A CALL FOR INTELLECTUAL HYGIENE IN KENYA

IT IS NOT ENOUGH

(This is an excerpt of my latest paper, "A Call for Intellectual Hygiene" )
Bertrand Russell was a great Mathematician and Philosopher. Though his 1927 book "Why I am not a Christian" is not a good read for staunch Christians, it communicates a value that cannot be seen in many intellectuals (or non intellectuals) today. He could not just follow what he did not understand. His 1927 Papers also assert why intellectuals have to stand by their own. No wonder, when he won his Nobel Peace price, he was uneasy why the people who could not comprehend his mathematics could find a reason to believe he was the winner.

Bertrand said, "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts." And the same can be seen in Kenya, and especially in the young minds in universities who are supposed to inject clarity of though and reason to the ideals of the country and the thinking of its people. Poor minds!!
Albert Einstein could tell you that any fool can know, the point is to understand! But my problem is that the so called intellectuals cannot give you an ear. They will instead employ their intellect to demean you, abuse you, and direct all manner of vendetta and vengeance for seeing a fault in them. And especially if you are a young man, or woman.That is why Abigail Van Buren said that “The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.” Oh, Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish, so said the legendary Euripides Bacchae!!
Look here good people. An intellectual who uses his intellect to defend the corrupt, manouvre through laws, manipulate policies for the wrong, and even ensure that generations are weakened is as good as evil. When intellectuals do not stand firm, then we fail. They are like mothers of destiny. A gaze down the memory lane tells me that it was the likes of Willy Mutunga, Prof. Micere Mugo, Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong'o, James Orengo among other intellectuals who stood firm and the result was the democracy that Kenya enjoys. I do not want to explore the sorry side of the politics in it but the point is that intellectuals were the solid backbone of the transformation. Look at the US, the civil rights movement was inspired by intellectuals who were not compromised at all. King himself had several degrees!!
When you study Mathematics, don't study to know it, understand it and be a better person because you are a guru in Math. If you cannot be better, freer or wiser when you know or get educated, you are as good as a deadly and poisonous concotion.
(The paper will be discussed in the Africa Leadership Academy Annual Convention in October)

 A CALL FOR INTELLECTUAL HYGIENE AMONG THE INTELLIGENTSIA 

{An abridged version of Abuta Ogeto's latest paper}
 


Life can be a very hard nut to crack if you create a gap between your life and wisdom. But in my interaction, schooling or listening, I realize that the most that the most important thing in life is to make a decision, and for that case a very good decision. A decision you will stand by even if the world went against you. The question is, have you made that decision. Again, have you made that decision(s)?

the tragedy is that in Africa, people refuse to think. And that is why most decision are made by the West and soon by the East. and we complain saying that they have enslaved us and they are dictatorial. The only strength they have capitalized on is THINKING and for that matter, thinking right and powerful!!

Listen good people. When Joshua was faced with a tough decision when leading the people deviant former slaves to Canaan. As is recorded in Joshua 24:15, He said, " As for me and my family, we shall worship the Lord, and indeed, he stood by his decision. When Jesus was faced with the reality of his crucifixion, it was painful but he said, "If it is your wish that I go through all this, hen let it be so". And indeed, he endured he painful whips and nailing to save the world.

Mother Teresa asked people not to complain when in a dark room. "Let each one light a candle and the room will soon be consumed in light".

I am a practising Catholic and when I read the doctrine of the church, I read about the Benedictine order where Monks have to undergo Conversatio Morum (Latin for complete change). Its a hard decision but when you make it, you must be ready to stand by it.
But as young Angolan Economist, Dampisa Moyo, explains in his book, "Dede", Africa is home to a theatre of researches courtesy of foreign organizations like world Bank and IMF. But what decisions have Africans made by themselves. You can now understand why we demonize saints and canonize the corrupt. That's why we honour fools with unschooled opinions and give them standing ovations when they pour their "wisdom" (or lack of) upon us. But when an intellectual and moral citizen gives his/her opinion, we jeer them. But what irk me is when intellectual endorse fools!! They cow down upon people who are out to satisfy their egocentric ambitions. The questions is, if the intelligentsia have dirtified their minds, where do we go from there??
Education is for life, not livelihood!! If you think I am wrong, why are there adverts telling us "wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands", we take education for livelihood instead of life, where livelihood is part.

A time will come when we have to make a decision. we may postpone it but it will just cause more worry, suffering and loss. Lets avoid so much empty talk. The spirit is only powerful if the decision is solid. MAKE A DECISION!! If Socrates or John Stuart Mill was alive, he could have wondered how petty the intellectuals have become. He could have wished to swiftly switch back to his grave.

When developed civilizations are talking about superior technology, we are talking about removing jiggers and washing hands. When the TRUE intellectuals are standing out and tall, our mediocre intellectuals are worshiping money and power and soon, they are ousted out of office.

I have to say that the problem is so worse that it has gotten into the Church as well. And very few clergymen can stand by the true word in the Christian's Bible, the Islam's Koran, Bhagavad Gita or Vedas of the Hindus.

Just as the Catholics say, Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea Maxi Maculpa, we ought to accept the fault and Make a decision. We have to be clean. And clean indeed we must be.

Therefore, I wish that we think clean and act as so. Let us act and live to the true meaning of our creed. and I repeat, if intellectuals have refused to think, what else can you expect.....DISASTER!!! Period!!

Abuta is an Actuarial Science Student, Author and personal Development Consultant at The Ignition Talks (Inc)