RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAVE BECOME GREEDY

The “women” and “men” of God have certainly become greedy and they shall not be spared from the wrath of God. I would like to remind them of the story of Ananias and Saphira in the bible.” … sold a possession and kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid at the disciples feet…” The religious leaders should learn from this story that God hates hypocrites. They chose to serve the lord fully and hence should not allow part of them serve the political interest.


The religious leaders ought to be reminded that they cannot serve two masters at a time. Therefore they should declare their stand whether they are the custodians of the Christian faith or political activist

The clergy have been known for spiritual intervention in times of tribulation, contrary to the present times where they have indulged themselves into political activities. The 2007 election saw renowned pastors battle it out with politicians in the election campaigns. Some were even certain that they had a vision from God that they should vie for the presidency or parliamentary seat.


Church leaders have lost direction and I am worried because if the shepherd goes astray certainly the sheep will get lost. Spirituality and politics are two different entities with different ways of governance. One is based on spiritual intervention and the other I have never quiet understood! Call it democracy, dictatorship, who gets what, when, and how, etc

I know the son of God mingled and mixed with the tax collectors but he did not act like them he used spiritual intervention to make them change their ways . Can the religious leaders borrow a leaf from Jesus? They too, should employ spiritual intervention, contrary to rallying with politicians in spreading propaganda. Therefore the spiritual leaders should kneel down and pray for God’s forgiveness and intervention.

MAKE INFORMED CAREER CHOICES

The teaching profession which was once termed as a calling or talent has become the final  option.

Some years back, People took their time before deciding profession they wanted to pursue.Parents and their Children prayed about it. Professionalism was considered very important to the extent that some divinity was attached to it. After deciding what one wanted, they did their best and with a passion. 
In the modern world though, things have changed. It is not a matter of a calling anymore or talent but the better option.

Parents feel a great loss after spending thousands of money educating their children and they do not make it to the public university because of the high cut off points or simply because they failed. In the quest to make their children financially independent many often turn to teaching.This is because teaching colleges relatively affordable.    

Such teachers neither have a passion nor do they enjoy teaching. They go to class as a formality. They are always late because teaching is not their priority. Besides they do not have a lesson plan which is a waste of time to them. They are very impatient with the students in class and they do not want to be asked many questions and if the student has not understood they refer them to the text books.

The tremendous cases of teachers raping and impregnating their students may be attributed to teaching being “the better option”. This is because when boredom overwhelms them they start eying people’s sons and daughters.

  

 To safe guard the future of our education system and that of our children, paerents should consult with their children and help them make wise and informed carrier choices.

Parents should also play their role in the parent’s teachers association well. They should keep the teachers and the schools administration on toes to ensure that they perform their duties as expected. That is the only way we can get rid and put an end to the emerging culture of teaching” the better option.”

By: Edna Ipalei,

SAVE THE GIRL CHILD FROM CULTURAL BONDAGE.

The increase in early childhood pregnancy and school drop outs is completely alarming. Majority of the victims are between the ages of ten to fifteen and in primary and secondary schools. This is a problem felt in many parts of Africa.

Always the blame shifts between parents and teachers with the latter blaming students and their parents and/or guardians. It is a high time we stopped this blame game and look into the core of the matter. The society should realize that these are our children and their future is at stake .

To offer help questions like the cause and solution to the problem, and what is to be done to avoid reoccurrence should be answered promptly.

I think pregnancy is not the problem but a tip of an iceberg on gender issues in the patriarchal society. I mean take an early morning walk in a typical Kenyan village; you will find little girls already up early doing family chores. Some may have huge water containers on their head while others will be making breakfast for boys and men still snoring away.

By the time the girl child gets ready for school, they will be very tired and obviously late. Fatigued during lessons her mind will constantly stray to more work awaiting her at home.

While boys will be anxious to go home and play what awaits the girl is cooking and doing other domestic chores!

The bottom line is African culture which places the girl in doing domestic chores, this alternatively demoralizes girls in working hard in school as the culture too dictates financial support from men.

Why should girls work hard if it only equates to domestic chores? Therefore at ten she feels very mature because she can do all the domestic chores just like any other grown up married women. With these reservations she falls for the ‘wife trap’ with village men proclaiming their love because she can do all a wife is entailed to do.

The trap of early pregnancy which culminates to school dropout is well placed with a promise of marriage which is seen as a God sent opportunity out of domestic work!!

What is the solution to these?

First and foremost parents should get rid of cultural practices that burden the girl child. At home children should be encouraged to share domestic chores to ease the burden. Besides children should be nurtured knowing they need to help at home with work this will aid them in enjoying work instead of seeing it as a burden.

This helps children to grow up knowing their parents love and care for them. Equipped with this knowledge will shield them from malicious men proclaiming false love to them all in the name of getting under their pants.

Secondly, at an early age and in every opportunity parents should openly and in straightway talk to their children about sex. For example if you find your daughter talking to your neighbor’s son do not shout at her saying that you don’t want to see them talking again. This is because the problem lies at what they might do when they are alone and not in talking together.

This is an opportunity for sex education without using reprimanding and abusive words which might harm a girls self esteem making her more vulnerable to premature sex. Talk on sex, menstrual period and responsible parenthood will be introduced with caution given on relationship with men.

How would you feel as a parent when a stranger tells you daughter “Malaya, tibia Kama ya mama yako….” Of course it will hurt. Now imagine them coming from a parent who should be a shelter and a pillar of sex education for her?

With no sex education she will turn to society and peers, and whoever is not taught by her parents, a Swahili adage goes, will be taught by the world! No parent I know will be willing see his daughter being taught by the harsh world.

Lastly do not assume that your is child holier than thou. Parents should be constantly on the lookout on their children for sexual activity to aid in bringing up our future mothers who will be the pillar of Kenyan society. Even advise from teachers and society although sometimes exaggerated can have some truth to help bring up a child.

I think its a high time parents should take charge of their children’s destiny by loving and caring for them by having frequent sex education and dropping poor cultural practices.

By: Edna Ipalei

Angel Mother

Dear mama you are precious,

You are the best of the gifts that I have ever had,

Nothing material can take the place

Of the comradeship between you and I

Dear mama you have shown me the light

The instruction received at your knees,

The maternal lesson together with the pious,

The souvenirs of the fireside,

Are never, entirely effaced from my soul.

Dear mama, there is none like you,

Dear mama, how can I thank you?

There is no gift worth your great deeds,

Forever I shall follow your foot steps

Dear mama may you live to enjoy

The fruits of your hands,

For all I am and hope to do,

I owe to you, my angel my mom

BY: EDNA IPALEI

HOW LUCK ARE YOU?

How is your luck? If you believe in luck then you can begin changing it instantly by getting into a state of mind that brings and attracts lucky encounters into your life. You can accomplish this by applying strategies that increase your luck and making your life open to wonderful surprises by following the following tips.

Live in the present

First, the present moment is your point of power to exercise your full energy. Consider this; all your hopes for the future and even your memories of the past can happen only in the present moment. The past and the future have no authenticity of their own. Their realities are “borrowed” from the present moment. Therefore learning to do things right away without procrastinating increases ones luck.

Thinking positive

Now consider your mind as a “mine of thoughts” with only two qualified mines boys “Triumph” and “Defeat”. Triumph is in charge of mining positive thoughts specializing in producing reasons of why you can, why you are qualified, and why you will succeed.

Defeat on the other hand, produces negative depreciating thoughts. It develops reasons why you can’t, deals on weakness and your inadequacy. In short the area of specialization is “why- you- will- fail”

The two interests conflicting giving one a choice of either success or defeat.

To be lucky think on the positive side of life by ‘mining’ in your mind with  Triumph. Consequently by keeping a lucky journal on good things that have happened to you will foster a lucky attitude. This attitude might just attract more lucky things into your life.

Give yourself a hug

Many at times when misfortune knocks on our doors, we are left wallowing in the miasma of defeat and “I wish” attitude. We seat and wait for friends to encourage us. But For how long will you wait my dear? In today’s world where true friends are hard to find self-help will be very important. Give yourself a big hug and move on.

Look lucky

This calls for self-confidence, which can only be achieved by being at peace with your self. Believe in the saying that you are wonderfully made and never wish to be like somebody else.

Good fortune radiates from the way you carry yourself. When walking around, hold your head high and put on a smile on your face. Dress your best to please yourself and not other people and enjoy the feeling of being alive.

Become a social butterfly

Lucky people have much broader social networks than others. This increases their chances of having lucky encounters. ‘No man is an island’ adage rings true. Have you ever met a person who got a great job because they knew someone? People need other people to achieve success. Don’t limit yourself.

Trust yourself

Learning to trust your hunches will build your confidence and help you believe in your ability to choose what is right for you. If you have a decision to make, do not rely on the hard facts only. Consider time too to listen to your innate feelings. Basing your decision on both facts and feeling increase the lucky charm!

Take more risks.

On taking risks consider Jackson B. Junior’s saying: “Nothing important was ever achieved without someone taking a chance”.  Lucky people see taking risks as a natural part of the process of fulfilling their dreams. Be realistic with your risks but don’t use realism as an excuse not to try.

Exploit your potential

Potential is the power, strength and possibilities that come from using your natural abilities. Whether you know it or not everyone has potential. In fact, I know that everyone has potential that it far exceeds what they can explore and manifest in one lifetime. Choose aspects of your potential you want to focus on, in this lifetime. That is, the one extraordinary life you want to create.

We all have the ability to be lucky. Lucky can be developed and it isn’t innate, you are a gold mine and don’t just sit there waiting for someone to discover you.

Build your luck and live a fulfilling life.

Have a lucky day. Won’t you?

BY: EDNA IPALEI

DISCOVER YOURSELF

DISCOVER YOURSELF

Journeys of self discovery are nothing new. Myths, legends, folk stories and fairy tales from every ethnic group tell about heroes and heroines who go on journeys seeking a deeper understanding of who they are. Many of the best stories contain important cultural clues about how to find what you seek.

However in the modern world things are a little bit different. It is sometimes hard to find the wise guidance and practical assistance provided by the parents and guardians. On the contrary, most parents dictate the destiny of their children especially when they reach at the crossroads.

The youths have become victims of circumstances in fulfilling their parent’s dreams. The neurosurgeon, the aeronautical engineer, and the pilot they wanted to be. Many at times this is not what you want to be. They are meant to make the choices at gun point. You take this course or you pay your own fees, you know such threats. The point here is plain. The fact that they once aspired to be doctors name it, is a clear indictor that it was not meant to be. Talk of the bad seed.  The bad or the good traits are genetically transmitted. Am sure my biology teacher served me right.

We also have parents who thing simply because they are successful in their profession, then the entire family should follow their foot steps. This is sad, right? I think that is very selfish and ignorant. All they do not know is you may want to be whatever you choose a journalist because it’s your talent. More so given a chance you will do it with a passion and feel at home.

Their freedom of choice having been curtailed, they are left wallowing in the miasma of defeat. As a result, they let chance, luck or whim determine their future and the road they take through life. Instead of choosing our destiny, we settle for what is safe or acceptable -- and end up living lives we would never have consciously chosen for ourselves.

But within each of us is a hero or heroine just waiting to be discovered. And like every hero, we each have a unique set of gifts and talents inside of us just waiting to be developed and put to use to create the life we dream of. Are you one of the people who want to make the grave yard richer? Regardless of how old you are, the rest of your life lies before you. You can continue on the path you are on. Or you can choose to discover your potential and create a path to the destiny that reflects who you dream of being.

Unfortunately, most of us have never opened the box of potential to find out who we are.

Instead we are shaped by the limitations of our environment and the opinions of those around us. The end result is that we become reflections of our early conditioning and our culture instead of who we truly are meant to be. And so our self image and our fate are sealed by what others see as possible for you

Discover Who You Are & Who You Can Become

                                              

BY: EDNA IPLAEI

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO AFRAID OF AGING?

The thought of aging fills many people with dread . It seems the pessimistic and depressing  mood which pervades their view of old age, is a contemporary reflection of the complaint expressed many years ago in Psalms 31:9-12 “Take pity on me, Yahweh, I am in trouble now…”The question we should ask ourselves is that,”why do people fear aging?” Yet  aging is biological process that we must all undergo.

I have interacted a lot with older people and in the processes learnt that fear of segregation contributes a lot to fear of aging. When people grow old they feel left out of the society. This is because they are not able to live up to the expectations of the environment in which they live in. That is you are what you can produce, achieve, have and keep. Therefore those who are forced by their retirement laws to give up their desire for more property and power are looked down upon as having passed the line of productivity. They are tolerated but no taken seriously.
Interestingly  poor people rarely feel this way. This is because they are used to being isolated by the rich , so to them, aging is just part of life. They were born in the village and they will die there.

In contrast, the working class is greatly affected by segregation. This is because after being given a golden handshake you go back home to unfamiliar world in the village. Used to an active life or just socializing they find themselves idle when they retire.Their lifestyle undergoes a radical change. Their move to the village separates them from their close friends.

We all have only one life to live but  only a few get really close to you and travel its longer part with you, sharing the moments of ecstasy and despair, as well as the long routine days.When you get separated, you have to travel alone. In deed you can not ask even to the friendly people you will meet on this lonely journey,"Do you remember?" because they were not there.

 This might  explains the reason why over the years, anti-aging fixes have spawned a multibillion dollar industry. Many people feeling young because they seem to have won the fight against,oblivious of the consequences.While some people choose to enhance their  appearance by, say dyeing their hair, that is not the issue. My concern is when people equate aging to disease and pathology as that is incorrect.

Is that the reason why the retirement age was moved to 65years? And did you realize that most of the politicians were claiming to be youths during the 2007 election campaign? Even those we truly know that they are above the youth line had  audacity to stand in public and say he or she is a youth and that is why the electorate should vote for them.

Perhaps this explains why those few powerful people who strive to escape segregation feel they can only do so by clinging to their property, power and influence thus becoming oppressor instead of the oppressed.

When I see how powerful old people in church and state often  hold to outdated view customs, thereby preventing real growth and development, I wonder whether,  in fact they are simply clinging to the only acceptable self identification left to them in our achievement oriented world. And that makes them as much victims of old age as their less fortunate contemporaries.