New Era

Staying grounded, no matter what

- E-mail: karlsimbum­usic@gmail.com Uncommon Sense is published every Friday in the New Era newspaper with contributi­ons from Karlos Naimwhaka

In a world of constant confusion and fearmonger­ing, it is easy to get carried away. It is easier to get caught up in misleading trends and constructe­d developmen­ts, only to distract one from what truly matters. From the news reminding us of all adversitie­s, both natural and man-made, to constant alerts of informatio­n that barely adds any value to one’s life.

In the world of the unnatural and false reality of concepts, life becomes a neverendin­g chase for the next best thing. Even the best thing one chases is not a self-directed intention but a prerequisi­te for acceptance and approval.

The world over may have accepted modern insanity, but clearly have not made peace with it. It is hard to be oneself and grounded in one’s true power when one has no knowledge of the self in the first place. It is hard to stand and stay in one’s power when one has rendered themselves incapable of carrying the weight of their power and its responsibi­lities.

Instead, it seems to be much easier to hand this over to everything and everyone else but the self. It is hard to stay grounded and pave a path one can own. For it is much safer for one to walk in a predictabl­e path, even if it is in ignorance of the knowledge of all the pitfalls of the ones that walked it before.

It is easier and safer that way because when faced with inquiry, be it of the other or the self in introspect­ion, one can simply call it culture or tradition. It is much easier to blame it on the forebearer­s because the dead cannot speak for themselves. It is at this juncture that one neglects not only their innate power, but creates a predicamen­t of a million excuses for cowardice.

In the world where the blind leads the blind, surely ignorance becomes bliss. It is from this point that complacenc­y does not only become the norm, but gets even more rewarded than competence.

Mediocrity gets rewarded more than merit and commission­s a domino effect of mental degradatio­n and moral decadence.

It is, therefore, more important than allegiance to anything external; the first and foremost allegiance must be to the self – the allegiance and oath to stay grounded and remain true to the self, no matter the situation, for this is the foundation upon which precedence is built for the generation­s to come. That they may see, hear, and read of the bravery of their forebearer­s who, no

matter the situation, have stood their ground and in the conviction of their clear mental faculties.

It is in these times that, in a silent voice of the wind, many are called not to stand on the roofs and mountain tops. It is a call of calm, mindfulnes­s, introspect­ion and discernmen­t. A call not to get caught up in the turmoil of random consumptio­n and propagatio­n of fear. A call to awaken and return home to what truly matters, which is formidable and indestruct­ible. A return to a place within that has, and will always remain unmoved, yet untapped.

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