This Morning…

This morning at sun rise many people got up with different emotions. This stops me for a second to think through what my emotions are for today. So, I almost have a daily ritual which is waking up with music, reading the news and I always click on the button that says “Africa” on the news page. Here are my emotions and why I have them. Anger, hate, a sense of hope but mixed with discouragement.

My emotion seem to be consistent over the last years. Why do I get the same emotions? I think the best answer for this question will be because the news is almost the same everyday. Nothing changes in any of our social/political system. Little news on development but more on corruption, wars and man made disasters. I mean, as believers we can’t trust in men for anything. But men also have choices to make, decisions to take that could change the course of humanity especially in the continent of Africa.

Today on the news Ghaddafi celebrates 40 years since he seized power. A few months ago it was the death of Omar Bongo who ruled Gabon for 4 decades until his death in May. We have the likes of the Uganda President Museveni, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Paul Biya of Cameroon. All these men who have held on to power and have little or nothing to show. Our Laws and culture that puts the man as the central focus of community, leaving women and children as victims of our bad choices. Greed and selfishness leaves million of people impoverished. I read and hear people say things like, “We are tired of this system, we will pray and wait for God to intervene”. We can pray and wait for a “brighter day” but as long as we don’t change our ways and thinking towards power and wealth our condition will remain as it is today. Many young men and women like me will wake up everyday to so much hate, anger and despair towards the system that we belong to.

Yes, our emotions shouldn’t tell us how to live our lives and what actions to take or not take. But my friends we couldn’t deny that our emotions are real irrespective of whether it is legitimate or not. For the wise it might be a time to stop, think and ask question before acting. And I hope this is what I will do but for now, let me feel all these emotions.

How did you wake up this morning?