Nation divided against self
Sir,
When an individual is divided in himself, in what is known as double mindedness, he barely makes progress in his life – he is no more different from a car whose driver has pressed both brakes and accelerator simultaneously. The same holds for a family whose members are divided. Divided we fall, together we stand, it is said.
Jesus taught: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand,” Matt.12:25. Our kingdom is terribly divided. It is a polarised nation.
In politics we have the dichotomy of those who are firm in the multiparty democracy, while others hoist the banner of monarchical democracy. Some carry the ‘messiahship’ spirit, which concerns itself with the welfare of the masses, while others are subsumed in endless selfish thoughts and actions, making them murderous at heart. Others believe in making things happen for themselves, whereas others steal, plunder and kill their own blood, not minding that God ‘hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…’ (Acts17:26).
We have both the rich and the poor; the just and unjust; the humble and prideful, and this produces an uproar. For there cannot be peace unless we have understanding of each other – which understanding cultivates harmony and reverence for each other.
When others believe in the cost of living adjustment, others oppose and raise taxes even the more. This obviously leads to people holding back on their ingenuity and industriousness, and do a bare minimum, which impacts negatively on the economy.
We are creating a dog-eat-dog world, and soon no one will be safe, even those who think they are untouchable. Just like an individual who is not growing, we are going backwards, disintegrating and the laws of degeneracy are taking their toll on our nation.
Some are spelling doom on the kingdom, and are without faith and hope that things will ever get better. In the mist of these are those few who are optimistic in the very darkness and gloom we are in, and are working with the torch of faith, contributing positively for the common good.
Even if we are harrowed up by the diversity of beliefs, which is admissible, we can find common grounds and work together for a common goal of unifying the debilitating kingdom.
Our salvation is within each of us. The fundamental rule in nature is cooperation. We can work together in our diversity – one of the key principles of nature. Look how our bodies have diverse organs but work together so fine and harmoniously for the common good.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we were at when we created them,” said Albert Einstein. We’ve got to do something different.
The lessons are found in nature: “Nature… is not a system based on competition. Nature is a system based on cooperation” – to strive for a common goal – and this is a 17th century definition of competition, not what it has turned out to be, which is to win at any costs or to see other fellow human beings not as brothers and sisters or potential friends, but as enemies or objects used as stepping stones to achieve our selfish ends.
Cooperation, not violent competition should be our motto; and then shall we, together, in a spirit of brotherhood, sing the Anthem: “Nkulunkulu mnikati wetibusiso teMaswati, siyatibonga tonkhe tinhlanhla…”
M Nkambule