MY COUNTRY, MY HOME.

Did you know that you are the change that you want! Don't you know that! Ooh, hi there, didn't see you peeping at the pages of enlightenment. I was just preparing myself on how I was going to let loose a torrent of truths like the apostles of the days long gone had done. This has been one of those weeks where it is a holiday after a holiday. 

Just getting the body to just relax after the merciless beating it has received from the push it has had to endure. Whoever said adulting was easy just out rightly lied through their clenched teeth. What is this life? Every day is like a game of poker, trying out your lack to see if your will hit the jack pot.

You never know if tomorrow will be the last one where once you close your eyes that's it or it is going to be a fruitful day where you will smile all the way to the bank or you are going to be yelled at by that rogue colleague or supervisor. Life is quite unpredictable like the odds of winning a jack pot, you are never too sure which hand it will show you next. 

When you are an inhabitant of an African nation it is assumed by the outside world that you are in a backwards, undeveloped, still living in the trees kind of people. Where all you do is hunting & gathering & that we are so ravaged by poverty that we cannot in any way help ourselves. We are just a helpless lot begging for the mercy of the Almighty & awaiting judgment.

If only people could see what more is there to be offered in a country as compared to what the media will depict as the assumed truth. I do understand the criticism that African countries receive because of the way the leaders in control decide that power is theirs and theirs alone like a birth right.

A leader decides that the seat of power should not be out of his/her grasp & that it was meant for eternity. The robbing the nation of its resources to enrich oneself has become a common phenomenon. If you look past the politics, I can assure you that a nation has more to offer than meets the eye.

Most of the African nations as well as my homeland of Kenya have a good number of game reserves that have so much to offer. You get to be treated to the raw living of wildlife that many only see through their television screens. The roar of a lion, the laughing of a hyena, the grace of a giraffe, the magnitude of an elephant, the elegance of an antelope, the beauty of a peacock, the scream of monkeys, the buzzing of mosquitos & so forth.

It is such a wonder that one gets treated to true living of wildlife like no other place. Leave alone the wild animals what of the inhabitants themselves? If you were to walk in the streets of Nairobi, you will be surprised by how busy everyone is regardless of who they are. It is a beehive of activities, people selling their wares here & there, others pushing paper work to beat those deadlines & so on.

It is true that we do not choose to be born on this earth & as such when we get to live, breath we become part of the system that we find. It is humbling to have somewhere you call home apart from your house, if your country is not habitable that my friend is quite unfortunate. It feels good to be proud of your own home country & not one when it is mentioned, you distance yourself like as if a plague has struck.

If one hears about Kenya, it gets associated with its marathon runners who are quite formidable, the wildlife which is beholding, its weather which we get to soak under the rays of the hot sun. I got the privilege of taking a ride on one of our roads. This is what I was fortunate in the early morning hours to witness with my own eyes. Have you ever seen the sun caress the horizon like a gentle lover awakening like this?

My friend this was a sight to behold that left me dumbfounded, appreciative of what I was witnessing in such a time of the day. Thankful that I was one amongst the few who had that opportunity to see this great marvel. This is in taking into consideration that there are other nations that are war torn, filled with smog, heavily polluted & so on.

We need to take a moment to step back from the bustle of our living & be thankful for that which we have. A good number of you have left your homelands for one reason or another, some are good others are bad, it could be for safety reasons, for work reasons, for education reasons, for family reasons, for development reasons et cetera.

It is upon you as an individual to make your nation a better place for you & the generations to come & those who are there. You can do it in a small way, it doesn’t have to be one big bang. You could start by letting those around you know that there are local areas that you can go for the intimate interaction with nature (if nature lovers).

There are ways of getting that physical exercise or doing a sport or outdoor activity that can benefit your mind, body & soul. For starters currently people have taken to jogging, running, cycling, hiking, working out as part of their daily routine. This has been cured by doing either jogs or runs in protected forests which offer a serene environment or on roads with designated pedestrian walk ways.

It may be the age of the corona virus but we are a blessed people who can make the impossible possible. All you have to do is believe that it is possible. I want to leave you with the verses of our National Anthem (Kenya), that touches me to the very core. Hearing this being sung out loud in unison together with musical instruments can make you shed a tear. It is deep & does state how a country should be:

 

Oh God all creation

Bless this our land and nation

Justice be our shield and defender

May we dwell in unity

Peace and liberty

Plenty be found within our borders

 

Let one and all arise

With hearts both strong and true

Service be our earnest endeavor

And our homeland of Kenya

Heritage and splendor

Firm may we stand to defend

 

Let all with one accord

In common bond united

Build this our nation together

And the glory of Kenya

The fruit of our labour

Fill every heart with thanksgiving