The above caption can serve as a statement encouraging us to take pride or a reminder of who we are and what we should strive to become. In my previous edition and the first of this series, I examined how Namibians perceive themselves in relation to drinking and driving.

As Namibians, we should develop unique lenses through which we and others can view us, encompassing everything that makes us who we are or what we can possibly be. We are indeed what we are, Namibians, who matter in every sense of humanity.

That is beckoning us to take ourselves and our issues very seriously. Our values, characteristics, and wholeness would always be unique, and of course, the rest of humanity will need that. Regarding ourselves, Namibians, is an idea that can be expanded into personal experiences and perceptions.  

The ways we feel, the ways we do things others are doing, the ways we process our thoughts about our issues, the ways we treat one another as brothers and sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces, friends, neighbours, opponents, and teammates.

That is the characteristic of making sense of the nuances of our individual experiences, which can result in our satisfaction or dissatisfaction with ourselves. In this edition, I would like to join Namibians in examining a common situation for clarity. Each of us should reflect on our personal feelings about this so that we can be rooted in self-reflection.

I am also urging you that self-reflection without perspective and reason can be merely self-torment. We must be willing to say how we feel, express our view and go on with what works best for us.  

Unfortunately, this self-reflection did not take root in us, or we do it at subliminal levels, where we are always unwilling participants. There are many things that can tempt you to urge others to regard themselves as Namibians in a better way or in a way you think is proud of them.

For example, drink and drive, speeding, craving for luxuries, money laundering, the idea of wealth or being rich, casual love relationships, high debts, regard for education, participation and involvement, the role of leading others, respect for others and public properties, and safety and security of every person.

Today, we will focus on speeding among Namibians.  The adrenaline to accelerate is a natural urge for pleasure, but not necessarily out of convenience. That is the case when someone insists that he must drive fast to make it on time to reach his destination.

In rare cases, a person would drive fast to evacuate or rescue someone else or from life-threatening situations. The absence of official statistics on accidents due to speeding over the limit limits our assessments to only those accidents reported by law enforcement.

Reported incidents become known only when the police conduct crime scene investigations and collect statements from survivors and onlookers. Everything starts with a Namibian who is proud of his achievement in life and compares himself to be superior to everyone and inferior to no one.

He is often turned nuts, crazy, angry and frustrated whenever he listens to a conversation talking highly of the skills of others. It makes him feel unnoticed when people do not talk highly about everything concerning him. The stamina to drive long distances on time, handling techniques of a fast-moving vehicle, and speed control were some of his fiercest contests in convincing others that he was superior. He wanted to prove to his family and friends back home, and the passengers in the car with him. On his way to the coast during one of Namibia’s long weekends, he had an opportunity just to do that on the road.

His driving typically became aggressive, evasive, and rough, but he continued to insist that everything was under his control.

A comment from one of the passengers almost caused him a thorough-out along the road, “If you are not comfortable in my car”. The tyre of one of the wheels burst due to heat, 50 km outside Usakos, with four passengers dead. The two passengers, including the one who was afraid, plus the driver, survived the accident after the car left the road.

The man confessed that he will never over speed again after that incident. It meant he changed his ways of thinking and embraced an acceptable, peaceful existence and outlook in life.

What does this incident show? Was the man wrong to think the way he thought? Namibians should consider speeding as a non-compensatory measure to their longing for an adrenaline experience. Speeding should not even be accepted as a skill or a demonstration of any capability, because it does not contribute to anything in life.

*George Haimbiri is the Founder and Trustee of Education Parental Focus Trust T214/2015