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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Transforming Zim from your inside out

Opinion & Analysis
This past week I was attending a psycho-spiritual retreat with quite a number of people from mostly Southern Africa. It was intriguing to be around people of all ages, colour, creed and gender who had committed to finding their own internal journey and ensuring that they live their lives to the very best of their human capacity.

This past week I was attending a psycho-spiritual retreat with quite a number of people from mostly Southern Africa. It was intriguing to be around people of all ages, colour, creed and gender who had committed to finding their own internal journey and ensuring that they live their lives to the very best of their human capacity.

Grace Ruvimbo Chirenje

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It was quite a roller-coaster of emotions to witness each one of those phenomenal brothers and sisters struggling with their personal demons and ghosts of varying degree. It opened up my very own heart to a myriad of emotions that were mostly directed to a space of reflection that left me wondering, thinking, exploring and, as always, questioning.

There is something fundamentally intelligent about accessing the three centres of intelligence: head, heart and body as a way of leadership that is unquestionable at many levels. It is very, very clear that at a national level, we have left the head alone to decide on how we run our affairs. Let us walk this journey and see.

Have you ever been part of a community, conversation or space that leaves you with such a huge constriction in your heart and you wonder whether you had just had a spear piercing through your body? Watching the unfolding reality and you pinch yourself many times praying enough to God that it is a mere terrible dream and that you will awake to a better reality?

Have you ever had a sleepless night caught up in a battle of thoughts that leaves you doubting your own sanity? If you are in tune with your own life, I am sure that somehow, this has been part of your human experience at some point and some at a much deeper level. The reason this is somewhat necessary is that it reminds us of our own mortality.

It is like visiting a gravesite or attending a funeral. At some point of that experience, we all come to the realisation that death is as certain as this very life. Whether we like it or not, we will face the day of our death. Not to scare you with this death talk, but it is absolutely necessary that each of us lives their life in such a way that we each fulfill our purpose for being here on earth. I hope and trust that this will challenge you to a higher form of resonance that hopefully inspires you to act in a way that ensures the good of all humanity.

Zimbabwe is a very beautiful country with great people who have been loved passionately by many people. It is no wonder why many people from all walks of life coming from all over the world would love to be part of this nation’s narrative.

Some have even meddled in our national affairs hoping to change the course of the country because it is a potential platinum mine. However, we have also, as a nation done many things to erode our narrative in such a way that right now many are finding it rather difficult to belong to the Zimbabwean narrative.

I will not bore you with what we are currently facing because it is very open and bare for us all to see. The truth of the matter is that currently we need champions who will arise and re-write the narrative of Zimbabwe.

I do recall from the heroine stories I have been told by the heroes of that time — going to join the liberation struggle was not a very difficult decision in that everyone wanted to become part of the new narrative of a Zimbabwe that was free and fair. It was about getting justice for the black population.

It was a narrative of a people united for a cause way bigger than themselves and that nomatter what would come their way, they would each do their part to ensure that they played their small part to contribute to this much bigger vision. It was about inducing hope and a picture of victory amongst the Zimbabweans and this made the pain of leaving for war somewhat consoling. Having said that, what we are experiencing today is not actually what these daughters and sons of the soil struggled and died for. We have lost the plot.

Today as Easter Holiday approaches and as we celebrate renewal in other aspects, may we each take a bold step to sit with ourselves and delve into the uncomfortable. No matter your level of leadership — priest, school prefect, member of parliament, president of a political party, pastor, mother, father, sister, brother, councillor, employee, employer and you name, just take time to reflect.

What is it that you can do with yourself so that you become a better human experience for you and others? I invite you to take time to explore the many possibilities of becoming a beacon of hope in this our wounded country. It takes us to get very deep within ourselves and ensure that we are not living life in an asleep mode where we seem to be on auto-pilot.

We need to take the necessary steps to begin to live life to the fullest. Feeling each moment in a state of awareness. It means taking a deep breath every now and again so you get to ground yourself into the now and reality of life. It means creating time to smell the flowers and focus on things that matter to you. Smile if you have to, dance, sing, take a walk — please do whatever you need to, so that you feel life again and be able to connect with others and hold their hand through their own experiences. Life is too short to live fighting politicians and moving through the negative emotions of being human.

I mean it is okay to experience these motions, but it is a whole different ball game to remain there. We each have control of our own lives and what we can contribute to humanity so let us focus on what good we can bring about so that we make it a blast of an experience for each person we meet.

Zimbabwe needs you and me to focus on the good and to be the beacons of hope, inspiration and joy to the lives of others. Yes, we might have our own troubles for the day but tis should not stop us form being kind and gentle with others for the good of humanity.

So get up and do something my dear brother and sister. Do not wait for government or the powers you think are to do it, do the little that you can so we make Zimbabwe a much better place. Do not wait until the conditions of human existence are perfect because they will never, ever be. As long as we have breath, you and me can make a difference, what are you waiting for now, let’s do this!

●Grace Ruvimbo Chirenje writes in her personal capacity and loves stimulating conversation. She would be excited to hear from you. You can contact Grace on [email protected], follow her on twitter @graceruvimbo or Facebook: Grace Ruvimbo Chirenje. Chat soon.