Leyman Publications Archives

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa The use of space so called proxemics when talking about its use in communication, is a vast array. The use of space has cultural connotations for its practice as different societies interpret space differently. It would be interesting to study the effects that social distancing brought in by the current Corona Virus pandemic may have caused on traditional ways in use of space for its corroborative meaning, especially for communication, more specifically where two or more people are interacting (talking to each other). Traditionally use of space on people interacting with each other has had a wide area of interpretations for instance on denoting people’s social status (class), or relationship (intimacy and or diplomacy) as well as temperament whether one is angry, happy or fearful. Also showing aggression as in advancement to attack or a show of withdraw in surrender. In most cultural settings, the use of space is never a taught thing of life, people grow up learning as they observe the use of it from others around them pointedly older members. The subject falls on the other side of the practice of symbolism which modern generations mistake for exaggerated adoration yet it is one of the most important aspects of life from since man found himself on earth. Humans like their space and symbols. The quotations this week come from a book I have just finished reading which is about what our minds are capable of doing. It talks about human creative delegated powers which most do not realise they have. I am sure that the selected quotes below from the book will enlighten you to one or two life lessons, read and enjoy: MIND INTO MATTER – A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit by Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D. “…….. Within your own mind and body lies a majestic story filled with drama, pathos, humor, intelligence, fantasy, and fact. It is no less than the story of the entire universe, particularly its own creation, transformation, and ultimate purpose. And while most stories require a separated listener and a storyteller, in your story the listener and the storyteller are one. Here you will see that the way in which you go about telling a story to yourself – a story that includes you – actually points out that without you there wouldn’t be a universe! And we shall see how this story called YOU unfolds into a panorama of life, literally a you-niverse — our ultimate goal being to understand the sacred transmutation of mind into matter.” “But like the ocean washing ashore, the tide eventually wanes. The water returns to the sea. The shore asserts itself. Eventually all distinctions disappear. No boundary lasts forever. Nothing lasts. Everything returns to the great ocean of oneness. Life, death, and all patterns move vibrationally. You can think of this as the impossible life/ death principle. ———— Even space and time — the arena in which we spend our lives – are not real but projections coming from something far deeper and mysterious. Even this arena will disappear.” “He explained that when we allow words to hold power over us, when we attach negative or fearful emotional significance to words, we suffer. Thus, by not letting words invoke images, the words lose their power and become meaningless sounds. ——– Well, that may be easy to say, but as we all know, words can and do leave their marks on us. In her book Refiguring Life, Evelyn Fox Keller points out that ‘the notion that words are one thing, acts another, was radically undermined when linguist J.L. Austin laid out his theory of ‘speech-act’ in a series of lectures at Harvard University entitled How to Do Things with Words.’ Austin showed that words are not always descriptive but are often action provoking. Examples include marriage vows, declaration of war, or the classic Jimmy Cagney line, ‘Take that, you dirty rat.’ Keller goes so far as to state that all language is action provoking and this includes scientific language as well.” “So, we might say the reason that there is a problem between science and mysticism is that the mystics are looking at creation from the viewpoint of awe and wonder and want to see everything as creation and nothing as transformation. The mystics might say that the laws of transformation are themselves merely illusions we create in our minds because we human beings want to have some control over our lives. We want to make sure that nothing gets created from anything. If something did, then the reverse is just as bound to occur. What got created could get un-created, it could be destroyed, vanish into nothing once again. And who wants that?”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa We normally talk of life paths in two ways as that of wellness and misery. May be ideal to present these as, one the path to truth and goodness and the second as the path to destruction and evil. Often it is concluded, when you have taken a path whether by choice or through fate or by adopted DNA as others would say, which one you are on by people’s judgement. It is agreeable that in life there are always two sides at play in whatever situation and that instinctively always the right path is desirable. It is common knowledge that choices make people go on one path leaving the other. Sometimes one would think with faith that they are on the right path thus unknowingly, only to discover in time it was a futile journey they took. The paths are not always straight, our hope is on the premise that one can start on the not right path but has the choice, all things being equal, to change their own course. The quotes this week are a final extraction on the book, of useful wise sayings that when you read provokes in the inner you, the desire for knowing more about yourself and what surrounds you. I am sure that the selected quotations from the book given here below, will give you enlightenment to one or two truths, read and enjoy: OUR CHILDREN NEED ROOTS AND WINGS by Dr Harvey Collins Kwiyani “Every time they mispronounce a word or emphasise a wrong syllable because they are speaking English with a foreign tongue, or when they are asked to spell out their name because it is an African name, or they are asked to repeat something they just said because the other person did not get it, they are reminded that the journey of the migrant never ends.” “There is always a cost—no matter how small—to migration. While migrants make efforts to settle in their new homes, they usually have to deal with the anti-migration rhetoric that ever so often dominates political conversations and news cycles. Anti-migration political leaders often paint migrants as people who make life less enjoyable for the natives and must, therefore, be prevented from arriving and settling in their country or, if they do, their numbers must be kept to the minimum. Migrants get wrongly blamed for taking people’s jobs, taking advantage of the welfare system, or as one American politician puts it, ‘raping our women’ — being portrayed in a negative light to strike fear among the people and discourage any sympathy or hospitality. Non-white migrants become easy targets of racist and xenophobic talk. However, white migrants usually face the stigma too, especially if they speak with a foreign accent. All of this plays out with the second generation watching, usually internalising their otherness.” “Unlike their parents who lived in religious homes in a religious world, and whose entire worldview was shaped by religion as they grew up in Africa, who were actually discipled in school (right on the public sphere), these young Africans in Europe have to maintain their faith—a public Pentecostal Christianity—in the private sphere. Insisting on being religious in the public sphere often brings misunderstandings, marginalisation and social exclusion. They have to speak both the Pentecostal language of their parents at home and the secular languages of their friends at school well in order to belong in both worlds. They almost literally leave their religion at home when they go to school. They participate in their parents’ prayer vigils and long worship services, yet, when away from parents, they can be just as secular as any anti-religion Westerner. Many of these migrant children will easily lead worship and play musical instruments in church on Sunday and act totally secular on Monday.” “Millions of black people, most of them at the prime of their age, were forced to provide free labour in the diaspora for hundreds of years. All sorts of reasons were used to justify the enslavement of the Africans, but primary among them was that Africans were less than human, primitive, and made to serve the Europeans and others. In the Americas, they were allowed to reproduce, ensuring a steady supply of people to enslave. In the Middle East, black men were castrated — they could easily bring more people from Africa. Economies emerged that were built solely on the broken backs of generations of black people. Slavery eventually lost its pull, and colonialism emerged in its place. They could not use slave labour anymore to enrich themselves, so they went for Africa’s resources. Black people were still less than human but still the continent’s resources could help build Europe, America, and the Middle East further. Now, we have a new form of slave trade and a new type of colonialism, both take advantage of the political and economic instability in Africa and the ensuing migration of Africans to other parts of the world. This current migration is connected to the old one. There is still in this a motivation to continue dehumanising black people, making them deny their heritage and erase their history to turn them into a history-less people who can be made into anything as needed.” DR HARVEY COLLINS KWIYANI Dr Harvey Collins Kwiyani originated  from Malawi some years ago. He stayed for several years in the USA before relocating to the UK. He teaches theology, missiology, and leadership courses at several places in the USA, Europe and Africa but is currently based at Liverpool Hope University as Senior Lecturer where he teaches African Theology. He founded and continues to be the general editor of African Missiology. He is also author of several books including such titles as, ‘Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West’, ‘Mission-shaped Church in a Multi-cultural World’, and the book, ‘Our Children Need Roots and Wings.’

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa We can learn a lot from children. And this is not to say only those children who have started producing words, or talking. No, we can learn from children starting the very instance they are born. Children can teach us forgiveness, the attitude of moving progressively forward, creativity, taking action, honesty, assertiveness, politics, being happy in the moment, playing or as well as praying and most importantly loving; true love. A child learns from the very first time it is brought in this world how to navigate in its complexity. If you want to learn true politics, governance, you need to observe children how they propel themselves in difficulty terrains, how they make negotiations without injuring others. Communication which is one of the very nerve of life is something that we all are born with and start exercising from birth. We can learn a lot if we will! In the final set of extracts from the book, this week’s quotes should finalise and confirm the fact that we can all be successful. I am sure these selected quotations from a book that when read in full will give you tips on living a positive life, should give you insight to one or two lessons. Read and enjoy: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WINNING – Ten Qualities of a Total Winner by Denis Waitley “…You may have desire. You may feel you are in control. You may expect to go to the moon. But you will never even get near the launching pad without persistent self-discipline. Most people forget the simple routine for learning a skill or habit: Desire, Information, Assimilation, and Repetition. We learn how to walk, drive, type, fly, speak a foreign language, ski, act in a play, etc. Why is it so difficult for us to apply learning to our most important life goals? Everything is habit-forming if it is repeated! Self-discipline alone can make or break a habit. Self-discipline alone can effect a permanent change in your self-image and in you. Self-discipline is the winning edge that achieves goals. Self-discipline is mental practice -the commitment to memory of those thoughts and emotions will override current information stored in the subconscious memory bank.” “Marriage is not looking at each other, but looking in the same direction together’ And this is just as applicable to other aspects of life as it is to marriage. ‘It’s not looking at each other, but looking in the same direction together.” “Our success in getting along with others and communicating effectively with them depends upon this same principle. It depends solely upon our ability to help other people solve their problem.” “Remember that you are becoming what you are thinking about every waking moment – so it is important to motivate yourself and others close to you by focusing on desire instead of fear. While the stresses of fear cause anxiety, neuroses, ulcers, and disease, the stresses of desire provide energy, propulsion, creativity, and magnetic pull.” “Since all losing habits such as self-criticism, smoking, excessive drinking, overeating, laziness, anxiety, depression, sloppiness, dishonesty, cruelty, and insensitivity are learned and developed into character traits through relentless practice – so are winning habits learned and retained. —— The winners in life begin by fantasizing their own ‘script,’ as if their lives were a magnificent, epic motion picture for which they have been chosen as writer, producer, director, and star.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Being reminded about childhood by someone who says you lived together in the same area though you cannot remember the person as a youth has two sides to it. Apparently it depends on the person saying it, how they have said it, under what circumstances and where? One could add when, as to the time of the day. Reminded of your childhood, if you are sensible you quickly take stock of your current life status. Giving yourself marks on how you feel things have panned out. You smile if you believe you have done well from where perhaps your entire family was in your youth. I don’t know what you feel though where there seems to be no progress. Life no matter what is supposed to be progressive. Some believe progress is in material things like money, this is wrong. If you feel you have matured, you have more knowledge of the world than you would necessarily have, taking into account your background, that is progress. Of course each person desires to have wealth and or be great, but success and progress is a more personal measure. So let no one measure your progress for you. The quotes for this week are a continuation of an insight into a book which upon reading it, you realise has some tips for personal progress. I am sure that the selected quotations below from this book will teach you one or two lessons, read and enjoy: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WINNING – Ten Qualities of a Total Winner by Denis Witley “The best way to remain optimistic is to associate with Winners and optimists. You can be realistic and optimistic at the same time by realistically examining the facts in a situation while remaining optimistic about your ability to contribute to a solution or a constructive alternative.” “Winners are especially aware of the tremendous importance of their self-image -and of the role their imagination can play in the creation and up-grading of the self-image. They know the self-image acts as a subconscious life governing device – that if in your self-image you can’t possibly see yourself doing something, achieving something, you literally cannot do it! They also know the self-image can be changed since the subconscious is incapable of differentiating between a real success and a success imagined again and again vividly and in full detail. A Winner’s self-talk is ‘I see myself changing, growing, achieving, winning!’ Losers say, ‘They’re my hangups, faults and stupidities …… and I’m stuck with ’em. “ “Winners in life -those one in one hundred people -are set apart from the rest of humanity by one of their most important development traits -positive self-direction. They have a game plan for life. ——– Every winner I have ever met knows where he or she is going day by day ……… every day. —— Winners are goal and role oriented. They set and get what they want -consistently. —– They are self directed on the road to fulfilment. —— Fulfilment or success has been defined as the progressive realization of goals that are worthy of the individual.” “In death camps, inmates told Frankl that they no longer expected anything from life. He would point out to them that they had it backward. ‘Life was expecting something of them. Life asks of every individual a contribution, and it is up to that individual to discover what it should be.” “We all have the potential and the opportunity for success in our lives. It takes just as much energy and effort for a bad life as it does for a good life. —— ……..Losers are people who have never made the decision that could set them free. They have not decided what to do with their lives, even in our free society. ——– They go to work to see what happens and you know what happens – they spend all their time making someone else’s goals come true.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa What is the difference between a smile and laughter? One would say it is in the magnitude of an expressed happiness yet the same of both has been seen done by people in sad moments. One of my children said yesterday when asked the question, that the difference is in the volume of sound. He said a smile is usually silent while laughter is loud. Some have laughed or smiled when they encountered a challenge, perhaps as a defiant expression of victory even before the fight has started. Sure enough in most cases such form of self-motivation has ended in happiness after the triumph. We can only exert force on things outside us, if we build up well the power inside, take a tyre air pump for instance that’s how it works. When does a smile graduate into a laughter? Is it even possible? Might be when someone is trying to suppress the laughter in the first place in such times they are being mean as they poke fun at someone’s conduct or mishap. You could still have well intentioned smile graduate into a laughter especially those times when during the first few minutes after just after meeting there was tension which has now been loosened. I know you are smiling as you read this, can you try to progress the smile to laughter? I just did! This week’s quotations, we are still on the winning side as we extract them from a book that when read in full will give you tips on success. The only one to define success is yourself as we are successful according to our own measure. I am sure that these quotes below will give you an insight on one or two life lessons. Read and enjoy: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WINNING – Ten Qualities of a Total Winner “Almost without exception, the real Winner, whether we speak of sports, business, or any other activity of life, has accepted his own uniqueness, feels comfortable with his image, and is willing that others know and accept him just as he is. And, it is an interesting fact that such a person naturally attracts friends and supporters. He or she seldom has to stand alone.” “….. Children do begin to take control of their lives at an early age. Many children learn how to control their parents’ lives as well, long before they know how to talk in complete sentences. ——- Whining receives attention. Crying receives consolation. Begging begets goodies. Tantrums create havoc. it is easy to incite Mommy against Daddy and sit back and watch the show. Just like on TV!” “My own experience has taught me this. If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won nor happiness achieved!” “Disregarding all material rewards for high achievement, there is a pure personal pleasure which comes with achieving the difficult. The emotional spin-off that accompanies performance of the unusual or challenging personal test can range from a quiet flow of self-esteem to outright exhilaration, and is reason enough for the pursuit of excellence.” “Winners are aware of their potential. They like who they are. Since they have a deep feeling of their own worth, they are eager to love others as they do themselves. Positive self-esteem ……… one of the most important qualities of a Winner. Talk yourself up! ………. There is no time to Lose.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Could still be with us today, but we grew up in an era where you were not considered a ‘person’ until you attain a certain age, usually around 18 or 20 depending on your talents, skills and speed of growth. The first sign of maturity to the ‘person’ was within you as there would start to be physical changes in your body such as in boys, a deep voice or and beads starting to appear, for girls noticeable deep personal grooming and the obvious tell-tell physical signs. When that age came notable was also acceptability in sitting with the elders or older members of society, eating on the table with the elders. And also access to information which in the prior age band you could not have and in any case even if you had acquired by chance, you would be punished for. Whilst you would have marvelled at how decisions are made at all levels, when this age comes people start asking you to make some of those decisions either for yourself or for others. The quotes for this week are those taken from the book that when you read in full, you will come to understand that the combination of belief and positive living can go a long way in wellness. I am sure the selected quotations from the book will enlighten you to one or two lessons, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF BEING WELL by Wallace D. Wattles “The principle of Health is moved by Faith; nothing else can call it into action, and only faith can enable you to relate yourself to health, and sever your relation with disease, in your thoughts. ——— You will continue to think of disease unless you have faith in health. If you do not have faith you will doubt; if you doubt, you will fear, and if you fear, you will relate yourself in mind to that which you fear.” “Man can live in three general ways; for the gratification of his body, for that of his intellect, or for that of his soul. The first is accomplished by satisfying the desires for food, drink and those other things which give enjoyable physical sensations. The second is accomplished by doing those things which cause pleasant mental sensations, such as gratifying the desire for knowledge or those for fine clothing , fame, power, and so on. The third is accomplished by giving way to the instincts of unselfish love and altruism. Man lives most wisely and completely when he functions most perfectly along all of these lines, without excess in any of them. The man who lives swinishly, for the body alone, is unwise and out of harmony with God; that man who lives solely for the cold enjoyment of the intellect, though he be absolutely moral, is unwise and out of harmony with God; and the man who lives wholly for the practice of altruism, and who throws himself away for others, is as unwise and as far from harmony with God as those who go to excess in other ways.” “The current sciences of medicine and hygiene have made no progress toward answering the question, What shall I eat? The contests between the vegetarians and the meat eaters, the cooked food advocatyes, raw food advocates, and various other ‘schools’ of theorists, seem to be interminable; and from the mountains of evidence and argument piled up for and against each special theory, it is plain that if we depend on these scientists we shall never know what is natural food to man. Turning away from the whole controversy, then, we will ask the question of nature herself, and we shall find that she has not left us without an answer.” “In the temperate zone the largest demands are made on man in spirit, mind, and body; and here we find the greatest variety of foods provided by nature. And it is really quite useless and superfluous to theorize on the question what the masses shall eat, for they have no choice; they must eat the foods which are staple products of the zone in which they live. It is impossible to supply all the people with a nut-and-fruit or raw food diet; and the fact that it is impossible is proof positive that these are not the foods intended by nature, for nature, being formed for the advancement of life, has not made the obtaining of the means of life an impossibility. So, I say, the question, What shall I eat? has been answered for you. Eat wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat; eat vegetables; eat meats, eat fruits, eat the things that are eaten by the masses of the people around the world, for in this matter the voice of the people is the voice of God. They have been led, generally, to the selection of certain foods; and they have been led, generally, to prepare these foods in generally similar ways; and you may depend on it that in general they have the right foods and are preparing them in the right way. In these matters the race has been under the guidance of God.” “The Great Intelligence, which is in all and through all, has in reality practically settled the question as to what we shall eat. In ordering the affairs of nature, it has decided that man’s food shall be according to the zone in which he lives. In the frigid regions of the far North, fuel foods are required. The development of brain is not large, nor is the life severe in its labor-tax on muscle; and so the Esquimaux live largely on the blubber and fat of aquatic animals. No other diet is possible to them; they could get fruits, nuts, or vegetables even if they were disposed to eat them; and they could not live on them in that climate if they could get them. So, notwithstanding the arguments of the vegetarians, the Esquimaux will continue to

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa That you would call a dog people’s name sometimes caused provocations in olden days, current stand is uncertain. For example take this family and to be specific man of the family, who called his dog after his neighbours wife, such was a very provocative thing to do. As history will remind us wars have started between nations with thousands of deaths because of a small issue which in the first place could have been sorted out through dialogue. However, I do not know how one can set a dialogue with a neighbour who has decided to name their dog after your wife. Perhaps things could be different if they had asked for permission from you first before doing this provocative, erroneous, unwarranted conduct of holding a ceremony to name a dog after your wife unbeknown to her. Most names are said to be derived from ancestors, here in naming a dog after someone, a neighbour’s wife in this case, one can not tell whether such conduct is in respect to any if at all ancestors. In any case humans have ancestors, dogs have no ancestors; one can conclude without requiring any proof. So how do we start to solve this matter? The quotes this week are from a book that if those who have not heard about it and in finally knowing its content, will agree that it is a must read for everyone as long as you are alive. I am sure that the selected quotations below from this book will open your mind to one or two ideas that will go deep into your knowledge, read and enjoy THE SCIENCE OF BEING WELL by Wallace D. Wattles “The power that Heals is in the patient himself, and whether it shall become active or not does not depend upon the physical or mental means used, but upon the way the patient thinks about these means. There is a Universal Principal of Life, as Jesus taught; a great spiritual Healing Power; and there is a Principle of Health in man which is related to this Healing Power. This is dormant or active, according to the way a man thinks. He can always quicken it into activity by thinking in a Certain Way.” “… For countless ages men have held thoughts of disease, abnormality, old age, and death; and the perverted functioning resulting from these thoughts has become a part of the inheritance of the race. Our ancestors have, for many generations, held imperfect ideas concerning human form and functioning; and we begin life with racial subconscious impressions of imperfection and disease.” “Life cannot live without increasing, and the fundamental impulse of life is to live. It is in response to this fundamental impulse that Original Substance works, and creates, God must live; and he cannot live except as he creates and increases. In multiplying forms, He is moving on to live more. ——–The universe is a Great Advancing Life, and the purpose of nature is the advancement of life toward perfection; toward perfect functioning. The purpose of nature is perfect health.” “The human body is the abiding place of an energy which renews it when worn; which eliminates waste or poisonous matter, and which repairs the body when broken or injured. This energy we call life. Life is not generated or produced within the body; it produces the body. —- The seed which has been kept in the storehouse for years will grow when planted in the soil; it will produce a plant. But the life in the plant is not generated by its growing; it is the life which makes the plant grow. “ “That which lives in is seeking more life. —– Give a little child a pencil and paper, and he begins to draw crude figures; That which lives in him is trying to express itself in art. Give him a st of blocks and he will try to build something ; That which lives in him is seeking expression in architecture. Seat him at a piano, and he will try to draw harmony from the the keys; That which lives in him is trying to express itself in music. That which lives in man is always seeking to live more; and since man lives most when he is well, the Principle of Nature in him can seek only health. The natural state of man is a state of perfect health; and everything in him, and in nature, tends toward health.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa We all make an effort. Some efforts can be remembered for long, like the effort I can still remember perhaps equal to nothing I have encountered in my youth, that of exerting force to break a malambe fruit shell (baobab fruit shell) in order to partake the seeds inside that you joyously suck like you do with sweets, sucking them clean of the sweet white powder. The thing about these baobab seeds inside the shell, is you never knew/ know whether your effort of breaking the shell will be rewarded with a sweet taste on the fruits or a bad experience of sourness with some as bitter as chloroquine tablets. There is just that hope that it will be a whole sweet batch. For the sour ones, they were useful depending on where you were breaking the shells in terms of location. In my own experience, If it was on the times we went to the source of these fruits in our parents’ home village of Lisungwi, Malawi then sour ones would be quickly thrown away and you would go on to another tree again in the hope of looking for sweet ones. If they were ones bought in the city of Blantyre particularly from Ndirande Market, then one would unwillingly partake whatever it was in whole whether sweet or sour. Sometimes you would sweat and exert all your effort to break the malambe fruit shell (baobab fruit shell) only to discover that there were already beneficiaries of the sweet fruit inside them, much alive and moving about in form of ants, although most often you would not see anywhere around the shell they might have used to enter in which was always and is a mystery. The quotes for this weekend we complete our extraction from the book that when you read in full, you may want to redefine your purpose of living. Why are we living and where do we draw our strength? Perhaps the few selected quotations listed below from the book will enlighten you to the path in answering these questions, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH by Wallace D. Wattles “Thought is the creative power, or the impelling force which causes the creative power to act; thinking in a Certain Way will bring riches to you, but you must not rely on thought alone, paying no attention to personal action. That is the rock upon which many otherwise scientific metaphysical thinkers meet shipwreck-the failure to connect thought with personal action.” “You must so impress others that they will feel that in associating with you they will get increase for themselves. See that you give them a use value greater than the cash value you are taking from them. —— Take an honest pride in doing this, and let everybody know it; and you will have no lack of customers. People will go where they are given increase; and the Supreme, which desires increase in all, and which knows all, will move toward you men and women who have never heard of you. Your business will increase rapidly, and you will be surprised at the unexpected benefits which will come to you. …. “ “By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action you receive it. ———– Whatever your action is to be, it is evident that you must act NOW. You cannot act in the past, and it is essential to the clearness of your mental vision that you dismiss the past from your mind. You cannot act in the future, for the future is not here yet. And you cannot tell how you will want to act in any future contingency until that contingency has arrived.” “Do not try to more than fill your present place with a view to pleasing your employer; do it with the idea of advancing yourself. Hold the faith and purpose of increase during work hours, after work hours, and before work hours. Hold it in such a way that every person who comes in contact with you, whether foreman, fellow workman, or social acquaintance, will feel the power of purpose radiating from you; so that every one will get the sense of advancement and increase from you. Men will be attracted to you, and if there is no possibility for advancement in your present job, you will very soon see an opportunity to take another job. “ “Give no anxious thought to possible disasters, obstacles, panics, or unfavourable combinations of circumstances; it is time enough to meet such things when they present themselves before you in the immediate present, and you will find that every difficulty carries with it the wherewithal for its overcoming. ——- Guard your speech. Never speak yourself, your affairs, or of anything else in a discouraged or discouraging way. ——– Never admit the possibility of failure, or speak in a way that infers failure as a possibility. ——— Never speak of the times as being hard, or of business conditions as being doubtful. Times may be hard and business doubtful for those who are on the competitive plane, but they can never be so for you; you can create what you want, and you are above fear.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Three weeks ago it was stated here that living rooms (sitting rooms) have been known to be feminine places mostly decorated with flowers for ages. This as most would attest could be more true especially in olden days. There have been strong views coming through to say this has shifted hugely in our current era and that the sitting room or living room of today is more masculine. They say the war of Television and other gadgets remote controls including game consoles has always been won by men lately. This has extended to boys, where a household has boys and girls as children, in that it is the boys getting parental favours in more game and or TV time. So where do we begin to negotiate for a ceasefire? Experts who were asked stated that there seems to be no solution in the near future as advances on the use of internet keep improving and more especially as the prices of internet subscription keep getting lower and lower. This makes it harder for there to be any negotiations whatsoever between the sexes on this topic alone. For now we have to accept that while femininity has won in some areas, the sitting room or living room is their no go area since the flags hoisted there are more than ever absolutely masculine. The quotes this week are as a continuation extracts from the book that when read in full, makes you realise that perhaps all things can be learned, what is important is the will. I am sure that the selected quotations below from the book will let you learn one or two things, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH by Wallace D, Wattles “You do not want to get rich solely to enjoy mental pleasures, to get knowledge, to gratify ambition, to outshine others, to be famous. All these are a legitimate part of life, but the man who lives for the pleasures of the intellect alone will only have a partial life, and he will never be satisfied with his lot. ——- You do not want to get rich solely for the good of others, to lose yourself for the salvation of mankind, to experience the joys of philanthropy and sacrifice. The joys of the soul are only a part of life; and they are no better or nobler than any other part. ——— You want to get rich in order that you may eat, drink, and be merry when it is time to do these things; in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things, see distant lands, feed your mind, and develop your intellect; in order that you may love men and do kind things, and be able to play a good part in helping the world to find truth, ——– But remember that extreme altruism is no better and no nobler than extreme selfishness; both are mistakes.” “Your part is to focalize and express the desire to God. —— This is a difficult point with most people; they retain something of the old idea that poverty and self-sacrifice are pleasing to God. They look upon poverty as a part of the plan, a necessity of nature. They have the idea that God has finished His work, and made all that He can make, and that the majority of men must stay poor because there is not enough to go around. They hold to of this erroneous thought that they feel ashamed to ask for wealth, they try not to want more than a very modest competence, just enough to make them fairly comfortable.” “It is easy to understand that the nearer we live to the source of wealth, the more wealth we shall receive; and it is easy also to understand that the soul that is always grateful lives in closer touch with God than the one which never looks to Him in thankful acknowledgement. ——— The more gratefully we fix our minds on the Supreme when good things come to us, the more good things we will receive, and the more rapidly they will come; and the reason simply is that the mental attitude of gratitude draw the mind into closer touch with the source from which the blessings come. ——- If is a new thought to you that gratitude brings your whole mind into closer harmony with the creative energies of the universe, consider it well, and you will see that it is true.” “What tends to do away with poverty is not the getting of pictures of poverty into your mind, but getting pictures of wealth into the minds of the poor. ——– You are not deserting the poor in their misery when you refuse to allow your mind to be filled with pictures of that misery. ——— Poverty can be done away with, not by increasing the number of well to do people who think about poverty, but by increasing the number of poor people who purpose with faith to get rich.” “The moment you permit your mind to dwell with dissatisfaction upon things as they are, you begin to lose ground. You fix attention upon the common, the ordinary, the poor, and the squalid and mean; and your mind takes the form of these things. Then you will transmit these forms or mental images to the Formless, and the common, the poor, the squalid, and the mean will come to you. ——– To permit your mind to dwell upon the inferior is to become inferior and to surround yourself with inferior things. ——— On the other hand, to fix your attention on the best is to surround yourself with the best, and to become the best.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Social media and perhaps this could be said of the whole internet/ online phenomena, has given most people a want of possibilities. More than ever before in the world, dreams dreamt on ones computer or mobile phone have made people feel possible actual physical sighting or touch in some cases. Whilst in olden days whose who had never seen a skyscraper building could only imagine in their heads upon hearing the words what this looked like, in our modern days it takes second by mare searching on to see how such buildings look like by searching online; seeing photos, live or dead of such. In those days, while most processes were just imagined, with social media of this day it’s an experience lived almost every minute one desires how long he or she wants to be online. Most importantly for those searching for life partners or fellowship, they can go online nowadays and feed on their imagination with live or still images, find people they can actually talk to, and imagine all the possibilities they have with that person. This week’s quotes are from the author who in his book declared that we all want to get rich or make some wealth, become great in our own right and remain well or healthy in life to enjoy all the years of our lives has to offer. I am sure you will learn one or two things from the extracted quotations off this book, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH by Wallace D. Wattles “The object of all life is development; and everything that lives has an inalienable right to all the development it is capable of attaining. —— Man’s right to life means his right to have the free and unrestricted use of all things which may be necessary to his fullest mental, spiritual, and physical unfoldment; or, in other words, his right to be rich.” “A man develops in mind, soul, and body by making use of things, and society is so organised that man must have money in order to become the possessor of things; therefore, the basis of all advancement for man must be the science of getting rich.———- Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich. No man can rise to his greatest possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money; for to unfold the soul and to develop develop talent he must have many things to use, and he cannot have these things unless he has money to buy them with.” “To live fully in soul, man must have love; and love is denied expression by poverty. ——- A man’s highest happiness is found in the bestowal of benefits on those he loves; love finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving. The man who has nothing to give cannot fill his place as a husband or father, as a citizen, or as a man. It is the use of material things that a man finds full life for his body, develops his mind, and unfolds his soul. It is therefore of supreme importance to him that he should be rich.” “This is true of man collectively; the race as a whole is always abundantly rich, and if individuals are poor, it is because they do not follow the Certain Way of doing things which makes the individual man rich. ——— Nature is formed for the advancement of life; its impelling motive is the increase of life. For this cause, everything which can possibly minister to life is bountifully provided; there can be no lack unless God is to contradict himself and nullify his own works.” “To look upon the appearance of disease will produce the form of disease in your own mind, and ultimately in your body, unless you hold you hold the thought of the truth, which is that there is no disease; it is only an appearance, and the reality is health. ——— To look upon the appearance of poverty will produce corresponding forms in your own mind, unless you hold to the truth that there is no poverty; there is only abundance. ———- To think health when surrounded by the appearance of disease, or to think riches when in the midst of appearances of poverty, requires power; but he who acquires this power becomes a MASTER MIND. He can conquer fate; he can have what he wants. ———-This power can only be acquired by getting hold of the basic fact which is behind all appearances; and that fact is that there is one Thinking Substance from which and by which all things are made.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa It is inconceivable that some time ago as late as the last years of the 1800s thus before more advances in scientific research, bad smell was seen as the cause of most diseases. The advent of such diseases as Cholera was attributed to have been caused by bad smell. Such was the case for example during most of the earlier period of the disease, Cholera that killed tens of thousands of people in Britain until some researcher connected it as a waterborne disease. Bad smell has for centuries been blamed for a lot of other various unpleasant things. For instance marriages and relationships have ended because of it. Yet bad smell often accompany positive social development such as development of areas that were remote into cities. The various stench of waste arising as more people start to habitably concentrate in one area becomes the source of unmanageable elements that become hard to manage causing decay and rot in no time which as a result might produce bad smell. Some have said, if you wanted to experience bad smell, major cities perhaps for most until recently, are the places to go to. Interestingly in the current situation that the world finds itself in, living with the Covid-19 Pandemic, being able to smell whether bad or good is one of the indicators of being well or health (not having the virus). It is said if you cannot smell anything, it could be that perhaps you have been infected by the disease. Recently the World Health Organisation (WHO), added the lack of smelling sense as one of the symptoms of being infected by the Corona Virus, if so you are advised to go for a test. All what we are saying is; as one of the tests look for and visit where there is bad smell, if you can experience and withstand the smell then perhaps you are well. As a warning though do not ignore the other symptoms as naturally people are different and some by nature have weak or totally no smelling senses. This week in our extraction exercise of useful quotes, we take them from a book that when read in full has potential to awaken your spirit to the vast possibilities around you. I am sure that these selected quotations should make you aware of one or two life lessons to that effect, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF BEING GREAT by Wallace D. Wattles “There are two mental attitudes a man may take. One makes him like a football. It has resilience and reacts strongly when force is applied to it, but it originates nothing; it never acts of itself. There is no power within it. Men of this type are controlled by circumstances and environment; their destinies are decided by things external to themselves. The principle of Power within them is never really active at all. They never speak or act from within.” “DO NOT LET OTHER PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE TO BE. —– BE WHAT YOU FEEL THAT YOU WANT TO BE. ——— Do not be misled by a false notion of obligation or duty. You can owe no possible obligation or duty to others that should prevent you from making the most of yourself. Be true to yourself, and you cannot then be false to any man. When you have fully decided what thing you want to be, form the highest conception of that thing that you are capable of imagining, and make that conception a thought-form. Hold that thought-form as a fact, as the real truth about yourself, and believe in it.” “Having recognised God as the advancing presence in nature, society, and your fellow men, and harmonised yourself with all these, and having consecrated yourself to that within you which impels toward the greatest and the highest, the next step is to become aware of and recognise fully the fact that the Principle of Power within you is God Himself. You must consciously identify yourself with the Highest. This is not some false or untrue position to be assumed; it is a fact to be recognised. You are already one with God; you want to become consciously aware of it.” “Do not try to do great things until you are ready to go about them in a great way. If you undertake to deal with great matters in a small way, that is from a low viewpoint or with incomplete consecration and wavering faith and courage you will fail. Do not be in a hurry to get to the great things. Doing great things will not make you great, but becoming great will certainly lead you to the doing of great things. Begin to be great where you are and in the things you do every day. Do not be in haste to be found out or recognised as a great personality. Do not be disappointed if men do not nominate you for office within a month after you begin to practice what you read …… Great people never seek recognition or applause; they are not great because they want to be paid for being so. Greatness is reward enough for itself; the joy of being something and of knowing that you are advancing is the greatest of all joys possible to man.” “……your thought-form will be mostly shaped according to your viewpoint of the cosmos. If you see the world as a lost and ruined thing you will see yourself as a part of it, and as partaking of its sins and weaknesses. If your outlook of the world as a whole is hopeless, your outlook for yourself cannot be hopeful. If you see the world as declining toward its end, you cannot see yourself as advancing. Unless you think well of all the works of God you cannot really think well of yourself, and unless you think well of yourself you can never become great.”“The view of evolution that we have taken shows God seeking

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa In most houses the living room (sitting room) is the most important space in the house. It is where family resolutions are made, where negotiations are pan out, where instructions are given and where rewards or punishment quite often will be melted. For the imposition of punishments, if the implementation or imposing of a punishment moves from the living room to the bedroom, means the atrocity committed is so serious. At other times it may mean the sin committed is so shameful that it cannot be administered on the open area of the living room but in the confines of a bedroom where normally before start the door is closed or locked. This also relates to other serious discussions not fit to be tackled in the open. In olden days most living rooms, what others call the sitting room or family room, were more feminine. Perhaps the reason being that most women were housewives, not working and therefore the home is where they stayed more. Such ‘feminine’ things like pieces of clothes (chair and furniture covers) bearing flower imprints or embroidery patterns were the most distinguished features to covering sofas, dinning tables and chairs including all other furniture and equipment. The sitting room also depicted, I believe it’s still the case now, ones social status and wealth in society. Such measure on the social ladder would be supported by the types of sofa settee or couch, the other surrounding furniture, the equipment and tools around for instance TV sets and or the music playing gadget one has. The more sophisticated these are, the more depiction of wealth. This week’s quotations are taken from the book we began to have an insight into last week. When read in full, the book has potential of transforming you into a much enlightened person in all aspects of your life. I am sure the extracted quotes below from the book will point to you one or two important lessons, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF BEING GREAT by Wallace D. Wattles “Important as the matter of your point of view for the facts of social life is, it is of less moment than your viewpoint for your fellow men, for your acquaintances, friends, relatives, your immediate family, and, most of all, yourself. You must learn not to look upon the world as a lost and decaying thing but as a something perfect and glorious which is going on to a most beautiful completeness, and you must learn to see men and women not as lost and accursed thing, but as perfect beings advancing to become complete. There are no ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ people. An engine, which is on the rails pulling a heavy train, is perfect after its kind, and it is good. The power of steam, which drives it, is good. Let a broken rail throw the engine into the ditch, and it does not become bad or evil by being so displaced, it is a perfectly good engine, but off the truck.” “You are a thinking center in original substance, and the thoughts of original substance have creative power; whatever is formed in its thought and held as a thought-form must come into existence as a visible and so-called material form, and a thought-form held in thinking substance is a reality; it is a real thing, whether it has yet become visible to mortal eye or not. This is a fact that you should impress upon your understanding that a thought held in thinking substance is a real thing; a form, and has actual existence, although it is not visible to you. You internally take the form in which you think of yourself; and you surround yourself with the invisible forms of those things with which you associate in your thoughts.” “The one way to develop a perception of truth in large things is to trust absolutely to your present perception of Truth in small things. Remember that you are seeking to develop this very power or faculty – the perception of truth; you are learning to read the thoughts of God. Nothing is great and nothing is small in the sight of Omnipotence; he holds the sun in its place, but he also notes a sparrow’s fall, and numbers the hairs of your head.” “You have formed, perhaps, the habit of thinking of yourself as a common person, as one of a limited ability, or as being more or less of a failure. Whatever you habitually think yourself to be, that you are. you must form, now, a greater and better habit; you must form a conception of yourself as a being of limitless power, and habitually think that you are that being. It is the habitual, not the periodical thought that decides your destiny. It will avail you nothing to sit apart for a few moments several times a day to affirm that you are great, if during all the balance of the day, while you are about your regular vocation, you think of yourself as not great. No amount of praying or affirmation will make you great if you still habitually regard yourself as being small.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa I recently watched a TV documentary about houses having a deep historical stories if they are still standing. It threw me back to the house I was born and grew up in. That house which is in the city of Blantyre, Malawi is still our family home to date. In total there are six of us who were raised in this house as children not mentioning the various relatives and visitors. It is true each house has its characteristic derived from the people who lived and passed through it. In each house generally, some of the stories if walls could talk, would be wonderful and stories of triumph yet others will be sad or traumatic stories that the people living in it would have experienced. If it has been occupied by so many different people in turn, the stories from such a house would be even deeper. Ours has perhaps only a story from one family as my parents were the first occupants when it was built by the Malawi Housing Corporation in around 1969 that later sold it to them. In our case most of the stories the walls might wish to share I believe would be good adventurous stories. The quotes for this week have been taken from a book whose author stated that to be great one must rise above the mere moral evil being done everywhere. If you were to read the whole book, you would be invited to take a beeline into your consciousness and ask your perceptive innermost part about your own motives of being great and see if they are right. I am sure the selected quotations from the book presented here below will enlighten you to one or two life lessons, read and enjoy: THE SCIENCE OF BEING GREAT by Wallace D. Wattles “Genius is more than talent. Talent may merely be one faculty developed out of proportion to other faculties, but genius is the union of man and God in the acts of the soul. Great men are always greater than their deeds. They are in connection with a reserve of power that is without limit. We do not know where the boundary of the mental powers of the man is; we do not even know that there is a boundary. ——– The power of conscious growth is not given to the lower animals, it is mans alone and may be developed and increased by him. The lower animals can, to a greater extent, be trained and developed by man; but man can train and develop himself. He alone has this power, and he has it to an apparently unlimited extent.” “Man is thinking substance, a portion of the Cosmic Substance; but man is limited, while the Cosmic Intelligence from which he sprang, which Jesus calls the Father, is unlimited. All intelligence, power, and force come from the Father. Jesus recognized this and stated it very plainly. Over and over again he ascribed all his wisdom and power to his unity with the Father, and to his perceiving the thoughts of God. ‘My Father and I are one.’ ——– This was the foundation of his knowledge and power. He showed the people the necessity of becoming spiritually awakened; of hearing his voice and becoming like him. He compared the unthinking man who is the prey and sport of circumstances to the dead man in a tomb, and besought him to hear and come forth.” “Nothing better is possible until we cease to be mental savages in industry and business, and become men and women. This can only come about by the rise of the whole race to a higher viewpoint. And this can only come about by the rise of such individuals here and there as are ready for the higher viewpoint. The cure for all this inharmoniousness lies not with the masters or employers but with the workers themselves.” “……..There are many ideas in your mind that you have outgrown, and which, from force of habit you still permit to dictate the actions of your life. Cease all this; abandon everything you have outgrown. There are many ignoble customs, social and other, which you still follow, although you know they tend to dwarf and belittle you and keep you acting in a small way. ——— Rise above all this. I do not say that you should absolutely disregard conventionalities, or the commonly accepted standards of right and wrong. You cannot do this, but you can deliver your soul from most of the narrow restrictions that bind the majority of your fellow men. Do not give your time and strength to the support of obsolete institutions, religious or otherwise; do not be bound by creeds in which you do not believe. Be free.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa As the colour of the rainbow is, so is our differences as a people yet every time you look at a rainbow it appears as one creative bundle of colours. The combination of colours makes it look more appealing and heaven like. There was a time and I believe most still believe, that seeing a rainbow brings a good feeling, opens a load of good things coming your way. The thing is most wonderful things of nature make people feel more human, a rainbow when gazed at in its purity does that bringing peace of the mind. Our differences as a people should be a thing to celebrate. Life would have been a bore if all you met were people who look like you, people who speak like you, people who walk like you and those who think like you. Yet in some people these differences in people make them feel angry as if they are the creator. This week’s quotes we finalise extracting from a book that when read has the potential to make you realise that life is marvellous experience. I am sure that the quotations below from the book will give you an insight on what positive living looks like and its practicalities. Read and Enjoy: THE STRANGEST SECRET IN THE WORLD by Earl Nightingale “We know that most people desire by nature to succeed. But what is success? —- Most people do not know what success is all about, and since they do not know what it is about, they really don’t know where to look for it. —– Success is really nothing more than the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. —- This means that any person who knows what they are doing and where they are going is a success. Any person with a goal towards which they are working is a successful person.” “The problem is that our mind comes as standard equipment at birth. It’s free. And things that are given to us for nothing, we place little value on. Things that we pay money for, we value. ——– The paradox is that exactly the reverse is true…… Everything that’s really worthwhile in life came to us free: our minds, , our souls, our bodies, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions, our intelligence, our love of family and children and friends and country……. All these priceless possessions are free. ——– But the things that cost us money are actually very cheap and can be replaced at any time. A good man can be completely wiped out and make another fortune. He can do that several times. Even if our home burns down, we can rebuild it. But the things we got for nothing, we can never replace. ——- The human mind is not used because we take it for granted. ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’.” “The moment you decide on a goal to work towards, you immediately are a successful person. You are then in that rare and successful category of people who know where they are going. Out of every 100 people, you belong to the top five.” “ATTITUDE. It has been called the most important word in any language in the world, because it is our attitude toward our world and toward all the people in it that will determine the world’s attitude and all the people’s attitude toward us. It is a simple thing, most of us know it but we tend to forget it. People will react to us according to our attitude. Our attitude is the greatest gift we can be given.” “….The preacher who was driving down a country road when he came upon the most magnificent farm he had ever seen in his life. It was beautiful. He saw the farmer approaching the road on his tractor, so he hailed him. ‘My good man, God has certainly blessed you with a magnificent farm.’ The farmer thought for a moment and replied, ‘Yes, you are right, he certainly has. But you should have seen this place when he had it all to himself.’ The preacher had his sermon for the next Sunday. He realized that all the farmers up and down that road had been given the same land, yet one man had made something great out of it.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Interesting how when you look at mountains, you see different shapes of their peak or top. Some are pointed, others are flat for example the Table mountain in South Africa, yet you find others that are oval. For most especially smaller ones, their tops are non-descriptive perhaps hovering along the lines of unevenness. What is most striking in looking at mountains just like most natural permanent surfaces on earth, when you think about it deeply, you start imagining the numbers of people that may have seen these or passed by, past and present and asking self whether you shared the same view. Looking at a mountain, imagine how it would have appeared to someone looking at it in 1910 or a little back in 1888. The knowledge people have today may not have been the same, so although for argument’s sake we can conclude that in both cases past and present there would be agreement that what they were/ are looking at is a ‘mountain,’ the difference on description could perhaps come as to the shape on top of the particular mountain under surveillance. Some good determining factor as for one to be concerned or be different from others in description of the mountain top would be for instance height of the person giving the description, purpose of their visit to the mountain, though debatable ones age and more importantly their knowledge of shapes. This week’s quotes, we continue from the last week article’s referent book. This book from which we extract the quotations, in 1956 without any advertising or fanfare of any kind; outsold all other non-musical, non-entertainment type recordings for its video version. I am sure the extracted quotes will give you one or two lessons on living a positive life, read and enjoy: THE STRANGEST SECRET IN THE WORLD by Earl Nightingale “George Bernard Shaw said: ‘People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them,——- We become what we think about.” “One time I heard Grove Patterson, the great late editor in chief of the Toledo Daily Blade make a speech. And as he concluded his speech he said something I’ve never forgotten. He said, ‘My years in the newspaper business have convinced me of several things. Among them, that people are basically good, and that we came from someplace and we are going someplace. So we should make our time here an exciting adventure. The architect of the universe did not build a stairway leading nowhere. The greatest teacher of all, the carpenter from the Plains of Galilee of all gave us the secret time and time again: As ye believe, so shall it be done – unto you.” “As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap – The human mind is much like a farmer’s land. … Suppose a farmer has some land. And it is good fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice. He may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care what is planted. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision. ——- Remember we are comparing the human mind to the farmers land because, the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant. ——– Let’s say the farmer has two seeds in his hand – one a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds, one corn, the other nightshade. ——– He covers up the holes, waters, and takes care of the land. What will happen? Invariably, the land will return what is planted. As it is written in the Bible, As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” “Ours has been called a Phenobarbital Age, the age of ulcers and nervous breakdowns and tranquillisers at a time when medical research has raised us to a new plateau of good health and longevity, far too many of us worry ourselves into an early grave trying to cope with things in our little personal ways, without learning a few great laws that will take care of everything for us. ——– These things we bring on ourselves through our habitual way of thinking. Every one of us is the sum total of our own thought. ———- We are where we are because that is exactly where we really want or feel we deserve to be – whether we’ll admit that or not. —— Each of us must live off the fruit of our thoughts in the future, because what you think today and tomorrow – next month and next year – will mould your life and determine your future. You are guided by your mind.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa There is a marked difference between how western culture and the culture that I grew up in treat home visitors. In Malawi, Africa where I originated from, we grew up with the belief that home visitors bring blessings to the family. Of course this is pre Corona Virus era belief though may still be that in Malawi probably it does not matter. Growing up memory comes to mind when as children we now and again had to shift our sleeping place in the house to accommodate visitors especially those who would have come from the village. When they came you never knew when they will be going back, it was not polite then to ask a visitor as to when they will be going back. There was/ is a proverb that emphasised that you don’t ask your home visitor about the duration of their stay that went like; “A visitor is like morning dew which quickly evaporates – (Mulendo mdi mame sachedwa kukamuka)”. This was in the belief that they normally would stay not more than three days almost, however, if I recall some in our case were staying more than a month. By visitor in the Malawi cultural case I do not mean immediate family members/ relatives, it is mostly distance relations or family associates of relatives; thus proper visitors or sometimes those called guests. If you have ever watched a football match of teams in the West, you would have noticed that the visiting team would not normally put on their traditional colours and also they will have restrictions as to the number of supporters they can bring in as a visitor. This is not to mention the intimidation they are subjected to as a visiting team through abusive rhetoric from home team supporters. It therefore becomes a thing to celebrate more when a team wins a game as a visiting team. That experience of a visiting team is the same that you may have to endure if you are visiting another ones home in Western culture (I am not speaking of other cultures I do not know). For a start you can not visit one without giving them advance notice and also even after the notice, you need phoning them before you start off on the visit. In Malawi as far as I recall notices were/ are not necessary, one would visit another any time they will, it generally is still the case now. In our case as a family though in the West, we still have kept to our tradition of welcoming any visitor with or without notice. If you came food is almost prepared in anticipation that we may have a visitor which usually is kept in case we have them after we have had a meal ourselves. The only exception perhaps is that we will not give you control of the TV remote controls as we never would like your taste of things you watch, remember that. Contrast this, the TV remote issue in Malawi, you would normally politely give a visitor the remote immediately they come for them to choose whatever they want to watch with the host silently joining in no matter their taste. The quotations this week are from a book that when read will get you deeper in defining life skills and individual purposes. I am sure the extracts from the book will open up your mind to one or two positive lessons for impactful living, read and enjoy: THE STRANGEST SECRET IN THE WORLD by Earl Nightingale “The late Nobel prize-winning Dr. Albert Schweitzer was once asked, ‘Doctor, what is wrong with men today?’ The great doctor was silent a moment, and then he said, ‘Men simply do not think!’ —————- We live today in a golden age. This is an era that humanity has looked forward to, dreamed of, and worked toward for thousands of years. But since it is here we pretty well take it for granted. We are fortunate to live in the richest era that ever existed on the face of the earth. A land of abundant opportunity for everyone. ….” “Rollo May, the distinguished psychiatrist, wrote in his wonderful book called: ‘Man’s Search for Himself’. ‘The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice – it is conformity.’ ——– And there you have the trouble today; the reason for so many failures. Conformity ….. people acting like everyone else, without knowing why or without knowing where they are going. —– Why do people conform? …. Well, they really don’t know. Most people seem to believe their lives are shaped by circumstances, by things that happen to them by exterior forces. They are outer directed people.” “A survey was made one time that covered a lot of people, working people. These people were asked, ‘Why do you work?’ Why do you get up in the morning?’ 19 out of 20 had no idea. ——– If you press them they will say, ‘Everyone goes to work in the morning.’ And that is the reason they do it – because everyone else is doing it. ——-Now let’s get back to our definition of success. Who succeeds? The only person who succeeds is the person who is progressively realising a worthy ideal. It is the person who says, ‘I am going to become this’, and then begins to work towards that goal. …….. A success is the school teacher who is teaching school because that’s what he or she wants to do.” “GOALS —– Think of a ship leaving a harbour…. Think of it with the complete voyage mapped out and planned. The captain and crew know exactly where the ship is going and how long it will take – it has a definite goal. And 9,999 times out of 10,000, it will get to where it started out to get. —– Now let’s take another ship, just like the first, only let’s not put a crew on it, or a captain

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Those who have played a child game known as ‘Hide and Seek’ will agree that at times you look far when actually the person or object you are looking for is nearer. You might go far and beyond thereby passing by unknowingly, the object or person you are seeking. There are several reasons that make people to go yonder looking for a solution when in actual fact it is near them. One of the reasons is over thinking which in extreme cases does make people over-analyse a situation instead of taking a simple approach. Another reason is over familiarity, being so much familiar with the situation and or its surroundings make people confident that they can not miss anything within that territory. It makes one feel they cannot be beaten in the familiar turf when in fact they may be missing some details. The above also happen when people are seeking change. Often times the change we seek may lie within us. It might be us who need to change but because of over familiarity, we most times seek change to come from outside us in others not ourselves. This week we look at quotations from a book which when read will enhance your mind making you continuing to recognize and explore the differences between men and women. You will also discover new ways to improve all your relationships. I am sure that you will learn one or two things from these quotes which finalises our extractions from this book. Read and enjoy: MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS by John Gray “When the Martians (men) became depressed, everyone on the planet left the cities and went to their caves for a long time. They were stuck and couldn’t come out, until one day when a Martian happened to glimpse the beautiful Venusians (women) through his telescope. As he quickly shared his telescope, the sight of these beautiful beings inspired the Martians, and their depression miraculously lifted. Suddenly they felt needed. They came out of their caves and began building a fleet of spaceships to fly to Venus.” “In the beginning of a relationship, a woman gives a man a brief look that says you could be the one to make me happy. In this subtle way she actually initiates their relationship. This look encourages him to come closer. It empowers him to overcome his fears of having a relationship. Unfortunately, once they are in a relationship and as the problems begin to emerge, she doesn’t know how important that message still is to him and neglects to to send it.” “A woman’s ability to give and receive love in her relationships is generally a reflection of how she is feeling about herself. When she is not feeling as good about herself, she is unable to be as accepting and appreciative of her partner. At her down times, she tends to be overwhelmed or more emotionally reactive. When her wave hits bottom she is more vulnerable and needs more love. It is crucial that her partner understand what she needs at these times, otherwise he may make unreasonable demands.” “When a man loves a woman she begins to shine with love and fulfilment. Most men naively expect that shine to last forever. But to expect her loving nature to be constant is like expecting the weather never to change and the sun to shine all the time. Life is filled with rhythms – day and night, hot and cold, summer and winter, spring and autumn, cloudy and clear. Likewise in a relationship, men and women have their own rhythms and cycles. Men pull back and then get close, while women rise and fall in their ability to love themselves and others.” “When a man can listen to a woman’s feelings without getting angry and frustrated, he gives her a wonderful gift. He makes it safe for her to express herself. The more she is able to express herself, the more she feels heard and understood, and the more she is able to give a man the loving trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval and encouragement that he needs.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Nature is wonderful to watch. For example watching a plant after a seed has been planted come out, is one of the exciting experiences that stretches ones imagination. In extreme cases as you imagine the seed turns into a plant, you can imagine the seed having a brain. If plants had brains, we would have all known. I hear some scientists have just discovered that plants have feelings, I do not know how far true this is. I just remember that one of the rules you are given in an orchard is never to touch the plants especially new shootings as depending on your spirit they may wither. It is in that spirit that for instance just looking up in the sky, you realise there must be an invincible power above there. Being in the sky you realise that there are greater things than any one person especially when you look down as the plane is descending and you can just make out buildings or people walking. This week’s quotes are extracts from a book that we started looking at last week. The book would make you learn how to read moods, communicate difficult feelings and avoid the pain of arguments when read and understood properly, especially in building relationships between opposite sexes. I am sure you will learn one or two things from the book’s quotations below, read and enjoy: MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS by John Gray “The most frequently expressed complaint men have about women is that women are always trying to change them. When a woman loves a man she feels responsible to assist him in growing and tries to help him improve the way he does things. She forms a home-improvement committee, and he becomes her primary focus. No matter how much he resists her help, she persists – waiting for any opportunity to help him or tell him what to do. She thinks she’s nurturing him, while he feels he’s being controlled. Instead, he wants her acceptance.” “One of the biggest differences between men and women is how they cope with stress. Men become increasingly focused and withdrawn while women become increasingly overwhelmed and emotionally involved. At these times, a man’s needs for feeling good are different from a woman’s. He feels better by solving problems while she feels better by talking about problems. Not understanding and accepting these differences creates unnecessary friction in our relationships. ———— When women talk about problems, men usually resist. A man assumes she is talking with him about her problems because she is holding him responsible. The more problems, the more he feels blamed. He does not realise that she is talking to feel better. A man doesn’t know that she will appreciate it if he just listens.” “Even today we still need translators. Men and women seldom mean the same things even when they use the same words. For example, when a woman says ‘I feel like you never listen,’ she does not expect the word never to be taken literally. Using the word never is just a way of expressing the frustration she is feeling at the moment. It is not to be taken as if it were factual information, ————- To fully express their feelings, women assume poetic licence and use various superlatives, metaphors, and generalisations. Men mistakenly take these expressions literally. Because they misunderstand the intended meaning, they commonly react in an unsupportive manner. For instance Women may say a thing like, ‘We never go out.’ Men respond like this, ‘That’s not true. We went out last week’ ……..” “Men are like rubber bands. When they pull away, they can stretch only so far before they come springing back. A rubber band is the perfect metaphor to understand the male intimacy cycle. This cycle involves getting close, pulling away, and then getting close again. ———- Most women are surprised to realize that even when a man loves a woman, periodically he needs to pull away before he can get closer. Men instinctively feel this urge to pull away. It is not a decision or choice. It just happens. It is neither his fault nor her fault. It is a natural cycle. ———– Women misinterpret a man’s pulling away because generally a woman pulls away for different reasons. She pulls back when she doesn’t trust him to understand her feelings, when she has been hurt and is afraid of being hurt again, or when he has done something wrong and disappointed her. —- Certainly man may pull away for the same reasons, but he will also pull away even if she has done nothing wrong. He may love and trust her, and then suddenly he begins to pull away. Like a stretched rubber band, he will dustance himself and then come back all on his own.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Those days as a school boy we had two months summer holidays in primary and secondary school. Part of the holiday, we used to spend it in our parents home village of Neno or Lisungwi, Malawi. For Lisungwi and that’s the side called Chena and not Changa (where my fathers village is), there were no buses going there so usually we were dropped on one of the weekends that papa would be off work within the holidays. But for Neno we almost all the time used to go there by bus. Those days the bus was only making the trip to Neno on Saturdays. If you missed it, meant waiting till the next week. This was also the case for the bus’ return journey from Neno which would be on the next day after arriving there. What was fascinating on the bus trip was that there were distinctive stops that people who took the trip often would literally memorise in making sure they get their own stop correctly. Especially when buying own bus ticket, one needed to tell the conductor their exact stop as prices were different on each, increasing as the distance increased from the starting point. The most interesting part on the trips was the approach to your stop. One would make sure they were following the bus’ stops before their own so that they would be ready to warn the driver on approach to stop for them to alight. Two tools were of most importance on such approach to ones stop; the bus stop bell and the upper handle railing for when you have stood up to get on to near the door near the front for the exit. Quite often the bell would fail so one had also to be prepared to shout on top of everyone’s voice to the driver warning him that their stop was approaching. For women the other duty was to make sure their chitenje (cloth wrapped around the waist and the head wrap) on them is secure as you never knew with all the noise when it would loosen and drop down. When the drive has stopped what remained was for you to say thank you to him and also to inform him whether he had to wait a bit as you have your suitcase or goods on top of the bus (carrier) to bring down. The key in all this is knowing your stop. The quotes this week are from a book that in the eyes of many who have read it, has helped many millions of couples transform their relationship. It has helped men and women realise how different they and therefore how to communicate their needs in such a way to avoid any conflict thereby growing in their intimacy. I am sure you will learn one or two things from the quotations extracted from this book., read and enjoy: MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS by John Gray “At that moment I started to realise the real meaning of love – unconditional love. I had always thought of myself as a loving person. But she was right. I had been a fair-weather friend. As long as she was happy and nice, I loved back. But if she was unhappy or upset, I would feel blamed and then argue or distance myself. ——– That day, for the first time, I didn’t leave her. I stayed, and it felt great. I succeeded in giving to her when she really needed me. This felt like real love. Caring for another person. Trusting in our love. Being there at her hour of need. I marvelled at how easy it was for me to support her when I was shown the way. ——– How had I missed this? She just needed me to go over and hold her. Another woman would have known what Bonnie needed. But as a man, I didn’t know that touching, holding and listening were so important to her. By recognising these differences I began to learn a new way of relating to my wife. I would have never believed we could resolve conflict so easily.” “Without the awareness that we are supposed to be different, men and women are at odds with each other. We usually become angry or frustrated with the opposite sex because we have forgotten this important truth. We expect the opposite sex to be more like ourselves. We desire them to ‘want what we want’ and ‘feel the way we feel’. ——– We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways – the ways we react and behave when we love someone. This attitude sets us up to be disappointed again and again and prevents us from taking the necessary time to communicate lovingly about our differences.” “Men are motivated when they feel needed while women are motivated when they feel cherished. ………..how to overcome our greatest challenges, men need to overcome their resistance to giving love while women must overcome their resistance to receiving it.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa What is it that is sweet in a sugarcane? I have been fascinated by this story that in one of the sugar plantations in my country of origin Malawi, some one died from the sweetness of sugarcane having taken a lot of it in one day. The one who narrated the story was quick to point out that it is not the sugarcane that was to blame. In fact having come from one of the cities this person who died as a result of too much sweetness from the sugarcane had sought to quench his long held desire of taking as much of this glucose plants. Having been given the challenge by being taken into the thick of a sugar plantation (field) and told to eat as he desired, he sat down with a big bundle and took one after the other enjoying the sweetness. Having taken as much sugarcane as he could possibly consume of the sweet water plant, he surrendered to slumber that took toll and prepared himself to wake up later to finish what ever was left. Unknowingly as a tradition to perhaps ward off thick bushes in the sugar plantation someone set fire to the field not knowing there was a person sleeping from intoxication of eating too much sugarcane. That’s how he met his death, however when the story went about what was propagated was reportedly that he died from the sweetness of the sugarcane. In retelling the story in the vernacular people said, ‘anafa ndi kukoma kwa mzimbe.’ No one knew who to blame; the sugarcane sweetness, this guy with eagerness to eat as much of the sugarcane or those who had unknowingly set fire to the sugarcane field where this man having eaten too much of the plant was sleeping. We will never know. This week’s quotes is a finalisation for now on extracting such from a book that according to its review states it will make the reader a greater, better personality, and equipped with a new power to achieve any worthy personal purpose and a new ability to enjoy life’s beauty and wonder. I am sure you will learn one or two things from the quotations below, read and enjoy: THE CHARLES HAANEL MASTER KEY SYSTEM by Charles Haanel “Eliminate, therefore, any possible tendency to complain of conditions as they have been, or as they are, because it rests with you to change them and make them what you would like them to be. ——– Direct your effort to a realization of the mental resources, always at your command, from which all real and lasting power comes.” “It is our attitude of mind toward life which determines the experiences with which we are to meet; if we expect nothing, we shall have nothing; if we demand much, we shall receive the greater portion. The world is harsh only as we fail to assert ourselves. The criticism of the world is bitter only to those who cannot compel room for their ideas. It is fear of this criticism that causes many ideas to fail to see the light of day. ——— But the man who knows that he has a Solar Plexus will not fear criticism or anything else; he will be too busy radiating courage, confidence, and power; he will anticipate success by his mental attitude; he will pound barriers to pieces, and leap over the chasm of doubt and hesitation which fear places in his path.” “The Solar Plexus has been likened to the sum of the body, because it is a central point of distribution for the energy which the body is constantly generating. This energy is very real energy, and this sun is a very real sun, and the energy is being distributed by very real nerves to all parts of the body, and is thrown off in an atmosphere which envelopes the body. ——— If this radiation is sufficiently strong the person is called magnetic; he is said to be filled with personal magnetism. Such a person may wield an immense power for good. His presence alone will often bring comfort to the troubled minds with which he comes in contact.” “This wonderful power of clothing thoughts in the form of words is what differentiates man from the rest of the animal kingdom; by the use of the written word he has been enabled to look back over the centuries and see the stirring scenes by which he has come into his present inheritance.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa It is now more than a fairy tale that technology especially computer technology with the use of internet is here to stay as part and parcel of our lives. The current situation of Corona-virus epidemic being one of the catalyst. Church services are more than any time before being held online via the internet, a thing our grandparents and generations before that could have not imagined. I am sure in a certain era a suggestion that church and or any religious meeting could be held via the internet would have been blasphemy. The younger children of today unlike say those born prior to year 2000 are more technologically knowledgeable about for example computers. Most as young as two years old are able to type requests on computer systems for instance on mobile phones. It was therefore no surprise that my four year old son, Jireh upon being told a Bible story by his mother about Jesus healing using soil and spit, demanded a recorded video of the event. Despite reading him several Bible passages about the miracle Jesus performed with spit and soil, he said categorically that such a miraculous event could not have gone without being recorded on video. The mother tried in vain explaining to him that there were no video recordings during Jesus’ time but the boy could not have it. He said it’s impossible for people to have missed recording on video such momentous happening by the messiah son of God, Jesus. Apparently the mother was only able to convince him when she chanced on a YouTube preach about the miracle by one other pastor. Upon watching the preach, only then was Jireh settled about it and when I asked him in the morning after being told this story by the mom, he told me the miracle and also assured me he can show me a video about it on YouTube. This week’s quotes we continue from the book that states that a study of the creative processes of our thoughts and how to apply them is of supreme importance to each one of us. I am sure the selected quotations from this book will teach you one lesson two, read and enjoy: THE CHARLES HAANEL MASTER KEY SYSTEM by Charles Haanel “And as the most powerful forces of Nature are the invisible forces, so we find that the most powerful forces of man are his invisible forces, his spiritual force, and the only way in which the spiritual force can manifest is through the process of thinking. Thinking is the only activity which the spirit possesses, and thought is the only product of thinking.” “Mind is creative, and conditions, environment and all experiences in life are the result of our habitual or predominant mental attitude. ——— The attitude of the mind necessarily depends upon what we think. Therefore the secret of all power, all achievement and all possession depends upon our method of thinking ——– This is true because we must ‘be’ before we can ‘do,’ and we can ‘do’ only to the extent which we ‘are,’ and what we ‘are’ depends upon what we ‘think’.” “All growth is from within. This is evident in all nature. Every plant, every animal, every human is a living testimony to this great law, and the error of the ages is in looking for strength or power from without. ——- The world within is the Universal fountain of supply, and the world without is the outlet to the stream. Our ability to receive depends upon our recognition of this Universal Fountain, this infinite Energy of which each individual is an outlet, and so is one with every other individual.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Many artists have sang songs that encourage survival. The songs that encourage a fighting spirit when all seems down including in times when illness has taken root. One such songs that immediately come to mind is Bob Marley’s survival which says in one of the stanzas, ‘So my brethren, my sisthren, Which way will we choose, We better hurry, oh hurry woe now, ‘Cause we got no time to lose.’ More recently Beyonce wife to Jay-Z, with her Destiny Child Band sang ‘I am a survivor’ song. Yes I am a survivor and I will not surrender. The forth stanza of the songs goes like; ‘Thought I couldn’t breathe without you, I’m inhaling, You thought I couldn’t see without you, Perfect vision, You thought I couldn’t last without you, But I’m lastin’, You thought that I would die without you, But I’m livin’, Thought that I would fail without you, But I’m on top, Thought it would be over by now, But it won’t stop, Thought that I would self destruct, But I’m still here, Even in my years to come, I’m still gon’ be here, I’m a survivor (What?), I’m not gon’ give up (What?), I’m not gon’ stop (What?) .’ And it ends with a prayer for sustainability. I particularly like the stanza that says, ‘After all of the darkness and sadness, Soon comes happiness, If I surround my self with positive things, I’ll gain prosperity.’ These songs should encourage us that within the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, we can still amass strength to fight with the acknowledgement that we are survivors. More so if we also foremost acknowledge that there there exists an unseen power up there which looks after all humanity. This is what the world current situations reminds us of this power beyond man. This week’s quote we finalise with a book that is so immerse in its teaching of wisdom that any one wishing to gain more of that needs to get hold of. About the book its main author says that it contains wisdom from modern-day teachers – men and women who have used it ‘The Secret’ to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible. Read these extract quotations and enjoy: THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne “If you do just a little research, it is going to become evident to you that anyone that ever accomplished anything, did not know how they were going to do it. They only knew they were going to do it.” BOB PROCTOR. “Every man knows that when his wife is appreciating him for the little things that he does, what does he want to do? He wants to do more. It’s always about appreciation. It pulls things in. It attracts support.” DR. JOHN GRAY. “Many people have sacrificed themselves for others, thinking when they sacrifice themselves they are being a good person. Wrong! To sacrifice yourself can only come from thoughts of absolute lack. ……….You cannot summon for another person because you cannot think and feel for another. Your job is you. When you make feeling good a priority, that magnificent frequency will radiate and touch everyone close to you.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa To imagine walking with the knowledge of threats to life has always been a constant human experience. What matters and the difference is the intensity and likelihood of that termination itself. In such you always know and acknowledge that no human wisdom can deal with the most powerful that is beyond us. In countries where war is live or put simply there is war, threat to termination of life is a reality especially in hot spots. Loss of what one hold dear is almost as probable as any likely event like coming of seasons. Our current worldwide circumstance has meant that man has perhaps felt unsafe anywhere they are. Of course the certainty of prevention of the unseen if you remain indoors is there though it is not hundred percent guaranteed. The situation is most certainly for all to re-examine the meaning and purpose of life on earth as human beings. Is the destruction self inflicted, if so how come its gone out of our control? The quotes this week continues with those extracted from a book whose main author stated that in it you will learn how to use ‘The Secret’ in every aspect of your life – money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You will begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. I am sure the quotation below should do some of that to you, read and enjoy: THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne “In the moment you ask, and believe and know you already have it in the unseen, the entire Universe shifts to bring it into the seen. You must act, speak, and think, as though you are receiving it now.” “Everything in this world began with one thought. The bigger things get bigger because more people give their thoughts to it after it has appeared. Then those thoughts and emotions keep that very event in our existence, and make it bigger. If we took our minds off it and focused instead on love, it could not exist. It would evaporate and disappear.” “DON’T BE IN CONFLICT WITH ANYONE OR ANYTHING —- Opposing, fighting, or struggling against anything or anyone in life causes conflict. Conflict attracts more conflict; fighting against something attracts more things to fight against, and struggle attracts more things to struggle over. Step away from conflict, because when you’re in conflict with anyone or anything in life, it harms you.” “You have got to feel good about money to attract more to you. Understandably, when people do not have enough money they do not feel good about money, because they don’t have enough. But those negative feelings about money are stopping more money coming to you! You have got to stop the cycle, and you stop it by starting to feel good about money, and being grateful for what you have. Start to say and feel, ‘I have more than enough.’ ‘There is an abundance of money and it’s on its way to me.’ I am a money magnet.’ ‘I love money and money loves me.’ ‘I am receiving money everyday.’ ‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” “Competition is an example of separation. First, when you have thoughts of competition, it is coming from a lack mentality, as you are saying there is a limited supply. You are saying there is not enough for everybody, so we have to compete and fight to get things. When you compete you can never win, even if you think you won. By the law of attraction, as you compete you will attract many people and circumstances to compete against You in every single aspect of your life, and in the end you will lose. We are all One, and so when you compete, you compete against You. You have to get competition out of your mind, and become a creative mind. Focus only on your dreams, your visions, and take all competition out of the equation.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Eyes you have but you do not want to see, ears you have but you do not want to hear. Of course this assumes that these body parts are in far perfect health and working condition. The last word from the paragraph is very interesting as it is believed that through conditioning people choose what they want to see and what they want to hear although the truth is bare before them. Life indeed is about choices, some people choose only to see the bad side and indeed all they see is the bad with other worst images self manufacturing within their minds. Others choose to see the good and they see and encounter the good things. You have just to listen to their stories to know which side individuals have chosen to be. I know most people who choose to see the good of situation do not deny that there might some bad somewhere, however they ignore that to be more on the positive side. The ones who choose to see all things as bad, they normally are hard as stone to convince that within the things they see as bad there might be good hanging somewhere or that sometimes bad can turn to good depending on situations. The quotes this week for the second time come from a book that its back covers says that you hold in your hands a great secret. As normal humans minds are inquisitive, if you do not have it yet, you may be asking what is this secret. Perhaps the quotations below will be of some help in shading a bit of light. I am sure such will contribute to you living a positive life. Read the quotes and enjoy: THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne “Once you begin to understand and truly master your thoughts and feelings, that’s when you see how you create your own reality. That’s where your freedom is, that’s where all your power is.” Marci Shimoff “There is a truth deep down inside of you that has been waiting for you to discover it, and that truth is this: you deserve all good things things life has to offer. You know that inherently, because you feel awful when you are experiencing the lack of good things. All good things are your birthright! You are the the creator of you, and the law of attraction is your magnificent tool to create whatever you want in your life. Welcome to the magic of life, and the magnificence of you!” “As you resist what has appeared, you are adding more energy and more power to those pictures you don’t like, and you are bringing more of them at a furious rate. The event or circumstance can only get bigger, because that is the law of the universe. ——– The anti-war movement creates more war. The anti-drug movement has actually created more drugs. Because we are focusing on what we don’t want – drugs! (Jack Canfield) —— People believe that if we really want to eliminate something, focus on that. How much sense does it make for us to give the particular problem all of the energy, as opposed to focusing on trust, love, living in abundance, education, or peace? (Lisa Nichols) ——- Mother Teresa was brilliant. She said, ‘I will never attend an anti-war rally. If you have a peace rally, invite me.’ She knew. She understood The Secret. Look what she manifested in the world. (Jack Canfield) —— So if you’re anti-war, be pro-peace instead. If you’re anti-hunger, be pro-people having more than enough to eat. If you are anti-a-particular politician, be pro-his opponent. Often elections are tipped in favour of the person that the people are really against, because he’s getting all the energy and all the focus.” (Hale Dwoskin). “You will understand why your negative thoughts about someone else will return to harm only you. We are one! You cannot be harmed unless you call harm into existence by emitting those negative thoughts and feelings. You have been given free will to choose, but when you think negative thoughts and have negative feelings, you are separating yourself from the One and All Good. Think about every negative emotion there is and you will discover that every one of them is based in fear. They come from thoughts of separation and from seeing yourself as separate from another.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Recent events in the world are a pivotal moment in time for deeper reflection by us as people. For a start the very definition of what a human being is could be the starting point and one could go as far as then looking back at how people have behaved on a group level and going done to individual level. The very shell of what we call a human body is under investigation and when that shell is removed what remains of it. Spirituality studies have always told us that there is something beyond the human body, something that lives deeper within perhaps and it is that thing which when identified has no race, no colour, knows no discrimination. While the reaction of the outer body is usually visible, the inner part is not obviously seen. So who are we? Is it the inner self or the outer self or both? A very deep question and again spirituality stud and more specifically religious education teaches us to be more caring of the inner self. It points to the inner self as the eternal being and that while the outer can easily perish, the inner will not. Therefore the choice is now more clearer than ever before as all humanity has to deal with that one question and the quest for preservation of life. After all it will be seen that everyone is on the same page of making sure they are caring for the inner being. The quotes this week comes from a book that the its covers says that fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries and that for the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. I am sure the next three weeks starting now that we will be looking at quotations from this book you would have got that secret if not learnt one or two things that could make you want to buy a copy of the book and read for yourself. Let’s be together, read and enjoy the selected quotes from the book below: THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne “You may have experienced attracting like thoughts when you listened to a song, and then found that you couldn’t get that song out of your head. The song just kept playing over and over in your mind. When you listened to that song, even though you may not have realised it, you gave your full attention and focus of thought to it. As you did that, you were powerfully attracting more like thoughts of that song, and so the law of attraction moved into action and delivered more thoughts of that song, over and over again.” “As you think of yourself living in abundance, you are powerfully and consciously determining your life through the law of attraction. It’s that easy, But then the most obvious question becomes, ‘Why isn’t everybody living the life of their dreams?’ (Attract the Good Instead of the Bad – John Assaraf) …….’Here’s the problem. Most people are thinking about what they don’t want, and they’re wondering why it shows up over and over again.’ ……. The only reason why people do not have what they want is because they are thinking more about what they don’t want than what they do want. Listen to your thoughts, and listen to the words you are saying. The law is absolute and there are no mistakes.” “If you think about the analogy of being the most powerful transmission tower in the Universe, you will see the perfect correlation with Dr. Wolf’s words. You mind thinks thoughts and the pictures are broadcast back as your life experience. You not only create your life with your thoughts, but your thoughts add powerfully to the creation of the world. If you thought that you were insignificant and had no power in this world, think again. Your mind is actually shaping the world around you.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Seasons come and they go. Some may take longer but there is certainty in that they will go. It appears though that as the years go on, the seasons change and keep pushing forward. One of the things about seasons is that although there is certainty in knowing or instance that we will have winter. The winter in one year differs from that of a comparative year. To the best of my knowledge no seasons though same can be exactly similar in all aspects. You have some rainy seasons when there is uncontrollable outpouring from heaven. Yet you have other years when you have little showers. All this this may be hard for humans to comprehend and only attest to a super power above all else, the creator; God. We cannot understand all. This week’s quotations we finalise to get wisdom from a book so rich from one of the wisest men to have lived on earth as depicted in the Bible and attested through the wise counsel in the book of Proverbs. I am sure these quotes upon reflection will let you visit those areas in life that could do with some lighting. Read and enjoy: WISDOM – Life Lessons from THE WORLD’S WISEST (AND RICHEST) MAN by Terry Allen “We develop attraction for things and people that meet a very personal need in our lives. It may be a desire or need to enjoy or possess beauty, or a need for validation, approval or esteem. And when those needs are met by the attention or affection of others, it is very significant, and it has a powerful effect upon us. Those people that we allow to meet those needs (or those that we think are meeting those needs) fill a special place in our ‘hearts’ and the bonds that ensue are quite powerful. A woman’s admiring look can, in an instant, affirm a man’s feelings of masculinity. A man’s tender word and gentle manner, or a glance and a tender expression can stir a woman’s inner need for security, or make her feel that yes, she is indeed lovely.” “So as with everything else he did. Solomon took it to the limit. Many of his marriages were motivated by political and military alliances. You can imagine that foreign kings were often reluctant to conquer their neighbours if their grandkids were going to be among the victims. What at the time may have been considered brilliant political and military strategy, however, became Solomon’s Achilles heel, because many of his foreign wives brought with them foreign religious practices, including idols and idol worship. ———– The fact that he, as the wisest of the wise, fell victim to this danger is evidence of the challenges that face all of us in guarding our affections. It is evidence of just how difficult it is to apply everyday. How does one guard his or her affections? Proverbs 4: 25 provides a tip: ‘Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” “This is the principle conveyed in Proverbs regarding walking in close, constant companionship with fools. If you immerse yourself in the company of fools, you won’t escape that environment without suffering effects. And, there will be effects. If you walk in constant companionship with a fool, it will have a negative impact upon your life. That’s why Proverbs 14: 7 says, ‘Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge’. ———-One of the reasons that Proverbs gives such a strong warning against hanging around with fools is that life is just too short, and your time is just too valuable to squander it on fools. This world is full of people who make very, very poor choices— people who have made a lifestyle of poor choices. Having such people as confidants–friends that influence you—-is asking for trouble.” “Young people often fail to understand the value of time. When you are young you have more time than money. Many people find that when they are old, they have more money than time. It is not until later in life that people truly realise that time is most valuable commodity that they possess. You can always earn more money, but your time on earth is finite. Once your time is up, it’s up. That’s why it is important to invest your valuable time in quality relationships.” “Each of us is trusting in something for the things we want and need, whether it is physics, random chance, ourselves or God. And one of the most important and foundational principles laid out in Proverbs is that you must trust in God in order to truly succeed in this life—–to have the life that you were meant to live. Your willingness to trust God is the single biggest factor that determine the course of your existence.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa By and large there is always the realisation as you grow up that individual stories of people might not be the same. Each charted on their path informed by decisions made either by self or others. So it is that you meet people from your past who you have not encountered for years and wonder or sometimes appreciate how their story has turned out to be. Of course if one has to be honest, in such moments there is always the question whether the story could have been different and or whether the script can be re-written. Life always give the chance of that second chance which requires most often those who are brave enough to forgive themselves. It requires the thinking of the now is important attitude and realisation that the journey covered is lost but that the one ahead has still all the gains. The quotations this week come from a book whose author wrote that it has life lessons from the world’s wisest and richest man as presented in the Bible book of Proverbs. I have this week been engrossed deeply in this book and can only agree that such teachings are noble as to make you reflect on all occasions where you have to make a decision. Read and enjoy: WISDOM by Terry Allen “But there is a man in history who had much to say on the subject, and if you are willing to listen, he left a treasure that still speaks powerfully to you and me today. He is a man of the ages who offered advice and help for our lives. He was not perfect, and he did make mistakes, but his wisdom was profound and widely recognised. In fact, he was known in history as the wisest man who had ever lived. He was King Solomon of ancient Israel. He was a fascinating man who had much to say, and if you’ll consider what he had to say, it could change your life.” “Listening is not a passive activity. It requires that you suspend your ideas, your thoughts, set them aside in order to observe what is being communicated. There are quite sophisticated courses taught on learning to listen. Listen for main ideas. Listen for details. Listen for what is not being said. Listen for how it is being said and understand the context in which it is being said. ———— Intelligence officers are taught to use their power of observation to summarize details quickly. Sometimes lives depend upon their observation. Law enforcement officers acknowledge that criminal investigations rely, and often pivot, on effective observation by witnesses. Development of observation skills is key to a police officer’s effectiveness. His or her life may depend upon it.” “The spoken word can be destructive. In fact, negative words are the most destructive tool ever wielded against another human being. I want to repeat that; negative words–words spoken with malicious intent—-are the most destructive tool ever wielded against another human being. Bombs and bullets can destroy the flesh, but words destroy the body, the soul and the spirit. You see, words extinguish hope. Words that wound can take one’s will to live, drive us to despair and even to self-destruction. No physical weapon can do that. Hurtful words can destroy us. And your words can destroy the ones you love. Let me repeat that: Your words can destroy the ones you love.” “—–She has, in fact, had many, many boyfriends in the last ten years. But, three features mark her relationships; first, they seem to go very deep, very fast. Second, they do not last very long. Third, not long after each relationship is over, she is quickly and deeply involved in another one. So she has many ‘serious’ relationships that do not last for a long period of time, and when they are over, she is quickly involved in another romantic relationship. ———– From knowing her, it’s clear that ‘she’ wants to be in a romantic relationship, so much so that she imposes the model of ‘boyfriend relationship’ on it from the start. So very quickly, the relationship goes deep with all the privileges and expectations that accompany that kind of relationship. In essence, ‘she’ is giving her heart away much too early. She immediately assumes that because a man expresses interest in her, that he is capable of shouldering the responsibilities involved. She places her trust in him, shares her emotions with him, and sadly, showers him with her affections, only to find within a short amount of time that he is not capable of handling such a responsibility. As a result, the last several years have seen a long series of failed relationships that have been characterised by unrealized expectations.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa ‘When all is said and done’, a very familiar statement and one that gets people rearing and sometimes saying more than they are comfortable to say. It forces people to be nicer. Depending on the occasion and the one saying it the expression above in quotation marks has varied connotations. It may when said by the holder mean what they want to be remembered by when they have passed on but also could mean coming to a conclusion on a project what one wants the audience to remember from it. When it is said by one person addressing the other, the statement has been known to come come in form of a question. As in, when all is said and done what do you want to be remembered for? Interestingly such question acknowledges the ephemeral state of human beings., of people on this earth. Recent events in the world as a whole, reminds us of this temporal state of our lives. Perhaps pointing to the limited capacity we have as human beings that though we may thing we have got it all under our control, there are some things that are beyond us. I have known people when they have exhausted their defences to surrender and or acknowledge powers superior than them. This is the right time for such total surrender to God as the supreme creator of all things and in reflection acknowledge the things that destroy as undesirable. This week quotes I have assembled those sayings brought forth in difficult times to bring hope in the people. You may have heard some of them but I believe at this time revisiting such quotations is most ideal and prudent to keep our faith and hope going. The world is known to have renewed itself during and after difficult times and I am sure all the current problems we are seeing brought by the devastating pandemic of Coronavirus will disappear off. Read the quotes and enjoy: QUOTATIONS FOR HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES – Various “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford “Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger.” – Dalai Lama “In the midst of these hard times it is our good health and good sleep that are enjoyable.” – Knute Nelson “Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.”  – Zahid Abas “When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better.” – Malcolm S. Forbes “Going through challenging things can teach you a lot, and they also make you appreciate the times that aren’t so challenging.” – Carrie Fisher “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times: Such as we are, such are the times.” – Saint Augustine “Hard Times Are Like a Washing Machine, They Twist, Turn and Knock Us Around, But In The End we Come Out Cleaner, Brighter and Better Than Before.” –  Anonymous “The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.” –  Marcel Pagnol “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” – Mahatma Gandhi

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa There would be times when in a whole village no body seem to know or have answers to the happenings. Even we are told in the Bible there were moments that kings, chiefs, scholars and even magician would be so overtaken by events that they would not have any answers to their own dreams and things unfolding. It is so that a story was told that in one land the young and middle aged decided to get lid of all they considered old in the village. Only one so compassionate person hid his grandfather from the killings. It was unfolding events that changed their perspective when things started happening that the remaining people, after death of all old people. could not solve. Fortunately, the boy who had saved his grandfather came to their rescue by firstly confessing what he has done and secondly offering that he would ask the old man. True to old wisdom the village was saved by this remaining one old man, The story above has been retold a million times to fulfil what the word in the Bible say that there is nothing that has not been which is happening now. This means amongst the very old, one of them could point to a similar episode from the past that came and how it was solved. I would propose we treasure old wisdom and appreciate it. In the Bible it was the same after the Kings had consulted all experts there was only one place they would go to, usually to God’s prophets who would bring them a solution. For this week’s quotes I had to scout around to find some sayings of hope in a world that is experiencing some uncertainty and fear with itself from a disease with not yet a discovered remedy. What therefore could be more inspirational than to take such quotes from songs. Music has been known to offer hope since time immemorial to human beings in trying times when all seemed to be a mystery. I have chosen quotations from one of this century’s music icon. I am sure these quotes will sooth your mind, read and enjoy: SELECTED QUOTATIONS FROM MUSIC ICON: BOB NESTA MARLEY “Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold.” “Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” “God sent me on earth. He send me to do something, and nobody can stop me. If God want to stop me, then I stop. Man never can.” “Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny. “ “Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing gonna be all right.“ “Babylon is everywhere. You have wrong and you have right. Wrong is what we call Babylon, wrong things. That is what Babylon is to me. I could have born in England, I could have born in America, it make no difference where me born, because there is Babylon everywhere.” “Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts.” “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind. Have no fear for atomic energy, ’cause none of them can stop the time.” —Redemption Song, from the album Uprising (1979) “Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but its everything in between that makes it all worth living.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Some paths are charted way before those who discover them come to them. Others are dreamt of even before one embarks on the trip and discover some elements on the way of what could have been their dream. In some cases paths have known to disappear where before they were quite evident. It is so oblivious, as the clear paths disappear one inch after another to those so routinized in seeing them perhaps on daily basis. Only when those who sojourned afar come back do they point out such changes and or shifts of the paths to them considered true custodians of the land that admission in being blind to the obvious springs forth. In other cases not only do the paths disappear but their names as well. In such times only history can remind those careful to listen that there once was a path that charted and meandered ending on to the stream where people used to go for bathing and or drawing drinking water. Only the changes in weather along the years have made the paths redundant and coupled with modern technology now water is inside our houses making the paths so insignificant that we have forgotten their names. The quotes for this week end have been fed to me by a friend Francis Gallanje who being an ardent follower of this column thought such quotations from a book he read recently make a lot of sense in the present predicament the world is in with the Corona virus. Having seen the sayings, they appear to suggest through the fictional novel that its writer had some prophetic sense in his narratives and descriptions of the events unfolding in the book to which perhaps now we can relate. I am sure reading these quotes will give you some insight to so creative a mind coming alive, read and digest: THE EYES OF DARKNESS BY Dean Koontz “In 2020 a severe pneumonia like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments. Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it arrived, attack again ten years later, and then disappear completely.” “To understand that,’ Dombey said, ‘You have to go back twenty months. It was around then that a Chinese scientist named Li Chen defected to the United States, carrying a diskette record of China’s most important and dangerous new biological weapon in a decade. They call the stuff ‘Wuhan-400’ because it was developed at their RDNA labs outside of the city of Wuhan, and it was the four-hundredth viable strain of man-made microorganisms created at that research center. ———‘Wuhan-400 is a perfect weapon. It afflicts only human beings. No other living creature can carry it. And like syphilis, Wuhan-400 can’t survive outside a living human body for longer than a minute, which means it can’t permanently contaminate objects or entire places the way anthrax and other virulent microorganisms can. And when the host expires, the Wuhan-400 within him perishes a short while later, as soon as the temperature of the corpse drops below eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit. Do you see the advantage of all this?”  

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa Nations that do not heal find themselves in self inflicted cycles of pity, poverty, distrust, deep rooted divisions, acrimony, hatefulness and other such negative energies. Such things no matter the economical cycle pull those unhealed nations backwards, where they seem to make one positive step forward and immediately three destructive negative steps backwards. Healing for nations take many forms. A good example of national healing was the process that took place in South Africa through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Though some argue that the commission did a little and at times was accused of witch hunting and protection of both factual information that needed exposing and some personalities, the body did well for the transition from Apartheid to majority African rule. In other nations celebrations of notable events also has the effect of bringing people together and as such heal those divisions that could be. A known form is national day of prayers for instance. The key is acceptance and acknowledgement of factual historical events bad and good, that happened in the nation no matter ones political affiliation. Acceptance of historical facts for healing purposes does not mean those who in the past who did bad things should carry that label on to future generations. The world is dynamic and as people intermingle you get purification which additionally come about as learning takes place. However, the healing must be markedly visible for forgiveness, acceptance and total nationhood to manifest. Only then can people separate issues appropriately knowing which are common goals for sustenance of their own livelihood and national pride. This week we continue looking at the quotes from the book we had last week. It comes from a historical biography of a key period of national building and some may view it as destruction. I am sure that such quotations will let you learn one or two things about life. Read and enjoy: THE LIFE OF GEORGE NDOMONDO: Shepherd Boy, Clerk, Politician, Guerrilla General, Detainee and Priest by George Ndomondo and Colin Baker “George Ndomondo’s life, especially his years as a politician and as a clergyman, is remarkable, though, additionally, there are fascinating snippets and insights in his account of his shepherd boy’s activities and other aspects of his early upbringing. There are ironies, too, for example in his being appointed as a priest in charge of the Parish of Liwonde at the very point on the Shire River where he, with his fellow guerrillas led by Henry Chipembere, himself the son of an Anglican Archdeacon, found the ferry on the wrong side of the river, preventing them from continuing their journey to Zomba to overthrow government, which without doubt would have led to serious bloodshed. Many of those, like George, who see the hand of God in all things, now feel that the ferry was not on the wrong side of the Shire on that fatal night of 12 February 1965.” “Although on the surface everything seemed peaceful and Malawi appeared to be a unified nation with no internal dissent, this was not a true picture. Relations between the Prime Minister, Dr Kamuzu Banda, and his ministers soon seriously deteriorated, though for a while this was hidden from the public. For example when the Doctor and one of his leading ministers, Kanyama Chiume, were at OAU conference in Cairo soon after independence and Chiume tried to persuade Banda to be more positive in condemning the Portuguese in Mozambique, the Doctor became very angry and refused to speak with him for the remainder of the summit meeting. Indeed, he was still angry when he arrived back in Malawi on 26 July. In a speech to the crowd that welcomed him at Chileka airport on his return, he told those assembled to ‘Watch everyone! Even Ministers’, and if they did things which the people thought were not good for the MCP they were to report them to him. —————- Henry Chipembere, another leading cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Fort Johnston East, believed this speech was ‘intended to sow distrust, contempt and dislike for the ministers among the people’. He and the other ministers were gravely upset, and the extent of their displeasure, coupled with deep concerns, was soon to be made known to the Prime Minister.” “The day Chirwa delivered the Kuchawe manifesto to Banda – Friday 28 August – the Doctor began to receive anonymous letters saying his ministers were stirring up trouble against him and that it was not true that there was the widepread unrest, resentment and bitterness in the country that they claimed. Then on Saturday, a number of people – mainly older officials in the MCP – called personally to see him, concerned that he he had not appeared in public for the past few days. They told him that there were rumours circulating to the effect that he was about to resign, and they implored him – as had the anonymous letters – not to capitulate.” “Banda’s refusal to see the ministers before the debate resumed made Chipembere decide to side with his colleagues, because he immediately wrote to the Governor-General to tender his resignation as Minister of Education, effective immediately. Jones received the resignation at 9:20 a.m. Chipembere then drove to Parliament in his ministerial car and as he walked into the chamber he hesitated at the front bench. Then, with a flamboyant wave of his arm, he joined his colleagues on the back bench. It was a calculated and dramatic gesture which, coupled with his arrival in the ministerial car, gave the incorrect impression that only when reaching the front bench did he decide to resign. ————- When Chipembere rose to address the House, members fell silent, and throughout his long speech – over 8000 words – they listened to him attentively and with barely an interruption, in contrast to much of the earlier proceedings. It was a remarkable speech, couched in moderate terms. He spoke from a position

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa The nature of humanity is that we desire more our own initiated change by our own ‘strength or power’. Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, he has always demanded change with the hope that it will better his livelihood. At every request most often God, the Supreme creator has obliged and given man his desires although at times he gives temporal insight into the desired change for the people to see that what they are asking for will not change any of their circumstance, that in some cases it will make matters even worse than before. Take for example when the people demanded that because they do not see God, to have kings to rule over them. They soon discovered that the kings they desired were more self-serving, self-centred and almost started killing them, their people for reasons such as lack of respect to the king (Bible, Old Testament). The key to better life is first and foremost acknowledging the creator, God as the enabler of all situations. Second it is to listen to ones’ inner voice. It is also learning from what has been, knowing the likelihood of therefore what will be. It is understanding the bigger picture, the grandeur plan; God’s purpose for humankind. More often it appears only a few enlightened people understand that and a lot of them if they do have that knowledge keep it mostly to themselves. I would argue aside the spiritual life dimension, humans would experience better lives if they understood the prime objective of their lives, why living is important, for what purpose? Listening to the inner voice in addition require us to ask ourselves important questions before taking any action in situations, the obvious one being; why do I need to react in the way I am about to? The emergent study of Emotional Intelligence is all about emotions dictating our actions. It is about self questioning in all our actions against emotions for instance asking oneself, why am I upset by what this other person has said? Quite often the answers are enlightening, pointing to the fact that most human energy can be preserved for better things. The quotes for this week, we finish those from the book that I have been reading written by one of the church leaders in Manchester. Personal responsibility and accountability is an honourable trend one must desire to have. Like the song ‘We Come One’ dictates, we all are on individual journeys. What is important is manifestation of human Love to all mankind. I am sure you will find the quotes from this book both enlightening and a revelation. Read and enjoy: MULTIPLANTING – A vision for Growing Churches, Leaders and Mission by Colin Baron. “Whenever you communicate, you do so with a particular voice. By this, I mean the way you say things, what words you choose, where you place your emphasis and the general tone that you use. Your voice is very important because it reveals a lot about what you value as a church. This may be in line with what you say your values and culture are, or it may serve to undermine them. For example, a church that has a stated value of inclusivity but in its Sunday services makes a lot of in-jokes that go over the heads of visitors has shown that the inclusivity value may not be as strong as they would like to think. ——— Voice is something that you can control, and it is far better to hone your voice deliberately than for it to develop accidentally without any thought. If you have other people such as site leaders or an operations team that speak on your behalf, make sure you take time to help them catch the voice that you have developed. This is particularly important in a multiplanting church because you won’t even be in the room for much of the communication that happens, and when the messages coming out of one site or ministry area carry a very different tone from what you are building, this can confuse people and will actually be very damaging for the cohesion and growth of the church.“ “The second significant aspect of growing as a disciple is learning new things. The disciples probably heard Jesus teaching most days (and often they would have heard key messages reinforced many times in village after village). When Jesus taught difficult things, they had time and space to process and ask questions. When they struggled with spiritual disciplines like prayer, they could ask Jesus and he showed them how it is done. By the end of three years with Jesus, the disciples had grown in knowledge to such an extent that when they proclaimed the gospel with boldness and clarity the Jerusalem authorities were astonished that uneducated common men could speak in such a way. The only conclusion to draw was that they had been with Jesus.”

By Charles Leyman Kachitsa For the past four weeks I have been on vacation hence have been away from pen and paper to continue with my contributions of these series. However, the break was worth it as it has helped me to reflect, refocus and strategise for the New Year 2020! My vacation took me back to my roots; Ndirande in Blantyre Malawi. Whilst there it was the time I saw an article titled; “Something Good Comes out of Ndirande.” It made me wonder as just more recently on the campaign trail a lot of politician went to the township for approval of their political stand. Most felt without the endorsement of the township, you are not a leader worth your salt. Perhaps there is a lot of good things that come or came out of Ndirande, me included. One of the things I did on my vacation in Ndirande was to drink as many bottled Fantas (drinks) as possible knowing two things. First was remembering that in my youth it was only at Christmas that most families afforded the drink and that even when you had it, one bottle would be shared between three to four family members. So you see, drinking a lot of the Fantas was my show of defiance that now I can afford even a thousand of these bottled drinks at a go without blinking an eye. The most interesting thing was that at the end, I was not sure when I can say the drink tasted the sweetest; in my youth where it was rationed or now when I have the freedom of poking just a finger to have five bottles brought in at any time. I would say it tasted better during my youth since then it had true value, we cherished the value of the one bottle shared but also the brotherhood and sisterhood love that was exhibited through sharing of one bottle. The second reason for the binge drinking of Fanta was that I was warned that it was rumoured that like Sobo Squash the drink would soon lose its original taste. People were so worried that they were going to lose another original authentic true Malawi drink they have known since times started to count. Fortunately, when I was leaving we still had the original taste Fanta drinks. Sobo Squash had just been re-instated in the market with the original taste that made it a candidate for export. The quotes this week are from a book one of the church leaders in the United Kingdom wrote. We are commissioned to go and share the Good News and to make as many people access this Good News. This book spells out strategies on how you can reach the wider unreached areas on such a journey. I am sure the quotes from it will encourage and inspire you to seek more as you plan your pursuits in that regard. Read and enjoy: MULTIPLANTING – A Vision for Growing Churches, Leaders and Mission by Colin Baron “Saying ‘let’s have a go and see what happens’ can sound as though it lacks faith, particularly when you think of the heroes of Hebrews 11, whose faith operated as an assurance of what was not seen. And yet I believe the contrary is true. Because God has made promises regarding the future, and because we can hold those promises with the absolute certainty of faith, this gives us the freedom and confidence to try things in the present that we do not have certainty about, in the knowledge that they may be the things that God uses to bring his certain promises to pass.” “Food and drink also feature heavily in the picture the Bible paints of the future. When Jesus spoke of the coming kingdom, one of the key images that he chose was that of a great wedding banquet, resplendent with good food and fine wine. This kind of language echoes Isaiah, who writes of that day: ‘On this mountain the Lord of Hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined’ (Isaiah 25:6).”