Most of what makes our lives today was once just someone’s wish or vision. It, even so, happens that some of those who held such visions were labelled crazy or delusional.
In the early nineties, someone predicted that in the not-so-far future, human beings will be glued to and become slaves to mobile devices in their hands.
At the time it sounded ridiculous, and it may rightly be so because one person’s vision is sometimes first criticised and made a mockery by those who do not see or imagine it.
Today, here we are glued and addicted to the screens – and just robots slowly walking to our graves – although we may not admit it.
It is just the same for the people who endured long periods of enslavement to become accustomed to their circumstances and may never imagine freedom in their lifetime.
Bondage becomes their reality so much that even when freedom comes, it feels unreal – and some may still have nightmares of the past. It may even go as far as it taking them a while to adjust to their new circumstances slowly and gradually.
We have also seen as the world is grappling with the sudden change in the dynamics of the flow of information. We have seen how the legacy institutions face unprecedented transformation to adjust to this change or face extinction.
What was once the strength suddenly became their weakness in the SWOT analysis, and the focus moved to prioritise available opportunities. Unfortunately, for those institutions without the necessary skills and resilience, it has been a crisis and struggles to stay afloat.
We have also seen the same trend in the political sphere. It so happens that in the times of rulership, especially where a leader may have overstayed their visit, they become detached from their electorate.
Although they may physically be visible and present, their vision becomes blurred in the clouds of oblivion and self-absorption.
This is until one day they wake up and realise that in their detachment, the people they were to lead have led themselves way afar into the future and left them behind. It, therefore, becomes not only a time of leadership crisis but, even more, a reality check.
The phenomenon is not new. It has been foretold not only as a warning but a call for awareness so that we shall always remain alert because nothing is promised. It reminds us not to become comfortable, for it may lead to complacency, laziness and mediocrity.
The events of life are not just events – but most are lessons, signals and reminders for us to be prepared and adaptable, for we may not know what tomorrow brings.
Such events are also reminders of our impermanence and mortality of not only our earthly life but also ideologies and systems. We are also reminded that as much as we may make our plans, their fruition is also unequally affected by factors in other realms and beyond our influence.
With this understanding, we are, therefore, naturally required to expect the unexpected so that we are not caught unprepared for whatever life has in store – for we may never see it coming.