Lets all start the healing process and preach love & unity

i received this email yesterday. it is quite a read

From: Kenyan.Notifications@onditi-inc.com
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:05:30 -0500
Subject: [Jambo] Lets all start the healing process and preach love & unity.... read along

Dear Friends,

As Kenya goes through a transition and change phase, we suddenly find ourselves at a crossroad . I have experienced all forms of emotions and I believe some have not literal definition. I expect that all of you have gone through the same.

You must have gone through joy on 25 ^th December, Satisfaction on 27 ^th December, Anxiety on 28 ^th December, Anger/Joy on 30 ^th December, Hope/despair on 1 ^st January, Bitterness/exhilaration on the following days, confusion and ambiguity over the past month, great reflection currently and a sense of frustration as you watch your TV and listen to the radio.

A common factor is that WE all are “ FEELING ” something. I have been through all that and continue to do so even now. I have also blamed others, blamed our leaders and blamed anyone whose political opinion may have differed with mine. Yet, when you study leadership, you will note that leaders are a reflection of their follower. I have done a 360 degree turn around and pointed at “I”. Perhaps, blaming “me” is also a reflection of something missing.

What does it truly mean to be a Kenyan? Why would neighbors turn against one another? While many of us, publicly or privately have numerous explanations as to why we are in this current quagmire, we must ask ourselves some fundamental questions :

1. How can nation that is 80% Christian , over 15% Muslim and 5% other , turn against itself like this? Do we truly practice our beliefs and confess the faith or it window dressing?
2. Do leaders that we elect truly represent our ethos or their egos ?
3. The fact that certain individuals present themselves as leaders are they the only ones available or can we select from other sources?
4. Is there anyone who has no flaw ? And if so, have we learnt the art of forgiveness?

I certainly do not have answers to these questions but often reflect on them. Why? Because at some point of my life my THREE year old son will want to know what my role was in this entire predicament we find ourselves. At that time, I hope He and his siblings shall be judged by the content of their character rather than by their name or ethnic background.

Which brings be to my pains : By now you have figured out my name for this purpose : Mwangi, whose best man during my wedding happened to be a mwangi married who is married to a lovely Luo lady, whom I grew up with in my childhood days and to date our families remain best of friends. My wife’s best mate was her longtime school friend, who also is Luo and Godmother to my son. My high school friends come from all the corners of this country. Those who provide essential services and goods to me are from our rich cultural diversity. My grandmother is Maasai, my father Dutch (albeit in my school days I would be asked to explain why I am not “white”), my cousin is married into the Kalejin community as my aunt to the Kamba and yet another aunt to an Indian. My Singh friends from high school married our Kamba and Meru sisters…and the list goes on.

And some how at this rather anxious times, we are “expect” to dissociate ourselves from “the others”! WE CANNOT! WE SHOULD NOT! WE MUST NOT! I certainly cannot. In each community I shall find I have what we call “athoniwa” (in-laws).

To each of these “athoniwa” there are flaws. Hence my joy when our administrator at KeNAAM, herself a daughter of mixed heritage, sent me the above power point. Like the cracked pot, we continue to water the “flowers of diversity”, a rich cultural heritage, just happy to be human.

Let us strive to heal this nation from whatever seats we occupy. It not easy, it is painful, but heal, we must! If you truly know in your heart that you feel offended and hurt by the current situation and there’s temptation to attribute through generalization and rationalization to some other perceived community behavior, walk to persons from that community and HUG THEM ! It will ease both your guilt and latent anger while restoring the humanness in you.

Peace begins in our hearts, then our homes, just like this chaos began in our hearts and homes : When we receive sms/emails/messages with stereotypical hate literature and obscene language…many of us were tempted to share them not knowing what seeds we were sowing. When we say “ nice ” things in public to each other and then in the privacy of our homes say the very opposite, we were sowing seeds of future conflict. Especially when our children pick these contradictions in our seating rooms.

We are all angry , there are no winners in this precarious game , we are all losers . We have lost our confidence to relate with one another, we have lost our confidence to trust one another, we have lost our image as an island of peace, and we have lost income in this nation and most upsetting WE HAVE LOST LIVES, most innocent.

Personally, I have lost friends in Eldoret . In Kibera, the lady who helps us at home lost her 13 year girl in skirmishes. In Narok where I have part heritage, we have witnessed persons from my other heritage displaced. My friends from Kisii residing in certain parts of this country have been given notice to move.

HOW CAN THIS TRULY BENEFIT US?

I am reminded of a person who somewhere in Europe at some time around the second world war (not really sure of time) remarked : When they started with the killings, it only affected “them”, those who were far away, then it came to Jews and I did not say anything, then it was my neighbors and I was still quiet when suddenly, there was no one left, but me…they were coming for me!

Do not seat in the comfort of your home and saying it is just them! Soon it will be the neighbors and before long it is us! The best defence in anything is to seek peace for all.

YOU ARE A LEADER ON YOUR OWN RIGHT! YOUR ACTIONS WILL INFORM OTHERS AND GIVE THEM HOPE! DO SOMETHING…we are not all made to do the same thing BUT IN THIS INSTANCE through our diverse talents, we MUST seek PEACE for our people.

HUG someone, FORGIVE Someone (even when you watch the news or listen to the radio)…forgive 70 times 70 times 70 times…its hard for us, its harder for those who have lost loved ones, but we must. And when history judges us, let it be on record, you sought peace! FORGIVE YOURSELF!