Page 48 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 7

COMMUNITY
Likewise, the complaining users
are not ignorant of their pow-
er to influence changes in the
company, but they just shrug
and say, “But what can we
do? Our hands are tied.” This
is easily the most give-up-ish
thing I have ever heard a hu-
man being utter in my life and is
generally applied to every situa- honoring its commitments to
tion on earth where the person
wants to continue to whine and
wail but not act to change their
circumstances. Of course you
can do something. It may in-
convenience you along the way,
but by your choices you can
walk away and influence others
to walk away and before you
know it, the numbers will force
a change of behavior; whether
you will go back or not, having
realized that the supplier was
well able to have changed their
behavior all along, but didn’t, is
a different matter. So instead
of marveling at the amount of
profit that a company is mak-
ing and lauding their claimed
success, take heed to note the
heart of what they do and why
and how they do it. If you know
that they are greedy and ex-
ploitative, do not reward them
with your worship, applause
and through imitating their be-
havior but rather do something
positive to change it. Even the
smallest thing, like removing
your support for them by finding
a different provider can make a
very loud statement spiritually
about you and them and even
serve to clear your name where
you were acting contrary to your
word. When your words and
actions match that is integrity,
where they don’t your moral
authority is eroded, as is your
ability to effect change in this
and other areas. Integrity gives
you a leg to stand on when
teaching the next generation.
48 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika
Speak up against injustice
Let’s take the unlikely example
of the taxman to look at the
issue of injustice. The taxman
has a heavy burden and it is
not cash collection. The taxman
is faced with collecting cash
for a regime that may or may
not be keeping its word and
its citizens. In the case where
the taxman may be collect-
ing cash for an unfaithful and
greedy government that is
simply consuming the hard-
earned money of its employers
(the citizens) as if it was water
from an unending fountain, and
taking for granted the fact that
the law compels their compli-
ance then we have a situation
of injustice. The taxman may
be enforcing regulations that
have been imposed upon him
and watching the money that
he is trying to collect from
stressed out citizens (who may
be in danger of shutting down
their businesses because of a
difficult economic climate) being
spent on trifles and salaries for
greedy employees who to make
unending selfish demands. This
taxman is now actually in an
awkward position, for he knows
the challenges he faced while
collecting this money and the
very real stories of hardship that
he heard from those he sought
out to make their ‘contributions’.
While on the other hand, he
sees the wastage and the reck-
less spending that is going on,
as he is being pressurized to
collect more and more and yet
more from the people.
You may or may not agree with
me, but I strongly believe that
he has the moral obligation to
speak up against this injustice.
Rather than take the stick to the
citizenry who are crying under
the burden of increased taxes,
he has the moral duty to turn
this stick onto the ones who are
involved in the wastage of re-
sources. Why? They are guilty
of unfaithfulness and thus are
the ones making his job hard-
er. Those who are contributing
money under force of law have
observed the spenders’ avari-
cious ways, while not seeing
any wider benefit to the society.
For now, we must turn and face
the collector of this revenue
who is answerable to himself,
to the one he is collecting it
from and to the ones spending
it, to keep the spenders true to
the intent of the collection by
speaking up where and when
he sees this injustice pervading.
If for nothing else than to save
his immortal soul.
Now to the one paying the mon-
ey into the hands of those who
are wasting it, upon seeing this
waste they must speak up and
not remain silent, because this
wastage is upon their heads.
Complaining alone will not get
them answer and neither will
sulking or sitting around in fear
or throwing stones in anger
when the frustrations seem to
become ‘too much’. They must
hold their employees to account
(the recipients of the cash and
those spending it) for every
coin and demand some form
of accountability from them
if they refuse to honor their
commitments. Why do I say
this? Their inaction and refusal
to speak and act against this is
an injustice against themselves
as the givers of the money and
against society as a whole.
Wrongs are going unaddressed
and a culture of dishonor is be-
ing entrenched throughout the
entire societal system because
of the people’s choices not to
act or speak but instead to sim-
ply complain and then sit back
HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY