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.

5 good reasons to record your life story!

What makes an interesting story? To oversimplify, a good story needs (1) a character we can identify with (someone just like us), (2) a serious challenge to overcome (whether it is external problems or personal weakness) and (3) a goal worth reaching. I am sure you have noticed that this is the pattern of just about everyone's life. Life is a journey, there is the destination we hope to reach, and the challenges (and lessons) we have learnt along the way. 

Geoffrey Botkin describes what film goers want to see. I feel this can be stretched to apply to other story telling. He says audiences want to see "The modern audience ... wants to see vicarious thrills in a dramatic two hour presentation of a morally interesting story introducing a heroic character with whom he can identify." People like to see these elements in written form as well.

So what does this have to do with writing a biography?

1. We all have a story to tell

We can all talk about the three elements mentioned above. We all have a context - personal history, where we grew up, went to school, our temperament and mindset at different stages, etc. We all have faced challenges. Whether it was a rude neighbour or an exam system with 'leakages' or an illness. We all have goals and ambitions. (Even though these sometimes change). We all have lessons learnt, experience which may be invaluable to others who are yet to make big lie choices. In other words, we all have a story to tell.

2. Your story is more interesting than you think

They say "familiarity breeds contempt". You are so familiar with your own story that you may think it is not worth telling. But the things you take for granted may in fact be "stranger than fiction" to someone else! 

3. Real stories are more helpful than some fiction

Real motivation and inspiration comes from ordinary life stories. As long as it is not "hagiography", stories that create exaggerated "saints" that have no weakness and make no mistakes. Even in the Christian Bible, many of the best characters have made the worst mistakes (King David and the Bethsheba episode, Peter and his denial of Christ, Lot and his blunder at choosing to live in Sodom, and so on, except the incarnate Son of God of course). 

We can easily spot the one sided stories that skip the "bad choices" episodes of life. Real stories are helpful, because we can learn from the mistakes too. Maybe we can even benefit more reading about the wrong turns, than from the good days. If one has the courage to share the detours that caused panic or heartache, you will tell a truly precious story.

4. Writing your story will help you see your life more clearly

Sometimes we re too busy in the rat race to sit and reflect on our lives. But writing can be a good way to reflect on life, and even plan for the future. It gives perspective and it can be humbling. Reflection is a lost art in society, and many choices would be different if we took time to reflect. If you feel a biography is a long way of, start with a diary or journal. Reading through your own entries can give perspective, ma be even more perspective than it will give to others who read it!

5. Writing your story will help change the reading culture

Many books present the stories of people so far removed from Zambian life. We sometimes struggle to relate to their situations. But Zambians need to read Zambian stories, to see how life hanging principles apply in our setting. It will help others evaluate their own life's journey. This will help us abandon the culture of avoiding deep thought or reflection. This will help us make better choices, reflecting on the long term consequences of beliefs and behaviour. Your book will be your contribution to shaping the Zambian culture, and family tradition, hopefully for years to come.

So you may say I am biased, after all, I edit and write for a living. But I also have a passion for stopping the run-away train of urban culture. It is time we gave it some direction and soberness. It is time we owned it, but filling the book shelves and stocking the DVD wracks with our own works. Nature abhors a vacuum. Something else will fill the gap, ( just look at some of the films at books people already have!) 

There is hope. The music industry is showing promise. There was a time when buying a Zambian CD was unthinkable. We can do that with the book industry too. Get in touch if you want help writing a biography! 

A blunt axe and New Year resolutions...

It dawned on me ... the problems is not always how we execute the New Year resolutions. Sometimes the problem is the resolutions! This may sound bizzare, but give me a minute to prove my case!

Often we sit alone, dreaming of an alternate reality we want to create. In a few minutes, we have our goal for the next 365 days, and we get to work. But notice the flaw. The plan is often vague, a cloudy image of ourselves seated by a lakeside sipping something colourful from a glass with ice and a little umbrella. Then we say "That's the bulls-eye!" This dream has more about the destination than the journey! So to make our resolutions more practical, we need to do a number of things. These are things I am doing for myself, and hopefully I will bring a better report for the next year!

1) Plan the steps in the journey, not just the destination. Consider, how will you get from point A to B to C?

2) Consult in the planning making process. Don't just consult on the execution! You may be trying to execute a flawed plan! Be sure you have the right skills, or help, for this goal. TO rely on simply thinking positive will be a positive mistake!

3) Put the plan through the furnace! Find the most ruthless (but honest) friend you can find to put it under the magnifying glass. Be ready to even reject the plan and start from scratch.

4) The harder you work on the plan, the less energy will be wasted on a flawed plan! After all, "If an ax is blunt and the edge isn't sharpened, then one has to use more strength" (Ecclesiastes 10:10).

So my resolution this year is to sharpen the axe, to consult more and collaborate more. There is nothing more frustrating that trying to chop wood with a blunt axe. 

Then the rest is in the hands of divine providence!

New book out soon - Zambia @ 50

This book has been long overdue. The attempt to piece together Zambia's history from various biographies and books on other topics has been difficult. This work presents an attempt to chronicle Zambia's history is a systematic fashion, and give landmark events their rightful place.

Written in a friendly style, the author doesn't pull any punches. The best and worst of the prominent figures in our history (including founding father Kenneth Kaunda) are all revealed, presenting us with real 3-dimensional people, and not the idolised or demonised myths we are told. If we cannot be honest about the good and bad in our history, how can we be truthful and practical in the present?

This is a frank historical work, where the writer is not afraid to present the best and worst. Anything else would not be a true account of history. For that I applaud the writer. Worth adding to your collection!

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