Most of us live our lives on a ruler, the thing that is straight, starts with zero and counts forward in millimetres and centimetres becoming meters and kilometres; 1, 2, 3...
The graph, up and down is the least of our concerns.
When were you born, when did you die, when did you pass high school or college (university) or start your first job or how long and how did you do it the work here and there. What does your CV say?
Depth but for downhill is the least of our concern. Did you move forward or progress in life? What do you possess in life on the linear path of life?
What is your level up or down at any one point on the linear of being?
Not so I argue is humanity primarily our concern generally.
The line is long as is the walk of Nelson Mandela’s walk to freedom, but the height and depth of his life at every point in time makes its enigma as it does for Cecil John Rhodes or any other one before or after them with the least of engagement of the rest who believe speeding and being the fastest on the road being focusse on the straight is absolute.
No wonder not being straight is such an issue!
Sometimes we need to tarry longer at any one point in time and becoming self-conscious and comfortable with ourselves. That is whether that point is being a male or female, being Black or White, African or European, mother or father, brother or sister or any of the multiple beings we are or could for ourselves or another at any one point in time.
Not because we want to but because it is necessary. Nelson Mandela said: It is not because I want too but because that is what life demanded of me then and there.
It is a choice all of us have to engage with taking for example on the challenge of swimming upstream to where the part is at, drowning in the sorrow of the moment or exhilarating in it.
There is no right or wrong here because anyway sometimes life is indeed a ruler long. No depth required up or down for the seekers of simplicity and easy-street; but not for all of us.
How do we know that you, the individual are the chosen one? The one who must live a life that does not only have length but also have depth up or down?
No fast and simple rule applies.
Being conscientious and endowed with integrity seemingly is the endowment off and the characteristic of great leadership: understanding not only the forward and backward movement but also the need to go up and down sometimes.
It is not only to know and run the race but to observe it and to understand it from being detached from above and or from below or the straight line.
Without that we know life is hopeless. It is winner takes it all, the strongest and meanest to survive craving in the end the comfort of the blues and the dance absent from the constant rock and roll of life which suffers fools gladly.
This does not mean great leadership is faultless, it just means life takes care of itself: A great leader will come as a worst leader is essential to make life to cling on to hope; to a better life for all where all is dancing inter-enlivening some the blues and some the rock and roll.
Exclusion is dejection, is heartbreak and engenders ill feelings and hatred breathing revenge that is self enflaming and undeserving of the root of being human.
Indeed if we look back as humanity, wherever we found ourselves in space and time and do we can acknowledge under the circumstances we are better than yesterday because hope that burns eternal in the good that humanity constantly seeks can never shame itself for too long. Good, history shows always overcome evil.
Be evil be racism, sexism, religious intolerance, ageism or any other ism.
We are human, conscious taking into account all despite the slip so now and then.
Humanity despite all its up’s and down’s is throughout history always better than yesterday.
No matter where we find ourselves on planet Earth, better we become.
The pain and hardship of today at the end become the impetus for creating a better tomorrow.
Hope reign eternal.
Hold on, hold on. Don’t give up better days off which are not necessarily in front but where anyone of us is at any point in time it is sometimes going up or going down for the better of the collective.
The sea is deep we love it anyhow; the sky is high we endeavour to concur it the same.
Whether you are Black or White, living south or north, west or east;
We are getting better nonetheless.
Africa, Asia, Europe, America, Australia and all we are still to meet out there...
Hold on, just live your life conscientiously and with integrity and all is well with Hope; the only legacy and or inheritance that anyone can give and the entire world do need in time immemorial!
That is why we have children, because hope does not shy away from life.
It may not be easy as it sometimes indeed is, but life is hope and hope is life uncompromisingly!
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