WINDHOEK– The Namibian College for Open Learning (NAMCOL) recently awarded its Essay Writing Competition winners for Grade 10 and 12.
Patrick Londeni, a Grade 10 Namcol learner here obtained 89% in his essay and walked away with N$ 1500 as overall best in the Grade 10 English second language category while Rauna Nangolo, a Grade 12 Namcol learner from Oshakati obtained 93% and walked away with N$3000 as overall best in the Grade 12 English second language category.
Here are the two English second language winning essays:
- 1. Patrick Londeni (Windhoek)
THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.
It is indeed a Biblical principle that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money itself is not the problem but the love of it is causing so many problems for mankind and I do agree with that statement.
The love of money give birth to some many evils such as greed, envy, jealousy, vanity, selfishness, deceit, corruption and hatred. Money makes the world go mad! In this materialistic world you are defined not by what you are, but rather by how much money you have. In today artificial “money-go-round’ world driven by greed, people have a policy of “Don’t leave anything on the table, not even the varnish. “Sadly, for most, the pursuit of monetary earth brings evil rather than good, and stress rather than enjoyment. One of the offspring of the love of money is greed. Greed is insatiable, there is always a hunger for more money and it makes the greedy into slaves of their financial wealth. If the love of money were a disease everyone would be sick. Greed has no holidays, it has no rest. What makes us discontented with the little money we have is the absurd belief that those with more money are so much happier that we are. As a moth gnaws a garment, so does the greedy love of money consume us. Through his desire for more money man have taken his first step downward. Thus began the long descent from a state of purity, sweetness, simplicity and peace. The gratification of one desire leads to the creation of the want for more, until humanity is so entangled in the money web it has woven around itself that no individual on earth can wholly extricate himself. Human beings has step by step learned to use his mind to further his selfish urge for more money, until they have developed an intellect which has taught them the use of fines methods, such as corruption, to do more evil.
Greed, corruption, selfishness, hatred, vanity, deceit are all the results of our love for money and they are contaminating out homes, our governments, our churches and our human relationships. Wars and crime will continue, and we will fail to attain the goals to which we aspire.
- 2. Rauna Nangolo (Oshakati)
I GOT ON MY KNEES AND HUMBLY APOLOGISED.
My dream was shattered and my study plans ended. The blame lay squarely on my shoulders; I know it may require nobody to remind me. However, this was exactly what was transpiring at that painful moment.
I looked left, right and left again as if I want to cross a busy road. The stern pensive furious faces that I encountered were also emotionless in an aloof sort of way. While they sat in this family mob of judges and jury, they were saint. Among them could have been medal-worthy, habitual offenders. On the contrary, at this moment I was the evil one who tainted the otherwise good name of our clan. I could not summon enough courage to look at those faces again. As a result, the only option left was to look upwards for inspiration on downwards in frustration. No sooner had I looked heaven-wards for divine intervention than a booming voice from one of those mandated to exercise justice on me boomed an jolted me back to reality;
“You are a shameless slut! Stop mumbling while facing skywards as if you are a witch. You should have been considerate just for a minute before doing what you did.”
All energy I used to have was sapped instantaneously. My father whom I used to take as my friend was a ball of rage and his eyes stared at everyone in an unblinking manner. He had every reason and right to do so because he was known for boasting about me as the role model of the whole clan. My now transformed father used to boast that I was to be the first medical doctor in our clan because I always passed with distinctions and scooped almost all the prizes in all subjects. His anger was justified. (It was as if the branch on which he sat has been severed and he was bound to tumble into the abyss.) When I stole a glance at him he appeared to have become five years older than he really was. I had hit him where it hurts most-below the belt.
My mother was sitting somewhere, in an ashen crumbled heap. I so thought because my eyes were sightlessly facing down in desperation. Involuntarily, I found myself holding my face in apparently quivering hands. Beads of perspiration formed on my face in a flash, a stream of cold sweat cascaded down my back despite the cool morning breeze that prevailed at that time.
“But-but-but I ” I vainly attempted to defend myself and was cut in mind-sentence by one of my own people who now appeared to be aliens from Mars.
“You are an unreasonable ingrate!! Stop trying to feign shame. You have embarrassed all of us. Our hope was on you. Now you, clever Teresia, have shuttered the dream of us all. No amount of money would be enough to settle that score. So you think we are fools to accept your lip service apology and sympathise with you for shedding those crocodile tears? No, my daughter, you may be educated but you are not sage. Wisdom comes with age and like wine it gets better with age too. I was the centre of unwanted attention. I had done a shameful act-got impregnated by a foreigner whom the clan believed to be “Oshilulu” and I could not change their mindset.
So, I got my knees and humbly apologised for the irrevocable sin I had committed.