Pull Out The Weeds And Let The Good Seed Grow

Now that the cold season is over in the Southern part of the world where I live I have been working in my garden, pulling out weeds and old plants; and putting new seed into the ground.

 I have been working in my garden; pulling out weeds and old plants; and putting new seed into the ground.

Observations of what is happening in the garden alerted me to two things that I felt are very important life lessons. In every garden or farm there is always competition going on between the good seed that you really want and the weeds. Somehow the weeds seem to have an upper hand over the good seed and they grow very quickly and many a times if left unchecked they almost always crowd out and choke the good seed. It seems the weeds are native to the patch of soil without any effort from me they just flourish whereas the good seed actually requires me to firstly clear the ground, hoe it, add manure, put them into the ground, water and tend them to maturity.

Allow me a little digression. Over the past three years I have had interesting experiences with one weed-cum-vegetable. In Shona Culture, like many other Bantu Cultures, the tender leaves of the blackjack plant are consumed as a delicacy in the rainy season. Being anaemic I am particularly fond of this weed-cum-vegetable because it is my opinion it is a natural iron supplement and when I moved to my current place of residence the blackjack plant was all over the yard and the garden. Being the man that I am I always allowed it an element of free reign certain sections of my garden so that I could enjoy it. The results were always catastrophic for the other vegetables that would be growing in the same section with the blackjack. Anyone with a little farming experience would tell you that weeds and "plants" compete for nutrients, water, and sunlight and if left unchecked the weeds have an upper hand in the competition.

I would liken weeds and the good plants to failure and success in that order. When you consider any area life from relationships, academia, business or careers we also have our weeds and good plants. Just like the weeds in my garden the weeds in these areas of life seem native to us and don't require much effort to flourish. Think of how easily we lie and cheat on our spouses. Think of how easily we break our promises to our children. Think of how we almost always neglect studying until the very last minute before the exam. Think of the many businesses that aborted before they even started.

Failure is so native in and to us and no wonder it is all over : failed marriages, failed businesses, failed and failing students, and recently Africa and other parts of the world have started producing failed states. Just like the weeds in my garden it does not require effort it rolls out on its own. The good plants of success on the other hand like the good plants in my garden require deliberate and conscious effort if we are to enjoy their fruits. The ground has to be cleared, hoed, manured, good seed planted and tended to maturity. And as you consciously grow the good seed of success you have to consciously uproot the weeds of failure because the two can not exist side by side. One of the reasons we fail in life is simply because we do nothing and the weeds just grow. As a teacher, and a lay leader in church I have met a lot of people whose sole problem was inactivity or what I would like to call an, " I am going to do nothing about my situation syndrome " or worse still an " I know what's wrong but I am not going to do anything about it attitude ". With this attitude the weeds will definitely flourish and failure becomes commonplace.

As I conclude let me provide justification for my earlier digression on the blackjack plant. Life also gives us our blackjack plants and these are usually weeds which can be enjoyed as vegetables but in the greater scheme of things are damaging to the rest of the good crop in your garden. Our blackjack plants differ and it is your duty to identify yours. At a personal level I generally love reading, and for that matter I read on almost any subject that comes my way. I remember in my first two years as teacher I reached a stage where I could miss work because I was engrossed in one form of reading or another. Just like the blackjack in my garden this delicacy called reading for the love of reading was crowding out the good plants in my teaching garden. For another it may be the blackjack of flirtatious conduct at the office which may end up crowding out a happy marriage or the blackjack of uncontrolled use of social media which my end up crowding out your relation.

For another it may be the blackjack of flirtatious conduct at the office which may end up crowding out a happy marriage or the blackjack of uncontrolled use of social media which my end up crowding out your relationships or academic work.

Written By Tendayi I Mawango for Arthur Mutambara

What Changes The World Starts With You.

It is easy to change the lives of people. It takes one person at a time. Changing the world can happen anywhere anytime. It matters not your race, gender, orientation or social status. Our struggles in the world are similar. Solutions to the world's problems lie in men and women who are willing to take the risk and start making the right decisions. Generations can be changed because of your own personal decision.

Steve Jobs Changed The World In Music, Animation and Phones

How can each one of us change the world? The following are some of the ways that can help you and I to play our part in changing the world.

Start doing simple tasks that you often overlook. Completion of simple tasks will give you a small sense of pride and will encourage you to do another and another. Completion of the little tasks will make you aware that little tasks completed make up greatness. Never overlook the little tasks in your life. If you cannot do the little things correctly then you can never do the big things right too.
If you hope to be a world changer, you will need to find someone to help you along the way. It can be frustrating journey when you travel it on your own. Through difficult times you will need help and assistance. Nothing matters than the will to succeed. if you want to be a world changer you are never measured by your social status, race, colour or anything else. You are only measured by the size of your heart.

Sometimes you will try very hard and still fail to achieve. That is the way life is. Do not give up or give in. Sometimes you will look stupid after trying so hard and the naysayers will always point fingers at you but still, dust yourself up after each fall and go ahead. Do not stop. Some days you will fail to measure up but it does not matter. The pain of failure will only build you up to be a better person altogether.

You may sometimes need do foolish moves just to break the records. You may have to slide into the thick of things head first. Take the risks and decide to do something that no one has ever done before. Never back down from trouble.

If you want to change the world you should have hope. Hope makes you sing when you are stuck in the mud. Have a positive attitude towards all circumstances.

Take the Initiative and start playing your part in leaving this world a better place than we found it.

"OIL OR NO OIL"...How To Live With Your Neighbours,

Unlike prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa who prophesied abundant "OIL" deposits in Zimbabwe, I will be taking you through simple and humble tips on how to live with your neighbors. After all it is not the "OIL" that matters at the end of the day. It is the people around you who feel what you feel.

Popular Zim Dancehall Music Producer Dr Clarence (on the left) Is My Neighbor. We are Pictured Here Doing A Mushroom Trial Run At Home. 

I am grateful that I live with neighbors from different cultural background. Some are difficult but I still smile at them and I am glad to say I am in good books with them. I never look at my neighbors with suspicion. I know that I am also a neighbour in their eyes. Of course there are some who will always be difficult, but i do appreciate them anyway.

I thought it very reasonable to share with you what normally would be no writer's interest. It is tips on how to be a good neighbour and live in peace with your fellow neighbors.

Perform Small Acts Of Kindness,

Help your neighbour with their DIY. (Yes Its meant to be a Do It Yourself) But help them anyway. I regularly travel between the city and my farm. So I normally bring them compost and manure for their gardens. I help them with their gardening.

I also do have a lot of basic tools which I freely use together with my neighbors.

Greet Your Neighbors
Make an effort to always stop by to greet your neighbors and find out how they are doing. Do this with a smiling face knowing full well that you benefit for being friendly to people. Never underestimate the power of greeting a neighbour.

I have discovered that most people now don't even greet. They just wave and say things in their hearts. I encourage you to go out there and greet people around you. An open hand ready to help will find it easy to greet and shake hands.

What are the Benefits?
When your neighbors feel appreciated they will feel great. Out of good gestures can lifelong friendships be born. The whole reason why you are around your neighbors is on purpose. You are not there by mistake but by divine connection.

Do it More and regularly
Be kind to everyone around you. Do it for all your neighbors. In times of difficulties it pays to be friendly to everyone. This goes beyond religion. Love people naturally. Go beyond race, color or religion.

Be grateful for the neighbors you have. Remember you are also a neighbour!

Effective Tools To Fight Unkindness

We all wish for the elusive ideal world where everyone is kind to one another. The level of kindness in humanity is fast dwindling into thin air. We are much more concerned about the ozone layer (which we don't quite fully understand) instead of focusing on the simple acts of kindness that could change this world. When we are kind, we see the beauty in others.

Perform An Act Of Kindness Today.

Organisations such as Random Acts Of Kindness were formed to try and teach people to be kind towards each other.

But what is kindness? Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. This is a quality. A measure of excellence which in my opinion is learnt over a long period of time. It is a refinement of a person which I believe should be taught from very tender ages.
I found out that one of the ways in which we can learn kindness is to find ourselves in a place we've never been and where we don't know the language. This will definitely push us to the boundaries. We are reduced to simple persons who are prepared to learn to be friendly, generous and considerate. When I travelled away from my country for the first time, I found myself around people who spoke languages that I had no clue about. I did not understand anything about what they were doing and I was reduced to an effective listener. I knew that my life depended on effective listening and following instructions.
Putting ourselves in situations that open our eyes and minds is essential to human development.
It shatters stereotypes and leads us into the path of learning to be kind to one another.

Let us today start learning the art of being kind. I have used three words as per the dictionary definition to help us learn to be kind.

Friendliness
Learn to be friendly to someone you don't know. Teach your children and other people to be friendly. At times word of mouth is not enough to encourage people to be friendly. You have to take action to be friendly.

Generosity.
To be generous requires enjoyment of being free from meanness or smallness of mind. be selfless and share the little that you have with a stranger. I am not asking for money ladies and gentlemen. Even sharing of ideas and encouragement is generosity in itself. The joy of giving is enormous. When we freely give we empower ourselves to greater levels of possibilities.

Considerate
Let us all be careful not to inconvenience or harm others. We are all God creation and each one of us is on a special mission. We all have a special purpose. Sometime our minds gets clouded in intense competition of business and excellence and we forget to be considerate. When you encounter others always be humble.

I have always expressed myself to people around me that I am not in competition with anyone at all. I am on a special mission and one day when I am gone, I would desire to have left a name associated with kindness.

Always be kind and see the beauty in others.