EVEN IN CRISIS GOOD LEADERSHIP MUST BE APPLAUDED

Disclaimer: The contents of this piece are not journalistic but merely opinions and are not, and should not, in any way to be associated with any editorial journalistic material also produced by the author.

THE year is 2012, close to twenty years of democracy for a country that has become the epitome of the unity that a once segregated nation can achieve…and yet, it is hard to believe times could possibly be harder.

As of late media, economists, analysts and social commentators have gone to town with criticism of the current South African government, more specifically, President Jacob Zuma.

Most prominently, Zuma has gotten flack over the revelation of astronomical amounts of fund, allegedly public funds, claimed to have been used to renovate and upgrade his private house in Nkandla of KZN.

The aftermath of these events has been disastrous to say the least. Not only has the president’s reputation taken a knock, but critics of the media have claimed reporting on this matter is motivated by little more than a malicious witch hunt against Zuma.

One always hopes common sense prevails in these kinds of disputes. Since this matter was reported, the alleged costs of these renovations have changed more times than a runway model changes outfits. Needless to say this takes a serious bite out of the credibility of what is reported at the end of the day.

None of these numbers are official and none have been proven and yet so many have claimed this house has cost a fraction of the construction costs of a FIFA World Cup stadium to renovate.

On the same token, just looking at images of the property itself, it is clear that those renovations are by no means cheap. This bids ill for President Zuma as this can of worms spilled open all while he told CEO’s of SA corporate entities to tighten their belts and take salary freezes.

With illegal mining strikes hurting the economy, textbooks dumped for reasons no one can understand, young people struggling to complete their education or get a job and a litany of other time bombs in SA waiting to explode, it becomes difficult to see the accomplishments of the current administration, and yes, there are many.

On Friday Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi made an announcement that essentially reversed South Africa’s previously dismal track record in the fight against HIV and Aids.

As of April next year a triple drug ARV will be available in SA. This means those living with HIV will have access to a drug that combines three important drugs, cutting doses from 3 to just 1 pill a day. Not only that, the South African product will be the cheapest of its kind in the world.

I know what you’re thinking: How did such a wonderful thing happen right under our noses with no one noticing? Who is responsible for this wonderful intervention?

Will look to Luthuli House at the man who has been blamed for all that is wrong in the country. Yes, even though Zuma has been criticized from pillar to post, his administration achieved something that would have been impossible in Mbeki’s “a virus cannot cause a syndrome” era.

Am I saying Jacob Zuma is perfect? Far from it. Am I saying he should spend hundreds of millions of state funds on a private home? Not at all and, if that is indeed the case, then he should indeed answer for it.

But as things currently stand, the man who has been written off has not been proven guilty. All this is happening while his accomplishments are blatantly ignore. And yet no one can answer the question of what Zuma is actually DOING to ruin the economy, persecute the poor or scare investors away.

It all seems to get lost in the murk of blind hatred for a man whom, while lacking formal education, seems to be the hardest working president our democracy has had yet.

As Mangaung approaches in a couple of weeks and 2014 national elections loom in the very distant future, I know that things are not perfect but I am aware that if this man is not at the helm of the nation’s leadership, it should be because he doesn't deserve it and not because someone out there doesn't like him.

President Nzumbi

IF YOUR TALK DOESN'T SERVE GOOD – EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT

THIS past week we have seen a tragic turn of events in South Africa and the world.  One would have never thought that a video would cause so much harm. A Los Angeles producer who reportedly goes by the names Sam Bacile or Nakoula Basseley came into the lime light rather reluctantly this past week after a video that he made spark outrage from Muslim communities around the world.

An American diplomat in Libya was killed as a show of disdain from parts of the Muslim community, as the video portrayed Islam’s Prophet Mohamed as a “thug”, a “rogue” and “a womaniser”.

But the violent response did not stop there. People from many of the world’s Arab regions demonstrated their anger at the video by targeting American embassies and a female suicide bomber crashed a bomb-laced care into a vehicle in Afghanistan, an incident that claimed the lives of eight South Africans.

Before continuing it is important that I stress that any form of violent action that results in the death of innocent people is quite tragic and perpetrators must be brought to justice. It’s also important to note that generalising the actions of a small portion of a whole group is unfair and dangerous.

I am confident that the number of Muslims who resort to this kind of violence to express their anger is in the minority. The Muslims I know in my personal life are kind, amiable and peace-loving people.

But there is an underlying issue that is in this tragedy that has been beneath the surface for the Arab world that has been a bone of contention for a decade.

In 2001 the United States were the victims of perhaps the most horrendous crime ever committed when terrorists crashed planes into the New York’s twin towers. What followed was an invasion into a number of Arab nations in a search for weapons of mass destruction.

This “war on terror” devastated the nations affected and more than a decade later no weapons of mass destruction were found.

This stays fresh in the minds of angry people who have protested against the video and shows that parts of the Arab world were fed up with the West perpetuating Islamophobia after the difficult decade many people suffered at the hands of Americans.

So with all these sensitive elements, why would this person be foolish enough to further antagonise matters by mocking a figure that Islam regards so highly?

America as a nation endorses the right to freedom of expression, no matter how absurd the expression may be to others. I am a respecter of people’s rights and don’t believe this right should change.

However there is no denying that the importance of not causing harm through exercising rights is ignored when something is expressed.

Earlier this year South Africa had a similar debate around Brett Murray’s painting The Spear, which depicted the South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed in a pose modelled after an iconic painting of Vladimir Lenin.

Political parties and members of SA society were quite put off by the explicit nudity in the picture and were concerned about the President’s dignity which they felt was being undermined by the “artwork”.

My personal feelings about the painting set aside, there is a strong argument that while Brett Murray had the right to express himself in the way he did, he had a responsibility not to cause harm in the way he did it.

Responsibility has gone out of the window in this day and age when it comes to these matters. People seem to want all of the rights and none of the responsibility. When the damage is done they want to be protected from the public as a result of the harm their actions have caused.

The video in question resulted in many tragic, needless and violent deaths. The Spear caused a young man who was also expressing himself (by defacing a painting he didn’t like) to be assaulted by security. These things constitute harm done.

There is a lesson to be learnt in terms of tolerance in this matter. We need to be careful of how we express our views around things that people regard as sacred. We have seen the damage that people speaking their minds can do on the continent (The Hutu Ten Commandments in Rwanda’s 90’s tribal conflicts come to mind).

The world is becoming more integrated than ever and going forward we need constructive discussion and discourse around issues. If that is too much to ask of the freedom of expression rally club then we are headed for tough times. If your expression will cause damage keep it to yourself.

President Nzumbi

Are you living or are you alive?!?!

Being alive and living are 2 exclusively separated concepts

This feels weird, How do I pour out the thoughts that have haunted (or rather blessed) my mind for the past few months non-stop. The thoughts of living and being alive being totally unrelated (buuut obviously in one direction only lol cos yo! if your ass is dead you won't doing any living lol)

Without wasting anymore time let's get to it (I'll try and keep it short, but hey I'm already short and too many short things about me will feel weird lol). I've been alive for 23 years 11 months and 6 days ... But I've only been living for like 3 years. That's how long I've been a Nzumbi, that's how long I have adopted the motto Happiness is a choice and Success is a habit. 

My simple truth is this To be alive is to exist in the flesh, To live is to be alive and give life all that you can, all the time. The honest truth is that most of the world gives life less than half for less than half the time. The rest of the time they are bitching and whining (we all know that humans loooove complaining :-/ ). If every time you got the urge to do something you know you have to (or rather, that which you are aware will lead you to your desired goal), you just stopped hesitating and you did it, you'd be everything you've ever wanted to be. That my friend, is the shitty reality of it all. I could repeat this a million times, if you are still  lost :-/ Get a compass lol 

The self is a muscle - Pump some iron!!!

What is the hardest thing that you've done lately? How many really challenging things do you attempt every year? What is the last thing you taught yourself that you couldn't imagine doing just a year ago? (FYI I'm on it. I can't say what it is, but let's just say I always dreamed of doing it but never had the balls to do it. Now I am living it :D)

The only way to grow a muscle is to lift heavy objects (Challenge it), you feel pain the next day, and the next week your arm looks like Johnny Bravos!! How about you treat your life like a muscle, the muscle of existence. Think of the Self (That is, the entire you, mind body soul) as the muscle, the only muscle with no physical limit to it's growth. Think of the infinite possibilities with such a muscle, no steroids needed, this muscle is it's own steroid. Push yourself and bare through the pain and sacrifice, you shall reap the rewards. Do what you thought was impossible, Learn a new language. Learn to swim, start gym, write a novel, make a song, learn yoga. Whatever you have the most trouble getting started, Is important to your evolution.

We all have dreams and goals (If you don't, you're wasting valuable oxygen for someone who does, so humanly of you), we all wanna be somewhere in life higher than where we are. We are all on a journey to a destination of our desire, and this journey can only be carried out by living. Every second, every breath, every moment is one step closer to your goal. So then, is it not wise to live it as though it is the most important moment you have ever lived in your life. The truth is, it is. You'll never get it back (lol ya, even if you bribe the Gods, you eon't get it back. It's gone lol forever), you either use it or loose it. 

NIKE - JUST DO IT Everyone should take NIKE's advice, stop thinking about it, just do it (**p)

Must read!!

The best text I've ever read that wonderfully elaborates this idea is Steven Pressfield's - The war of art. He elaborates on the idea of Resistance and Procrastination in a way only mind can conceive, my fingers cannot type.

In closing, I wanna say this. Life is to be lived, every second, every moment, every breath as though it is sacred, because it is.

Yours Happily

KingNzumbi(**p)

NOT A DOPE MOVE, LANCE

I know a lot of people are going to hate me for joining the chorus of criticism swarming around American cyclist Lance Armstrong.  The sad reality is that if you want controversy, if you want to shock society and if you want to get people talking, nothing does the job like a fall from grace.

The fact that this man can go from being arguably the greatest cyclist of all time to suffering the most severe stripping of titles and accolades the sport has ever seen, is definitely going to get people talking.

In his prime Lance Armstrong was more than just a sporting hero. He was a human inspiration as a resilient survivor prostate cancer. His victory over the life-threatening disease made him an icon among many young people who saw his perseverance, grit and determination and as the attitude to adopt in order to get out of their own troubles.

But for years Armstrong had been dealing with allegations that he had been taking performance enhancing, doping drugs through the peak of his career, which saw him win the Tour de France race seven years in a row.

But my problem is more with Armstrong’s recent response to the allegations rather than the allegations themselves or whether he in fact did dope during his career to win races.

Last week Armstrong announced that he would no longer dispute or fight the accusations against him of taking performance enhancing drugs to give him the edge in cycling races. He did not say he was guilty nor did he imply it. He was simply saying “say what you will, I give up”.

As a result he was stripped of every title and accolade he had won over the past thirteen years and banned from the sport. This would be heartbreaking moment for any athlete who has worked hard for years to reach a position of prominence in their sporting code. In his heyday, Armstrong was to cycling what Schumacher was to F1 or what Jordan was basketball. The best. The epitome of greatness. All of this was dashed by his jaw dropping surrender last week.

I know the cliché of not concerning oneself with what people say has a lot of truth and relevance to it but in life sometimes your name is all you have. What do you have, if not your ability to hold your head up head up high in the world knowing you have your integrity intact?

I will not speculate as to whether Armstrong is guilty or not. I don’t believe that’s my place. But I will say his giving up the fight to clear his name, no matter how long and hard that fight may have been, flies in the face of the don’t give up mantra that he demonstrated in the public eye over the year.

We all remember what happened to Tiger Woods when his extramarital scandals were exposed. The world was shocked and social commentators ate it up. This seemed to cause considerable damage to Tiger’s name, which carries with it a brand worth hundreds of millions, and dropped in the world rankings close to number 60 after his bedtime shenanigans were made public knowledge.

If I knew I was innocent of such serious charges as those face Armstrong, I would fight to the grave to make sure I do away with them. But that’s just me. For anyone who has been passionate about anything in their lives, Armstrong’s announcement was a disappointment. But the stripping of the cycling titles, awards and banning Armstrong shows that there is something to be lost in giving up – your good name.

President Nzumbi

A Sleeping Lion Won't Stand For Itself

*Disclaimer: The title of the column is not a direct reference to the song or the writer of the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but rather just a pun used as a column title. Not in anyway intended to disrespect the memory of Solomon Linda (RIP)*

MUSIC is a beautiful thing. The food of life can provoke emotion, alter a mood, change an environment and bring memories to mind. Another powerful gift of music, as much as some might disagree, is its ability to make a lot of money…

Solomon Linda is one of the greatest musical minds South Africa and, perhaps, the world has ever seen. He was one of the founding fathers of the traditional African music genre Iscathamiya, which has won international awards for one of the most successful musical acts in SA music history, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Linda wrote an iconic song called Imbube, which was the original song that inspired a song that has been known around the world for decades. This song is called The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The credited original performers of this song were The Tokens, an otherwise forgettable doo-wap vocal group.

But the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight eventually became an all time smash hit and has to date made well beyond $15 million from its use in the animated film The Lion King alone.

What happened to Solomon Linda after his great creation became a success? His quality of life improved very little relatively and he died and was buried a pauper.

Why am I talking about a song that is more than half a century old in this column, you ask? Well, the story of Solomon Linda’s life is a glorious and tragic one indeed. He was a creative genius who never got what he deserved while he was living, but instead passed away without the millions that his song made.

This is a story of exploitation and being sidelined. And how common is that even in this day and age? How many times to others get to bask in the brilliance of another person’s efforts and talents?

I once had a conversation with a friend who told me that in life there are no guaranteed happy endings and that what some people might view as negative from you is critical to positive outcomes in your own personal life.

In simple English, he was saying that one needs to guard their gifts so carefully and regard them so highly, that it might appear to others to be arrogance, self-centeredness and narcissism.

I don’t know if I totally agree with him, but to a degree he was on to something. There are some people who fare better than others if a particular discipline, area, profession or craft than all of their peers. However, no matter how well they do, that discipline does not reward them as their work deserves.

Is this because they are bad? Not at all. Such people have just devoted all of their effort into creating quality but simply neglected to take care of their futures and ensure the craft and passion they love loves them back, so to speak.

The Beatles are the biggest selling musical act of all times selling and excess of 1billion records worldwide with twenty number one albums. But because they neglected to ensure that they had sole ownership of their enormous library of monumental music, other people got to cash in on rights to their music, including the King of Pop Michael Jackson (who reportedly had the rights to about one hundred Beatles songs at some point), and boy did they cash in big!

Of course, the loss for The Beatles was not as severe as it was for Solomon Linda (Paul McCartney is still among the richest musicians in the world each year) but money lost is money lost.

I am not at all saying that money is the most important thing in whatever one does. However it is important to surround oneself with positive energy where one’s passion is concerned and the best way to ensure that is make sure they energy you give to you work comes back to you in the form of rewards and results.

The universe and the laws of physics won’t do this for you. In fact, many will try to own part of something they see a lot of worth in it. It is not a matter of money but recognition and self affirmation.

President Nzumbi

The power of Faith

Be weary of your innermost beliefs

You know, one thing I now know is that I don't know all that I would love to know (I know I know....lol) . This is one of my innermost beliefs. This powerful belief is what drives me to wanna learn more and more about everything. (I mean, if I told myself I know everything I need to know about anything, like most humans, I would stop learning immediately)

This is just one of MY PERSONAL BELIEFS, the question is, what are yours?? (More like, DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN BELIEFS?) Believe it or not, most human beings are not consciously aware of their own beliefs. The problem with this is that they apply faith in things they don't even know :-/ (WTF???). I've met people that tell you that they were not born to be happy, this is a belief. What happens is that this person will hold this deep in their heart, apply massive amounts of faith to make sure this is realised. When it is, and they are unhappy they start complaining (And that's that BS right there). 

According to me: FAITH IS BELIEF IN SOMETHING WITH NO PROOF !! (I mean, I have no proof I'll be successful and rich. But I believe it deep inside my heart, that is faith)

We all have faith, some of us are consciously faithful, some of us a puppets of our faith. The second you realise that your life is shaped by your smallest and closely held truths, you will then be living a life of conscious faith. I am not talking about religion or GOD. I am talking about things like "Life is a B***h" "Life is hard" "I will never be rich" "I will never be happy" (And believe me, this is the dumb stuff that these depressed humans feed their subconscious daily :-/). These beliefs HAVE TO BE MET. That's how faith works. As you believe, so it will be!!!!

I challenge you (Let's see if you got the balls to be happy !!!), right now, think of the last negative " I can't " statement you said to yourself, now flip it. (eg If it was " I can't approach her, she's too hot and outta my league" now flip it and say " I'm the shiiiiiiit, she wants me B-)"...). Now do this daily until you develop nothing but positive beliefs!! 

Do you believe that you will be happy for the rest of your life? or do you believe that happiness is shortlived?

Do you believe that you will be successful and live your dreams? or do you believe that your life will be determined by your background?

Do you believe that happiness is your right? or do you believe that it is a privilege that is scarce?

Be honest with yourself and answer these belief questions, and ask yourself more challenging and more personal ones, there is no other way to grow :)  

My most important belief is HAPPINESS IS MY CHOICE : SUCCESS IS MY HABIT !!! I live by these words. And in turn, my pure faith is granted to seeing these statements realised. I am consciously faithful to happiness and success :) (That's just me mayn, most humans are unconsciously faithful to unhappiness and stress :-/). 

SO in closing. Be sure you are aware of your beliefs, and choose the beliefs that will serve you best. Nurture your beliefs, and give them your blind faith. Now watch them change your life (**p)

KingNzumbi(**p)

PS: Do yourself a favour and get one the best books on this subject ever!!!! "The power of your subconscious mind" by Dr Joseph Murphy. Any self respecting book store should have this book. It will teach you concepts such as "scientific prayer", I love this book and the timeless concepts inside it. It will be worth all those hours of reading (**p)

BE CURIOUS: AIM HIGH AND LEAVE THE CRITICISM TO THE EARTHLINGS

WHAT an amazing planet we live on. It’s quite bizarre though that as wonderful a world as this is, and we do live in a wonderful, complex and vast world, human curiosity always pushes us to go further and aim higher.

The events of space exploration science and technology in the past week are proof of this human drive.

The National Astronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America, also known as Nasa, have successfully landed the space exploration rover, Curiosity on the planet Mars.

This machine is not assigned to the red planet to find a civilisation of little green men living on the surface. In fact Nasa bets are firmly against the chances of their rover being abducted and sodomised by Martian nomads anytime during its intergalactic quest.

No. Curiosity was assigned to Mars on a mission to find evidence that the planet once had conditions similar to earth, ideal for accommodating life, whether sophisticated creatures or simple micro organisms. Not life. Just evidence that says it wouldn’t be crazy to think life was once there…

Now, I know what some of you readers might be thinking at this point. Nasa spent $2.5billion building a remote control go-kart and sending it to Mars, and they don’t even think they’ll find life there? Doesn’t sound so revolutionary, does it?

This event made world news, and most people witnessing it in newspapers, on television and the web weren’t all too sure why.

I didn’t get the point of it all myself, until I did some research of my own. And the innovations of far-reaching sci-tech actually play a much bigger role in improving everyday life for human beings than one would have originally thought.

From canned foods to GPS systems, some of the “simplest”, and I use that as a term to describe common innovations we take for granted daily, inventions and innovations came about as a result of people setting out to accomplish grand and seemingly “over-the-top” feats.

But people don’t get that immediately. In fact I believe a lot of people find themselves and their purpose being misunderstood by the rest of the world, much like our robotic ambassador up on planet Mars.

When a person learns of Nasa and Curiosity and shrugs, saying “what will it do to solve world hunger”, I can’t help but be reminded of the plight of passionate people who are told by their parents “I don’t see how you will make a living off of something like fashion design”.

I believe being overly proverbial is sometimes a dreaded bore, but I think this metaphor is quite relevant.

Many of us have had to learn the hard way that some people will not be supportive of what we are passionate about, no matter how talented, dedicated or diligent we are at it. Many people find themselves living out their parents’ failed dreams or expectations that society has of them.

It’s such times when one will have to take a page out of Curiosity’s book and distance themselves from the negativity and criticism that flies in the face of their aspirations. The rover is on Mars 56million kilometres away. Other than the orders of a dedicated Nasa team, Curiosity can’t pick up a thing from here.

I understand why we are often told to reach for the stars. Not just because that is where we want to be, but also because it’s as far from negative energy as a person can possibly get.

So, reach for those stars. You could land on the moon, Mars or even head straight for the sun. At the very least, eventually you will succeed in getting away from “those people”.

President Nzumbi

WHAT THE OLYMPICS TAUGHT ME

This is a very proud moment for SA. Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos along with Matthew Brittain, John Smith, Sizwe Ndlovu and James Thompson have done justice in representing us in the London Olympics this past week, seeing our great nation win three gold medals in the water.

But pride is a powerful emotion, or should I rather say, a powerful force. Pride can take us down a positive or a negative outcome depending on how it influences our view on others.

Before I continue, I need to stress that I have no problems with Americans or the nation of America. But the country is truly an example of how pride can take one down a negative path if it’s channelled negatively.

When Durban’s Chad le Clos accomplished the great feat of winning a gold medal at the tender age of twenty, he instantly became an international sporting darling, the international sporting world congratulating his hard work and raw talent for what it was.

The most an American news site could say about the very same swim? Oh, nothing but the fact that Michael Phelps won a silver medal. A twenty year old swimmer from Durban beat Michael Phelps in the water but still struggles to break out from under Phelps’ shadow.

Needless to say, this kind of patriotic arrogance was quite embarrassing for the United States as their reporters couldn’t even bring themselves to acknowledge that they were beaten.

London as a city is also not completely innocent in this. People have already expressed concern around whether the organisers of the Olympics understand that they are hosting an international event.

The saga of empty seats continues all while tourists keep camping outside of the venue asking to get access to purchase tickets.

It’s all very strange. But one thing that has become very clear in these two examples surrounding one global event is the negative impact when groups of people (not nations, per se) cannot see past their own noses.

It’s important in life to remember that we are each made for the world and that the world is not a luxury sofa custom designed to our specifications. A very important step on the journey to success or happiness is an acceptance of things as they are.

Too often as young people, we are ignorant of harsh realities and want to air-brush the truth in our own minds about our challenges and our failures. This is dangerous, not only because a person could set themselves up disappointment, but also because when we think like this we are of no use to the society and world around us.

Today, I would like to challenge anyone with high hopes and dreams to push those aspirations to the limit. If it doesn’t work out be honest with yourself and use that as a lesson to make you better when the second chance comes: and believe me, the second chance will come.

But what do I know? I’m not that great at water sports anyway.

President Nzumbi

Perspective: How you see it, is how it is

IS THE GLASS HALF-FULL OR HALF-EMPTY?!?!

As cliche as it sounds, this is a profound question! One that we must look at carefully.

Life can be tough at times, that's undeniable. The problem is how you see your circumstances affects how they affect you. I don't like talking about stuff I have no experience with, so this is stuff I know very well.

Look at your life right now, what do you see? do you see a mess? then you will live a mess. (Believe me, Beauty is indeed in the eye of the behold. Keep saying: Life's a Bitch!! She gone get Nasty on ya) 

Fact is how you see something will determine how you approach it. How you approach it will determine how you interact with it (and this my dear friend is the CAUSE), and how you interact with it will determine the end result (this is the EFFECT ... This is what wise men call Cause and Effect) 

I learnt this back in 2008 when I was a bum (yeap I was bumming for 2 years, waking up and counting minutes). I had lost my 3 front teeth the previous year, flunked at tertiary and life looked ugly. (uglier than the thought that someone is ugly :-/ humans though!!)

I started looking at my life in a different light, I figured God put me here for a reason. That reason could not  have been to see life as a curse (if he wanted me to do that he would have made me a roll of toilet paper :-/)

I decided to start learning new things. I read books, as many as I could get my hands on. I started seeing my time doing nothing as an opportunity to learn :) (I could have seen it as a "get wasted and sob" period).

I changed my approached to life, and life changed her reaction to me (Once you think she's pretty, you become polite, once you're polite she's nice to you. Same goes for the lady at Home affairs lol lol ... maybe lol). I saw smiles where most saw frowns, jokes were most saw stress (that's just me lol I laugh at everything lol lol I'm laughing as I type this) people still think I'm crazy, well maybe I am, but I'm happy.

If you look for trouble you will find it. If you look for sorrow you will find it. If you look for happiness, you will find plenty of it :D In conclusion, here is what I wish you to remember (And apply in your daily life dear Nzumbis, given that you desire happiness, but if you like to moan, go to Facebook  :O)

How you see things (and people) determines how you approach em:

(eg. If you think She's ugly you'll be rude)

How you approach em determines how they react to you:

(Then when you're rude she will be rude back at ya, or even worse make you look like an ass lol)

How the situation reacts will determine your outcome, and consenquently your circumstance:

(lol Once you feel like an ass then your day is ruined hahahahaha And I shall laugh at your ignorance and give a link to my blog lol)

This goes for all situations out there: Remember, circumstances are always perfect, our perception is flawed.

Your Happily 

KingNzumbi (**p)

What this country really needs – leadership

I am not, nor have I ever been, an exceptional person. I am your average 23-year old South African black man. But just like any other young South African that loves this beautiful country, I have an interesting story to tell.

As a published author, I draw a lot of inspiration from what I see happening around me. Inspiration in the sense of fuelling tales of fiction and the kind of riveting, earth-moving poetry I would like to write one day.

Among other things today, the country has been caught in an intense debate about a policy known as the Youth Wage Subsidy. This has been in the news for a while now, so I won’t go into what the policy entails, at least not in too much detail.

What matters is this subsidy has been proposed as the most sensible solution to the challenge of youth unemployment that SA finds itself wrestling with. Decrease unemployment. Put young people to work. Sounds fine.

The Democratic Alliance and Cosatu disagreed on this issue, concerned that the subsidy would only benefit business owners and leaders. They would be receive incentive for hiring young people to do the same amount of work as others for less money who would, in turn, eventually be kicked out of the system for other young people, the union would claim.

This disagreement came to a raging climax in mid-May when Cosatu stopped DA (who blamed Cosatu for the fact that the subsidy had not yet taken effect) in their tracks during a march to Cosatu’s headquarters to submit a memorandum. Let’s just say, Cosatu weren’t having it. Stones were thrown and people got hurt.

I witnessed this first hand. I must say it was not the greatest moment for either organisation. The next morning, DA was the national baby-face and newspaper front pages were dominated by pictures of young people in DA t-shirts bleeding.

A lot of those youngsters were not DA members but unemployed youth who were stuck in a challenging situation, desperate to get out. There are thousands more around the country.

Both Cosatu and DA members were injured, many saying that the first casualty was a Cosatu member. I also think other serious injuries plague our society. Maybe not physical ones, but injuries all the same.

Are these organisations listening, I find myself asking. It was all good and well that both organisations claimed to fight on the side of working class and people who need jobs (although Cosatu as a trade union, first and foremost, represents employed people and DA’s following is historically in mid to high class standings).

But it becomes difficult to discern whose concern for the poor and unemployed is sincere.

What this country really needs above all is leadership, where followers know where they stand. Both of these organisations claimed the other was lying to the youth for their own gain regarding this issue.

This has led me to conclude that young people can only rely on themselves to create the future that they want and deserve.

Authorities are destroying school textbooks. People are being sent away from the education that is their future because they can’t afford it. We have been counting on these people for nearly twenty years.

I think it is crucial that we learn to lead ourselves in all that we do. I think heroic youngsters like Shaka Sisulu are a good example of how to do that. Or we can continue to expect organisations to lead us. But if that is our only option they best we can hope for (and I say this very respectfully) is a brick to the face and a t-shirt.

President Nzumbi

Be Do Have: The Success Trinity

Be Do Have

This is possibly the most important teaching I've ever come across. It breaks all laws of conventional wisdom (:D Yes!!!! Us Nzumbis are rebellious against so-called human nature).

It has been repeatedly said Be the change you want to see in the world. Yes this is accurate, pretty cool hey. But the human who came up with line didn't see Nzumbis coming lol

Nzumbis take this a step further and say Be the change you want to see in YOURSELF Yes in Yourself.
You see, the first commandment states Happiness is a choice, not a result. To elaborate on this, one must grasp the concept of the trinity (Be Do Have)

Read carefully and use your imagination (if yours is limited like a human call me I'll loan you some lol)

1. BE The first step is to CHOOSE to Be that which you desire to be.
2. DO Once you have BEcome that which you desire, you will then start to DO what such a character would do.
3. HAVE Once you've BEcome that which you desire, you will then start to DO what such a character would do and now you will HAVE what such a character has!

Choose to be cool, then you'll start to talk cool and dress cool. Next thing you know, you've got the girl (**p)

There! Lesson finished (**p) let me give an example of the trinity!

BE happy and you DO what happy people DO. Once you DO what happy people DO you will have what Happy people HAVE

Go on, try it out! Nike said it : Just do it!

Remember! Be the change you want to see in YOURSELF

Happy Being

KingNzumbi(**p)

PS: Here is a little story of how this may work in real life! Feel Free to read through!!!

The human :/ and the Nzumbi (**p)

So like this one time a Human (John Doe) and a Nzumbi were out drinking. The human was an ordinary human and believed in all the garbage he was fed by society (true love doesn't exist, luck is a coincidence, you don't control your life, people are always victims of circumstance, life's a b**ch All that nonsense). Then he met The Nzumbi(**p) a constantly happy, witty optimist.

One night they went out drinking. As usual the human BEcame negative. Started complaining about his boss, his job, his wife, his kids, his bank balance, his church, the colour of the sky ( I think you get it, the idiot BEcame a Soap opera)... And The Nzumbi encouraged him to chill out and get smashed. But no! The human insisted that life was a b**ch.

The Nzumbi was happy with everything. They worked together by the way , doing the same job(smh). As the night went on the human BEcame more and more negative. Then he started to DO negative things. Swore a few peeps, spanked a few asses (roughly, not in a positive way. The Nzumbi did too but got phone numbers not slaps). Started being a jerk (most humans have this tendency when they drink, noone knows why). Then!!!!! It happened (this is the part where you ask yourself "what happened")

The human started a fight!!! Well he started it over a comment he made to a beautiful girl whose brother was in the bar. See, He (John Doe) became so negative that he started doing what negative people do, see negativity everywhere. When he made a negative comment(how can you possibly tell a girl that drinking made her look cheap just cos she didn't wanna give you her number!!! HUMANS!!!!!!) to a hot girl (Jane Doe) and She told her Brother, it went down!!! He got his ass whooped so bad he had to be carried out unconscious.

The Nzumbi was busy making out with Jane Doe when this happened(**p)

Moral of the story

If you BE something (Negative in our story)

You will DO as you are (Make negative comments in our story)

And you will HAVE as you are (An ass kicking in our story)

The good news is! It works just as well on the positive end.

So Be as Happy as you want to!! Right Now!!

The 10 Commandments of a Nzumbi (**p)

Hello There my lovely Nzumbis(**p)

Another day in the life of a Nzumbi, another chance to spread happiness :)

So you might be wondering what on earth is a Nzumbi, here is it:
A Nzumbi is a progressive person who embodies happiness and success in all they are. In a pursuit for self-evolution and benefit for all in every thought, word and action (**p)

So as a Nzumbi you need to know how a Nzumbis operates and behaves. You can't walk around acting all human :-/ So here are the Commandments sent to us from NzuHeaven :D

1. Nzumbis Choose Happiness and always smile :)
A Nzumbi cannot be all gloomy and sad like a human being :-/ Happiness is a choice not a result for a Nzumbi :)

2. Nzumbis never complain, EVER!!
Never Ever!! Complaining is for Human Beings :-/ No matter the situation. Even if you're screwed its a chance to learn a new position ;)

3. Nzumbis always think and talk positive. Never gossip or talk negatively
Always think and talk of good happy positive things. No matter how ugly and stupid that human being is :-/ ignore it :)

4. Nzumbis are always confident
Aha Nzumbis walk tall B) height is a relative thing. Only humans feel good based on looks :-/

5. Nzumbis are always clean and look like winners
A Nzumbi must Always look good B) and look like they are about to blow a million B) Humans look bad enough! We can't add to the ugly human population :-/

6. Nzumbis always offer a helping hand
If a Nzumbi ever needs a hand :) a Nzumbane will always help :) Helping Humans is optional though :-/

7. Nzumbi are open and honest
Yes, a Nzumbi will tell you how it is and what it is. Its human nature to tell half-truths and be selectively honest :-/ thank God we not human :D

8. Nzumbis always explore and try new things and be open minded
As a Nzumbi you always try new things. An open mind is a healthy mind :) Human nature is staying in a Comfort zone lol well we not human :-/

9. Nzumbi are selfless and always share
A Nzumbi will always share :) no matter how small the joke is :D share the laughter :D and all else!! As for humans :-/ Aish!

10. Nzumbis Live, Love, Learn and Laugh
Nzumbys live life to the full with no limit. Love all-ways without condition and limit. Learn always because knowledge is unlimited. And laugh Hard for laughter is the unlimited fountain of youth :""D ... Leave the limitations to the humans :-/

Follow these commandments and the rest of your days shall be as Blissful as a Nzumbi Smile ---> (**p)

Yours Nzumbically
KingNzumbi(**p)