Since time immemorial, humans have always been fighting. These fights, in most cases, have always been against something. What is interesting about these fights, though, is that they just never seem to end.
The fight against terrorism, for example, has been going on forever. So many lives have perished, nations destroyed and so many people have suffered – all in the name of fighting against terrorism.
In some of these cases, the fight against what is wished to be eradicated does more damage than the cause fought against.
Especially when fighting against terrorism is done by means of terrorising others and mostly innocent men, women and children.
The same can also be said about the war against drugs and alcohol. In Namibia, for example, many youth groups fighting against drugs have been established. Workshops, campaigns, seminars have been conducted and millions of dollars have been spent in the name of this fight, yet the more these are done the more there is an increase in the use of drugs (noting that alcohol is also a drug, if not the worst).
But why? Why is it that the more one thing is fought against, the worst it becomes or continues to exist even longer? Could it be a representation of “What you resist persists?” In fact, it is most likely so. It seems to be the case with everything where humans fight against something and often the desired outcome happens after so much damage has already been done.
Some things about this are even more interesting though. When it comes to human behaviour, we seem to be attracted to things that are prohibited or told not to do. It seems humans find pleasure in resistance. This is quite observable even in young children that, for some reason, they tend to want to do the things that they are told not to do. It could be that this reflects something that is in our nature and our ignorance or failure to address it may continue to cost us dearly.
The other interesting observation is that in going all out to fight against something, it eventually happens to worsen the very same thing fought against. In as much as awareness is made about the fight against a certain aspect or behaviour, the same awareness is also created about its existence to those who may have not even thought of it or even knew of its existence. For example, when embarking on a fight against sexually transmitted infections, sex is also indirectly being promoted in the same – especially when you understand how the subconscious mind works.
Now that it is very clear and evident, that fighting against may not be the best modus operandi, how about trying something new? How about trying to fight for the desired outcome or maybe paving a new way altogether? For the fight against something is always met with, resistance while in fighting for or paving a new path always has the least resistance, if there is any.
It is the time to stop fighting against and not even fight at all but create a new path and a new world.
It is for this that we may not even need a rebirth but a new birth of new people, ideas and vision.
It is not a renewal or a revival that may be needed to save this world from self-destruction but a new mindset and perspective. It is time to stop fighting with oneself too, for the best victory a man can ever win is over him/herself and not others. A win over thoughts, ideas and believes that no longer serves him/her nor the future of the generations to come.
By Karlos The Great
E-mail: karlsimbumusic@gmail.com
OSHIMWENYO is published every Friday in the New Era newspaper with contributions from Karlos Naimwhaka.