Why do people do what they do, and how do they do it?
It was a time of change in my life ever since I can remember being alive. The only thing that remained constant was the lack of a status quo that I could rely on. Whether it be my circle of friends and acquaintances, the place that was presented to me as my home, the goal that I had set for myself, or my view on what the right way forward would be.
I started learning how to play my first musical instrument at the age of seven, and around the same time my father bought me a chess computer, which allegorically describes what would be the second only constant for a long time. Me developing my talents and ability to think strategically, as well as tactically.
I still remember the first question, which echoes still in my mind today, which has been the lens through which I would view the world. It’s a two-part question that symbolizes for me the single most important aspect of human life on earth if one attempts to understand what is going on geo-politically these days, or between two human beings attempting to have a relationship. Be it friendly or romantic:” Why do people do what they do, and how do they do it?”
The first part of the question addresses the intention of a person, which automatically leads to an analysis of the background of the individual, genetically and genealogically. As well as analyzing what the person might have been exposed to until the age of 16, and beyond.
The second part of the question will lead the observer to focus on the actions of the individual, and which tactics are being implemented to reach the goal at hand.
I also remember debating a second question with my peers for quite some time:” Are people able to change, or rather: Do people change?”
While the second question, which is addressing the inherent ability for humans to change as a whole, was answered once I started studying the Islamic jurisprudence, the two-part question for me still remains the blueprint for gauging whether or not someone is fit to further the cause of defending humanity against what I see as the struggle of the millennium: the war of defense against systemic poverty. A struggle that is of a socio-economic nature and cannot be addressed or won at the political front. It would be like playing chess with draughts, or expecting celebrities to have a positive effect on overall society. It’s like attempting to learn about life from movies or theatre, or understanding what’s going on in the world by watching the news.
Knowledge has historically consistently been passed on, taught, orally - not by giving someone a book to read, not by exposing a person to facts, data, analyses, and expecting them to thereafter know about or understand a certain topic. A book is like a reminder, or a source of supporting evidence or knowledge, after a certain topic has been taught by a neutral party and grasped to a certain extent. Neutral meaning in this context that the teacher only has the intention of teaching. Being a vessel pouring the information in processable units into the empty vessel, the student. Not becoming a guru, idol, or person that is needed perpetually, but rather a temporary guide before the student is able to move on to the next vessel that might have the knowledge they are seeking.
The basis for believing that we as human beings should defend ourselves is that we have an intrinsic value, rights, and obligations that are not given or decided by us, rather than an objective truth.
If this is not the basis for reasoning, everything becomes debatable, even killing the innocent and stealing from the weak.
I decided in 2014 that I would do what I can to bring positive change to the last bastion of freedom. Africa. The place where some believe everything started for human beings. The place that has everything we need as humans to survive, even if the rest of the world were to run dry of water and food.
This blog shall serve as the place where you can read about why I do what I do, and how - even after I will be long gone, so that you too can help to #buybackafrica