The Philosophies of Mendecat

CRISTIANO RONALDO OFF TO REAL MADRID

2009-06-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo, it seems has finally got his dream move to the Bernabeu to play for Real Madrid. A lot of fans of English football are celebrating the move as they believe Manchester United would be severely weakened by the absence of the Portuguese superstar and his contribution to the team in terms of goals and assists.

I do not share that view. With his transfer kitty strengthened by part of the £80m reportedly being paid by Ronaldo, surely a football master such as Sir Alex Ferguson would be able to employ the services of two or three top class additions to his squad to fill the void. Furthermore, he only needs to move Wayne Rooney from the wings into a central position, a role he delights in, if his rich vein of scoring form for England is anything to go by to recover some of the goalscoring abilities that would undoubtedly be lost with Ronaldo's departure.

Make no mistake, Ronaldo's departure may be beneficial to all parties. The current World player of the year gets his dream move to Madrid. The Spanish giants acquire the services of a player who more likely than not will contribute significantly to their success on and off the pitch. Manchester United make a whopping profit on a player who they developed from a prodigious talent to a world class icon and use the funds to further strengthen their team. Everybody is laughing. Come a few years down the line, the dream may turn sour for Ronaldo, there are no guarantees that Madrid would enjoy the success they crave for and while United may not have used the money wisely to bolster their ranks, they would have the certainty of having made the huge profit on his sale. They may have the last laugh after all.

IF I RULED THE WORLD

2009-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Some random thoughts on what I would do if I ruled the world.

If I ruled the world
Manchester United will not win another trophy
Liverpool will always celebrate victory
Sierra Leone will win the World Cup
Alex Ferguson will know the game is up
If I ruled the world

As ruler of the world
I'll unite Africa
Bring America and the Middle East together
Even UK and Europe too
If that's not a little too much to do
As ruler of the world

If I rule the world
My daughter will become a famous writer
My son a famous footballer
I will eradicate poverty
And watch my haters topple me
I cannot rule the world

WHO IS A LEADER?

2009-05-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this issue for a long time. Some people say leaders are born.

I am absolutely convinced that anyone can become a good leader, as long as they have a mindset to become one. What is that mindset? Here it is.

A good leader is one who is committed to serving rather than being served. This means the leader must focus on meeting the needs of the people being led. Too often, people think of great leaders as people who have their vision and go on to achieve it to a certain extent like Hitler. I do not consider this great leadership. I cannot agree that the majority of German people were bothered about conquering Europe. For those who were, the idea was sold to them.

A good leader identifies the needs of the people he or she leads and his or her vision is linked to meeting these needs.

Some good leaders: Jesus (the Ultimate Leader), Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa.

I FEEL ENERGISED

2009-05-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

I woke up with renewed energy - the kind of energy I haven't felt for a long time. I am suddenly possessed with a determination to succeed in line with one of my empowering beliefs, which is to 'achieve anything I set my mind to'.

Admittedly, I've flagged over the past weeks, as my principles and philosophies have been severely put to the test. I guess we all go through this sometimes. However, knowing myself, I will feel unfulfilled if I wasn't pursuing some goal or applying my beliefs around being positive, helping others achieve and succeed, making a difference in people's lives or even motivating and encouraging myself to greater heights.

Therefore, I awoke this morning, pleasantly surprised at how refreshed and ready to go I feel. I am determined to achieve my very important goals....and to do so now. After all, life is too short.

I have set myself specific tasks which I need to achieve by next week. I'll update you how I get on. I am determined and confident of accomplishing these tasks. This confidence, I do not believe, is misplaced. My spirit has received a boost from somewhere, I just need to drag this body along and everything will be fine.

EURO MILLIONS BONANZA £110M

2009-05-08T11:28:00.001-07:00

Here's another random thought floating in the mind of Mendecat. So you guessed correctly, I am always having random thoughts. These thoughts form the basis of my beliefs and they are also influenced by my beliefs. It's quite a circular process with me....random thoughts, beliefs....

So what would you do if you were to win the Euro lottery tonight. A whopping £110m jackpot is available to go round.

Some people, the modest ones, would be embarrassed to win the whole lot. They would rather have a few thousand just to pay off their mortgages and go away on holiday once in a while. What's the fun in that. If I were to win, I'd love to win the lot. Okay, I won't be selfish, I'd settle for half.

Here's good luck to those who have played. For those who haven't, you are not going to win anything you know. Apologies for being the bearer of bad news. If I was to win say a minimum £10m (I would be extremely disappointed by the way), I'd pay off the mortgage, put some ridiculous amount of money into the kids' trust fund, buy that Range Rover Sport and rub my hands with glee in anticipation of what I'd do with the rest. Knowing me as much as I do, a lot will go into helping the less fortunate in Sierra Leone. Increasingly, I feel the need to do something to help the victims of the war in the West African state, who had their limbs hacked off for no particular reason. More of that in a later post. I really do need to go, it's fast approaching lottery cut off time.

R.I.P. Jade

2009-03-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Jade Goody divides opinion as much in death as when she was alive. She was thrust into the public eye as a Big Brother contestant and attracted as much love as she did loathing.

The media coverage she received from then until her sad passing from cervical cancer has divided opinion. When she was diagnosed with the terrible disease, some people ludicrously dismissed it as a cheap publicity stunt. Not content with having been proven wrong, they still frown at the thought that Jade now leaves a legacy which could save thousands of young lives.

In her final months, she campaigned tirelessly, appealing to young women to get screened for cervical cancer. Thousands of women have obliged, undoubtedly, a significant amount will be saved by her efforts.

There are now strong appeals for the qualifying age for smear test to be reduced from 25 to 21.

She may have hugged the limelight and maximised the her earning potential as much as she could. I see nothing wrong in that, especially as she is leaving two young sons behind.

People can criticise all they like but in death Jade leaves a legacy. She can be content she has achieved her divine purpose in life, that wasn't achieved until the last year of her own young life. She was created to save lives. That was why even though she came fourth in Big Brother, she was still the most popular contestant ever.

Rest in peace, Jade.

LIVE YOUR LIFE

2009-03-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there are two types of people in this world. Those who take life too seriously and those who are happy go lucky.

For the serious types - let's call them Pragmatists, life has got to be planned and organised day in, day out. They are terrified of taking undue risks and derive great pleasure from knowing everything is in order. They are generally regarded as seeing the glass half empty.

The happy-go-lucky types or Sunshiners as they are sometimes called see life as an adventure and get a buzz of trying new things even if making mistakes could be costly. They are considered as the positive types, seeing the glass half full. They are happiest trying new things and having the adrenalin rush of uncertainty.

The one set despises the choices and lifestyle of the other. However, each group has serious but totally misguided misconceptions about the other. For the Sunshiners, they see the Pragmatists as boring and unhappy control freaks. The Pragmatists regard Sunshiners as reckless and irresponsible.

Although these observations might seem true to the lazy mind, on deep reflection, they are absolutely ridiculous, if looked at in isolation. This is because every human being can be happy, a control freak, reckless and irresponsible. It is the situation or context that brings forth these behaviours.

For instance, a Sunshiner can be boring especially in areas where they have no interest. They would demonstrate drive and energy when they are engaged in an activity. They would be so engrossed in what interests them that they would sometimes ignore the needs of others. That kind of sounds like being boring to me. They could be control freaks too. They always want to be in an environment that is fun, vibrant and challenging....and they would do anything it takes to ensure that happens. They guard their independence zealously in the way a control freak does.

A Pragmatist can be reckless in their haste to judge Sunshiners. The latter group really makes them uncomfortable when it comes to serious issues. They do like their energy and seemingly boundless enthusiasm sometimes but quickly get tired of it. They are very quick to scoff at the grand plans of Sunshiners, which insinuates recklessness. The perception of this group being more responsible than the Sunshiners can also be questioned. Take a situation whereby they have made their plans and tried to stick to it judiciously. The Sunshiner, who happens to be the Pragmatist's partner feels stifled by these plans. All things being equal, you can bet your bottom and seriously devalued dollar that if a minor tweak is made to that plan and something goes wrong, the Sunshiner would be blamed for it. If that's not shirking responsibility, I don't know what is.

It all goes to show that in haste to pigeon-hole ourselves as either Sunshiners and Pragmatists, we fail to realise that we, as humans are more complex and less black and white than we realise. I am convinced that every human being demonstrates the same kinds of behaviour. The only difference is that we react differently according to the situation.

Therefore, I live you with two bits of advice rolled into one. Live your life! Live and let live!

22 Christian missionaries to be executed in Afghanistan?

2009-02-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

I received a text message this morning asking me to pray for 22 Christian missionaries, who were allegedly kidnapped by the Taliban, and their families. I've done my bit to forward the message by text and emails to friends asking them to do the same.

What is baffling to me though is no news agency seems to be carrying the story, which makes me wonder if it is true or not.

Regardless, my thoughts are with them and I've said a quick prayer for them. If the news is indeed true, then maybe this was the purpose for which they were created and they will never be forgotten. Therefore, I wish them God speed and pray that the Lord will give their loved ones the strength, courage and faith to deal with their loss.

If it is a lie, then there are some sad people in this world.

JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

2009-02-25T02:50:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning feeling uncertain. As a Sagittarius male, I normally interpret uncertainty as an exciting journey into the unknown. I do not feel this way on this occasion. I see it as a journey into the unknown period. Whether it will be exciting or otherwise, time will tell.

I am a 'feelings' person placing a great deal of emphasis on intuition. Believe me, it is probably not good for the health of most to put a lot of faith on intuition but it has worked well in the past for me. 'Why fix if it ain't broke' kind of thing. Today, I feel uncertain and seem to be at a crossroads. I have the distinct feeling that the choice I make is going to shape the rest of my life. What a frightening thought!

There are certain things I've resolved to do which remain unchanged. For instance, I'm never going to work for anybody but myself again. However, I'm at a crossroads as to what I need to be doing going forward. I've done pretty well trading diamonds and I enjoy the buzz of that tremendously. I have also traded timber, which has equally been fulfilling. As a person that gets bored easily, I found doing the two at the same time quite exciting and challenging.

I am at a point where I need to choose one. The diamond business requires a lot of luck, contacts, focus and in some cases dirty dealing. One can go for months without getting the right quality according to one's criteria and could be disheartening. Suddenly a stone turns up and you're made for the next month, six months, year or life. That's the beauty of the diamond business. At start up stage, it is very exciting but unglamorous. In my case, I am competing with well established Lebanese businessmen who have their contacts overseas. My Sierra Leone brothers will rather sell to a Lebanese who they seem to trust more than to their Sierra Leonean brother! I've tried to change the perception that the Lebanese are more trustworty but it's like trying to move Mount Everest on my own. I just need to keep chipping away until time makes its effects known.

The timber trade is a more hands on and daily grind. I enjoy haggling with town chiefs and locals in the provinces to obtain the timber from their patch. The rewards are also good and quicker to obtain. For instance, I could invest $3000 in a 2 weeks operation and make around $5000 gross profit. This was before the ban on timber trade in Sierra Leone while policy was reviewed. In my beloved country, you would think the ban would stop the trade but you would be wrong. There is so much corruption in the country that the ban just presented those with the mandate to police adherence to the ban with the opportunity to make money in the form of bribes. I chose not to go down that route and instead wait for the ban to be lifted. Trouble is, it took a while for the ban to be lifted. If you speak to some authorities and ask whether the ban had been lifted, some said yes, some said no. Unbelievable but true. However, it's been lifted now so it's all systems go.

Now, my decision which seems an easy one is, do I just do diamonds or timber or both? My heart says both, my head says one but which one? The timber is dominated by the Chinese and the diamonds Lebanese. Don't ask what Sierra Leoneans dominate in Sierra Leone. I'll be tempted to say nothing.

I guess I'll just have to go with my intuition!

CHRIS BROWN, RIHANNA, 50 CENT AND RICK ROSS

2009-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Chris Brown and Rihanna are in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. Their infamous pre-Grammy fallout has seen Rihanna portrayed as the victim and Chris Brown vilified.

The issue of violence against women is once again in sharp focus. So called experts are offering their views. Thankfully, I'm not an expert and with the absence of any evidence as yet, I cannot form an opinion. I await the court proceedings where Chris Brown will attempt to defend himself.

Some people are predicting the demise of the RnB star. Apparently, he's searching for public relations experts to commence the fight back, undoubtedly to capture the hearts and minds of the female fans who he seriously risks losing. By some accounts, Rihanna was not impressed by the statement he put out express regret. Unquestionably, that statement must have been influenced by the pending court case and as such meant he couldn't express liability even if he wanted to. Shouldn't he be focusing on his pending case and resolving whatever differences he may have with Rihanna at the moment?

Meanwhile, 50 Cent continues to humiliate Rick Ross, aka the Boss for daring to dis-respect him in a song. He's gone as far as obtaining the Boss' financial records to prove he's not authentic, i.e. he's broke and doesn't have the money he seems to profess; and taking the mother of his child, Tia shopping for fur coats and what have you. In his latest cartoon, which can be viewed on his www.thisis50.com site, he has the alleged former Correctional Officer (I must cover my tracks there), Rick Ross chasing Chris Brown, arresting him and throwing him in jail for beating up Rihanna. A bit tasteless but funny though. It begs the question though. Shouldn't Mr Curtis Jackson be focusing on releasing his easily awaited album, Before I Self Destruct? He's pushed it back twice now and is in danger of becoming Dr Dre's Detox, which has taken forever to release. He must be bored with all that money.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

2009-02-11T03:25:00.000-08:00

I find it hard to appreciate judgmental people. I find them the most hypocritical types of people after those who go for a Valentine's Day meal when clearly they are not in love. Okay, enough about my Valentine's Day angst.

When I was growing up, someone pointed out that when you point one finger in your hand towards someone, four are pointing at you. That left an indelible impression on my psyche, because now when I witness someone criticising or gossipping about another person, I mentally see the four fingers and think - 'I wonder what is there to criticise and gossip about you'.

No one is perfect. I think one of the qualities of a human being is to make mistakes and an even endearing quality is to learn from these mistakes. So when a woman cheats on her husband, for example, that does not make her a whore in my eyes. I won't stop talking to her or treat her any different. If she chooses to learn from it, with or without getting caught, good for her. If she doesn't, I still will not treat her differently. End of.

You see, when we judge people, we almost always use limited information. If we were privy to all the information, our judgment may change. Which is why I don't waste my time passing it. I just take people the way they are. If they do something that truly shocks me, I process the information within and come to the conclusion that we are humans.

A friend of mine is currently in serious trouble for alleged cocaine trafficking. I hope he beats the rap because I like him very much. That is all what I'm basing my wish on and not on whether he's innocent or guilty. You know why? It's because, if he was guilty and went down, I'm sure the world will not be a better place because of it. If he beat the rap, whether innocent or guilty, knowing him as much as I do, I'm confident he'll be a better person. If he's innocent, then he's being unfairly treated. If he's guilty, he will learn from his mistakes.

There is no way I'm condoning illegal actions but when you consider the hypocrisy of this world, is it any wonder I'm looking after the interest of my friend first and foremost. Is that not what everyone else does? Look at USA in the Israeli-Palestine issue. Did they not also bomb Iraq on false allegation?

Back to judgmental people, I have a message from you. Judge not unless you judge yourself first. While you point your finger, someone else is judging you.

VALENTINE'S DAY APPROACHES

2009-02-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

Just a week to go and the most pointless day will be upon us. Some day it is, this Valentine's Day. It is the so called lovers' holiday where couples in love are expected to swap sweets, chocolate, flowers and other gifts. 'In love' is the operative word here.

It is safe to assume that there's a lot of uneasiness on the part of the half of a couple who is not in love with his/her partner or is in love with someone else. Valentine's Day will in this case more often than not be spent, not with the person he/she loves but with the one either society or the conscience decrees be loved.

I see Valentine's Day as a day when businesses and corporations in the gift, sweet, chocolate of flower industries lick their lips at the free money going their way. Money spent out of love but also out of duty.

I see the love between two people as natural and spiritual and something that should be celebrated off the cuff and not on an appointed day. Let the appointed day be for hypocrites or those looking for love.

NO MORE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

2009-02-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

We are now into February and I can confidently bet a lot of people that they have already dumped their New Year resolutions as quickly as they made them. I count myself among those people. Which is why I'm never going to make any going forward. I like me just the way I am.

The year 2009 was the year I resolved to make the love of my life happy - she's now more miserable than ever and I have got to hold my hands up and say it's because of, not despite me. That is a serious burden to carry. I try my hardest to correct the situation but it's like swimming against the tide. Now, I'm going to try no more. I'll just sit back and relax and see what happens.

I resolved to attend church more and play a greater role there but I have hardly been since the turn of the year. By the end of 2008, I was confident God was really pleased with me as I spent a lot of time with Him, in church and praying privately. Now, I'm not so sure. So much things going on around me.

Financially, by now I should have been in a space that could best be described as extremely comfortable, but I did not estimate correctly how long it will take to get me there....maybe six months to a year more, who knows? I'm not complaining as I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do and I am enjoying it. I should be doing more though but all in good time.

I resolved to go out less this year and spend more time by myself. Although I am doing enough of the latter, I still find myself going out too much for my liking...but all in good time.

For me, I've made my last ever New Year's resolution at the start of February 2009 and it is .....no more New Year's resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I'll still plan my life as I can see the benefits of this but I'll do this as and when the need arises and not on 31 December of any given year. I'm happy to be alive, to be healthy and to be doing what I want to do. I've got to be happy with that.

Oh by the way, of course God is pleased with me. I feel like I'm a special person to Him and I am yet to know and fulfil what He created me for....all in good time.

EMPOWERING BELIEFS PART 2: I ACHIEVE ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO

2009-01-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time coming so without further ado, I present to you the second of five articles dealing with the beliefs and principles that currently shape my life...

It was December 1992, by usual standards, a bitterly cold winter night at London's Victoria Station. For a 20 year old returning to the place of my birth for the first time in 17 years, it was hard to believe that people actually lived in this place. I felt like I was walking in a freezer.

My mum who knew what to expect had given me some money to buy warm clothing from Charlie Girl Boutique in Freetown's city centre. However, as I had no appreciation of how cold it would be, I put the money to 'better' use, going on an all night bender with my mates at Bintumani Hotel. That was the day before I left Sierra Leone to pursue my dreams and aspirations in the UK.

I had arrived at Gatwick on Christmas Eve and took the fast train to Victoria where my aunt would be picking me up. I was so cold I could barely unlock my fists to get my aunt's telephone number to find out where she was. I had to beg a passer-by to help me get the number from my pocket. The man, from Ghana, stayed with me until my aunt arrived, for which I was truly grateful. Mistaking the UK for Africa, I asked the guy for his telephone number as I thanked him, promising to visit him at his residence. He politely declined.

As I sat in my aunt's car with the niceties out of the way, I went into my space, reflecting on the journey it had taken to get me here. This was just reward for passing my A Levels.

Having been a brilliant boy in school in my early years, I increasingly went off the rails in my late high school years. I had disappointing GCE 'O' Level results because I thought studying was for wimps.

This promoted a heart-to-heart with my mother. She knew I had grown bored with Sierra Leone and wanted to return to England, where she had met and married my late father, while they were both studying. They returned with me, three years later, with future prospects looking bright. Fast forward to the late 1980s to early 1990s and things had fallen apart with mismanagement and corruption rife in the West African state. I just wanted to get out.

However, my mother, concerned about my future, insisted I would only return to England if I retook my exams and realised my true potential. This was the first time ever I considered what I wanted in life. It had all been about peer pressure before or doing what my parents wanted of me. I decided to dump science related subjects as I was hopeless at them. I took business related subjects instead.

I worked extremely hard, planning my timetable, attending all my lessons and actually revising for exams. Unsurprisingly, I excelled in the exams. I thought I had met my own side of the bargain and this was it, England here I come.

To my dismay, my mother moved the goalposts and told me I needed to complete my A Levels and be as successful as my retaken 'O' levels before I could return to England. I was devastated...another bloody two years.

Years later, I understood why my mother took that stance. It was aimed at character building and learning to plan to achieve results. In those two years, as I didn't want to spend a day in Sierra Leone after my exams, I played but worked extremely hard as well. It was also a tempting time because in April 1992, friends of mine led by 26 year old Captain Valentine Strasser had staged a successful coup-d'etat and I was rolling with the big boys. I could have been enticed into staying in Freetown and enjoy the trappings and ultimately the dangers of hanging out with a military dictatorship, even though initially they were greeted joyously by Sierra Leoneans. However, I had my goal in site and nothing was going to derail me.

My goal was England. The means to the attaining the goal was good 'A' Level results. In order to achieve the results, I needed to be focused and disciplined. I was intelligent - that was standard - but combined with a good work ethic I was able to succeed in my exams.

"We are here", my aunt jolted me from my thoughts as we arrived at her house in Stockwell, south-west London. "You've made it safe and sound", she continued. She had no idea how spot on she was.

Those early experiences in my life shaped my belief that I can achieve anything I set my mind to as long as I am confident in my ability, focused, disciplined and tenacious.

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE BY MILITARY AND STATE HOUSE PERSONNEL IN SIERRA LEONE?

2009-01-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Let me put this straight from the off. I love my country Sierra Leone to bits. I am also frustrated at the lack of leadership and progress that has dogged the tiny West African state for years. Indeed, the decade long civil war which thankfully ended in 2002 considerably stifled the country's development. However, what has long been our Archilles heel is rearing its ugly head again. A lack of unity and respect.

To find the country languishing at the bottom of the human development index on a consistent basis is hard enough to bear. What is worse is the reluctance of Sierra Leoneans generally to accept that the way forward starts with loving the country first and foremost and putting political affiliations to one side.

Below, I reproduce one such example of alleged abuse of power and the embarrassment of an eminent Sierra Leonean who sacrificed a lot for peace in her country, Honourable Elizabeth A Lavalie. Hon Lavalie has written to press houses giving her version of events to an unsavoury incident which happened in late January 2009.

The point of reproducing this letter is to remind all Sierra Leoneans that we have a duty to respect our fellow citizens. It is also an appeal for our political bodies to refrain from abuse of power.

For long I have been uneasy with how the police and military personnel carry out their duties. Some of them are frankly not fit to serve their country because all their actions resemble those of thugs and gangsters.

I am Sierra Leonean and for the record I do not support either the APC, SLPP or PMDC. If indeed I was to cast a vote it would be as a floating voter with my eyes closed doing 'ini, mini, miney, mo' as I would not be voting out of conviction....I do not believe our parties have what it takes to govern, which is sad indeed.

I'd just kindly ask Sierra Leoneans to put Sierra Leone first and stop harrassment of their citizens. If not, we know what happens. When the opposition comes to power it would be revenge time. It's that vicious cycle that led to the rebel war and we don't want more of that. Here is the letter reproduced from the desk of Honourable Elizabeth Lavalie.

I wish to kindly ask you to use your newspaper's medium to disseminate on my behalf a very worrying development that has happened to me. As journalists, you will recall that as coordinator of the Women’s Movement for Peace in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone, at the height of the war I organized the first peace march in Kenema which saw hundred of thousands of women out in the streets calling for peace. In Kono, I settled a long-term dispute between the Motor Drivers Union and the Sierra Leone Professional Drivers Association. As President of Women in Action I visited all the refugee camps in Guinea. (Forecaria, Queguedo, Zarakulay and Faramoyah regions) that hosted Sierra Leoneans providing food and clothing and giving them hope. As a founding member of Mano River Women Peace Network (MARWOPNET), I traveled to many countries in quest for peace for Sierra Leone.

I challenged late Foday Sankoh to give peace a chance in Sierra Leone. I have always been an advocate for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights. I was a former Deputy Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament for six years, former ECOWAS Member of Parliament for five years, an Eminent Person of the ECOWAS council of the Wise and a Commander of the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

It is unfortunate that an eminent person of my personality should be insulted, assaulted and molested by military forces under the command of one Major Mabanta, now deployed at the residence of the State House Press Attaché; libeled and defamed by this same press officer at State House in the person of Mr. Sheka Tarawalie alias Shekito. This is not the first time he has used military forces to intimidate peaceful citizens using Thomas Drive. A previous report has been made at Military Head Quarters, Cockerill.

All of what was planted by Mr. Sheka Tarawalie in the article entitled "Malicious damage and bodily harm" in the Standard Times News Paper published on January 22nd 2009 is blatantly false, vicious, defamatory and libelous of my esteemed personality. It was a pre-emptive move by a journalist who knows fully well that he had committed wrong but was trying to cover his tracks by abusing his press friendship to vilify others that he had clearly offended. I believe that a journalist most treasured commodity is the truth but alas that is not so for your colleague Mr. Sheka Tarawalie.

I know that journalists tend to protect each other but in this case, I am appealing to you to let the public know my own side of the story as against what Mr. Sheka Tarawalie will want you all to believe as published in Standard Times Newspaper. Please kindly publicise my own side not only for me but for every citizen of this country especially our women. If a woman of my stature in this society could be assaulted in broad daylight by armed soldiers on the orders of a junior State House operative, well, what will the ordinary Sierra Leone woman expect to face under the prevailing circumstances in which we find ourselves?

I am only now able to tell my own side of the story because ever since I was brutally attacked by the armed soldiers, I have fallen seriously ill and have been unable to leave my residence except to seek for medical treatment. I am a hypertensive patient but I have controlled my hypertension successfully over the last how many years. However, the shock and trauma of the beating I received at the hands of the armed soldiers on Tuesday 20th January 2009 has left my blood pressure still rocketing uncontrollably high. I am now with a constant headache and the pains all over my body are yet to ease. I have suffered tremendous physical, emotional and psychological trauma. I am yet to come to the full realisation that indeed it will appear that despite all the gains brought forth by the combined efforts of the media, civil society and the Government to develop a free, democratic and civilised Nation, we can have the likes of Sheka Tarawalie undertaking actions that will only lead this country back to the possibility of the brutal junta days of the AFRC.

Please, in the interest of this country, I appeal to you to put aside whatever camaraderie you might have with Sheka Tarawalie and air my own side of what has transpired.

This is my own side of the story: The incident occurred on Tuesday the 20th January 2009. I arrived at Thomas Drive – the only access road to residents living in the community back of the Guma tank at Hill Station off Regent road where I also live which has been the usual access road for the past fifteen years.

I got to Thomas Drive in high spirits after having watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama. To my dismay, I noticed that there were two cane sticks crossed at the entrance of the road blocking the access of any vehicular traffic. There were two soldiers by the blockade. Upon enquiry, the soldiers informed me that they had instructions from Mr. Sheka Tarawalie alias Shekito to deny access to the inhabitants. They set fire on grass in the middle of road to prevent my vehicle from entry.

I immediately telephoned the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Alhaji I. B. Kargbo to inform him about the unfortunate incident i.e. the denial of access of my vehicle and he told me he was not in Freetown at the moment but he will make a few phone calls and get back to me. I waited for about thirty minutes without any further response from him.

I then alighted from the vehicle and proceeded on foot to see whether a pedestrian access was open so I could go to my house. It was at this point that one soldier identified later as Private Musa, assaulted me, kicked me on my injured knee, pushed my head and threw my head tie to the ground. When I asked his name he told me that if I dare ask for his name again he would stab me. At this point two other soldiers came up to me and informed me rudely that there was not even a pedestrian access to allow me through even if the pain in my foot was killing me. It was then I noticed that the road was completely sealed. They said, “We are not going to allow anyone through the fence because all of you beyond the fence are SLPP” quoting from Mr. Sheka Tarawalie.

I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe my ears that a Government official working so closely with the President could demean himself to such a disgraceful and unpatriotic level as to instigate military forces to harass peaceful citizens, intimidate and deprive them of their human rights thereby negating the President’s call for political tolerance and attitudinal change. I was carried home because I could hardly walk through a rugged and dangerous footpath inside the premises of neighbours.
I have already written to the President to request that such naked aggression and the illegal utilization of state instruments for the purpose of intimidation must be immediately addressed.

The matter has also been brought to the notice of both the Chairman and the Focal Point of the African Peer Review Mechanism in the country. Sierra Leoneans have fought too hard and for too long to develop a peaceful, law-abiding society for us to have it derailed so cheaply.

When I got home I made several phone calls to authorities. On Wednesday, the 21st, because of the pains I was experiencing, I had to be led again through the same dangerous footpath to see a doctor.

After seeing the doctor, I went to the General Manager of SALHOC Mr. Kemoh Tarawalie to report the matter of the closure of the access road. He then told me that Sheka Tarawalie has no authority to close the road. In my presence he instructed one of his staff to open the road and to write to inform Sheka Tarawalie of the intended action. Up to date the road is still closed thereby imprisoning me and the rest of the community. Residents of the community have since written letters to the Chief of Defense Staff and Mr. Kemoh Tarawalie on the matter. Unfortunately we still await response.

Indeed, one wonders where Sheka Tarawalie got the authority to misuse and abuse the military personnel which he commands at will to beat people and molest peaceful citizens irrespective of their status in society. If a press officer Mr. Sheka Tarawalie working with the President- could turn around and misinform the press and blatantly defame an Honourable Member of Parliament one wonders what information he is feeding the President with on a daily basis.

This does not auger well for democracy and good governance. Our Head of State needs an honest and matured professional who promotes the ideals of the President in this position (Press Attaché).

Even as I dictate this letter, I am still at home injured and cannot go to work because I cannot walk with my injured assaulted knee and the only vehicular access road has been blocked by Mr. Sheka Tarawalie the State House press attaché. I am in constant need of medical care following the physical and emotional trauma but yet I have to be carried through thick bush paths to enter and leave my house because no vehicle can pass to access my residence.

I am also attaching to this letter, two copies of relevant correspondence including one signed by all the 43 (forty three) Heads of Households of all the 43 (forty three) residences that have been affected by the decision of Sheka Tarawalie to use soldiers to forcibly seal off our access to our residences. As of now, 43 sets of tax-paying Sierra Leonean families including women and children no longer have vehicular access to get to their houses and now have to trek through dangerous bush paths to get to and from their homes simply because the State House Press Attaché “decrees” this. Is this right?

I sincerely pray that your newspaper will give my own side the chance to be heard and by extension, a chance for the 43 sets of affected Sierra Leoneans to also be heard.

Yours Sincerely,

Hon. Elizabeth Alpha – Lavalie C.O.R.S.L.
Chairman, Human Rights Committee, Sierra Leone Parliament
Chairman S.L.P.P. Parliamentary Council
Sierra Leone Parliament

BEWARE OF THE 80/20 RULE - LET YOUR SECRET BE YOUR SECRET

2009-01-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

How many times have you given up on an idea which you had believed in because someone had told you it won't work? How many times have you been scoffed at when you put a point across which no one else had thought of before? Are you someone who is internally referenced (derives confidence and satisfaction from your own judgement) or externally referenced (confidence and satisfaction gained from the feedback of others)? If you haven't heard of the 80/20 rule before it's time I shared it with you.

The 80/20 rule insinuates that 20% of people achieve 80% of what they set out to do while 80% only achieve 20%. This rule sheds light on why a lot of our ideas never seem to make it past the inception stage as soon as we share it with somebody else. There is a higher probability that you would run your idea past someone who achieves very little in life and have therefore developed a negative attitude to getting out of their comfort zones and taking risks.

It is therefore important that we keep our ideas to ourselves or seek out people who could help you develop the ideas further or at least encourage us to pursue it instead of giving up without trying.

I had a funny experience while working for the biggest building society in the UK. In one of our management training sessions, the Personnel manager who was facilitating a session on innovation commented to one of my colleagues that all the ideas she came up with in the session were either tried and tested or seemed far-fetched. To which my colleague classically responded: "You wouldn't know innovation if it bit you in the leg. You'd probably call it far-fetched".

Due to my knowledge of the 80/20 rule, it would take someone of the calibre of Richard Branson, or 50 Cent or Barack Obama to knock my idea...and that would be after I've tried and exhausted a lot of options.

As an individual I am ultimately responsible for myself. Therefore, I give myself the highest regard in evaluating my ideas, better than anyone else. I would much rather prefer to try something and fail than not to try at all because someone didn't think it was a good idea. Especially as there is a significant chance that the person belongs to the 80% of little achievers. I wouldn't want someone else's take on life and their experiences to be the main determinant in how I live my life.

Therefore, if I was given one shot at advising anyone I know, it would be to keep your ideas to yourself and only share with those who have a track record of achievement. So, if you do not succeed, you'd know it's not because you gave up on your stool.

THE GREAT HOPE THAT IS OBAMA

2009-01-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

One of the defining moments in history has come and gone. The inauguration of Barack H Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America was indeed a worldwide event with celebrations not only in the US or Kenya but also in places as far away as Freetown, Sierra Leone.

It might come as a surprise that Freetown holds Barack's appointment so dear. For those not versed in the history of slavery, a lot of freed slaves settled in Freetown in the 19th century from places such as the US, Canada and the Carribbean where they were used as cheap labour. The movie, Amistad was based on the story of slaves from Sierra Leone who mutinied in the high seas and were subsequently given their freedom in the US.

A lot of people spoke of the sacrifices and the commitment of the civil rights activists in the 1960s which undoubtedly played a significant role in the historic inauguration watched globally. Many commentators have informed us that the Hispanics played a great role in Barack's election victory as they voted for him in droves. All these people deserve hearty congratulations for the roles they have played in promoting freedom and equality.

I also want to congratulate the white population of America, especially, who have come a long way from an almost cultural prejudice to acceptance of other races. They have ceded a lot of ground over the years either willingly or by the sheer force of change. The went to the polls and actually voted for Obama of their own accord. Frankly, Obama would not have won with black and Hispanic votes alone.

The romance is over now. It is time for Obama to step up to the mandate given by his people and promote an environment of peace, tolerance, freedom and empathy. After all he is the most powerful man in the world now. The world is watching. He intends to pull troops out of Iraq, engage with former adversaries willing to do the same in good faith and bring together warring parties with a view of finding a solution to the Israel-Palestine deadlock.

The whole world is watching and waiting. More importantly, the whole world is looking for him to succeed. I fervently hope he does.

While he goes on with his assignment, I'd like everyone to remember the people of the United States of America. They have stepped up to the plate and more or less demanded that their world becomes free, safer, peaceful and tolerant. That is the promise that was sold to them by Obama, not just for their country but for our planet.

For this I say thank you to the people of the United States of America.

ONLY LIARS AND ALIENS DON'T SUFFER FROM POOR JUDGEMENT

2009-01-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

So what is poor judgement? I have a long held irritation with people who are quick to accuse others of displaying poor judgement. It implies that a person is one thing or another - either a good decision maker or a bad decision maker.

I wasn't convinced by this premise so I typed on Google search 'define poor judgement' and got a list of sites willing to help me out. I clicked on thefreedictionary.com definition and got this meaning: 'the act or process of judging; the formation of an opinion after consideration or deliberation'.

The definition revealed what I had suspected all along. Displaying poor judgement is a hit and miss affair. Displaying sound judgement is not an exclusive club which you can never enter into once you have displayed poor judgement.

The very nature of deliberating whether someone makes good or bad decisions is itself, in my view, an exercise of poor judgement. It leads to perception that bears little or no reflection on the reality. Such deliberating demonstrates an ignorant and sometimes malicious streak which masks the insecurities of the perpetrators.

So what is considered poor judgement by these perpetrators? More often than not it is decisions that lead to mistakes or failure in business, personal and other affairs. It's almost a taboo nowadays to make mistakes. It is almost perceived as a sign of weakness, which is ridiculous. The very nature of a progressive individual demands that she steps out of her comfort zones into the unknown in pursuit of success and progress. That takes courage. In the process, mistakes are bound to happen.

The best way of exercising sound judgement is not just by making the right decision in the first place but also - if mistakes happen - by how one learns from these mistakes or how one builds on success. In truth how many decisions are as black and white as right or wrong? Not many, I should think.

For every mistake there is a learning opportunity. Every human being exercises both sound and poor judgement depending on the circumstances. It is not a hereditary situation.

If someone says to you they always exercise sound judgement I can confidently predict they are lying. Then again I may be wrong. They may be telling the truth but they sure as hell are not from planet earth!

So if someone says to you 'I question your judgement', say to them 'I question your humanity'.

EMPOWERING BELIEFS UPDATE

2009-01-16T12:13:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick update. I am currently writing 5 articles on my empowering beliefs.

One has already been published 'Life is too short to be bitter and negative'. The next article, which will be published within the next 7 days is 'I achieve anything I set my mind to'.

The main aim of these articles is to motivate readers into taking control of their lives and making the right choices to leave a rewarding and fulfilling life. It is not intended for self gratification. One of my other empowering beliefs is 'I make a positive difference to people's lives'. I see these articles as one form of manifestation of this belief.

Stay in touch and live your life.

HOPES AND FEARS

2009-01-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

When I arrived in the UK in December 1992 from Africa, I was filled with hopes and fears. Hope that I will fulfil my dreams, not knowing what they were; and fear of the unknown.

Today, I can honestly say that I am still filled with hopes and fears of fulfilling my dreams and dealing with the risks and uncertainties that I face in pursuit of happiness.

As Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld opined, "hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route". I am thankful that if I had a crystal ball in 1992, I would not be disappointed if I saw that my life would turn out the way it is now. However, I'm even more thankful that I have the energy and the desire to surpass my achievements so far. That's the beauty of hoping.

I still harbour fears. I wish I didn't...but then again I'm happy I do because if I didn't I would be an alien, wouldn't I? To paraphrase, 'to fear is human'. I am happy to report that I confront these fears head on. I am positive by nature and come from a risk management background, therefore, I believe I am well equipped to deal with inconveniences like the 'fear of failure' or 'fear of the unknown'.

I have got to a point in my life where even though mistakes could be costly, I'm not terrified of making them. I just put contingencies in place to minimise them or to bounce back as soon as possible....and then hope like crazy everything goes largely to plan.

Pope John XXIII puts things into perspective: "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

It's all about a positive mental attitude.

Should we fear God?

2009-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

We should not fear God. We should love God because God is love. God has created us and we have a divine purpose to fulfill in our lives as ordained by God before we were born. What we should focus on doing is on being closer to God so that He can reveal our divine purpose on earth and help us fulfill it.

Generally, fear leads to avoidance, resentment and dishonesty. Where a wife fears her husband for example, for whatever reason, the wife is likely to do things to please her husband. Things she is not necessarily comfortable doing. She could hide things from her husband out of fear of disapproval. She could resent him just for the simple reason that she feels marginalized or under his control.

I do not believe that the God I serve wants a relationship built on fear. God is directing me to write now that He wants a relationship borne out of free will. We should enjoy worshipping and giving praises to Him.

Our relationship with God must be spiritual, honest, open and loving. Picture your relationship with who you consider to be your favourite person - relative or friend. More than likely the reasons you'll chose for liking that person will include their supportive and non-judgmental nature, their kindness, their leadership qualities, trustworthiness and selfless nature.

God possesses all these qualities in abundance. In fact, God created all these qualities in abundance. God should be our favourite. We should feel confident and comfortable asking Him for help, confessing our sins, sharing our breakthroughs and just keeping His company. We feel comfortable and confident admitting our mistakes to our favorite people, asking them for help, hanging out with them and sharing our good fortunes with each other. That should be the basis of our relationship with God.

God has created all of us to fulfill our divine purpose on earth as ordained by Him before we were born. One of the worst things that could happen to a person is living his or her life and dying without having fulfilled that purpose. One of the main reasons we are not able to fulfill our purpose is because we don't know what it is. We drift through life never seeming to be fulfilled, even when we have high powered jobs. We look in envy at someone earning considerably less than us but looking and feeling much happier and content than us. My brothers and sisters, this is because they have hit the jackpot. The jackpot is knowing what their divine purpose in life is.

I'd like to share with you two of many reasons I believe we are on earth for:

- to worship God
- to be like Christ

Now examine the people you feel are truly happy in your experience. They could be a milkman or a high powered director in a multinational company but they would always be easy to forgive, supportive, cheerful and kind when performing their various roles. More often than not, they will believe in God, Allah or whatever name they choose to call Him. They will not scaremonger people into following their religion but instead invite them to their place of worship.

These people have cracked it. They seem content because they trust and love their God. They do not fear Him.

For my part, I am covered by the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. Why should I be afraid? I'm blessed.

The Art of Parenting

2009-01-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

In his inaugural speech in November 2007, the new President of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai-Koroma, appealed for attitudinal change among his people. Attitudinal change means different things to different people. For this writer, this state of mind - as it should be rightly considered as, instead of the presidential initiative it is being bandied about as - should not neglect how we treat our children as parents.

Growing up, I was fortunate to be raised by a single mum who did all in her power to treat her children with respect, dignity and impressed on them early the need to take responsibility for their actions. She mothered - not smothered - her children. Even today as an adult, my upbringing has stood me in good stead. I am not afraid to make mistakes or take risks. The key to my upbringing was: do not be afraid to fall, just make sure you get back up! No doubt, a good number of my fellow Sierra Leoneans were lucky enough to be brought up in this way. The majority, I am afraid, were not.

Children in general are smothered by their parents. Their talents are rarely encouraged. Instead, it is the age old problem of the ‘if I’m older than you, I’m wiser than you’ mentality that has stifled the development of the African child.

Sierra Leonean parents collectively, have a track record of getting things spectacularly wrong. For example, while growing up in the eighties and early nineties, if you came from a so-called respectable family, you were likely to be accused of bringing a slur to the family name, if you were caught participating in local grassroots – or should it be ‘dirt-ridden’ - football leagues in local football fields across the country. This ‘crime’ would warrant a family gathering where the mothers’ tears will flow and with the heavy use of the fathers’ belts convincing the ‘offenders’ to mend their ways.

The case the prosecution presents is that playing football competitively in these area leagues as they were called, was for school drop-outs and illiterates. Imagine that! This displayed an apparent lack of vision on the part of Sierra Leone parents. Granted, no one could have predicted the football explosion in which footballers have climbed to the top of world earnings and are being treated like rock stars. The main failing of parents was their failure to encourage their kids to broaden their horizons, develop competitive spirit and hone their talents. They were more interested in their kids becoming doctors and lawyers for their own personal glorification.

Small wonder that the nation is struggling to get its inhabitants to grow rice! There are so many lawyers in the country that the majority is diversifying into business and other occupations. At best parents could be accused of being selfish and prescriptive, at worst abusive.

A good parent must try to understand what their kids are good at and encourage them to develop their skills further. Every individual is blessed with unique skills. For people to achieve their true potential, their unique skills most be utilized as much as possible. Imagine Mohamed Kallon - the most successful footballer Sierra Leone has produced – as a surgeon or David Beckham as a lawyer. The world may have lost more people and people may have lost more cases as a result.
Let kids be. It is not about them making all the decisions. Parents need to use their experience effectively to help harness their talents. As parents, we can improve their chances of success in life by providing education for them. In their formative years, we must try to identify their talents and expose them in these areas as much and as soon as possible. When they are teenagers, they would have options to pursue linked to their unique skills. Kids would have a greater chance of success in life choosing one of these options.

My daughter is five years old. Already, she would not leave a pen alone. She loves to write and draw. She has got a very imaginative mind and can concoct a story that makes sense. When she does these things, her eyes light up and the pleasure is there for all to see. I encourage her to write everyday and help her build on her stories. When she can convince me to get off the TV watching football, I type up her stories for her as she dictates them. Her mum has identified that she also loves music. She’s enrolled in a drama school. The point here is we shouldn’t be prophesying their future but identifying what they are good at and providing opportunities for them to improve further.

My son thinks he is a bad boy. He likes to do as he pleases. My wife and I are slowly working away at calming him down. There’s no way I’d like him to become a dictator. In effect, not only should we be providing opportunities for our kids, parents should work at modifying their actions and behaviors that might be regarded as anti-social. It might be funny now to see one kid clubber another. However, not addressing the action will inform the kid that it is all right and this could form a part of a mentality that could lead to problems in future.

Our kids are our future. Our future looks challenging. We can meet these challenges in part, by equipping our kids for the future. They are the ones expected to deal with these challenges. We need to treat them like princes and princesses in readiness for their duties. We must not shy away from correcting them where we feel they are going wrong, without being abusive. We must love them. If they annoy us, we should not take our personal frustrations out on them.

We need to take responsibility early on. It is the responsibility of parents to develop their kids’ entrepreneurial spirit by encouraging them to take calculated risks. We must not treat their mistakes as failures. Instead, let us treat their mistakes as opportunities for our kids to learn something new.

Most importantly, instill in them the need to love themselves and respect themselves. You can show them how by loving and respecting them.

My Guiding Principles

2009-01-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

Today, I want to share with you how I evaluate my life and ensure I move forward positively. As a result of my life experiences, I've determined that the following principles or beliefs will guide my life:
• Life is too short to be bitter and negative
• I achieve success by believing in myself and by being focused, disciplined and tenacious
• I make a positive difference to people's lives
• I am a special person
• I achieve anything I set my mind to.

I then follow the following steps to ensure that I spend the majority of my time being guided by these principles and beliefs.
Step 1: I set very important goals (VIGs)
Step 2: I review the VIGs
Step 3: I update the VIGs

Let me take you through each Step in turn.

Step 1 In setting my VIGs I ensure each one is linked to the principles and beliefs above. For example, one of my VIGs is to establish a soccer academy for disadvantaged kids in Sierra Leone. This links in to my belief of making a positive difference to people's lives. My contribution to their future would be to provide a free academy for a selected number who possess talent with a view of providing them with the discipline and know-how required to succeed as professional football players. Under each VIG, I set tasks which will lead me to accomplishing the goal.

Step 2 On a periodic basis, I review progress against VIGs, with a view of:
• determining how well I am progressing
• questioning whether the VIG is still relevant to my life
• assessing to which extent actual completion of the VIG has fitted with the relevant guiding principle and belief
• identifying further tasks that I may have omitted for each VIG

During this process, I evaluate my life on a general level. This is the point where I:
• identify my mistakes and forgive myself
• identify how much time I've spent outside achieving my VIGs
• congratulate myself for VIGs achieved or tasks well done. Here, I might decide, for example, to celebrate by taking my family on a weekend break.

Step 3 As a result of the review in Step 2, I then do either one or a combination of tweaking my VIGs, leaving them as they are, adding new VIGs or dropping existing ones. Some of my principles and beliefs relate to how I react generally to my achievements or peoples behavior towards me and others are linked to specific goals. 'Life is too short to be bitter or negative’ could generally relate to:

- Anger at myself for not achieving a goal; or
- Another person doing something to me that I do not like

Whereas 'I can make a positive difference to people's lives' could specifically relate to achieving a specific goal of establishing a soccer academy. The key to moving in a positive direction is to learn from one's mistakes, forgive and be at peace with oneself, congratulate oneself and setting goals that are achievable.

I've published an article on Empowering Beliefs - Life is too short to be bitter and negative. Over the coming weeks, I will publish articles on my other Empowering beliefs. Until then....live your life.

The World would be a better place without the Hunger and Thirst for More

2009-01-09T03:19:00.000-08:00

The world would be a better place without hunger and thirst. By this I mean, the hunger and thirst for power, control, food, drink, success, possessions – basically, the hunger and thirst for more.

In the absence of hunger and thirst people will get on better with each other. Even the animals would get along in their habitat.

The need for power and control has led the world to the chaos it is in now. Wars are being fought all across the globe to the point where people forget why they were started in the first place. President George W Bush daubed the war his country is currently engaged in as the ‘war on terror’. Osama bin Laden is fighting a holy Jihad. One would be forgiven for thinking these guys were fighting separate wars. The Iraqi rebels would undoubtedly have their own name for the mayhem.

In the tiny country of Sierra Leone, West Africa, a decade long brutal civil war, in which innocent citizens had their limbs hacked off by so-called rebels intoxicated with drugs was fought on the premise that the rebels wanted to liberate the country from the hands of a corrupt regime. It has now transpired that the former president of neighbouring Liberia, Charles Taylor, is in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity for his part in the Sierra Leone war. Why would a Liberian president be interested in supporting unpopular rebels to wage a war on its own people? You have guessed right – for power and control of the diamond fields. These guys were not rebels but glorified bandits.

Wouldn’t it be great if all life forms could exist without the need to eat or drink? Lions would hang out with deer, snakes with frogs and man with man. In the under-developed nations in particular, the need to eat and drink is a chief motivator for people’s actions. People wake up in the morning with absolutely no idea of where their next meal is coming from. In order to survive, they are forced to be dishonest, corrupt or do degrading things. Ideals and values are compromised as a means of survival.

The feeling of success or perceived success is a wonderful one. It is almost intoxicating and addictive. It could give rise to a greater need for success. Success could be achieved through talent, luck, hard work and determination. One could also achieve success by eliminating competition fairly or unfairly. It’s the unfairly bit that is undesirable. The quest for success could lead to lies, deceit or even murder. If the need for success was non-existent, people might get along better.

Possessions could mean property, money, clothes, jewellery and the like. Family feuds can stem generations because of the hunger and thirst for more. The world would have little or no armed robbery, murder, court cases and even wars if the need for possessions was not so great.

Having said that, if the hunger and thirst for more did not exist, would the world not have been overpopulated? Would I have been born? One wonders.

My Empowering Beliefs (Part 1): Life is too short to be bitter and negative

2009-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Junior Kabbah smiled at me while he potted yet another black to win yet another pool match. We were having a fantastic time at Paddys bar in Aberdeen, west Freetown that evening. 'One day I'll beat you' I promised him. That was in May 2008. I'll never get that chance in this lifetime. For on 12 December 2008, Junior passed away. He was only 37 years old. Rest in peace my friend.

Junior, the son of the former President of Sierra Leone Alhaji Dr Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, loved life, was down to earth and was full of promise. Now his work on earth is complete.

A tragedy like this puts everything into perspective. For example, a man I consider my childhood friend duped me in a diamond deal (conflict free of course)some months ago. I had so much hate for him...not any more. Life is too short to be bitter and negative. I cannot afford to carry the hate in me as it would do me harm. I have forgiven him. Maybe, he was in a desperate situation and needed the money or the diamond. Even if he wasn't, I'm moving on with my life and moving on to the next challenge. I've also learned invaluably from the experience which will stand me in good stead for future business dealings.

I don't know when my work on earth will be done. What I do know is that I'd hate to leave with bitterness and regrets. Therefore, I'm going to make sure that at the start of each day, I forgive (including myself), pray and smile.

So there you have it. The year 2009 is the year when I refuse to focus on negatives, take responsibility for all my actions good and bad and forge straight ahead in my quest to fulfil my destiny.

It's a Happy New Year from me to you - live your life.

Mendecat.