After the shut-down, then what?

10 Jul, 2016 - 01:07 0 Views
After the shut-down, then what?

The Sunday Mail

A Buddha quote says, “To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.” Last Wednesday, I realised that a great curse and pre-occupation of our time is foolish people who are idle and who stubbornly refuse to choose the diligent way of life by staying at home rather than being productive.

Surely, what is the purpose of a shut-down in this economy?

Did not the shut-down not take us two steps backwards, rather than one step forward?

How many businesses are counting the loss of production and sales they could have made on Wednesday?

To whose end does a shut-down satisfy?

Is it not a case of the idle-minded seeking comfort in numbers?

It is regrettable that I realised that only a few diligent people ensured productivity was not tampered with whilst the rest chickened out and stayed at home while some malcontents engulfed in a vain attempt to tweet and WhatsApp an elected Government out of power.

I saw the empty streets and that was really sad.

I saw wasted productive energy perpetrated by lazy bones and armchair critics of a Government that is reeling under the brunt of racism and illegal sanctions imposed by Western bullies.

I caught a glimpse of the dark days that lie ahead of us because we must account for every consequence of idleness.

The rumblings of self-proclaimed pastor Evan Mawarire’s #ThisFlag or those of rabble-rousers such as Tajamuka, or the obscene antics of Acie Lumumba will certainly not put bread on the table.

Through out history, no shut-down has ever fed a nation, fixed the roads, provided medical care or sent children to school, not to mention creating employment.

A shut-down is a very sad way to achieve a lose-lose scenario because both the management of the country and its citizens gain nothing material from it. Rather, a lot is lost through such actions.

There are a lot of regrets to reap from shut-downs and they far outweigh the illusion of what is intended.

Unfortunately, by their very nature, regrets are idle and worse still, history is one long regret. The history of shut-downs is a catastrophic piece of squalid history.

However, things might still turn out differently if we are diligent and progressive rather than idle. We cannot be cheer-leading incarnations of movements that move without direction under the captaincy of a few shameless spoilt individuals.

Wednesday’s debacle was a piece of sublime mysticism and nonsense called upon by lazy bones and grumblers who actually do not make any difference and it was business as usual by Thursday.

The citizens could not wait to get back to their routines.

The teachers could not wait to go back to the classrooms and teach their students, while doctors and nurses could not wait to go back to hospitals to attend to the patients.

The public transport system could not wait to resume plying their routes.

It was business as usual as diligent citizens realised that they had been duped by a few idle citizens.

How ironic, how satirical and how mortifying it must have been for the protest leaders because by the end of the week, the citizens had boldly declared through their actions that havachatya ma protest leaders.

Enough of these mindless protests that leave the nation worse off.

It is a pity how much energy is wasted huffing and puffing every single day at the expense of productivity.

As James A Baldwin says, “People pay for what they do, and still more for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it very simply, by the lives they lead.”

Indeed, the idle protesters are disgruntled because of their own shortcomings, they are lazy.

Take for instance, Evan Mawarire who was the Child President of the Junior Parliament back in 1993 and he had his whole life cut out for him. However, he somehow lost it all along the way.

He has to admit that he has been part of the system all along and he immensely benefited from the opportunities he was afforded.

Fast forward to 2016 and you find him brawling. Could it be that the former Child President feels left out?

Then there is Patson Dzamara.

It is becoming clearer now, nothing about his “missing” brother Itai is of importance anymore as Patson valiantly embarks on a self-serving mission seeking cheap political mileage.

Then look at the failed youthful political clown called Promise Mkwananzi, you get the feeling that this is a battered boy suffering from a severe identity crisis until ajamuka!

Now let me ask these protestors what they did with all the opportunities that God, through the ruling Government, gave them?

In the 2007 blockbuster called ‘Evan Almighty’, God asked the protagonist Evan Baxter, “If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does He give him opportunities to be courageous?

“If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does He give them opportunities to love each other?” I only wish for one thing — that these idle protestors open their minds and get off their chairs and start working for this nation.

The 35th president of the United States, John F Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country.”

Dubulaizitha!

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