Times Of Swaziland: STAND BY THE TRUTH

STAND BY THE TRUTH
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Editor on 05/07/2022 08:20:00


Sir,
Life is a shape-shifter; anything can happen and a balance in life is never
guaranteed; so what happens when disaster strikes or when a perfect life plan
crumbles with the dream you have held dearly for years? We have all been asked
the infamous question, ‘what would you like to be when you grow up?’, and
only a few of us answered without giving second thoughts that perhaps more was
wanted from us, beyond the premises of seeing a teacher or a doctor when being
asked. We never looked at who we truly want to be, and perhaps that is the
mistake we continue to make; the mistake of valuing the possessions that can be
lost in the twinkle of an eye over emotional and intellectual assets that we
carry forever.
Situation
There are three sides in every situation, the bad, the good and the truth, and
by default, to be neutral only means you have supported the bad. Now this takes
me back to the question of ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Maybe
you could have been a cop or a teacher and maybe you are the successful doctor
you wanted to be, yet despite being all of that you have failed!
Job
Here you are years later, waking up to your dream job without the guts to stand
for the truth. So you are a doctor or teacher or nurse, but you are still the
same person who lacks courage and compassion for the truth, you lack bravery and
firmness. Your lack of these things means you have already cost yourself that
profession and the many generations that depend on you to be bold. You have
inevitably imprisoned yourself out of fear of losing one thing to gain
everything for the generations to come.
Realities
The atrocities we have faced as a country have cemented our realities in many
ways than can be imagined. This lies in the reality that the nature of imbalance
says we are on our own and until we face the predicaments that come with our
dilemma, we will be stuck in that dilemma out of the fear of losing only to
gain. The biggest mistake we can make is to assume the role of a spectator in
situations where the truth stands. We become as bad as those who reinforce ideas
that oppose the truth. It is my wish that we grow accustomed to the necessity of
being bold enough to stand for the truth even if it threatens our livelihoods.
The present is a reminder that we are incomplete when we show up for the jobs we
wanted, if it means that, on a moral code, we are unable to identify the matters
that need us to stand by the truth.