's not about what someone does to you or say about you, it's about how you react. You should never ever allow such moments to deter you from your trajectory towards success. In the very words of Eleanor Roosevelt; 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'  The the distractions of the naysayers nessissitates a biblical reference from Exodus 1:12; 'But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.'

On the other hand, the primordial perception in the minds of most people that dollars are harvested from the trees is just but an absurd myth. If by any chance this perception is true, I must then admit that I am either myopic or the fact that dollars are green like tree leaves has always robbed me a golden chance to see them. 

Noting that most people emigrate to the United States of America for greener pustures, i feel a pressing need to dymistfy a decades old misconceptions that tend to define green pastures as a continuity of the career, profession or occupation that you were pursuing in your motherland. Unless you are emigrating on a company's exchange program to pertake a specific job, as far as securing a job is concerned, kindly equip yourself with a variable job mindset. Such a mindset will enable you to attend to whatever job that's available before you settle and comprehend to pursue your career or occupation of choice.
On the other hand, I totally agree that United States of America is indeed a land of golden opportunities, nonetheless, succeeding in United States isn't a walk in the park. It's an endeavor that will cost you an arm and a leg. 

In many occurrences, I tend to differ with the person who said that experience is the best teacher. My contrary arguement is; some experiences are far much tormenting than the lesson they teach. If you decide to settle with the school of my conscious thoughts, please be advised that; emigrating to the United States of America without a very clear conscience of WHO you are or WHAT you want is the greatest mistake you can make in your life. I have seen people quit great jobs in their mother country only to end up depressed in the United States of America to a point of using and abusing drugs in quest for solace. Worse still, others sell their valuable properties and possessions with an extremely strong self-conviction that they will buy properties of a greater value than what they sold, only to end up in total disappointment after realizing that they can't even afford a property of a lesser value than the one they sold. With that knowledge in your mind, apart from re-consulting your thoughts before you decide to migrate to America, you should as well consult God for clarity on your decision lest you the one bird in your hand for the two in the bush.
The very first thing you must train yourself as soon as you migrate to the United States is being time conscious or in other words, time management. The decades old mediocre mindset that allows most Africans to find comfort in getting late with a ridiculous excuse namely 'African time' should never follow you to America. What will save you from waisting this most precious and free asset called time is an extremely clear conscience of WHO you are and WHAT you intend to achieve in life after migrating. Anything less will be a true recipe of future regrets. The answers to your WHO and WHAT will simultaneously answer the third most important question in a human being's life; WHY AM I HERE?
United States of America is a country of great opportunities on both spectrums of life. By this I mean, it's a country where you can move from rugs to riches or from a morally devoted and focused person to the worst criminal on the face of earth. The greatest and most powerful people on earth are here and so are the worst malefactors. For you to resist the snares of the American temptations, you desperately need God's presence in your life and sobriety in your conscience. Making a rigid decision to always stick with God like prophet Joshua will be a great decision. "..choose you now......but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Jushua 24:15 As a grownup, you certainly have the freedom of choice. Indeed, the choice is all your, nonetheless, never ever forget that choices have consequences. 

If by any chance you will forget everything else in this blog, kindly don't forget the wisdom packed scriptures in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:11; 'I have seen something else under the sun, the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.'
These scriptures are a perfect reminder that; you don't need any supernatural power to become successful in life. As long as you get 24 hours a day just like Elon Musk, Aliko Dangote and the like, you have what it takes to become successful in life. Kindly spend your time wisely with the knowledge that: Failure is not aiming high and missing, it's aiming low and hitting. 

A Sense of Entitlement

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." These words marked the epitome of J.F. Kennedy's inaugural speech as the 35th president of USA on 20th January 1961.
From my school of conscious thoughts, I am totally convinced that; your country, and the world in general don't owe you anything. As a matter of fact, you owe mother earth an obligation to make her better than you found her.
Unfortunately, we are living in times when most if not all of us perceive that the world owes us something or anything. This self-illusion mindset that lead most people to a mere thinking that the world owes them some favour is just but a total myth that has continued to permeate in the society with untenable and societal detrimental aggression. In addition, it's an indication of a generation that has totally lost its moral compass in a dire haste of chasing riches, power, fame and publicity.
This grievous mindset of entitlement, which I like to call; the mindset of Cain or the spirit of Me, Myself and I, is the source of envy that forster anger and a dire need to forcefully acquire another person's possession or position with whatever means possible murder notwithstanding.
It's within the confinement of this mindset of entitlement that the very first death in the world took place. This was when Cain killed his brother Abel. How unfortunate can it be that the very first death on earth was not through a natural cause but murder. Later came Haman who plotted to assassinate Moredecai because he was the favorite of the king. Fortunately, his plans were thwarted and he was hanged by the very gallow he had mounted to hang Moredecai.

From those primordial biblical days up to now, the conviction from my conscience is that; most of the murders in the world take place as a result of this dreadful sense of entitlement that contrives insatiable greed of aggrandizement.

Why him or her and not me? This is the  nagging question that's associated with the sense of entitlement. Instead of letting this question take toll on you to a point of contriving a mindset of entitlement, you need to take this question to God in prayer. That's the only place that you can find true fulfillment and abundant peace that can refrain you from coveting or committing a crime.  'What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?' Mathew 16:26a
If you miss the dejecting news from the main stream media, you're most likely to read or hear them from different social media platforms on how family members kill each other for inheritance. Times without number, we get news of people robbing others with a perception that they too are entitled to riches. 

Among our political leaders, we have heard politicians who plot murder on their political rivals in order to occupy the position of the deceased. No matters entitlement, most of us can vividly remember entitlement utterances like; "No Raila no peace," or the most recent; "We shall never concede....we will fight like hell."
This egomaniac sense of entitlement has largely contributed to the present day generation of young people who regardless of their deficiency in morality and work ethics want live a lavish lifestyle way beyond their means. A generation that thinks that their parents owes them a livelihood. To everyone with this kind of mentality, here is the truth; Your dependency on your parents was a short-term right that began when you were born and ended when you turned 18 years. These were the formative and the developmental years of your life which were extremely fundamental towards your present day independence.
Have you ever known why 18 years of age is the universal rule of adulthood?  This is directly connected to the fact that; 18 years is the age when most people graduate high school and thereafter the world usher you to becoming an independent person. 
Back in my mother continent of Africa, high school graduates are referred to as O-level graduates. This means that you are no longer a child but an Ordinary level independent person. Around the world, at 18 years of age, you qualify to apply for a national Identification card (ID) as an indication that you are now an independent citizen who is directly answerable to the authorities of the land.
If you have ever blamed or are still blaming your parents for failing to pay for your college tuition, you owe them an apology. If they educated you to your high school level, (O-level) anything above that is a privilege not your right. At 18 years of age, you are an aldult who's supposed to be independent. If you are still having the sense of entitlement that makes you think that your parents owe you something, it's a high time to let it go lest you become a nuisance in the society and a failure in life.
I totally understand how difficult it is to  transist from a dependent person to an independent person. Nonetheless, the sooner you come into terms with this bitter reality, the better it will be for you since you will start to plan your future life at an early and tender age. It's extremely imperative for parents to know that; if you fail to tame your children's sense of entitlement at an early age, you will have  wronged the society by relinquishing a self-centered person to the already cruel world. A sense of entitlement begets self-centeredness, self-importance, jealousy, arrogance and narcissism. 

In reference to the golden rule; 'Do unto others the way you want them to do unto you,' we find the authentic essence of egalitarianism. Anything contrary to the universal golden rule portrays a sense of selfishness, ego, pride and narcissism.
Unfortunately, most people who are in the front line on matters equality in humanity are wolfs in a sheep's clothing just like it is in George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novel 'Animal Farm,' where the Pig Napoleon changes the rule from; all animals are equal, to; all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
In the authentic spirit of egalitarianism, let's embrace the truth in the words of Dr. Steve Maraboli; 'A sense of entitlement is a cancerous thought process that's void of gratitude and can be deadly to our relationships.' 

In my own words I say; A sense of entitlement is an insatiable greed of aggrandizement that disregards egalitarianism.