IT would have been too easy to write about the elections.
The Last Straw
Acres of editorial space have been dedicated to that already. An election is an event though aficionados would beg to disagree.
I am the optimist in a crowd of doubting Thomases. Where someone sees a glass half empty, mine is always half full.
Life has taught me so many lessons, some of which I have not really taken on except at gun point.
One lesson which I have ignored, to my peril, and was pointed out to me this very last weekend, is that you don’t know what you don’t know. What does this really mean?
It means that you are neither a prophet nor a psychic.
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You can only speculate either using scientific instruments or what they call the balance of probabilities.
As a debate raged on the social media about the stupidity or the lack thereof of one of the presidential candidates in what he said at a rally, I had this to say: “The problem with us Zimbabweans is that we over-analyse things, particularly when it comes to politics and politicians who do not lose any sleep over what they say and do. “And yet we go into all sorts of contortions and gymnastics on their behalf. Guess what, it won’t affect the result of the election whichever way it goes.” You don’t know what you don’t know. Work with what you know. We all know that, God willing, we will still be there after the election results are announced. Life will have to go on. Ultimately it’s about you. How will you make sense of the situation post elections? Will you commit suicide just because the result that you anticipated did not materialise? I suspect one or two politicians might consider taking the easy way out. It is true that there is so much at stake in this election, but you should not be hamstrung by “utopiatic pronouncements” that are the diet of political rallies. Politicians are wont to say things like that to catch your vote. But we should always remember that the way God operates is way beyond the human dimension. Excuse me for flaunting my religious beliefs for a brief moment. God is there for all of us though it would be sacrilegious to believe the same of politicians. He knows what we do not know. So I, among many, placed my fate in His venerable hands. The key is for all of us to play our part. But let me just share with you what I was exposed to this last weekend that proved to me that my fate indeed lay in my hands, while I had to leave the rest to God. We are encouraged to think positively. How many agree with me that there has been so much negativity around us in the country? For years we have been under the rule of a band of very angry old men. What else can you expect? Zimbabwe right now is a culmination and a sum total of all the negative talk and thoughts. We cannot afford the luxury of negative thoughts. I hear you say, but that’s being realistic? My trainer Marc Accetta was blunt. REALISTIC SUCKS! Being realistic is not a way to live your life. There is no value in being realistic. What did I say? Our miserable lives are a sum total of our negative thoughts. Identify what or who has the power to set you free. Politicians? Do I really need to answer that question? I said POSITIVE not negative. Your life is also a culmination of your habits. So thrive to do the right things all the time. It’s not someone else’s fault that you are where you are, says Scott Ross. I have learnt that I am 100% responsible for my destiny. I can make everything in my life better or worse and the choice is completely mine. How is it that there were people who made it during the economic collapse of 2008? Without breaking the law, that is! The secrets of it all is to decide to win, not as a party, but as an individual.
What kind of mentality do you have? If you think you are a victim you will always be one.
If life throws lemons at you, make lemonade. Reap what you sow! Interestingly I learnt the fact that most of the problems of the world are caused by people who reaped where they did not sow. What are you focusing on? You should give whatever happens a meaning that is positive and not negative.
Your worst times will become the best times when you give them a meaning that is positive.
Whatever outcome this election throws at you, ask yourself the question: What positive opportunities can I create or take advantage of in this situation?
Lenox Mhlanga is a social commentator
