No wonder we are puny!
Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 6:45 AM
Hello,
GCA’s ATT [Global Community Africa, Alternative Thinking Training] is indeed a journey. Sometime back I saw you wearing a T-Shirt and on it was inscribed the words, “Not all who wander are lost.” Looking back some two-and-one-half-years ago, one would have easily brushed off the ATT concept and the direction we were bound. The destination was uncertain, to say the least. However, if there are still any who doubt the power of ATT, then I bet him/her to accompany us in our work. Nirvana, some of the results we are now getting are far beyond anyone’s imagination.
Kilonzo, Nderitu and I are just from a training in a place called Maungu. We had split the team into two because the trainings were arranged to run concurrently.
The youth in our training had given up on life. This was evident from the sharing they had, with a vast majority confessing they had resorted to drinking to hide away from the harsh realities of life. As this life is addictive, we needed a strategy to deal with this. And yes, we got one. What was readily available was a quick flashback of our own lives right to the point you introduced ATT to us. Personally I remembered how addictive my former lifestyle was and how I managed to put that past in the past. I also realized that, in dealing with such tough situations, one needs to drop (give up) one thing and pick up a new one. You simply can’t drop and move on. You must fill the space created by dropping down something [by filling the space with something to replace what is being dropped].
Sharing the challenges they were facing, they mentioned unemployment, lack of capital, poverty, witchcraft and poor education as some of the impediments to their success. Then Nderitu led them to picking the main problem or identifying the priority. They all shouted, “Of course, poverty is the main problem.” “How do you feel when you think the thought, ‘I am poor?,’ he asked them. One by one they poured out their hearts, “miserable”, “weak”, “devastated”, “a nobody”, “I have no say” and “powerless”. “Up to date, up to now, that’s what has characterized your lives,” he told them, “However, there is good news!” All eyes were wide open, all ears attentive, with everyone curiously waiting to hear this one, good news. And as though this was taking forever, they simultaneously asked, “You mean something can be done to ‘repair’ our lives?” “Yes,” we answered. “How many are willing to live different lives?,” I asked them. Instead of raising their hands, some stood up while others shouted, “Me, me, me,” as though they were competing.
We noted down on a black board all they had said. Then I told them, “That is your past life. I want you to create for yourselves what future you envision for yourselves.” “A satisfying life where I enjoy plenty,” one said and the rest nodded in agreement. Another added, “A life where all live in unity is ideal for me”. One participant who was holding his cheek captured my attention, and I asked him what he was thinking. Shaking his head and referring to the list of how they feel when they think they are poor, he said, “I’m staring at what I have been carrying all along my life. I can’t carry anymore these truth!” ”No wonder we appear skinny, it’s because we are overburdened by these poor thoughts!,” implored another.
Thanking GCA, one youth said that they have realized that “the youth are picking excuses for who they are. Yet they make who they are by carrying such poor thoughts.”
One realization the youth woke up to is that the catalogue of their woes has one seamless thread that binds them: their woes are, to a great extent, man-made and trying to blame unemployment, rain scarcity and leaders, for example, simply won’t do. They all committed to living differently.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
One youth proudly shared what he is witnessing in his community following the training we offered in May. He said now in his community there are over 4 women who have started vegetable farming and set up small shops and over 8 women who have started Mandazi [donuts] baking to sell to the community. All these women were depending on their husbands before our training. When they went back they said, “We can no longer sit and wait for our husbands to provide for us. We must be responsible for our lives and compliment on what is given to us.”
The youth will take us to visit these women after this week’s programme.
Talk soon.
Munish.
Oh, so we had reduced ourselves to cry-babies over issues that are largely within our control!
Monday, January 26, 2009 11:45 AM
"Hello,
Hope this mail finds you well. Hope your days have been really refreshing.
Yesterday, on my way from church I met a friend of mine and as usual asked me how I was faring. My response to him was "I've never been any more better than now!" That response deeply struck him because it was far much from deep beyond my lips. And it came with an accompaniment of immense joy, satisfaction and stress-free - engulfed by a huge presence of greatness. My friend has known me for quite some time and knows such a time of the year, many people would be lamenting the financial hard times. He would expect a story that goes something like "well, I'm still struggling as usual", or "you see, things are really tough nowadays", or even "the going is getting tougher", and so the story would go. These are all statements I've heard from many a people and also they are statements I used to make some time back. They are the usual statements for people leading a usual life. I no longer belong there. I find myself somehow sheltered from such turmoils and torments of difficult times. Never in my entire life have I enjoyed such great peace of mind, great courage and confidence, such serenity and abundant comfort, than what I'm going through.Yes, not even ever during my greatest achievements nor my finest moments have I experienced such a renewed flow of life in my life! It's like I've just opened my mental eyes to behold the treasure house of infinity within me - to live gloriously, joyously and abundantly.
The month of January is particularly challenging.The unemployed are faced with a myriad and frustrating nightmares of coping with life without a coin. This is coming at such a time when, making a shilling and getting ahead are the preferred ethos of our times. It's against this old paradigm that my response to my friend caught his attention.My "I've never been more better than now" response was like, in a sense, an island of tolerance in a sea of intolerance. Ah, what our alternative thinking training has done to me is turning out to be more unthinkable, even awesome. It gives one the master key and power to access and smash through the mental roadblocks that sabotage ones future. I keep on inviting many to align their minds to and harmoniously vibrate with the universe - the reservoir of all greatness. The timing can never be more apt than now.
**** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Over the years, our society has learned and mastered the dependency culture. But the mastery of this culture has led and left many disillusioned and desperate. Many appear stressed and fatigued - a demeanor highly incongruous with their environments. The mindset of poverty on display is even more alarming. Nevertheless,what is more relieving is the power of transformation contained in alternative thinking training which a few people within my area are grasping.
Following the December 2007 election and the subsequent violence in Kenya early last year, majority of the "losers" and their "followers" were utterly disappointed. This was evident through the disintegration of the community. One of the civic candidates, who is a friend of mine once approached me and vowed "never to go back in politics and never to involve himself in any community affairs". Because "I've tried to show this community the right direction but they have refused", he added. Well, this moved me. I looked at him and asked him to tell me what he intended to do once elected but felt he couldn't achieve now that he was not elected. "I would have constructed roads in our ward, built schools, put up a lighting system", etc. Then I asked him whether he was sure he couldn't accomplish all that without necessarily becoming a councilor. He shouted at me "but how can I do all that when I'm not in power and can't access the (government) resources to implement the projects?" This gave me an opportunity to share with him the concept of alternative thinking and most importantly the "Work".
What a transformational journey! I told him that it's not about positions, because the fulfillment of our resolutions lies not on what we want to do , but rather, in who we choose to be. My words led him to a pensive mood, his facial expressions changing from that of a bold and cunning politician to a warm smile of a little kid.
Our conversations kept growing with time. We would meet at most of our evenings and further share. I felt enlightened whenever I listened to what he was going through. The more we shared the more he re-examined himself, and the more he developed a strong sense of commitment towards the community! And the last 3 months bears witness of this simple yet powerful moments we've had with him. Through the sharing, he has managed to put together a group of 560 people, with no no age, gender, tribe, class or even religion barriers.
The group keeps growing.Though the objective of the welfare group is to support one another through contributions, it is becoming more interesting whenever I share with them about our alternative thinking training. It's fulfilling to see how, not after long, those who people who appeared perpetually stressed, depressed and repressed, now taking charge of their own lives. And better still, how they keep themselves mentally self-sufficient, self-poised and self-pleased.
Initially, the group intended to recruit members from within its own ward. But barely 3 months down the line, people come a long way to join this increasingly fun-filled 'market of ideas" - and the cash tills keep ringing! With a monthly contribution of only Kenya shillings 300,there is a new sense of responsibility. It is gradually dawning to us all that we should stop expecting that the onus for changing our destiny rests with those responsible for our hopelessness. Initiatives like building schools, earlier left to the government, are now topping the priority list which now the community feels is their role to upgrade the learning standards of the area. The experience of watching this community arise and rise, and cross ranks, with the slogan "Together we can" is novel entertaining in itself. I'm overwhelmed when I hear statements like "Oh, so we had reduced ourselves to cry-babies over issues that are largely within our control!"
Change of mind set, what a breakthrough!
Much love.
Munish.
Every single encounter with you leaves a permanent mark in my life. All my interactions with you ignite a new spirit in me and leave me more hopeful. Of particular interest, though, is your capability to "see" beyond our cosmetic behaviors deep into the real thing. More than once I've witnessed you lead people (myself included) into looking to areas of their lives they would never like looking into, and the result?, profound discoveries and
refreshing revelations leading to healing. Your expertise in "digging" into the "no-go-zones" of people's lives for
healing has always been an admiration to me. Yes, the art of paying attention to the under-the-table communication is one great key to transformation. And you are a guru for this. Our society, and the world over, must need this experience, for until we master it, the world will continue suffering. Ah, God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. He couldn't let the world contiunue suffering!
I've realized that everyone has an area in their life they never want to visit. But I'm disturbed that little do they know that it's through visiting and viewing this area of their lives that they will get unstuck. It is always uncomfortable to look into this area, thus a muscle, a new muscle has to be developed. My experience in looking into one of the areas of my life when we were at Karachuonyo remains a great victorious moment in my life. The process was very painful and at some time I felt embarassed. I felt like I could run away and hide myself. I felt tortured. I felt like I was stripped naked infront of people. Oh, I felt the world was crushing on me. But all in all I'm glad it helped me detach myself from a heavy burden that I've dragged around with me. It gave me access to a sweet freedom - to speak freely. That I no longer need to watch my boundaries for just I need to be who I am. This is a completely new life for me. It not only requires courage but unreserved willingness to go through this. That unforgettable moment that presented itself in ugly fashion has to translate into the redemption of the Kenyan communities from the suffocating grip of the culture of silence and mistrust.
As the year comes to an end, I must express my gratitudes to all the drivers of our course. From our generous partners to our committed team, I say God bless you. Without this team, this day may never have been. I thank each and every one of them.
Regards.
I’m humbled to get this opportunity to know how you are faring. Hope all is well with you, your family, Susie, Peggy and the rest. Back here I’m well.
You might have wondered why I’m not been communicating. I’m almost in a similar situation! Since the murder of Hon. Mugabe Were, I have been in a moment of “darkness”. I simply couldn’t understand what was going on. I couldn’t put words together. I new I had a lot to share but I couldn’t have them flow as I normally do. I felt blank.
Even now, I’m not so sure I’ll be able to communicate.
Perhaps it may help to start by sharing one of my experiences lately. On 29th January I was called to give a talk on “the role of youth in peace building.” Young people had been invited from almost all the slum areas in Nairobi. The theme was: Be heard, be seen. As people gave their analysis of the situation and how felt about it, I was so moved and felt I had nothing to offer. Then after sometime I remembered one of your most powerful statements in your coaching; the degree of breakdowns is equal to the degree of breakthroughs. This has been like a memory verse to me. As I silently repeated these words, I felt new strength start engulfing me and I stood to share with them. I started by repeting these words loudly to them and told them to close their eyes for a minute as they contemplated on these words. As they opened their eyes, I could see different faces from the ones I had watched as they shared their experiences. In tat mood, I gave them a scenario of Rwanda and told them to make an assumption that Rwanda was their father and Kenya was us (the youth). Since most of them are versant with what went on in Rwanda, they didn’t want a situation like that repeated wherever they were. I told them that as we were brought up by our parents there are some things that we wished to have but didn’t get. Our parents could not provide all we needed. And just like Rwanda, we need to learn from their mistakes and make a better future for our children. I told them engaging in violence is like repeating what our parents did (in this case like Rwanda).
At this point, they were in deeper meditations. Slowly, one by one they started asking questions. One asked “Munish, how can we forgive those who have destroyed all our property, who will compensate us?” I did not have an answer other than read to them part of an email a friend of mine sent me. It read “God made us in such a manner that when others are down, we are standing; when they stand, we standout; when they standout, we out stand; when they try to out stand, we be the standards they will use.” They all laughed and shook their heads. I added: don’t worry what others are doing, do worry whether you are doing anything to help (from the Leadership and self deception book).
Then the most crucial moment came - getting a way forward. I remembered the landmark forum lessons and what you took us through at Methodist in May last year - standing in front of a video camera and committing ourselves to the actions we would take after the workshop. I told them if they meant committing themselves to making a difference, then they should not leave the room without writing down or sharing with us what they would do after the session. Some felt bitterness in their hearts and to them I told them to write forgiveness letters to those they felt they had a grudge with. This really surprised them. For follow up, they suggested we have another meeting on the 16th February, which took place and attracted the Kenya Times media people. In this meeting, youth read out the letters they had written and it was so emotional as they made it real that they were committed to forgiving. They also invited us to the community level where they said such talks will really help in the healing and reconciliation. On the list is Dandora and Mathare.
Thank you so much for the books and the lessons.
Love,
Munish.
