The Sunday Mail
In simpler terms, it is said history is the best teacher. It is not progressive to think and dwell on the past.
In my previous writing, I stressed the need for communication, critical thinking and having principles as vital to quality leadership.
If the writing was read and followed, we would not continue to have the present altercations and heart-rending episodes.
Critical thinking is the unshakable foundation for reconciliation.
Major nation-building ideas and reconciliation are qualities of great leaders like Dr Joshua Nkomo, Cde Robert Mugabe and Kwame Nkrumah.
This is confirmed by Richard Paul, director of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking.
Critical thinking involves introspection, meaning thinking back and self-evaluation guided by the principle of wanting to learn from the past.
Then there is dialectic thinking, which means capacity to know the past, but not allowing the bad past to destroy the present.
In simpler terms, it is said history is the best teacher. It is not progressive to think and dwell on the past.
If the past was good or bad, the aim should be to use it for improvement and better contribution to others.
If one did something bad, it does not mean that he/she will continue to be bad or behave in the same way. Forgiveness is the best builder for a better future.
If we would all dwell on the past, we would not rest or trust each other as skeletons would continue to rattle day and night.
We should learn from Dr Nkomo and Cde Mugabe in forgiving each other.
In the axioms of Kwame Nkrumah’s book, Nkrumah stresses the need for political consciousness and principles, which should not be sacrificed for expedience.
Cde Mugabe, whom I have known since the ‘60s when he was our Secretary for Publicity and Information of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and later for Zapu in 1961, has always reiterated Kwame Nkrumah’s axioms of not sacrificing principles for political expedience.
People who sacrifice principles for expedience cannot be trusted.
Expedience can be in the form of money or promised position for personal gains or what we call a carrot dangling in front of a person who then abandons all the principles which need sacrifices.
Dr Joshua Nkomo’s big heart of forgiveness and personal sacrifice can be traced throughout his life.
From the time I knew him since the ‘50s when he opposed the formation of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1952, people like MM Hove saw it expedient to join the Federation and became the first black Zimbabwean High Commissioner to Nigeria under Nigerian president Sir Abubaka Tefewa Ballewa.
Suffering from the Federation hardships in 1957 September, Dr Nkomo accepted to lead the African National Congress as asked to by other principled nationalists such as Cdes James Chikerema, Joseph Msika, George Nyandoro and others.
This was a personal sacrifice based on the liberation principles, which led to a protracted liberation struggle until the 1980 freedom of Zimbabwe.
Critical thinking, reconciliation and adhering to revolutionary sacrifices were the guiding principles of Nkomo and Mugabe, which we must emulate.
Let us create a new society based on critical dialectic thinking, forgiveness and love.
