FINDING HAPPINESS AMIDST HARDSHIPS. COVID-19 TO JERUSALEMA-19

My introductory part of this compendium is from the 1st letter of Paul to the church in Corinth. 'No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.' 1st Corinthians 10:13.
Despite the authenticity of every scripture in the holy bible from Genesis to Revelation, I am still in a total dilemma on which year to blame on matters covid-19. Should 2019 bear the blame for allowing a deadly virus to stem within its span of twelve months or should we blame 2020 for harbouring a deadly virus which the year 2020 just like myself knew nothing about. How I wish that 2020 could have totally refrained from being urshered in until 2019 had completely sorted out its covid issues. On a second thought, maybe 2020 wasn't informed that covid was airborne and highly contagious and thus a dire need to social distance itself from the year 2019, use sanitizer on regular basis, put on a face mask and to some extent a face shield.
Well, now that 2020 failed to request God to halt the sun until the battle of covid-19 was won just like Joshua did when he led the Israelite army in a battle with the Amorites, we are left with no other choice but to overcome covid-19 battle with the word of God, prayer and fasting and a total adherence to all the measures put forth by the government through the health experts and all other relevant authorities.
Since the bible says that not a single word of God shall return to Him void, (Isaiah 55:11) the scriptures in 1st Corinthians 10:13 aren't an exception. God is truly making a way out of this deadly covid-19 virus. That's why the world has found an escape route from hardships to happiness through the Zulu composed song JERUSALEMA which has seen the entire world dancing to its sublime rhythm even without a smidgen understanding of a single word in Zulu language.
Written by Kgaogelo Moagi and her vocalist  counterpart Nomcebo Zikode who also took a center stage in dancing to its tune and rhythm, the song was produced by Kgaogelo Moagi a.k.a. Master KG and was realeased on 29th November 2019 thus my title JERUSALEMA-19. Bearly one year later, the song has garnered 155 million views on YouTube and still counting.
On July 20th this year, the song was released on streaming services after going viral due to a JERUSALEMA CHALLENGE remix released on 19th June this year. Today, the song has been translated to a number of languages internationally which includes; Spanish, Swedish and Dutch among others. It has also reached number one in Belgium and Switzerland while peaking in the top ten of multiple other European countries.
While multiple YouTube videos featuring the song has garnered over 500 million views, the song has gotten every age group dancing to its tune and rhythm. From little kids to teens, young to the old, no one wants to be left behind. People from all walks of life, all professionals from men and women in blue, doctors and nurses, teachers and students, cashiers and shoppers, sick and healthy, drunk and sober, rich and poor.........and the list is endless. This is a song that have incorporated human beings of all walks of life despite their socioeconomic status, rejuvenated the long lost sense of empathy due to covid-19 and in the process, two great things are happening; the world is finding happiness amidst the hardships of covid-19 and God the almighty is being praised by all people despite the faith they profess since Jerusalema is a gospel song. The JERUSALEMA CHALLENGE is a true fulfillment of King Solomon words inked in Psalms 150:6 'Let everything that has breathe praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!'
Thank you madam Lily Kabi for your lesson on how to dance JERUSALEMA.

UBUNTU: THE LONG LOST SPIRIT OF AFRICANISM

There is a centuries old African adage that says; "Mwacha mila ni mutumwa." This translates; Anyone who abandons his or her culture becomes a slave. You can argue otherwise till cows come home but this proverb is inarguably true to this very day and age.
The word UBUNTU comes from the largest enthic group in Africa namely; THE BANTUS. This enthic group spreads from the great forests of Congo through the plateaus and savanna grasslands of East Africa, down to the Limpopo and Victoria falls and further south to the land of tata Nelson Rolihlahla Madiba Mendela.
In its simplest form,UBUNTU means; I am because we are. However, for those like myself who have never decided to negate our rich African culture, we well understand that the profound phrase of Ubuntu is; 'Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu' which literally means that; a person is a person through other people.
Unfortunately, most of the 21st century people especially the young generation have totally negated their super rich ancestry culture no wonder the present day immortality. In a dire need of seeking to fit in the modern digital world of technology, we have become slaves of technology and our ancestry culture that's loaded with morality is rapidly disappearing by each passing day.
If you are waiting for prophets to deliver the message of disintegration of humanity, you must have missed the memo from philosophers like Albert Einstein who once said; "I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction because the world will have a generation of idiots." This prophecy though not from a prophet but from a philosopher is now at hand.
As we continue down the tragic trajectory of humanity disintegration due to vast technology that continues to turn reality into virtual and feelings into fantasy, please let's not get lost of that the spirit of UBUNTU is the only spirit of genuine friendships and longevity relationships that can rekindle the long lost rich culture of togetherness.
Kindly let's slow down on technology which enables us to connect with a thousand virtual friends but not a real genuine physical friend. I am not against technology whatsoever, my urgent concern is the need to strike a balance between virtual and reality.
I am well informed that we won't rekindle the old is gold lifestyle at a glance, nonetheless it's very imperative to understand that time is of essence because we are at the vague of getting obliterated by technology. Citing the words of Margaret Beckett; "Humankind has the science and technology to destroy itself or provide prosperity for all, but while science offers us these opportunities, science won't make that choice for us. Only moral power of the world acting like a community will.",  I don't think it can get more clear than that. ........ the choice is ours.
With those words well encrypted in our finger tips forstering us to reinvigorate the long lost spirit of ubuntu, let's not succumb to the deterrent of the saying; 'Every man for himself and God for us all,' but instead embrace the spirit of brotherhood and live by the wise words of King Solomon inked in Proverbs 17:17 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' By so doing, we shall portray the authentic depiction of African congeniality that is deeply inscribed in the spirit of UBUNTU: 'I AM BECAUSE WE ARE.'

SCHOOL OF LIFE

It's through attending numerous academic institutions that I can afford to construct a grammatically correct sentence or so I think. Nonetheless, all I became after years of attending various academic institutions was a literate person who became adept intellectually but totally inept integrity wise.

Even though education is an essential aspect towards acquiring intelligence, it only offers intellectual knowledge while empowerment gives you integrity subjecting you to morality and dexterity which renders you to wisdom and mental freedom. 

I don't have a  smidgen ill motive of   discrediting our academic institutions whatsoever, all that I want to bring to your attention is; since knowledge isn't a virtue, you can't count on it to become a better person or lead a purpose driven life. In other words; KNOWLEDGE IS NOT INDEPENDENT BUT INTERDEPENDENT. You can acquire all the knowledge you want but without wisdom you're life will stagnate. Wisdom begets knowledge but knowledge can never ever beget wisdom. That's why we have learned-fools but not wise-fools. Kindly seek wisdom because; The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame! Proverbs 3:35

It goes without saying that; experience is the best teacher. Although some life experiences are not worth the lesson, thus a dire need to heed to a word of caution, to a larger extent, this adage is inarguably true.

The dreadful life experiences are the so called SCHOOL OF LIFE and all the lessons offered there that will guarentee a successful future if, and only if well understood are appalling.

Nevertheless, the greatest problem that most people face is a short memory span which at times tends to be a selective amnesia. This aspect of forgetting the lesson that a dreadful life experience taught you have not only subjected many people to a state of recurring problems but have also rendered them to a life of mediocrity and affirmed the decades old defination of insanity as, doing the same thing the same way over and over again and expecting different results. 

If there is an area that we as Africans and especially my beloved Kenyans that we have and I am not sure if we shall ever learn from the repeated dreadful life experiences is the issue of voting the same corrupt and unscrupulous politicians in the name of leaders over and over again but expecting different results in their 'leadership.' The fact that they are learned with more degrees than a thermometer dosen't mean that they have a smidgen aspect of wisdom. Leadership starts with wisdom not knowledge. 

Voting these morally decayed politicians times without number proofs that the myriad unbearable inhumanity problems that have continued to permeate our beloved country is a problem of our making. With a bait of handouts amounting to a few shillings, we have continued to sell our votes just like the biblical Esau who traded his birth right with a bowl of lentil soup. 

If anything, our decades reapted mistakes is a genuine prove that; we as a nation that claims to be free aren't close to learning from the ungracious school of life even after increased destitution after every general election.

Although time of learning from the years of dreadful destitution experiences as a result of evil governance which we the citizens are guilty of voting in every five years is long overdue, the fact that we have lost numerous second chances is a clear proof that; "A second chance is only beneficial if your failure was a lesson."

21st CENTURY PARENTING: ARE YOU PLAYING YOUR PART?

‘Direct your children onto the right path and when they are old, they will not depart from it.’ Proverbs 22:6

Even though I don’t have a smidgen intention to alter this scripture or any single biblical word since I am well informed of the consequences as per Revelation 22:18b, the truth that will set you free is the practical knowledge that in the present day and age children 

are departing from the right path regardless of a great upbringing. However, the fact that the 21st century children are veering off from the right trajectory of life shouldn’t foster parents and guardians to abrogate their first priority towards their children; that is, effective parenting. 

Establishing a good, valuable and robust childhood foundation during the formative years of your children is extremely imperative. If you feed your children’s subconscious minds with a fundamental of great propitious memories, you accord them a Point of 

Reference in their future years which will times without number enable them to come back to their senses whenever they veer off from the morality of life. The only reason to why the biblical prodigal son came back to his senses was because his father had given him a great Point of Reference during his upbringing. Your failure as a parent or guardian to inculcate morals and ethics in your children during their formative years is a way of denying them their fundamental parental right and exposing them to the cruel world without any integrity armor whatsoever. It’s also denying them a worthwhile Point of Reference to extricate them from a detrimental lifestyle (s) whenever a need is at hand.    I totally understand that you are an assiduous person and a conscientious hard working parent, that you spend the whole day in meetings, chasing the dollar or driving around seeing obstinate clients and putting out fires. When the day comes to a close, you are too exhausted to even think about the children who made you qualify to become a parent. In this day and age when most parents if not all have been infected with TB (Too 

Busy) becoming IDPs, (Internally Displaced Parents) children will continue to make poor choices for lack of guidance and mentorship in all areas of life. This is an extremely negative effect which might pass to the future generations if parents don’t reconnect with their children and uphold their responsibility of spending quality time with them, which is the best way to feed children’s emotional needs. Every parent should well understand that children are entitled to moments of quality time with a parent. (s) In other words, spending quality time with your children is their right not a privilege.

For those parents who still believe that parenting is all about provision of the three God mandated basic needs; food, clothing and shelter plus the two government enforced ones namely; healthcare and education, you must have missed the recent parenting memo which demands every parent to spend quality time and establish a good rapport with his or her children. Spending quality time with your children is the greatest way of exercising the most important human senses which are; see, hear and touch. That’s why quality time should entail visiting new sceneries, verbal phrases to affirm and reaffirm your love and physical hugs to confirm and reconfirm your fondness. If your children will not relate with you, there are higher chances of relating with the wrong people or worse still, relating to alcohol, drugs and other indecorous lifestyles.

Parenting is both a difficult and a laborious job which lays bare all your strengths and weaknesses, all your vulnerabilities and your pre-conceived notions of what you always thought it would be. Nevertheless, since you run around with a very expensive title, there is a dire need to preserve it with all means possible and through thick and thin. It’s also very imperative to understand that parenting is a holistic responsibility that should be undertaken with total acumen without missing a bit or implying erroneous assumptions.

Most parents don’t take enough time if any to better understand their children. It’s very important for parents to understand that; no parent-children connection that can take place without effective communication. Effective communication should thus be the 

paramount thing between these two parties with a total knowledge that; effective communication is only complete when understanding is derived. Every time the understanding between these two parties fail; things starts to run haywire and that’s when the blame game sets in. Blame game was, is, but with the application of effective 

communication yielding to complete understanding, I am totally hopeful that blame game will not persist to be the major word of conflict between or among any type of human relationship not to rule out parent-children relationship. The word; ‘blame’ in many cases is a product of negligence or ignorance which promotes acts of irresponsibility. When 

that registers in your mind, I am sure you won’t hesitate to agree with me that; 

irresponsibility is the abandonment of conscious and ignorance of accountability.

Although many people like justifying their negligence and ignorance, both of these two vices are indefensible. The only way to break the blame game tradition is by teaming up and ensuring that every team member fully understands and performs his or her duties and responsibilities to the fullness of his or her ability. When all is said and done, I truly believe that we will come up with a generation of totally responsible children and young adults who will later become dependable for a better tomorrow. ‘Unity is strength ‘and ‘united we stand and divided we fall.’ Besides these two English adages that we apply in our every day’s life, the bible puts an accentuation through these words; ‘Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.’ Matthew 18:19 In other words; mutual agreement does not only help to facilitate a mutual relationship of give take and take give, it also validates its authenticity through articulate reciprocity (I need you as much as you need me) or through ubuntu. (I am because we are)

Parents; we have to develop a mutual relationship with our children if we are totally desperate of overcoming this present generation of troubled children. The bible puts it this way; ’How then can two walk without an agreement? ‘Amos 3:3 Noting that there is an obligation to connect with our children in order to surmount life challenges, there is also 

a dire need to establish a social capital with them, always bearing in mind that; Parents’ inspirations enhances teens’ aspirations.

GIRL-CHILD: THE EXPLOITED SPECIES

On 11th October 2011, the United Nations declared the International Day of a Girl-child which was later inaugurated on the 11th October the following year. The agenda of the International Day of a Girl Child is to promote girls’ rights, highlight gender inequalities that remain between girls and boys and address various forms of discrimination and 

abuse suffered by girls around the world. Gender inequalities include; right and access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care and protection from discrimination, violence against women, child marriage and honor killing.

Nevertheless, in many countries, girl-child discrimination continues to prevail from childhood through teenage all the way to adulthood. In such countries, there isn’t any doubt that the achievement of gender parity has been delayed if not denied. These are 

the same countries that continue to embrace antiquated cultural practices. These practices include; female genital mutilation, son preference, child marriage and gender inequality, violence against women, honor killing, sexual exploitation sexual abuse among others.

Although these norms are often embedded in traditional or religious discourses thus creating an environment where unequal treatment between boys and girls seems to be acceptable, they strip away women’s autonomy denying their fundamental right to self-

determination. Every time girls are treated as inferior and are socialized to put themselves last, their self-esteem is diminished. Lack of self-esteem initiates a lifelong downward spiral of deprivation and exclusion from the social mainstream. At this present age, there is a dire need to take initiatives in order to prepare girls to participate actively, 

effectively and equally with boys at all levels of social, economic, political and cultural leadership not only in the developed countries but across the globe.

Today, the percentage of girls enrolled in secondary (high) schools still remains 

significantly low in many countries. More so, girls are often not encouraged or given the opportunity to pursue scientific and technological training and education. This act does not only limit the knowledge they require for their daily lives; it also minimizes their opportunities of getting employment in the high tech companies. On the other hand, when girls are less encouraged than boys to participate in and learn about the social, economic and political functioning of the society, it deters their ability to take part in decision-making processes.

In most cases, boys are encumbered by massive disguised misogyny that alters their perception towards girls’ not as precious humans but as avenues for pleasure and sex fulfillment. This is a confection of degradation and peculiar reasoning that makes it more imperative for girls to get more support towards integral sex education. More emphasis 

should be stressed on girls since they bear more agony in matters of teen pregnancy where more than 15 million girls aged 15-19 years give birth each year around the globe. 

Teen pregnancy continues to be an impediment to improvements not only in the education sector but also in economic and social status of girls around the globe. Overall, child marriage and early motherhood can severely curtail educational and employment opportunities and are likely to have a long term adverse impact on these 

young girls and their children’s quality of present and future life.

BOY-CHILD (THE ENDANGERED SPECIES)

Despite the fact that God created a man and endowed leadership in him and moreover the first child to be born on earth was a boy, masculinity has tremendously continued to be emasculated through time. Biblical compendiums confirm that crisis of masculinity aren't an incipient tragedy. The life of a boy-child has been in the list of the endangered spies since the ancient days of the Old Testament when Pharaoh ordered the Egyptian midwives to kill every boy-child during birth. The same order was given by Herod in the New testament when he ordered the killing of all newborn male children in a dire need to fulfill his atrocious plan to infanticide Jesus. Despite the fact that both Moses and Jesus escaped the massacre and went ahead to lead the children of God from captivity, male offspring has remained in the hit list of hell to this day. With that in mind, it's our responsibility to change this centuries old narrative through intensive and relentless efforts and witness a future generation of liberated and empowered boy-child.
 Noting that a man is the foundation of a family, when families are combined, they make a community, when communities are amalgamated, they become a nation and when nations are integrated, they form the world. Psalms 9:11 'If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?'
For a very long time, we have spent restless days and sleepless night empowering a girl-child on a very weak foundation namely; the boy-child forgetting that the entire structure is a time bomb awaiting to explode because the foundation can no longer bear the enormous structural weight.
If we are serious about a steady and intact structure, it's a high time to gentrify the foundation. (boy-child) Otherwise, our negligence in matters boy-child empowerment will surely not stand the test of time.

CORRUPTION: THE NEED TO HEED AND FEED GREED

The greed that fosters corruption can only be identified with the words; enough is never enough, not yesterday, today, tomorrow or forever. As unscrupulous corruption perpetrators progress or regress into their addiction in a dire need to derive sufficient gratification and feed their greed, they have totally continued to disregard the words of Mohandas Gandhi; ‘The earth provides enough resources for everybody’s need but not for everybody’s greed.’ It goes without saying that; you never get enough of what you don’t really need. With these corrupt individuals pursuing opulence, their overwhelming and insatiable passion isn’t about getting rich but richer and still richer. Without any doubt whatsoever, their vast greed isn’t a virtuous cycle but a markedly vicious one.  ‘Much more’ is the keyword that denotes their total addiction to greed that triggers corruption. It’s very unfortunate that the ante of getting more than enough is always on the rise.

 Of all the things one might be addicted to, nothing tops the greed-laden pursuit of riches through deprivation of public resources. In its audacity, greed is totally manipulative and gross insensitivity to the needs and feelings of others. Realistically speaking, materialistically pursuit of happiness fosters corruption which is a societal vice that’s gloomed and doomed to fail sooner than later citing that, it's a goal that can never be achieved not to mention its extreme, myopic, irresponsible covetousness. By default, vast acts of corruption have continued to permeate in our motherland with an extremely supersonic speed. Corruption is just but an immoral vice that have for decades continued to subject the dear lives of citizens to miserable livelihoods and subject them to great fear to appoint that they are unable to deplore it. 

In general, greed of riches has everything to do with a feeling of opulence elation and also offers a kind of self-inoculation. What perpetual accumulation of illegitimate riches inoculates into the perpetrators of graft is the impostor syndrome which is the underlying and barely recognized feelings of guilt and shame which stems from a belief that deep down, they are not only failures in the society but also don’t deserve the already illegitimate accumulated riches. Greater and greater possessions are required to help them sustain their cherished illusion that they are vastly rich than others making it the most convenient narcissistic fix for whatever subterranean doubts they maybe tying to harbor about themselves.

Contagious corruption has for decade continued to disseminate in all government parastatals and other public entities like a bush fire. In a dire need to feed their greed, the masterminds of graft have a total negligence of conscience and humanity and are always willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy their narcissism. However, their mere 

thoughts that promotes a weird idea that accumulation of material possessions will render them to a happy and peaceful lifestyle is just but a fallacy. Happiness and peace attainment can only be observed from a spiritual perspective. By spiritual perspective, I'm envisioning the ideal state as emanating from a variety of non-materialistic achievements. This would include establishment of social capital that adds personal value and supports place attachment leading to the development of mutually self-disclosing relationships filled with unconditional love, respect, self-identity, self-efficacy and self-acceptance. It’s extremely imperative to know that, a person’s well-being is unassailable through invariance social capital networks that aren’t susceptible to monetary variations.

The very moment you begin to experience contentment as a result of illegitimate acquired possessions rather than complacence thereof, neither possession accumulation nor fame and publicity are pivotal to your happiness. Although such a remarkable experience might times without number render you to a total peace of mind and self-driven satisfaction, it shall never ever rob you guilty conscience and impostor 

phenomenon. The imaginary utopia is just but an ebullience of your thoughts and feelings that blocks the gloom and doom that may be happening externally.

Pursuing happiness through the acquisition of riches, through amassing more and more possessions is a fool's pursuit. For once such material appetite is aroused, at a certain point it becomes insatiable. When you substitute your humane with material possessions with a mentality of a life-term satisfaction, the pleasures and gratifications they yield are more or less fleeting. It’s extremely imperative to note that; no amount of 

money can suffice. Out of the present day rampant greed, fortune seeking has become both obsessive and compulsive. When that critical line is crossed, the pursuit is no longer a means to some presumably fulfilling end, it is the end. This occurrence validates the biblical words of Paul to his adorable friend Timothy. ‘For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.’ 1st Timothy 6:10 

Even thought corruption as an illegitimate pursuit of material possession has times without number been fruitful, the eccentric goons of this societal detrimental vice are more often left in the self-defeating position of hunting down that which can never ever 

feed their vast greed. Like an unquenchable thirst, not the riches but the intemperate lust for riches can never be satisfied. Materialistically searching for happiness through accumulating possessions invariably cries out for more material possessions. ‘Nothing is enough for a man whom enough is too little.’ Epicurus

This incessant seeking for what can never be definitively achieved explains why myriad corrupt persons are extremely hostile, aggressive, merciless and inhumane in their ongoing relentless efforts to accrue more possessions. Addictively chasing immeasurable riches, a fortune going far beyond the dreams of avarice as though such a radical pursuit will miraculously absolve their selfish deeds, they end up being monomaniacal and overly inhumane.

The sooner we understand that money can neither buy happiness nor fulfill relationships and it certainly doesn't have the power to generate unconditional acceptance of self, the quicker we will set ourselves free from decades old societal detriment of corruption. The 

decades old misconception that ties money with personal happiness is a biased ideology worth reprimand. Nonetheless, greed addicts are hardly focused on depleting or disbursing their fortune but on acquiring and maintaining it. Unconsciously, they link their fundamental human value to their financial worth. What drives their behavior is accumulating as much riches as possible and then using it to acquire still more riches. If your self-worth and happiness are measured against monetary currency, your self-worth 

holds no difference with shares and stocks; it will always rise or fall in accordance with the success or failure of your present enterprise.

The perpetrators of corruption callous lifestyles does not only portray their inhumanity but is also a crystal-clear evidence that their greed triggered infinite pursuit of illegitimate riches is a debacle that can never ever bring them the perpetual happiness and peace of mind. Despite of their blithe disregard of their immorality, the society isn’t lost that their act of corruption leads to citizen’s destitution and subsequently stagnation of developments in the entire nation. To add salt into the injury, their profane utterances like; ”why hire a lawyer when you can buy a judge,” begs the question; is our judicial structure behind this capitalistic system which regrettably supports ceaseless avaricious ventures because not even one corrupt person has ever been indicted and incarcerated?