Call people to help you dig your garden, they will turn it down. But call them to share with them the fruits of your garden; they will all come in less than a second.
Many will eat with you when they can’t cook with you. Many will want to employ you when they can’t help you master a skill. Many will enjoy reading your appointment as one of the great leaders but they don’t help you be appointed.
John was a man whose rise to the stars of the community was unbelievable. John’s parents attempted a failed marriage. They tried to marry officially but John’s father was called a dog. In that society, they metaphorically call a man who has nothing (dowry) a dog. John’s father was hated like hell. He was unfortunate to have been born without a sister. It was really a curse to have brothers without a sister (s) in that community. Girls were the main source of income. Unless you were born a strong man, otherwise, you would end up unmarried for life. Or else you would join cattle raiders.
When John’s father realized that he had no cows to have John’s mother and would not think of losing john’s mother, he decided to run away with her. They went to an unknown place. For two years, they were away. No one knew where they were. There, John’s mother got pregnant.
Innocently, John’s father thought he had succeeded by impregnating John’s mother. Culturally, when a girl conceives, two things happen. The girl is either left to the man or she is taken and given to another man. John’s father just concluded that he would be left with the girl. So, he decided to come back home.
As soon as John’s father reached home, John’s uncles came and took their sister away. They took her and gave her to another man. The story did not happen as he expected. John was born and grew up with his uncles. The mother was born with three brothers. The two of the brothers unfortunately got into drinking. The other one just left their home and went for good. He could not accept to come back home.
With the mess that had happened to John’s uncles, he had nowhere to turn his head to. No one could empower him. There was no one to uplift his dreams. There was no one to take him to school. He was in such a confused environment. He had a dream but there was no one to recognize it. He had a dream but none could help him see it better. Though, John didn’t give up.
John left for school. He knew he had no mother to support him, but he left. He knew he had no father to support him but he left. He knew he had no uncles to stand with him, but he left. It must have been God who empowered. It would have been his God who gave him strength. Maybe his dream helped him too. With God and one’s dream, there is always success.
John had no one to pay his school fees but he did not give up. He had no one to buy him the learning materials like pens and exercise books but he continued in school. He could go for days without food, but he remained strong. He was the talk of the days that he would not succeed in school because he had no one to support him, but he continued to smile. His friends could mock him that he was not very smart like them but nothing discouraged him.
As no one would expect, John finished his primary school, secondary school, college and university. It shocked many people in his village. He was not a legitimate child of any of his parent. A father values only the children with whom he married their mother and a mother values the children with whom she got married to their father. The child in the middle is only valued by his/her uncles if there. Though john wasn’t a legitimate child, he finished his studies. He is now among the stars of the village!
John’s success has caused many people to question some certain beliefs. It is believed that a successful child must come from a royal family. Such a child must have his/her parents with him/her. A child like John isn’t expected to succeed in any way. Such children are expected to work for the children coming from the rich families. But then was John who was not from a rich background seen a star of the village. People have seen that success has nothing to do with your family background.
The most interesting part of John’s life was when he started working. All the years he was studying, the entire village forgot him. Many concluded he became mad. But then he got a job. He was flying abroad attending some big conferences. His life was changing more urgently than any other young person. People started noticing him. In the meetings, they would give him as a referent of great people. They would encourage the young boys and girls to be like him.
Once was called an illegitimate child, John started to receive big names. His parents started to say, “Our boy, John.” Uncles who were not there when he was in school showed up. Aunts whom he didn’t know at all before started to introduce themselves to him. John became a legitimate child.
A man was terminated where he worked but latter requested to be the CEO of the company. A young man worked for a certain company. He started working when he only had a diploma. Time came when he wanted to further his education. He presented his case to his boss. His boss replied with only an insult. He was given two options. He was told to choose work or school.
Since the young man had a dream to further his education, he chose school instead. He was terminated instantly. He didn’t mind though but continued to pursue his studies. He was wise to save some money for his studies. He paid all his tuition. He also got a hustling job where he could get his transport from.
After three years, he held a bachelor’s degree in economics. He didn’t delay but enrolled for masters. After masters, he also did his PhD. Ten years after his PhD; he became the most needed economist in the country. The company that terminated him was at its last stage of collapsing. The only option the company had at the time was to request the only best economist to resurrect the company. Being a man with heart and mind, he forgot the past and accepted the request of the company. Men with heart and mind don’t revenge.
There was an institution. The executive body of the institution realized that its workers were not competent as they expected. All the workers were terminated. The institution proposed to hire competent workers from abroad. After two years of working with the international competent workers, the institution went bankrupt. Managing the international workers took the institution into a big loss. The institution was closed. They would have improved the capacity of their local workers instead.
People need ready things. They don’t want what they can make ready. The community does not empower its youth in school but their service is needed in the community. Some parents want their children to take care of them when they are old but they don’t prepare the children to take care of them. Some leaders want some good leaders after them but they don’t prepare the young people who should take up after them. Some young men sleep with girls but they want to marry virgins.
Just imagine here. The nation needs good teachers. There are no good colleges to produce good teachers. Everywhere the competency of a teacher is questioned but the competency of the colleges is not questioned. We dream to build big schools but there are less than five hundred education students in all the colleges and universities in the entire South Sudan. Where will we get those ready teachers when we don’t plan to prepare ours?
If the nation needs good citizens, the nation should prepare good citizens. Good citizens are not born, they are planted. If the nation needs a better education, the nation must empower the education system; the nation must motivate teachers; the nation must train its teachers.
I recently learned something so strange. The man in a certain organization has sent his resignation. He said that he would like to retire and rest with his children. But the shocking part is that there is nobody fit to take up his position. He didn’t prepare anybody to replace him. He was the only capable person but after him, none is found. He is not going to lead the organization anymore. No one is capable of taking the organization from him. Where will a ready person come from if not made ready?
Ready people are not there. People are made ready. Ready things are not there. Things are made ready. He is greedy who visits you at harvest. Be wise to make someone or something ready. Be kind to the nation.