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Lead us, but not into Temptation!

Written by Tumelo Ramonotsi
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In a world where truth is no longer an absolute but relative, it remains extremely hard to find true leadership. The Leadership Vacuum keeps on growing exponentially!

In my view, there seems to be a difficulty for leaders to recognize and appreciate the sincere outcry of the people they lead. This outcry is perfectly captured in the petition prayer expression “…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…”

“…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…” is a prayer made by women in their dark houses begging abusive, careless & full of rage men and husbands.

“…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…” is a plea made by children beseeching abusive, inconsiderate & absent fathers and/or mothers expected to fulfill a role of guidance, supervision and parenthood.

“…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…” is an outcry made by professionals, workers crying against patriarchal, racist and exploitive businesses & corporates who in verbatim continue exploiting its employees with cruelty!

“…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…” is an uproar made by congregants pleading with self-serving churches, clergymen & leaders and then expect to take the podium under a grace disguise message, correcting everyone else.

“…Lead Us, but not into Temptation…” is a petition made by citizens begging a corrupt, unethical & crooked state that operates on nepotism and patronage.

While presented with all kinds of options to retaliate the victim is left with nothing but the leisure of time to take in all that is happening to him or her and then – Retaliate Deadly!

Ipso facto, then we dare to ask ourselves, how could the victim – the silent victim retaliate in such a despicable manner.

We are preoccupied, absent and inattentive to genuine cry expressed in many shapes and forms in our daily discourse. The cry is simple;

Yes! Lead Us (You Can), But Not into Temptation!

Article image courtesy of: https://soul2work.com

 

About the Writer:

Tumi Ramonotsi is a Debate Show Anchor, Inspirational Speaker, Business Analyst, Social Commentator and Young Business Leader. His academic background is in Information and Communication Technology. Tumi studied and completed his tertiary qualification at the Vaal University of Technology majoring in Business Analysis.

Tumi is also involved in Mentoring Young Leaders, Philanthropic initiatives and advocating for Excellence in Leadership. In his spare time, he invests in extensive research and reading on the subjects/topics such as:
· Business Leadership
· Politics and Transformation
· Youth Development

Nation Building,

It’s in our individual difference that we make a difference…

Written by Bongeka
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“i love myself.’

the

quietest.

simplest.

most

powerful.

revolution.

ever.”

― Nayyirah Waheed

I came across the above poem on Instagram a while back and instantly it grabbed my attention and I was so amazed that such simple words could carry so much power.

I think more than anything, what drew me to the poem was the first three opening words “i love myself”…and the reason why those three words made such an impact was based on a recent conversation I had with my friends. I had shared with them that; it always amazes me how society is more welcoming of negative affirmations of ourselves; if I say “I talk too much”, “I am impatient”,”I am not easy to get along with”. Though on the negative side, these will be more acceptable. But as soon as you use positive affirmations of yourself;  If I say “I am incredible”, “I am a great human being”, “I am good at my job”, people often think you are arrogant or glorifying yourself. Because as people we often want to “fit in” we find ourselves saying more of the former and that is detrimental.

So I want to challenge these societal abnormalities and adopt a different approach. I believe that – you can never give off what you not full off. We are all giving off something in the world, whether its our expertise, our charity, our time, our love, our hate, our incompetence, etc…but there is something each person gives off in the world.

But I also do know that most people, at the core of their existence is an overwhelming desire to leave the world better than they found it. And I truly believe that to love and serve the world well, you must love and serve yourself well.

Thus continuing to choose you is the foundation of making the real difference. A young man at church said “it’s in our individual difference that we make a difference”. I really love this statement because it carries a peaceful realisation that, it’s okay to be different in the world, sometimes we think being and acting the same is ideal, but actually we should all aim to be different. It’s in choosing to be different that our effectiveness in our different vocations and avocations will be born and cemented.

Growing,

Celebrity-me…

Written by Bongeka
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A few weeks ago, my friends and I were driving in the beautiful and exquisite neighbourhood of Beverly Hills. As I write this, I am shaking my head in utter wonder as I think back to 10 years ago. I would never have imagined that we would literally be in Beverly Hills and living our best life. I grew up before the times of Netflix, satellite tv and the internet, all we had were the channels provided by the South African government. My first exposure to Beverly Hills was through TV Soapies like the Bold and the Beautiful which my grandmother was so obsessed with.

Though we still face tremendous challenges as the world becomes more intertwined, from a social, economic and political front, I must say the vast opportunities to travel have really been beneficial.

Back to our Beverly Hills experience, so my friends love taking pictures and sharing almost all elements of our travel adventures. I remember sitting in the car, a bit annoyed and wondering ‘what’s up with these two and everyone else, obsessed with sharing photos and insta stories! lol’ and then it hit me. It’s nothing too profound, but just my realisation that, what once seemed like the unattainable life has become so attainable or rather an ‘attainable illusion’. We used to witness celebrities on television and magazines, sharing pictures of their so called “glorious” life. And now well, through technology in the form of smart devices and the advent of social media, we can all experience the “celebrity-me” phenomenon. This new world of picture taking and sharing our lives has made us feel like celebrities and truth is, human beings are obsessed with living the extraordinary life. As the saying goes “If it’s not on social media, it didn’t happen”.

Of course, this “celebrity-me” phenomenon brings with many negative consequences. In a study conducted by experts, they list 6 main negative effects of social media, namely:

  • It’s addictive
  • It triggers more sadness, less well-being
  • Comparing our lives with others is mentally unhealthy
  • It can lead to jealousy—and a vicious cycle
  • We get caught in the delusion of thinking it will help
  • More friends on social doesn’t mean you’re more social

Read more at (https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#30cef3f22e5a)

Some of the negative effects listed above suggests that social media may have a negative effect on our mental health. We are in an era where more and more people across the world live with a mental health diagnosis. However, it’s encouraging to see thorough research being done to demystify the stigma around mental health. An example of this work can be read in this article- (https://www.jenreviews.com/mental-health-diagnosis/). 

This is a beautifully written piece on mental health, providing thorough awareness of what it is and pens a blueprint that empowers people on how to deal with a mental health diagnosis.

However all the negative effects mentioned  in the forbes article are very relevant. There are also other more devastating instances (like the story of a child dying because the mom was taking a selfie, check out, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5721307/Horrifying-moment-baby-dies-mother-taking-selfies-shopping-centre-escalator-drops-her.html).

I am not saying we shouldn’t share moments of our lives on social media, of course we can. I am also not trying to be prescriptive about our social media usage, but as a self-proclaimed advocate for Human Rights, I think we must be cautious of social media usage so that it doesn’t steal our moment to moment happiness.

What are your thoughts on the above article? Please share at bongeka@fresh.penthevision.co.za

Wisdom, ,

Dear 22-year-old me…

Written by Bongeka
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I stumbled across the above photo of myself in my social media archives a few days ago. I looked and smiled at the photo. This was 2011 and I was 22 years old in this photo. I recall that my older brother took this picture on our way to my honours graduation ceremony. It was a really great day, I was so happy that after a tough academic year, I made it.

But beyond this day, the year 2011 was probably one of the most challenging years of my life. I fell in love with this young woman in the photo again and I felt like doing something corny. You know how famous people say ‘if I had a chance I would say this or write a letter to my younger self’’…so that’s exactly what I decided to do. Since June is youth month in South Africa, I decided to share some wisdom in the form of a letter to my 22-year-old self, so here goes:

Dear Bongeka
I write this letter in the year 2018, yes you are now 29 and I want to share some things with you. There’s so much to share but I can’t write everything now, but hear me when I say, 2011 is the year you will truly learn what faith is.

I love the habit of praying about everything and spending so much time with God that you are cultivating, that is going to be the back bone of your life, thank you for starting it.

You are at your heaviest in terms of your weight and I know it pains you when those you love say you are “fat” but you know what – in exactly a year from now, you are going to make a few lifestyle changes and God is going to help you with your health and baby, you are going to look so sizzling that everyone will be asking you how you did it, so don’t stress about.

You will soon learn that life is not what you have been taught growing up! Life is war baby and you are going to see that, but you know what? You are going to fall in love with yourself and that will be the foundation of your greatness and your self-confidence.

When you see that injustice speak up more, so that it doesn’t haunt you. You will soon learn as you already learning that religion is limiting. Next year you will have an encounter and a revelation of the true Gospel of Grace.

Don’t stop believing that you can do the impossible – continue to dream big and yes you are part of those chosen to impact your generation positively. But the clarity of your purpose will be revealed to you in the next coming years.

I need to tell you this, this is major – one of the most critical battles you going to have to fight is a battle to be you. But don’t worry too much as you will get better at it over these next few years and unfortunately this is a never – ending battle in a world that constantly wants us to be the same.

In a few months from now you will take a trip that will change your life. On a lighter note- uhm there will be no wedding ring and no kids by 27 – Thankfully! Lol, in fact you will realise that this marriage and kid’s thing is not to be dictated by society. 

Sadly, you will lose one of your closest friends, but don’t despair because you will gain the most incredible people as friends. They will continually show you how much they love you.

And finally, cherish your family, they really got your back. Put God first always, speak less and listen more and enjoy every moment of your life because baby, you are a force to be reckoned with!

Yours truly
Bongeka in 2018

Image courtesy of: https://www.haikudeck.com

 

Life,