By Ustaz Mark Bang
Most of our politicians are not truly politicians but learners in the political continuum. They have naked plans characterized by bribery, hatred, and jealousy.
They fight harder and harder to be famous, rich, and praised, though on the wrong side of history. Our president is confused about who to choose that may unite, develop, and provide basic utilities to his nation, yet all that is expected to have been done remains redundant.
One of the writers once wrote something very important that is beneficial to any person who accepts the truth. He wrote, “No one is perfect, not me, not you, and not them. If you want to live a peaceful life, accept yourself for who you are and respect others for who they are.” Yes! So many have tried lobbying for the position by scamming the advisors and the president that if you appoint me now, I will do this and that, but who knows his/her secret plans, whether a PhD scammer, thief, looter, or liar? No one knows it completely until he/she stays in the position without doing any of the things outlined before the game is over.
Two, three, or six months later, the decree is read over the South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation (SSBC) that A or B is fired, and as the story continues, people continue to blame Mr President. I don’t know who blames the president in one way or another; the fact is that there is no other person to be blamed since he is the head of state. When people watch and see a person fired and this person has been feeding him/her, they rush to social media to immediately sing songs saying Salva Kiir must resign, but when it’s appointment time, they do celebrate it vigorously.
Human beings have never been loyal, even to our creator. When the weather is hot, people open their mouths to curse God; the same thing happens when the weather is cold, blaming, blaming, and blaming that has no end. What do you and I think this nature is that we have in us? It’s hatred and jealousy that people have had since creation.
We only believe by seeing, touching, and not hearing from others. In such a situation, nothing has to be done just to tell others what is right and what is not. The heart is not a basket of tension and sadness; it’s a golden box for keeping roses of happiness. Never fill up your mind with stress or suspicious feelings that may cause you headaches and anxiety. However, one needs to treat each person with love, kindness, forgiveness, and unity, among others. There is no ground where drums of love are bitten when there is disunity, and we all know that it is the real mother of jealousy and hatred.
Inasmuch as we all experience stories of happiness, sadness, failures, and success, we will not deny one chapter in the wisdom that stipulates, “Buy the truth and never sell it; also, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.” Truth is instilled in us to be kept for future reference, wisdom for valuable success, instruction for our children and children’s children to inherit, and understanding for a better learned, skilled, and competent person. Please, we are humans, and this means that we are rational animals. If things continue to go wrong and you see people’s silence, don’t conclude that they don’t understand what you are doing in the government. They know more than your thoughts are.
The fact is, people have taken it to be free-minded citizens. I believe “being free from yourself” is to liberate yourself from anything that hinders your process to success. At that end, you need to grow courage and faith within yourself to confront all the obstacles in life. That obstacle can be things that you love, like phones, TV, or even your parents. I strongly believe that liberating yourself from hindrances is the ultimate way to accomplish a dream. However, you need perseverance, and you may need to go through a struggle. This will require you to be brave and persistent. I also believe that by experiencing yourself free from yourself, you shape your character.
As you are attaining your dreams and confronting adverseness, you learn some valuable lessons. You consequently gain more knowledge, which can impact your personality. In other words, you are learning and changing as you undergo hardships and mistakes. But the sad thing is, that hardships or obstacles will follow us until death. This is life. I think “freeing yourself” is a never-ending fight in life that you need to face in order to reach your destination. The combat may be negative or positive, but it is certainly a colossus that can alter your life and your character completely.
Finally, the crisis puts politicians under a lot of pressure. Many will be making the worst decisions, hoping to have taken credible steps to help his people. An essential aspect of leadership is executive function skills: memory, impulse control, emotional regulation, organization, planning, prioritization skills, problem-solving, time awareness, and overall mental flexibility. For these to properly work, politicians must maintain mental hygiene. So many problems happen, even with sleep. Politicians must sleep, eat well, exercise, get support from professionals, and celebrate little wins despite the inevitable barbs from opponents and the press. Politicians should communicate clearly; what they might say has to be what they mean; there is no dividing wall that can keep a person’s private character away from his public governance. That’s why the Bible has much more to say about the moral qualities of those who govern than it does about a specific form of civil government.
This doesn’t mean every form of government is as good as another. But it does mean that whether we have a president, prime minister, king, queen, or some other chief magistrate, the Bible tells us what personal qualities we should hope to find in that person. There are many passages in the Bible that talk about godly character and personal holiness. “Public Staunchest Allies.”
The writer of this article is a human rights activist, writer, and professional teacher.