Community

The “they” attitude

The immense task of caring for community requires teamwork. Hence, we need to shift our attitude from, “I don’t like the way they are doing things”, or, “They are supposed to do it, but they are doing nothing.” Instead, we need to adopt an “our” attitude which asks, “How can we work this out together? How may I help?”

What happened to good old morals? We need to redefine “they” by closing the gap. Own the challenge. Be the change. Be they. I believe that is what God expects us to do.

What will your answer to the attitude question be? The answer you choose will be the basis of the roadway to taking ownership in the fight against the “they will do it” attitude. Or it may fuel it to continue as a challenge.

You probably not relate to some of the illustrations I share here, but think about your workplace/office for a minute. Think about when you get to work in the morning and how you leave it in the evening. Who is responsible for any mess at your workstation, in your drawer, or under your desk?

I have witnessed people cleaning at the front of their workplaces by sweeping the rubbish into the road reserve. Others sweep it into the road itself and claim “they” will clean it up. The most depressing is some of the city cleaners, sweeping the soil into the trenches!

However, we should not lose focus because of pressures, even from ourselves, or give up because transformation is taking longer than we wish. Like Sir Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.” We should press on till change happens. William Wilberforce lived it out. He pressed on for the good cause of abolishing the slave trade and succeeded. Even though it took several years, it did come to an end. Yes, there are many challenges in transformation. Among them are being misunderstood and resistance from people who are comfortable doing the wrong thing. But we can find success in our time.

Press On

I have heard and observed that successful people keep doing the same things over and over again. They just change the packaging or reinvent the delivery process to add value. But they stick to the basic principles. With few exceptions, Pepsi Cola has tasted pretty much the same all across the globe for decades. Only the shape and design of the bottles and cans keep changing. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” says Winston Churchill. We need to grow to a place where we appreciate failure as feedback and keep on keeping on.

On the other hand, pressing on may require a selfless attitude. That is, we must let go of some privileges for the general good or interest of others. This is the kind of attitude we need if we are going experience transformation.

Having an impact or being able to influence many people does not necessarily require holding on to stuff or power. Sometimes it may be wise to let go of some privileges, just like President Nixon did for the good of the majority. At the end of the day, it made him look better.

King David had to live in caves on many occasions, despite the fact he knew he was the anointed king. He chose to love. He never at one point suggested or expressed a desire for revenge, and indeed, he became victorious.

The dislike attitude is never among the things you should even contemplate because doing so makes you are a real loser. You don’t work so hard for everyone to like you or praise you. When you choose to hate, you lose.

Writer Wendy Pope’s perspective takes it to another level. She says we should, “hang in there and do what God asks us to do. However, as we give care, our motivation should not be drawn from what we are going to benefit, gain peoples approval or reluctantly due to some pressure of sorts but rather out of our love for God.”

Value People the way God Does

For a long time, I had not heard many people say nice things about these motor cyclists—boda-bodas as we refer to them. For instance, some people even call them stupid boda-bodas, categorizing all of them as hooligans! lumpens! Not true for all, in my experience.

It was a goal of mine to make them feel valued even as I challenged them to improve in their service delivery and customer relations; encourage them to become more responsible, law-abiding citizens; and to keep healthy.

I then organized our first customer-care workshop for them. I brought in a skilled team of management trainers in finance and human resources, a health worker, and the police to enhance what I started.

After the workshop, Abdul Karim told us how he continued to grow in his saving culture. He testified during the second workshop how he had managed to buy himself motorcycles from his savings. Many of them, including Karim, have been able to purchase small plots of land. Five have actually finished construction projects on those plots and live in those houses.

Baker, preferred to build small houses for rent and is now a landlord. Several months later, at the end-of-year cyclist function, Baker was present. This time not as a cyclist but a former cyclist and now special guest! Baker managed to buy a car and is running a small trade business in one of the city malls in town.

These guy’s stories motivate me to look out for other marginalized groups, invest time and resources in them, and trust God to make their stories beautiful despite the odds.

So let’s value people the way God does. Not based on their vocations or statuses in the community because even the most despised, call them the least of the least, according to society (like cyclist friends) may turn out to be the greatest resource.