Random Thoughts: You Have the Power - Be an Agent of Positive Change

Dearest Mama,

Thank you for the wonderful letter. I also received some letters from those at the fireside when you read my New Year’s note. Some of our kinsmen reacted positively to my note. For example, Mr. Sandy in a comment regarding my Random Thoughts letter said, “I like the piece and the creativity used in bringing to fore Liberia's unbridled corruption. I strongly agree with you that corruption in Liberia is a norm or way of life.”

Well, among the respondents expressing alternative views, Mr. Guano, apparently troubled about my comments on corruption said, “I will recommend that since you want to use your dearest mama as a shield to cover up your political reportage, you should not publish it on FrontPage Africa.” Wow! I didn’t realize that Guano was the CZAR Of Journalism, and the regulator of how corruption and other political issues should be reported. When I received Mr. Guano’s letter, unlike his three paragraphs, I wrote a single sentence: “This communication is to acknowledge that your e-mail was received.” As to what I am doing regarding his letter of ultimatum, this is exactly what I am doing: writing!

Mama, you can only imagine what would have happened if Mr. Goaho had the final say about my communication to you and others. It’s kind of scary how some people use their power, but then it’s even terrifying when those who don’t have power begin sending out clues depicting how they will use power. Mama, how do you describe such forceful and uncontrollable feelings that manifest in such manner – just simple letter to you on New Year’s resolution and corruption that provokes such feeling? Is it embedded rage, anger, wrath or something else?

Wrath almost the same as rage and anger falls almost within the same category, and they have the same, or almost the same meaning. They are feelings that can manifest as a result of rejection of the truth and also the desire to settle scores outside of the confines of the law. In most cases, someone with such rage or anger can show displaced aggression – that is the rage or anger is vented against someone or a group of people who are not directly a cause of the person’s anger.

Mama, an example of such wrath was displayed during the war in Liberia. You remembered how people were killed – some randomly and others targeted. In both cases some of those engaged in such acts were enacting their own form of justice, because they believed that the authorities didn’t or wouldn’t respond to the cause of their rage.

Another recent display of such wrath or rage occurring in Monrovia is the stance taken by citizens against “armed robbers”. We read recently that citizens are beating and physically assaulting and sometimes killing “thieves” and “armed robbers.” According to reports from Monrovia, citizens are ignoring the law and have decided to take on their form of justice because of what they consider insufficient response by authorities in curtailing robberies in Monrovia. The reaction by citizens falls within the category of rage and anger.

Mama, as we move from one point to the next in life, we will meet people who will push our last button; we will also find ourselves in situations where we will not be judged by our capabilities, but by our looks or other factors; we may even meet people who will despise us just because of who we are.

How we respond to such situations? The manner in which we handle our feelings during such situations or afterwards determines who we are. Ask yourself how will you treat a waitress, an unattractive person, an innocent child, someone outside your (political, racial, social, etc) circle, a bus driver, or a homeless person after you've been treated unfairly by others? Do you hold grudge and display anger or rage later?

Mama, I quite remembered you telling me that my response to others after such experiences determines my ability to control the development and growth of hatred and anger that lie dormant in all of us. I have seen it, and I have felt it Mama, and I know it - our everyday actions determine our character. We all make mistakes along the way, but what is our general pattern? That is the question we should ask ourselves as individually and as a people. At home, our partner, children, and family members will do something that upsets us at some point. It is how we respond to what our partner, our friends and colleagues do that defines what type of colleagues or partners we are.

I have also seen people (forcibly) influencing others into accepting and supporting their idea and beliefs. This force of will is almost always temporary, because people do mature, or sometimes they will someday have a taste of freedom, after which they will realize that they have been manipulated. This realization of how they have been exploited tend to create confusion and friction. Mama, we have seen this in Liberia and other societies- many people blindly accept what they are told by others, including those in positions of authority, be it in political, religious and educational positions. I believe that we should always use our mind, our intelligence, our reasoning and intellect to analyze and dissect situations, theories, and the ideas shared by others to determine whether or not something is true. This position can be challenging, it has been for me – I am not a conformist, believe me, it has been difficult for me, and it is still challenging. I rather think for myself and question others than swallow everything, which ultimately breeds hate, anger and wrath inside of us after recognizing how others manipulate and suppress our abilities to use our basic senses.

Mama, kindly inform all of our people out there that they should not believe that they "don’t know who they are" and therefore must wear the identity of others. No, No! We should remember that it is the authorities - the political, the religious, the educational authorities who educated our forefathers and mothers by giving them orders, rules, regulations, informing, forming in their minds their view of reality. It is this forced view of reality that shut the minds of our forefathers, pushing them in a state of dormancy, and ignorance, and when that little light flickered, rage and anger set in.

Let’s remember that an idle mind is a fertile ground for rage and hate. Let’s nurture our creativity so that we can become agents of positive change!



Always,
Musue