Monday, September 27, 2010

Balancing the Accounts: Fan the Flames

It was a slow process but it paid off. Our national football team has had low points but I notice the team had improved but not the support. How do I help our team? It started, a little campaign in my Facebook. Encouraging friends around me. Friends have friends and would see this encouragement. Putting a positive thought where there was a negative one. The ripple effect of the encouragement passed on from friend to friend until there was enough support to take the flames to Angola which was an achievement to an extent the flames captain decided to retire having achieved this glory.

The success of fan the flames encouraged me to apply the same strategy to calm down friends around me during the introduction of the quota system for university selection, the Sunday debates started by Mzondi Lungu offered a platform to dig out what was within on assurance of God's presence to speak and silence angry voices. I guess it is from here that many wanted to debate like me and passed the ripple effect of the opinion such that the opinion became a popular opinion on which every body was commenting on. Encouraging me to even hide within this opinion like everybody else and expound on what I had said adding more to help calm down and resolve the issue.

I have seen many more emulate my strategy and most have done it better than I ever thought.

I remember at one time I asked mum to knit me a sweater based on a design in a catalog. Mine being her first did not come out the most perfect. But the subsequent ones were much better as the result of her perfecting her skill. I still kept mine. It was all I had. It was also a pride that mine was the first. Is this how pioneers feel?

I guess its my pride I pioneered something in life. Even managed to forge a popular opinion for the sake of peace in our land. To fan the flames of a dying football team.

What else have I done? Some I have done in passing I never knew their value till I saw their appreciation. Of those who have been ungrateful, I could say it's because they have always had me around. Some have learned to do things on their own and better that they need me not. Some have not noticed the difference of my absence yet.

Among them all there are pockets of friends I have not helped much but are sober, appreciative and warm. These I would rather be with, than those who do what I have helped them better and remain unhumble and unappriciative.