Passion and purpose

(A book review)

Book: Encounters of a bedside nurse – inspiring insights on impacting individuals

Publisher: Haven Publications, Lusaka

Book author: Grace Zimba

 

In a continued bid to read and review books by Zambian authors, I came across this little gem right here in Lusaka. Look beyond the very basic cover design and formatting, and you will find words well worth reading. Nurse Zimba offers insight into the life of a very important care-giver that is often overlooked.

The autobiographical story that Grace Zimba narrates in eight chapters is a brief but insightful record of her calling to be a bedside nurse. She uses the word “calling” rather than profession, to draw attention to her lifelong passion, and she is right to do so. She speaks of a common scenario, “It is amazing how a number of us find ourselves treading the career pathway paved by people who seem to want us to pursue what they think should be our dreams… and consequently [many] have walked through life as frustrated individuals”. She identifies the passionless life as a life “off-track” from our true purpose. We sacrifice our callings for any number of reasons and we serve there with little passion, and we find in this booklet an example of passion and conviction. The nation would be a very different place is every place was filled with people who were passionate about their task!

Service which goes unnoticed and often not appreciated, is still important when one serves a higher purpose. Nurse Zimba is characterised by a deep personal faith that raises the bar for her work as a caregiver and the compassion she shows her patients. She was catechised and baptised at St John’s UCZ church in Kabwe, but in her own words, that was not her turning point. As a teenager in 1978 she witnessed the change that took place in her sister’s life after experiencing transforming faith, and she was drawn to hear the gospel as well. She narrates, “My turning point came in 1978 when two youths, Evans Chibesakunda and Mwiche, visited our congregation at St. John’s. The two young men were zealous for God and they formed a youth group and began holding meetings on Sunday afternoons. I refused to attend the first meeting, but one of my elder sisters attended. When she came back, I noticed that something had changed about her. She was not the same person that I had known all those years we were growing up together.”

When she finally heard the gospel, the demands for repentance and personal faith gripped her heart, and from then on Grace Zimba would never be the same. All this would impact of her attitude towards nursing and impacting people’s lives. One of those principles was empathy, “understanding another person’s condition from their perspective. While we may not fully understand the extent of pain being experienced by the hurting individuals, empathy implores us to place ourselves in their shoes and feel what they are feeling.” She drew this principle from the command to do unto others what you would have them do unto you. She explains what this looked like in practice. “When on duty, I need to observe my patients and take note of those who have been abandoned by their relatives. As a nurse, I try to fill the gap. Society will always categorise human beings according to their economic status and social standing as well as levels of their education; but before God, all people are equal.”

Later in the book, nurse Zimba talked about the challenges of nursing family members, of a suicidal patient and dealing with patients who are stigmatised. The value of this book is not in the poetic lines or vivid descriptions, but in the frank tone and matter-of-fact approach of a real life story. We also see the kind of faith in action that needs to spread and take the place of so much theatrics that has taken the spotlight in Zambian church circles. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, the book shows us a deep conviction that will surely inspire others to ask if they have such a passion; and if not, to not waste another moment living without passion and purpose.

The thrill of home grown theatre performance

It may go against the current trends, but I will dare to say it anyway. Theatre has the potential to take centre stage in entertainment (Yes, pun intended!). In a world where global entertainment empires decide what shows on our TV screens, we have a chance to personalise our entertainment, to set it in the context of our home towns and culture. Stage drama is an excellent way to provide drama, comedy and romance set in familiar places - on the very street corners you pass every day, or at the local bus stop, with words and phrases that bring the story home in a way that international entertainment cannot. The way mass media has lost ground to social media, stage drama can take ground from mass entertainment.

[Images from "My Pursuit" -  a musical drama that was performed at Ster Kinekor on 8th October; produced by "Ili Kenge Events" under the able leadership of Henry Chibutu and Mwase Kumwenda, with support from "Stand and Sing of Zambia"  (SASOZ) proprietor, Logan Nyasulu]

I attended a musical performance, "My pursuit", last October, and I cannot explain how it brought the story home of exile and homecoming for the young girl who rejected her churchgoing roots. It created the feeling that I was watching something happening next door! Something about sitting a few rows from the performers brought the story home with emotive force.

Don't get me wrong, international screen productions will not be replaced any time soon, and they don't have to be. Much like mass news media and social media, the two can co-exist. However, there is a vacuum in terms of presenting local stories to local audiences, and little chance that our Zambian stories will over run the international scene just yet. Rather than hold back the local talent, we can use theatre as a means to use local talent to tell stories in a homespun way. We just need to approach it right.

Drama is also a developmental tool. We hear like sustainable development goals and other UN resolutions. We hear about Wildlife conservation projects and global warming. But all these things seem to be a world away, distance and detached. Theatre can help bring these developmental issues home to us, with local scripts, analogies and music.

Beyond all this, we can use drama to examine our worldview. Its important for us to reflect on our identity. So many things about our norms and our taboos, our values and even our moral contradictions as a society, need to be brought to light. Love, hate, spirituality, success and family life can be seen in a unique light, with dramas set in our community. Truth about the transformation we need, as individuals and society, needs a localised spotlight. If drama can be embraced by schools, youth groups, colleges and adult enthusiasts, we can provide a constructive way for society to reflect on what drives us and where our lives are leading.

Man on a mission

If you catch a music video on TV, more often than not you will find that a high-maintenance lifestyle is in the spotlight. The singer portrays the "good life", and fans aspire to get into the same spotlight and life of luxury. There is nothing wrong with expensive jewelry and customised cars. There is also nothing wrong with life in the spotlight (after all someone has to be in the spotlight!) The challenge i show such videos and films affect our understanding of ambition. More often than not, if you ask a young person how they see themselves in future, they will talk about how many zeroes they want on their paycheck. Fair enough, press further. When you ask what they want to DO that will earn them that paycheck, they will blurt out some foggy idea that will sound something like winning the lottery or being paid for looking good in an executive office chair. In other words, they aspire to a life of high spending but do not aspire to productivity.

Okay, this pearl of wisdom did not hit me all at once. I am coming from a generation that looked at careers like fashions - what is everyone going for, which has the guaranteed paycheck? And I am not saying that these considerations are not important. But we need to start looking at our competences. What am I skilled at doing? What sort of things can I do, which always bring people back asking for more? Before we consider the upper class living, we must consider the productivity aspect. 

I knew a man who spent between 15 and 20 years playing the lottery, waiting for that big bread. He would spend Sunday afternoon listening to the radio, each day believing that "This is the day they call out my winning number!" The years came and went. They never called his number. Perhaps we need to focus more on our purpose, on apprenticeship, on small steps rather than big leaps. If a big break comes along, well and good. But until then, we must sharpen our skills and be the best we can be, at what we are supposed to do.

I wish our music videos could focus more on our mission, our task as citizens, as co-workers, as employees and friends. If we rewarded character and skill, rather than bootlicking and nepotism, maybe, just maybe, we will all be better off. Just some thoughts! We should prefer to be the man on a mission, rather than the man waiting for that lucky break. If nothing else, we will be able to say "What a ride!" And we will have served and helped a lot of people along the way.

Economic with the truth

One friend recently told me, "The only people who will tell you the truth are your enemies, (when they are upset and reveal what they really think about you!) or your close friends (who speak boldly about your faults and not just your strengths). That got me thinking.

We tend to be economical with the truth. How many times have you let that guy is his brand new polka-dot jeans and striped shirt go by; Even when he asks "How do I look?" and you simply give a thumbs up, restraining the laughter.

But then again, you can't always blame us. After all, we don't seem very good at digesting the truth! It is always easier to shift the blame and make excuses. That "log in the eye" tendency is universal. It is not limited to culture or location! We are quick to shoot the messenger.

A recent article in the Post Newspaper defended banks, saying they are not the reason that small businesses cannot access funding. He pointed to another common label - that Zambians do not pay back loans. And so even on economic and political issues, the finger pointing continues...

So we want the truth, but we want it sugar coated and in manageable bite-sized bits. What the heck, throw in the whole sugar bowl!

The problem is, this can lead to a lot of problems. On the large scale, justice is perverted. Enough sugar and even poison will taste sweet. This is lies we sell to the world. On the other hand, there are lies we sell to ourselves, like an addict who says "I can stop any time". Yer, right!

So want the truth, but only so much, or not yet, or on some topics but not others. We want honest leaders and sincere salesmen, but when the question comes home, the standard is altered somewhat. "Don't get caught" seems to be the standard.

Why do we have this love hate relationship with the truth? Simply because some truth is easier to swallow than others. The problem is, when everyone chooses which truth to hear, we end up with ... the world we live in! Perhaps that's why someone sang about the man in the mirror. Whether he managed to live up to that advice is another story altogether. The solution starts when we stop judging the truth, the truth should judge us.

Sorting out the church scandals - Wrong reactions that make it worse

The newspaper headlines the last few months have not been flattering for the church. They certainly haven't helped the church invite those outside the fold to join it's ranks. 

It's not that there have never been church scandals before. Conflict, compromise and con men and not new. What is new is the scale of the problem - Some may end up fearing to enter any church at all! We seem to be sowing the seeds of a skeptical next generation. We were told to expect wolves in sheep's clothing, but we now seem to have more wolves than sheep. You expect to elbow the sheep next to you and find the canines a bit longer than they supposed to be. What are some wrong attitudes?

1) Keep quiet and everyone will forget: This is not the best approach. We need to look at the issue head on and ask, why is there so much mess? If we ignore it, it will just keep repeating itself. The problem will not go away.

2) It's in another denomination, so it doesn't concern me: Remember, people don't see denominations, they see Christians. What is bad in one group affects how others view you. It is your concern, as an ambassador of Christ, that His name is not dragged through the mud. We must all be concerned!

3) Explain it as a result of temptation: Yes, sometimes there is temptation. But temptation is the allure to divert from the right path. Some seem to have lived the wrong lifestyle for a long time before police catch us with their criminal activity. It is not temptation if someone has lived that way all along! The real question is, why didn't we notice?

4) We must not judge: The Bible also says 'test the spirits' (1 John 4:1). The Bible also says 'watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers' (Acts 20:28). If our 'sheep' are feasted on by the wolves, we may not be doing all that we should. We are busy 'not judging' while others are being swindled and abused. There is a right way to judge and a wrong way.

^"Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!" 
(1 Corinthians 6:2, 3)

There must be a better approach than the four mentioned above! In my next installment I will look at the root cause of this poison in the church, and what we are all responsible to do about it.

7 Steps how to read a book: #6 Put your thoughts on the shooting range

If we are to improve our reading skills, we can't end by reading and shelving a book. You need to find a friend or a forum to discuss what you read. Put your thoughts on the table, and let others agree, disagree or otherwise questions your new discoveries. Even at the risk of your ideas being mercilessly cut down! As you discuss a book, putting it under the microscope, so to speak, your ability to digest and draw conclusions will improve greatly.

We already do this with TV shows, discussing why Herman and Angelina didn't realise that Miguel was replaced by his evil twin, and if the true Miguel would escape from the Island. (I am not a soapie, at least not since 'No one but you'!) See how, in our enjoyment, we are not satisfied to simply watch. We find a way to reflect (and so continue enjoying) what we have read!~It shouldn't be any different with books. Read interesting lines or scenes from the book, challenge attitudes and behaviour, bring up what you like, what you hate or what confuses you in a book. Explore it the way people 'explore' a TV series.

This may sound strange to some people, especially that most are taught bad reading habits in school. In Zambia we have many dedicated teachers a lecturers who are passionate about what they do. But a secondary school (high school?) teacher with a class of sixty-five pupils has a tough time giving individual attention to pupils. Education turns into rote learning, where there is no interaction, the crowd must simply memorise and reproduce the notes in an exam. This way, someone may pass with flying colours, but never understand the real life use of that information. Reading is often treated as something done for the exam and not for personal development. Thinking and skill development may be off the radar.

In a thought provoking article, Geoffrey Botkins explains what he learnt at Cambridge, the British University that has been producing leaders for literally centuries. He found that they use a mentoring teaching system. One on one discussions with lecturers are compulsory, while lectures are optional! The ability to explain and defend one's work in an assignement is treated as more value that simply memorising data. This ability to digest, analyse, decide and defend a viewpoint, is essential to moulding a world class leader. This approach to reading, with an "awake mind", would totally transform a society!

Find someone who will listen for a few minutes, and share favourite quotes from a book. Ask if those are true of real life, true of some people or all people, and how you might have expressed the same idea. That way, we will sharpen each others skills.

How to analyse culture

Geoffrey Botkin wrote about the danger of being blind to the forces that shape culture, and being carreid along with every wind of change. He wrote, "People who are mentally unconscious cannot perceive what’s happening in the world around them. This cultural blindness causes men to stumble into slavery, or perhaps to surrender their collective future. Blind people are easily taken advantage of, and blind nations can become slave cultures or, even worse, comatose cultures. There is never cultural neutrality, and never an inconsequential idea." 

Read the whole article on "How to analyse culture" on the link below:

http://westernconservatory.com/articles/how-analyze-culture

How to read a book #5: Be conscious of the worldview of the author

Every writer has a point of view, an outlook. They have values, beliefs and conclusions about life - we all do. This means no one really writes from a "neutral" perspective. The idea of the "neutral" human being is an illusion. Unless you can find a human being who believes nothing and values nothing.

A worldview has been defined as "A particular philosophy of life or conception of the world" (Oxford English Dictionary). A less "technical" definition would be, how you look at life and explain the good and the bad that we experience and that we do. A more formal word, "weltanschauung" (borrowed from the German language) is also used to describe this "world outlook/view". But with or without definitions, everyone has their own view. To break it down, we can use Ravi Zacharias model; "origin, meaning, morality destiny".

Origin refers to "where does life come from? Where do I come from?" Meaning refers to purpose, "Why am I here? What gives meaning to my life? What is a well-lived life?" Morality refers to ethics, right and wrong. Destiny refers to the final "destination" of all life, and how it should affect my present choices. When someone uses these four headings to explain what they believe, they have given you their worldview.

How does this help understand a book? Know that every author has a world view. Read about the life of George Orwell, then read one of his books and you will see his values and perspective oozing out of almost every page! A world view wont necessarily be obvious all the time (e.g. in a Mathematics text book). But in novels and biographies it will be abundant.

I am not saying world views are bad - no human could live without one. I am saying, even as you read a book, evaluate the world view. Decide whether you can agree with it or not. Give credit for good points and spot the bad arguments. Part of good reading involves making value judgments about the content of a book, as well as evaluating and may be enjoying the writing skill. Also, be ready to have your own world view challenged in the process. 

One more thing. Many world views are inconsistent. Someone may hold contradictory beliefs. The fact that one is a writer does not mean they have answered all the questions of life, or even answered any of them well. You may well be ahead of the writer in some perspectives. The fact that it is in print does not automatically mean it is correct or authoritative. Many people cling to philosophies that are impossible to live by, but never realise that. Some people are compassionate, contradicting their own harsh utilitarian philosophy. Others are cruel, despite their rhetoric about promoting human dignity. Read, and evaluate as you read. Remember to look out for the belief behind the story, the meaning between the lines.

Rumours - GMO for the mind! (Poetry)

If you have lived long enough and have a little keen observation

I have no doubt you will relate to this common situation

WHen data treacles down the grape vine and changes form

The story modifies, twists and grows and amplifies, filled with lies

No one bothers to come and ask for your witness testimony (IF only!)

People receive the 'news' and accept it as fact; They swallow, digest and react!

My mistakes blown out of proportion, I'm painted as wicked as Nero!Others defend their image and get painted as heroes!

The crowds that used to greet go silent. (I wouldn't be shocked if they turned Kill-Bill violent!)

Written on each face, a scowl that tells me the rumour has taken root, found a cosy place
Yet no one has come to ask - No one wants a fact finding task or intercedes for grace

Those words become a mask to mask the truth that they wont ask

Gossip goes down like a t-bone stake, juicy, tender, GMO and fake

Wont someone give me a break!

But in all this atleast I know my real friends come to inquire because they care

For them, its more than just another juicy morsel to share.

So before you listen to a story that is seeping through the vine

ANd before you share it, think: Is it true, is it fair, will sharing it be kind?

Sometimes you have better things to feed your mind!

*Food for thought - No G.M.O. for the mind!*

7 steps - How to read a book: #3 Recognise the rhetoric (Or: A lot of nothing)

What is the difference between an argument, an explanation and rhetoric? An argument is an attempt to persuade using a conclusion and at least one supporting reason. An explanation is expanding on a point that  is already accepted as true (or assumed to be true). Rhetoric is different. Bowell and Kemp define it as “Any verbal or written attempt to persuade someone to believe, desire or do something that does not attempt to give good reasons for the belief, desire or actions, but attempts to motivate the belief, desire or action solely through the power of the words used.” An example may help. Imagine the following narration comes with a TV advert: 

“I look up at the blue sky, I see the lovely butterflies and I hear the sweet song of the birds. People are smiling and there is the sense of freedom on the air. That is why I use ‘Ka-blam’ washing paste. The smell of satisfaction!”

What we have above is not an argument, not even an explanation. It is a statement that tries to convince us to use ‘Ka-blam’, without giving us a reason. It just associates the paste with nice sounds and sights, for no reason at all. That is rhetoric. Modern adverts are rarely argument! (Although artistic adverts are very entertaining...!)

Another example will do. You are discussing the teachings of some group, church or sect, then a friend says, “Only an idiot can believe such rubbish!” May be you are not convinced, but you are intimidated and laugh along with your friends. He has not given you a reason to reject that idea. Bowell and Kemp call this an “appeal to ridicule.” No reason is given, but a negative label (such as ‘rubbish’ or ‘idiotic’) is used to persuade.

We find rhetoric in some speeches, books, used by friends, con-men, salesmen, preachers and everyday conversation. A useful skill is learning to recognise rhetoric and distinguish it from arguments and explanations. Sugar coated words have a rightful place in life, but be careful not to confuse them for arguments. That is how con-men get away with so much!

7 steps - How to read a book: #2 What's the point?

We continue with the series by asking "What's the point?" I mean what is the main point the writer is trying to put across?

Piper wrote, "most of us write to communicate something, rather than simply to throw things on the page for others to make of them what they will". Good reading means we aim to discover this "something". You are trying to discover the "mind" of the writer.

Sometimes a novel will have one theme. Sometimes a motivational book will have dozens of ideas. Our focus here is on the kind of book that contains explicit points it is trying to put across. When we say argument here, we don't mean a loud exchange of words. Tracy Bowell and Gary Kemp in their book "Critical thinking" define an argument as, "a set of propositions of which one is a conclusion and the remainder are the premises intended to support the conclusion". By "premise" they mean "basis" for the conclusion.

So an argument is a statement that gives a conclusion, and a reason for that conclusion. For example: "Taking too much salt is bad for you. People who take too much salt eventually suffer from high blood pressure." The conclusion is that "salt is bad for you". The basis is the experience of people who have taken too much. That is the premise.

When we come to speeches and adverts, we may find it is harder to pin-point the conclusion, the point of the statement. Many speeches and adverts are "decorated" with phrases that add "flavour", but many times there is no real point that is being made.

When you read a paragraph, try and find the one sentence that highlights the point of the whole statement. There is a motive behind the writing, and your aim should be to discover that point, whether you agree with it or not. You can only react properly to the piece of writing when you have identified the point.

When we analyse and understand statements better, there is less chance that we will be conned by "sweet talkers" and lose ourselves in the eloquence. Good analysis is part of wisdom.

The next step will be identifying what is a good argument and what is a bad or faulty argument. But that is for another entry!

Editing culture?

The last few years have seen a lot of public debate on traditional roles. Some examples are the now infamous ‘Alangizi’ (matrons who prepare young women for marriage), traditional ceremonies and dressing (such as the woman who was half nude/ topless at a pageant, in the name of traditional culture), corporal punishment, and local languages as a medium of education. In all these discussion, people talk of ‘tradition’ and ‘culture’, but I suspect they do not all mean the same thing. Perhaps if we could define these terms, we may make some headway in these debates. Then we will also answer the question, do we have the power or the right to change tradition and culture?

We will borrow a definition of culture from Oliver Barclay:

Culture may be defined as the overall beliefs, priorities and values of the community that are expressed in its institutions and its practices. In the sense that I have chosen, the term culture can be Marxist, Muslim, secular, or Christian. There is a Western or Asian culture, or a city or rural culture.*

The first thing that this brings to light is that we have several cultures in Zambia, not one culture. There may be common elements in the tribal cultures, common denominators, but otherwise there is more than one culture in a nation with 72 tribes. But the picture gets more complicated. There are rural and urban cultures. I know we usually say the urban (us!) are Westernised, but since we have an urban, technology based lifestyle, this pattern of behaviour can be called a culture as well. 

To avoid any confusion, we will say that urban and rural have a common heritage (i.e. common roots) but slightly different cultures (patterns of behaviour in work, socialising, etc). So our heritage and our culture are different. But even modern village life is not what it was a hundred years ago – if a villager could time travel they would find a cultural shift of some kind when they go to the year 1914. Add to that other facts such as changes in diet over the years (I am told maize was introduced around the year 1880) and economic models such as use of money and passports. Culture, just like life is dynamic. Even if the change is slow over a century. Even now, within a generation, some of the slang used on Facebook baffles me – language changing in the space of twenty years.

The next point is that culture is not perfect. Like people, who are a mixture of good and bad (our great dignity and high calling, and our inclination to greed and pride) culture is also a mixture. I quote again:

All culture is a mixture of good and evil: good because all God’s gifts of creation are good, and man is still made in the image of God, and not one has reached the same depths of depravity as the devil; but evil because no one is an angel, no one is perfect in this life. The structures of society, and even the best aspects of our culture, are imperfect.*

There are things to be encouraged and things to be discouraged and even replaced. Culture is not perfect, no more than the people who practice it, whether Zambian, Asian, or Western.

The conclusion is we must consciously decide what to encourage and what to discourage. Culture is shifting sand, even if it shifts slowly over the generations. But then, we must ask, what standard are we going to use? We can imitate good things from other cultures, but we must not make them a standard, because they are equally a mixture of good and bad. Cultural snobs are in the wrong, whatever advantages or advances they may have in their society. There must be a standard to assess all cultures, not just comparing one culture to another. For the humanist the standard is probably utility, or pragmatics. For the secular thinker, the standard may be a matter of agreement or convenience. For the Christian, the wisdom of the Creator must set the pace for human life to flourish. The Creator sets the outline and provides the impetus for human life to reach the order and beauty and satisfaction it was originally designed for.

The biggest mistake we can make in this regard is to deify culture. We must not promote new things simply because of their newness or old things just because they are ancient. The value is not intrinsic in its novelty or age, but rather in how constructive or destructive it is for society. The more our social bonds are built on what is right, the better our society will be. That is something worth passing on to the next generation.

*[Quote from ‘Developing a Christian Mind’ by Oliver Barclay. Available at Bookworld shops]