“AS I AM SO IS MY NATION”

(I received a few writings of one of our leading thinkers and thought it’d be nice for you fellow Patriots to hear from him. Enjoy.)

By Kumalau Tawali

I begin with these powerful words I learnt when I was at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1969, “AS I AM, SO IS MY NATION”. The way you think, the way you talk, and the way you act in spirit is the way this nation is going to be. The way I walk down the village or in the city is the answer for our people, now and the future. The challenges for our nation is our thinking and living. Your pride, greed or lying will determine the future of our people. So let me guve these words to encourage us now.

1. The Power of Love

The real leader must truly love your people with all your heart. There seems to be many leaders who never truly serve the people. Greed for example, is the destruction of our daily living. Gandhi said, “Civilisation does not consist in accumulation of things, but rather in the reduction of wants.” Just before World War II, Dr. Frank Buchman said these words: “There is enough in the world for everybody’s need, but not enough for everybody’s greed. If everybody cares enough and everybody shares enough, wouldn’t everybody have enough? Empty hands are filled with work, empty stomachs are filled with food and empty hearts with an idea that truly satisfies.”

One of the challenges of our leaders today, is that of destroying the spirit of greed, an enemy in our nation.

2. The Power of Humility

A true leader is a man of great humility. He is willing to listen to others before he speaks. His presence itself is authority of power. Jesus Christ the Greatest Teacher who ever lived magnified the virtue of humility when he said, “The meek and lowly are fortunate, for the whole wide world belongs to them”. The Apostle Paul said, “Don’t do anything from selfish ambitions or from cheap desires to boast, but be humble towards one another, always consider others better than yourselves.” It was the meek spirit of Gandhi that precipitated the Independence of India. A President of Uganda stated “Humility is one of the most important attributes necessary for good leaders. When you observe leaders at all levels of society, all over Africa, and I suppose throughout the world, you will find them overcome by power, greed and self interests.”

Without the spirit of humility, our people will destroy our nation.

3. The Power of Truth

My own life tells me, that there is neither small nor big sin, whether it has to do with the Prime Minister or other MPs or anyone in our nation. One of our writers, Bernard Narakobi expressed, “No leader who is full of cunning and trickery, will have the charisma that will inspire people to want to make sacrifices.” A well known poet from the West Indies, Aime Cesaire warned of this danger when he said, “A civilisation that uses its principles of trickery and deceit is a dying civilisation.” To be a true leader, truth is most important both individually as well as the nation. Truth is the foundation of our national existence. A nation cannot continue to enjoy freedom and prosperity without truth being practiced by all sections of its community. As someone said “You cannot live crooked and think straight.” A corrupt churchman, businessman, or politician is most likely, unable to think straight on matters of public concern. Truly one cannot live a crooked private life and expect to think clearly on public issues. What is done in darkness of our own private lives will one day be shouted from the rooftop. “AS I AM SO IS MY NATION”

I cry that the God I love, will give great hope to our nation.

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Change Starts With Me!