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LOOKING FORWARD AS A VIRTUE

Today we took our son for immunization and it got me thinking. Why immunize? The response is simply that the child will have immunity from diseases in the future. In Africa, there are 6 killer diseases: Measles, TB, Whooping Caught, Diphtheria, Polio and Tetanus. However there are many threats to life than just that. This brings to light the concept of looking forward.

Now the culture in Africa gives very little mention of looking forward, may be that explains the reason why we are so subsistence in nature.

I recently did a simple study asking many people from across Uganda the simple question on the word for Good Morning which in English is a wish for one to have a good day looking forward - all the responses across all the tribes was; How did you sleep, how did you wake, how was your night, how was your morning, did you sleep, did you wake and the list goes no. Basically they are all looking back. While the English word on the other hand was forward looking in wishing the person a good morning.

I have also been reflecting on the very nature of creation. If you believe there is a God then we can credit it to God that he made every thing forward looking in nature. Eyes at the front of the head, nose at the front, hands swinging forward, legs moving us onwards. Our reproductive organs all placed at the front side and not the rare side.

In most cases our wastes are deposited at the back or from things positioned at the back. That is the very nature of creation and yet in many cases we are driven forward with the things that have been experiences. There is a saying that the things that make me are Past Experiences, Environment and Choice (Steven Covey) In reality not many look at the choice aspect of things. The way in which we respond to like is Stimuli – recollection of experiences – response giving no ground time for reflection and choice based on your values.

Two things have guided my mind in my desire to look forward with confidence the first is to value all relationships. It is relationships that make us. If we did not relate with the people we are relating with then we could not be the kind of people we are at the moment.

So please value your relations and make them count

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