I was listening to a friend’s sister sometime this past week. She is a candidate looking forward to sit for her KCPE this year. You can imagine. So I asked her what she wanted to become and she gave me a response that left me silent for a minute. She said she wanted to be an air hostess and a designer on the side, also a musician and a lawyer. This caused me to think what exactly is she looking for and why is she like this?
I could see why she wanted to be most of the things that she wanted to be; my friend had studied law and the husband was a designer cum musician and I wondered, what is it that drives our aspirations? Are these realistic? And what could we do for the generation that comes after us to point them in the direction that counts?
On growing up, we become influenced a lot by those who raise us and what we consume. They develop in us aspirations and imaginations which if left unchecked, may cause a lot of disappointment later in life. I think it is important for us to esteem counsel from the generation that has gone ahead of us where there is a multitude of counsel, there is safety.
On crucial issues like who to marry, what career choice to follow, life would be a lot less stressful if we engaged our seniors, not to make choices on our behalf but rather, to point us in the direction that counts. To warn us, to encourage us, to congratulate us and to ground our dreams and desires in the arena of practicality and to provoke us to dream beyond what we could by ourselves, while they share their eagle’s eye view.
We’ve seen complaints in society about privileges that accompany the offspring of the wealthy. No matter how we feel about that, we cannot neglect that their success is often the result of having guidance. Imagine a society where we seek the counsel from the elderly and offer mentorship and guidance to the generation that follows. The cumulative success would be immense.
What are you looking for? Find yourself an able mentor to guide you through those issues. Until we speak again, I am your host Mitchell Odhiambo. Welcome to a man’s world. To get a female perspective on this, please read Mercy’s post HERE
