State of Mind 2024 - what’s “your beyond”

Life is an oxymoron

If we are born knowing that we will ultimately die then why do we live?

This was a pivotal question that triggered a process that birthed my second book - “Ubishi Komaa na Maisha; Jihoji, Jiongeze, Jitambulishe” (2019) that prompted me to question things that we embrace as norms that may not be so normal or worthy of being normalized.

As we embark on the new year and continue on the journey of life, I cannot help but appreciate the impact that our evolution over time has had on our understanding of humanity as a whole.

These times are often characterized as “troubling times” but in reality, this has always been the order of the world. I don't see how these times could be more troubling than the Dark Ages where the God of Abraham and Jesus Christ had to be justified and humanity had to make *choices” given the “circumstances” they were in, in order to stay in “control” as the dominant species.

This is the way of the world and in as much a lot has changed much remains the same.

Technological and scientific advances may affect the factors that influence our choices but choices we must make still and the light produced by The Age of Light (as described in an article that goes by the same name on https://www.magavilla.co.tz/takes/view/the-age-of-light ) has become so bright that we can no longer see any more just like in the Dark Ages. We are exposed to more information but have less depth in understanding - making us more emotionally driven beings than rational beings. We feel then do or think as opposed to think then feel and do.

So what has changed?

Choices are reflected by the decisions we make and these decisions evidence our adaptive nature through the actions we take as we traverse through these ever-changing times.

The choices we make are often a reflection of the control we have given the circumstances we are in.  It is for this reason that control and predictability are essential in defining the quality or more importantly, the meaning of our lives (and not necessarily life itself).

This ‘control’ is essentially the foundation we stand on; enabling us to see beyond the moment - the future and having hope enough in what we see to endure and keep on going irrespective. Consequentially, the stronger your foundation, the further into the future you are able to see and the higher your conviction (soul, inner voice) will be in the course of pursuing that future. This has the effect of culturing hope in the future.

This foundation, which I assign to the soul, enables us not just to endure the passage of time and its changing circumstances, but to also explore the possibilities and how to best exploit them.

Why should you care?

The basis for revisiting my voice and the best way to channel it in 2011 was founded on two pillars of life from my maiden book “Life & You A Guided Journey Through Self” (2007): 1) taking control of your life and 2) making decisions for the long run.

Humanity has evolved so much that not only have we forgotten who God left in control of everything he created but now even worse we are confused about our founding purpose as human beings in this life or in other words the purpose of life overall.

Our purpose as humanity is to culture peace of mind inside and outside in as much as our choices can have quite the opposite effect on our peace of mind, if not inside then outside or worse even both.

Life, we are given, but how we live it [life] is a function of the choices we have made and continue to make as individuals and as a collective good amidst circumstances that are now more informed by the choices we have been making as a societal concern throughout our existence based on what we know or don't know about the environment that surrounds us.

What has stayed the same?

The importance of a ‘foundation’ as a governing campus that reminds us, not only of where we are heading but also of where we came from - what brought us together as a collective good; a United people.

Why should we care?

The state of any Nation, like our state as individuals, is prone to forces that compel us to make choices. When any structure is tested or shaken, its resilience is a function of the foundation on which it stands. This foundation that holds us together, when we are shaken by external forces, is what is most important and must be reinforced at any cost.

2024 is a year when you can choose to turn noise into music by taking more control. Remember the same instruments that make noise can make beautiful music depending on the composer.

A leader can only truly lead (managing beyond the moment as opposed to simply managing the moment) if they have or embrace a strong foundation allowing them to see even what others cannot see (I like to call this ‘the beyond’/ vision) and more importantly, seeding this as a shared truth amongst their following.

In conclusion

What is evident to me now more than ever is that these two pillars: taking control and making decisions for the long run) cannot be separated and that I was speaking to the role and power of the soul (our sub-conscience) in living the life you need to live as opposed to living the life you want to live.

Because of the choices we have been making we can no longer differentiate life from living just like we cannot separate the State (the identity, values, and characteristics that unite us) from the Government (the instrument used to navigate our societal good forward while ensuring the State that gives it [The Government] validity is kept in state) without consequences.

As a result, to keep moving forward, what The State stands for, the Government has to believe in; true development cannot be achieved if the two concerns are in conflict with each other. We not only have to have shared values but we also have to believe in them as the unifying values that make us A State to begin with.

What is our State?

What is Tanzania?

The more unified we are on the answer to these fundamental questions, the more likely we are to endure the long game of people-centered development.

Short of this, we will end up massaging social intrigues through short-term political interventions that may consequently put us at risk of losing sight of the long game - our development vision for a future we may not be privy to but will definitely be held to count for.