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)