So there was no parade, but we
did have some fireworks. I have mentioned here before that “aggression,
accusations, and abusive language are like a fireworks display, loud and
distracting and leave only smoke in their wake.” Best of all, I have lost my
membership to “the fan club”; that forum where any dissent is met with
immediate blocking. I blame myself for that one; I should have figured it out
long before that autocrats have no room for dissenting views. I also understand
that someone made an attempt to write me an open letter. The only problem is
this, it is not so open if you are posting it in a secret group where the
letter's recipient has been blocked. It now becomes just another
juicy piece of gossip.
I have been attacked for my
supposed “good life” in the USA “sponsored by SOS”. All I can say is that I graduated
several years back, so I am obviously not under SOS sponsorship. Another thing,
I am sorry, but I cannot apologize for my achievements. I cannot beat myself
down to make you feel good about yourself. You are in control of your feelings,
whatever you feel about yourself starts in your head and no matter what I tell
you, that voice in your head remains the loudest. We all come to SOS and get the
same opportunity. What you do with yours is your business. My education in SOS
has been mainly through scholarships which I got by merit, nothing was handed
to me. My achievements are mine to own
and nobody can shame me out of my pride. I worked hard for them, focused and
got whatever I aimed for.
We have this bad habit of
insulting each other on the basis of achievements, diction, the car one drives,
where one lives, etc. I was brought up in SOS, we all were. We participated in the same activities, ate the
same food and had the same interactions, in other words; same opportunities for
everyone. You cannot classify me based
on your own insecurities, to be able to deal with who I have become. And I am
sorry I will not lower my standard to accommodate your mediocrity.
Most of us are still dealing with
mob psychology issues, we are still learning to support individual thought. We
are beginning to understand that it is ok to be a lone wolf; that it is ok to
say no, that we can withstand peer pressure and have different viewpoints. We
are learning that the world is bigger than the SOS village. Unfortunately, some
are coping and some have failed miserably so they will come back repeatedly to
that place they feel most at home and cuddle within it for security and to feel
needed and relevant. The enemies of progress are those that still operate in
packs and howl incessantly any time they feel the wind blowing in the direction
they do not like.
I rest in the knowledge that my
head is sticking out and that’s the reason why so many hits are coming my way. I
have been accused of being an enemy of progress. If that progress refers to the
planned demo, I cannot be faulted for requesting for clarification before
participating. I also never asked people not to demo, I just pointed out the
flaw in the plan and decided to watch from the sidelines. I recall making the
reference of killing the fly with the hammer, we didn’t need the big guns for
this, and there was a better solution. I still maintain that the best way to
work with the administration is symbiotically, a give and take relationship. As
for my stand on the issues we are facing, I have been blogging on them for the
past few years. Let those who have eyes read; and may God bless them with some
understanding.
