A series of short thought-provoking philosophical narrations about the business of living – by Zito Mbowa.
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I have come to the solemn realization that, by and large, people want you to “be yourself”, to “be true to who you are”, and “own your identity”. All clichés of the self-actualized person.
They will cheer for your enduring authentic pragmatic eloquent expressive prowess with the gaiety of a deity… until such time they no longer see themselves in who you’re becoming or have become.
Then, they distaste an abhorrent banality of your mere presence.
Perhaps, we do not cheer for others after all, we admire and cheer for that version of ourselves putatively scintillating in them. And that may be the glue that really bonds us. The parts of ourselves we see in others.
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I am not entirely without sympathy for my fellowmen, but we are inadvertently broken creatures, aren’t we?
Confoundingly, we live our lives gregariously pursuing herds and merrymaking with conformist yet ever poised to set ourselves apart as distinguished characters with idiomatic self-patented demeanors.
In every herd, presumably, is a bit of fallacious ill credence about one’s uniqueness. We may be better off humbling ourselves with a bit of incertitude over our own being.
The most noble thing we incessantly owe ourselves, conceivably, is impartial scrutiny of our individual pursuits, deeds and beliefs. Perhaps, the ultimate responsibility for those who long to exult for themselves higher fulfilment and wellbeing.
For though we may walk paths of ethical desires, each step we make is a fortuitous progression. For many of us, serendipity is the witness to whom we owe our most virtuous endurances.
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The brevities of our lives can be brutish and flagrantly wicked.
Thus, life should be lived with exigence to covet the pursuit of serenity though with a bit of suspicion about our own disposition and those of others.
With great sedulity, we ought to invest all our ethos, wisdom and acumen in the business of living, for the utmost ethical rectification and advancement of our own lives.
We may also accept that deep within us is a broken and vulnerable yet obstinate character who misconceives the purity and liability of his/her own demeanor.
We should, therefore, forgive the fragile however adamant temperament of others as we should our own.
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Share a thought, and a poor cynic may flaunt a stunning display of disparagement sucking the vitality out of one’s temper—all for an egomaniac emotional recompence.
Whenever we waste opportunity on themselves, we may compensate for it by envying those pragmatic characters who promptly act upon being summoned by the goddess of luck.
Abruptly engulfed in hysteria of rivalry, we may highlight all the faults in the efforts of others “attesting”—we too are capable, and no one should dare doubt our capacity. In fact, we would have done a better job than them. Although deep in our conscience we know they tried, and we didn’t.
Perhaps, if we are content with the diligence of our work, we need not be daunted by an unpleased audience of spectators maligning our intellectual proclivity. We all struggle with our own ineptitudes, don’t we?
Email: zito@mbowa.com
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Postal: P.O. Box 9305 • Mbabane, H100 • Eswatini