African Peculiarities: TO ALL THAT SAT THE KCSE EXAMS;
There is one thing that many will not tell you, but I believe that it is my responsibility, as somebody who has at one time been considered a failure. At this time, many people will trip you into positions of guilt, your aunts and uncles, and sadly, for some, YOUR PARENTS. They had expectations of you, and sadly, you might not have met the expectations. The luckiest today, will be those who ‘passed’ their exams. This battle, so you know, is not about your KCSE grades. It is a battle of egos. What will I tell the neighbours? What will I tell the chama? But a good question, did you know that ‘A’ students mostly end up working for ‘C’ students? A Few examples of perceived failures? Warren Buffet, Richard Branson, Jack Ma? (PS: They are all dollar billionaires.)
The society will not want you to know, but it is because most of them don’t know either, and are conflicted right now. Your parents might be worried, that the dreams of their youth never came to be, and they banked on you to bring it to fruition, and how? By doing your high school studies for six years? Repeating over and over again to find that elusive goal? ‘YOU ARE A FAILURE’. That is what the society will gladly say to you, that you did not get an A, or a B, or a C. The society itself is guilty. How many A’s end up in the streets searching for nonexistent hope? How many professors are overwhelmed by the weight of intellectuality, go crazy?
Life has never been about exam results. Life has been about PURPOSE. Even with the ‘great’ results, a man without purpose if a poor man, a failure. You need to know that where you are right now it is no longer a COMPETITION. It is a RACE between you and time. Your battle right now is not with explaining yourself. It is not with apologizing to anyone, for these apologies will be endless and forever. It is time for you to find where you stand in life, to start chasing that bigger picture. By the time the rest get down from the pedestals of the society, you are already on the road. By the time they get to the road, you have already been crowned king. Like Ariana Grande, it is time to say ‘Thank you, Next?’ It is that phase in life, where while the opinions of many may count, they may not really matter. It is a time when you must stand up, pull your ears, and open your eyes wider. Let this war become personal. Let this struggle be your life’s purpose. You are already in pain, now get something out of it (Les Brown).
Let it not appear as if I’m dismissing the value of education though. I am only trying to be truthful here. Do what you’ve got to do, begin where you have to begin, and that is the only way you’ll get to where you want to be. This journey is long and tiresome, and it is pain and suffering that determines how far you get. Do not dismiss education. Just don’ curse yourself or not getting there quick. Thank God, and be grateful that you have the chance to start somewhere. It is not about the start of this race. It is about how you finish it. Find PEACE. You answer to no one else but you, and the next five years will witness me.
There is one thing that many will not tell you, but I believe that it is my responsibility, as somebody who has at one time been considered a failure. At this time, many people will trip you into positions of guilt, your aunts and uncles, and sadly, for some, YOUR PARENTS. They had expectations of you, and sadly, you might not have met the expectations. The luckiest today, will be those who ‘passed’ their exams. This battle, so you know, is not about your KCSE grades. It is a battle of egos. What will I tell the neighbours? What will I tell the chama? But a good question, did you know that ‘A’ students mostly end up working for ‘C’ students? A Few examples of perceived failures? Warren Buffet, Richard Branson, Jack Ma? (PS: They are all dollar billionaires.)
The society will not want you to know, but it is because most of them don’t know either, and are conflicted right now. Your parents might be worried, that the dreams of their youth never came to be, and they banked on you to bring it to fruition, and how? By doing your high school studies for six years? Repeating over and over again to find that elusive goal? ‘YOU ARE A FAILURE’. That is what the society will gladly say to you, that you did not get an A, or a B, or a C. The society itself is guilty. How many A’s end up in the streets searching for nonexistent hope? How many professors are overwhelmed by the weight of intellectuality, go crazy?
Life has never been about exam results. Life has been about PURPOSE. Even with the ‘great’ results, a man without purpose if a poor man, a failure. You need to know that where you are right now it is no longer a COMPETITION. It is a RACE between you and time. Your battle right now is not with explaining yourself. It is not with apologizing to anyone, for these apologies will be endless and forever. It is time for you to find where you stand in life, to start chasing that bigger picture. By the time the rest get down from the pedestals of the society, you are already on the road. By the time they get to the road, you have already been crowned king. Like Ariana Grande, it is time to say ‘Thank you, Next?’ It is that phase in life, where while the opinions of many may count, they may not really matter. It is a time when you must stand up, pull your ears, and open your eyes wider. Let this war become personal. Let this struggle be your life’s purpose. You are already in pain, now get something out of it (Les Brown).
Let it not appear as if I’m dismissing the value of education though. I am only trying to be truthful here. Do what you’ve got to do, begin where you have to begin, and that is the only way you’ll get to where you want to be. This journey is long and tiresome, and it is pain and suffering that determines how far you get. Do not dismiss education. Just don’ curse yourself or not getting there quick. Thank God, and be grateful that you have the chance to start somewhere. It is not about the start of this race. It is about how you finish it. Find PEACE. You answer to no one else but you, and the next five years will witness me.
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