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I condemn myself for taking these members out of the valley, like the Israelites in the desert. These buddies wanted to go back to Egypt (the valley) because all that they can see here is suffering, pain, hunger, and thirst. I suffer all kinds of emotional, physical and chemical feelings.
Can you imagine the shame? Eventually we retreat, forget our focus, determination, "positiveness"' and head back to the valley -- a place where we can find some peace, though not the best but better than the point we had reached in our effort to climb the mountain.
When we were down the members did not want me to eat the mangoes or drink the water for I had to be punished for making them suffer the whole day. Since majority rules, I had to sleep on an empty stomach, so that I could pay for my sins, for leading my friends into the unknown that yielded no results.
Where had the motivation, inspiration, courage, positivism, etc. gone? I could not sleep, I had to do something.
Four, five, six… ten days and life in the valley is worsening, we are starting to starve, mosquitoes and tsetse flies have attacked the area. Something has to be done, a change for the better. We are now divided: while my buddies are ready to stay in the valley and face the effects of mosquito and tsetse fly bites, starvation and dangers of dying by means other than climbing the mountain and being bitten by snakes, hurt by thorns and moving for days and nights on empty stomachs.
I look at the mountain and it stares, threatens. I look in my mind at the life that exists on the other side of the mountain. This life can not be reached if I don't climb this mountain. I look at peace, joy, prosperity. I look at my buddies in the valley and they have given up and are ready to settle for the worst in the valley. The number of mangoes can now be counted, the rains have started drizzling. Something has to be done.
There must be a better life beyond this mountain, joy, prosperity, abundance. People on the other side of the mountain must be happy, if not we would have seen them coming to look for survival in the valley.
What about the thorns, the fear of snakes, the doubt the rejection and criticism if I don't make it to the top? What will my friends say? How will I handle the loneliness as I move alone through the forest?
All these feelings brought me down, but I was also looking at what lies far beyond the thorns, the snakes, the chimps, the pain, the hunger, the loneliness, the rejection, the criticism.
The more I saw myself climbing the mountain in face of all the challenges, obstacles and negative feelings, the more I saw the world of peace, prosperity, freedom and abundance. It was now between my values and me. I had to choose between settling for less and suffering in the valley or being the one who would climb the mountain in the face of anything and everything and change myself and others for the best.
A feeling I can't get a perfect word to explain took possession of my whole being from head to toe. A voice inside of me commanded me to action. I set off the following morning, looking at nothing but the top of the mountain, the peace on the other side of the world, the prosperity, the abundance, the joy.
The more thorns, challenges, doubts, fears, and pain I faced, the greater the courage I gained to step in to the unknown. I was a warrior, a hero, and the first to step out of the valley. I moved from peak to peak, forest to forest, thorny bush to another.
At mid-day, I was at the top, people on this new side cheered me, there was fun and everything was good. I was seeing the New Jerusalem, the first man, the hero and warrior to walk the unknown and take a stand for his values, for being the one for my life and the lives of those to follow. I was a role model, a reference point, sun-like. I was the one who made the change that many only dreamed of but feared to seek and find. As one who had realised his vision and unveiled his ideal.
The buddies at the bottom of the valley looked at me in awesome wonder. I inspired them and at the end of the day, all came out victorious.
LESSONS:
DAY ONE:
The valley is the life that most of us live here in Africa. We find ourselves in the valley as a result of following the beliefs, doing the things and pursuing the goals and careers that our parents, teachers, and the people in authority want us to do. We have our desires and needs, goals and ambitions. But as we grow, the first 20 or more years, we are told to obey and that a good child is one who does not break the rules. They don't give room to follow our own values and in the end, we compromise our integrity for the sake of being good citizens. When we reach that time of living our lives, starting our own families, making our own decisions, being entrepreneurs and creating something that never existed, we are faced with limitations (the mountain). We think we can't do it without the help of parents; it must be impossible because no one has done it before. We end up being caught in the ‘mix' instead of working into the unknown when the opportunity knocks. We resign and shrink back and decide to settle for the meagre resources of our parents (mangoes and dirty water).
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Writer Profile
Clovis
My Name is Clovis, am 23 years old and have just finished my first degree in Population Studies in Uganda.
I am one of those guys who likes exploring the role of the human mind. I look at man as a creative being, an entrepreneur, a warrior, a hero and above all one of greatness. I like advocating for equal opportunities and I know that if the world is to become the change it desires, man should look at his values and appreciate them, use his power and change the world. I am a man of possibilties. There is no wrong answer or right answer for the questions and challenges we meet in life; it is how one goes around the challenges that can make that person make a conclusion and say this works for me or this is better than that. After that you choose from the variety of methods you used to overcome the challenge. This applies to all conditions of life; and as usual, it is subject to debate for I know, there are those who do not agree with my way of looking at things.
The following quotations keep me setting the bar of my life and rising it higher and higher every day:
1) "All men have fears, but the brave put down their fears and move forward, sometimes to death, but all to victory." 2) "Thoughout the centuries, there were men who walked down new paths, armed with nothing but their vision."
Clovis the Man.
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Comments
Disease Cure Aisha Kun | Feb 29th, 2020
Great Mother is Real... I am Aisha Kun and i want to testify about Great Mother how she cured me of hiv aids. I was diagnosed of this disease some time ago and i was worried. when i was searching the internet looking for a cure, i came across some testimonies of Great Mother how she has helped a lot of people and i decided to contact her on her info and explained to her. She laughed and told me that she will help me and i was surprised. She sent me the cure and it was a spiritual holy oil and water which is more than a medicine. She directed me on how to take it and i did. I took the cure for 3 weeks and i went to the doctor for check up and to my greatest surprise the disease was no longer in my system. I am so glad and i want to thank Great Mother for helping me. Contact her now on her email: Greatmotherofsolutiontemple1@yahoo.com you can also reach her on her whatsapp number +17025514367. If you have any disease, she can help you. Contact her now
Disease Cure Aisha Kun | Feb 29th, 2020
Great Mother is Real... I am Aisha Kun and i want to testify about Great Mother how she cured me of hiv aids. I was diagnosed of this disease some time ago and i was worried. when i was searching the internet looking for a cure, i came across some testimonies of Great Mother how she has helped a lot of people and i decided to contact her on her info and explained to her. She laughed and told me that she will help me and i was surprised. She sent me the cure and it was a spiritual holy oil and water which is more than a medicine. She directed me on how to take it and i did. I took the cure for 3 weeks and i went to the doctor for check up and to my greatest surprise the disease was no longer in my system. I am so glad and i want to thank Great Mother for helping me. Contact her now on her email: Greatmotherofsolutiontemple1@yahoo.com you can also reach her on her whatsapp number +17025514367. If you have any disease, she can help you. Contact her now
Disease Cure Aisha Kun | Feb 29th, 2020
Great Mother is Real... I am Aisha Kun and i want to testify about Great Mother how she cured me of hiv aids. I was diagnosed of this disease some time ago and i was worried. when i was searching the internet looking for a cure, i came across some testimonies of Great Mother how she has helped a lot of people and i decided to contact her on her info and explained to her. She laughed and told me that she will help me and i was surprised. She sent me the cure and it was a spiritual holy oil and water which is more than a medicine. She directed me on how to take it and i did. I took the cure for 3 weeks and i went to the doctor for check up and to my greatest surprise the disease was no longer in my system. I am so glad and i want to thank Great Mother for helping me. Contact her now on her email: Greatmotherofsolutiontemple1@yahoo.com you can also reach her on her whatsapp number +17025514367. If you have any disease, she can help you. Contact her now
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