The Banyoro say that “when you enter the forest, you don’t get concerned about all the noise you hear”. Before you set off on the journey through the forest, you are expected to have researched and gathered information to know there is always noise.
You must prepare for it. Gain the ability to separate normal noise from warning noise and dangerous noise.
The same thing is true for all political aspirants.
When you vie for any leadership position, you must be ready to do mobilization at any cost. And that comes with threats and frustrations. Prepare for any noise that may come up as you do. Prepare to withstand any frustrations and disappointments. Leadership is not handed to someone on a silver platter. It must be fought for. It must be deserved. It must be won.
One time I lost the position of a head prefect at school. I accepted the loss. But could not accept that someone whom I thought was my best buddy, a confidant, a close friend could not even stand behind me in the line! He gave a vote to another candidate!
We learn more from games we lost, than those we won. I learned about friendship. And how to prepare for a loss on the same day you pick nomination forms. Life continues swiftly when you anticipate the challenges expected on the way and prepare in advance.
I read a story by Paul Coelho about the two Rabbis who got arrested and imprisoned for doing religious ceremonies is Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
While in the prison, one of the rabbis, “terrified at the thought of what might happen next, spends all his time praying. The other rabbi, however, spends the whole day sleeping. ‘How can you do that?’ asks the first rabbi in alarm. ‘I’m saving my energies because I know I’m going to need them.’ ‘But aren’t you afraid? Don’t you know what might happen to us?’
‘Until we were imprisoned, I was scared to death, but now that I’m here in this cell, what’s the point of being afraid of something that has already happened. The time for fear is past; now the time for hope has begun.’”
You can fear before the fact. Once reality strikes, all you have to do is to re-adjust your mind to accept the new normal. If you are in prison, it is useless to be afraid about sleeping alone in a small dark room! Better adjust and embrace the challenges that arise with your new conditions.
Are you a swimmer and still afraid of the water coldness?
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
