The world is indeed round

If there’s one lesson that resonates from events of the previous week, it would be ‘dziko lapansi ili, ndilozungulila ngati mpira’ I’ve heard this countless times. The literal translation of this is that ‘the earth is round, like a ball’. Reading into it, this means a couple of things; 1. The world is round, Karma is very much in existence and what goes around comes around. 2.

You might not know who you will need tomorrow, who will extend a helping hand or whose decision will mean the difference between life and death, between having nothing at all or being given a second chance at life or work. 3. For this reason and indeed for the sake of being humane, you ought to be careful with how you treat people in general. You ought to choose your words carefully irrespective of your feelings. It could be a stranger across the street, it could be a junior in the workplace, and it could be a schoolmate, work colleague, extended family member or a simple acquaintance.

Elders teach us to be respectful and courteous for it will cost us nothing. They also advise us to keep certain things to ourselves; ukayenda usasiye mlomo, because our words will one day return to haunt us.

Former and current DPP party members scrambling to join the ‘now fashionable’ PP following Bingu wa Mutharika’s death and Joyce Banda’s ascension to power should have heeded these nuggets of wisdom when they were still in the echelons of power.

It is quite obvious that if they did, the transition of power would not have caused them as much panic. If they had, for a second, sat down to read Robert Greene and Joost Elffers’ 48 Laws of Power, they might have learned a few invaluable lessons.

One of the laws that instantly comes to mind is the 29th: “Plan all the way to the end.”

It points out that the ending is everything.  Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others.  By planning to the end, you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop.  Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

Another law, “Conceal your intentions,” offers precious advice on remaining mysterious, never revealing your intentions or your stand publicly.

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions.  If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defence.  Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realise your intentions, it will be too late.

One more thing I’d like to share, if I may, is a quote from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.

“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect, he ceases to love.”