Negativity is infectious and not only does it affect the individual but swiftly spreads with pessimistic precision to anyone and everything it interacts with. When the pessimistic perspective is the only focus any progressive processes are handicapped. Eliminating negativity and pessimism and embracing optimism and positivity is a mindset that can be turned into a habit. When addressing the challenges of today it is important to focus on the endless possibilities of tomorrow and Zimbabwe is full of limitless prospects. Pessimism and cynicism are crippling and alienating traits, pessimism precludes power and optimism permits power. Optimism is the curative prescription for the current Zimbabwean socio-political and economic contagion. Positivity keeps the mind in a state of balance and more often than not opens doors and pathways to resolutions.
That Zimbabwe has gone through harsh times is indeed an understatement and unfortunately the trying times have left a hard-to-heal melancholic and deeply despondent scar. The country is endowed with pessimistic prophets of doom who derive only pleasure and satisfaction from spreading the negative gospel about the country. There are those preoccupied with property rights for their own self-preserving intentions and they will write week in week out lamenting and lambasting the necessary and irreversible land reform. Some go on to give state of the nation addresses abound with fatalism and honestly speaking could have done better addressing bedroom fantasies instead. A former finance minister of the country breathing gloom and doom at every available opportunity! Frothing into a demented delirium clamouring for the demise of the President Mugabe! I could go on about these depressing accounts from my own countrymen and women! Nothing grows out of pessimism except retrogression surely. The country cannot permanently remain bogged down in this negative net and for any forward movement there is urgent need for joint traction. That is up to the people of Zimbabwe to foster national growth and healing. Other countries go to unprovoked wars on the pretext of false fabrications yet their citizens support their countries through the truth and deceit about weapons of mass destruction. Zimbabwe only wants her children to protect her from the wanton fatalism and portrayed darkness.
Constructive and progressive gestures emanating from the government need to be acknowledged with the positive feedback they deserve. There is clarity in terms of policy focus and direction and that is welcome. The positive feedback can only bring even more out of those we trusted into power. The Zimbabwean foundations are being relayed after over a decade of induced decadence and decline. The government recently firing the management of the PSMAS is belated but still decisive and that can only mean more positive and bigger things to come. President Mugabe’s unwavering committal to economically liberate the people of Zimbabwe, the dream team of Jonathan Moyo and Supa Mandiwanzira taking action at the inefficient ZBC, Commissioner Augustine Chihuri suddenly springing into action in the fight against corruption in the police force, the Minister of Industry and commerce Mike Bimha focusing on industry’s long term competitiveness as opposed to permanent protectionist policies and the dissolution of boards of diamond firms are not gimmicks. The hope is that this is going to be the order of the day and not reactionary responses.
There are some countries on the African continent and beyond who have not endured even a fraction of what Zimbabwe went through over the last 13 years due to the effects of the criminal sanctions and those countries have descended into conflict and chaos yet our Great Zimbabwe walls remain impenetrable to such breaches. A nation of citizens so immersed in the negative quicksand to the point of being oblivious to their maturity and tolerance which has sustained the enduring peace that is a feature which defines this house of stone called Zimbabwe. It is quite endearing how it takes someone from a faraway land to tell you how great your country is! I often have some real heated debates with a British friend who is married to a Zimbabwean. He recently travelled to Zimbabwe for the first time to spend Christmas time with his wife’s family. Prior to this visit this gentleman was pessimism personified and his version of Zimbabwe was ‘the gloom of white farmers being bludgeoned off their farms and a country beyond repair’. However on his return he has not stopped talking about what a great country Zimbabwe is and he did not even go to any of the resorts! He only travelled to rural Gokwe and he has this lasting impression of this great country! The telling point which he said is that ‘everything is there, the country only needs capital to revamp it’! And so true that is Zimbabwe my country and the fact that we have not descended into chaos and conflict is a sure sign of a mature democracy and mutual respect that binds us in this highly polarised political environment.
We sometimes forget to pat ourselves on the back because negativity and pessimism have the tendency of eroding any trickle of hope remaining in us. We have a great country, we own it and owe it to ourselves to preserve and protect it from any negative onslaught.
Bernard Bwoni can be contacted on bernardbwn@aol.com/ bernardbwoni.blogspot.com
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