THE MAN I CALLED DAD With a brilliant smile that permanently exposed bright cotton teeth and a signature front diastema between dimpled cheeks made my dad a beautiful man, with an exceptionally sharp mind and a tender heart. I am using the word beauty with all its colourful connotations and all its aesthetic values too. But even this does not really capture the full nature and essence of this extrovert whose life was cut short by a terminal illness. He was more than a beautiful man, husband and father. The kind of beauty he possessed and that which I would like to write about was more profound than the physical one; it was spiritual, intellectual and humane. This man was what I have come to term as a full and complete human being- gingerly crafted by God, with an agile mind, a sense of fairness, humour, originality, objectivity and vivacious commitment of purpose, especially on important matters affecting his fellow human beings. Death you are such a grim reaper, I still cannot fathom your choices. A disease senselessly killed Mr.T.W on a dark Tuesday-June evening. It had severely ravaged his body but not his spirit and ‘thought’ by so doing, his intellectual contributions to humanity would be permanently undermined. An ailment attempted to destroy his legacy and the fruits of his labour. It’s still out there in our streets, cities and even villages. It has killed other Kenyans before and after that fateful Tuesday-June evening or verge of attacking someone or even killing one as you are reading this right now. Its incumbent upon us to cease the moment and act promptly to this killer called cancer. My dad was a friend besides being my father and a role model. Before his untimely death we had met after I was born and as I grew up, I learnt about his life’s background from his tales and fables on how he accessed his primary school education without a pair of shoes come rain or sunshine, he had to run away from home to gain secondary school education through the sponsorship of missionaries and later had to walk halfway on a journey from his rural home to the airport in the Kenyan capital to board a plane to pursue higher education on a scholarship in a foreign country (I admired the zeal). Against all odds and some busy bodies who had other ideas about his life, he returned with the best artillery, which was knowledge and used its power to face adversary and even secured employment with World Vision International, a non-governmental organisation with Christian values that works with the vulnerable in the society to empower and alleviate them from their plights. It’s in this field of work that he gave hope to the oppressed and was an inspiration to many when nearly everyone was resigning and losing hope with life under our exhibited harsh socio-economic and political times (I wish I could be half of what he was). Why did this crux rob us this man at such an opportune time? He was among the architects of community development. He almost made a significant single contribution in designing and drafting funding proposals and explaining his concepts to the potential sponsors or well wishers, his colleagues and the ordinary citizens at the community level who would be the eventual beneficiaries if the proposal would be ratified. His success in having the best interests of the community entrenched in his proposals lay in his soft-spoken ability to cajole and explain fundamental concepts without sounding arrogant and belittling anyone. With his wisdom reflected through his dimpled smiles and warm voice, he was capable almost single handedly, in ensuring that overwhelming majority of participants in his forums fully understood and appreciated how significant empowering of an individual e.g. through getting educated, would be for their future collective success and development as a united people. Why did this blight feel so threatened by his contributions? These foregoing were the ideals, aspirations and dreams for which he dedicated his life to, sometimes missing to visit his family for days, weeks and even months travelling outside and inside the country, from one corner to another, making sure widow’s have a shelter and a roof over their heads and something to feed their kids, orphans had the right to attend school and even a classroom to acquire knowledge, the old are empowered in their aged state to generate an income without depending on their kins or reduced to beggars and communities are united through collective projects that enhanced peace and unity. These are the same ideals, aspirations and dreams that he eventually died pursuing. He believed that Kenyans deserve the space, peace and environment within which they can collectively work to rediscover their true identities and national goals as a united and indivisible people. I have asked myself, do I really cherish these ideals for which this man fought for so dearly as a patriotic Kenyan? Our collective attention should be directed towards each individual taking a personal audit. Anyone from any walk of life while criss-crossing our beautiful country looking for new chances and opportunities in their life’s walk, he could have demanded that we relinquish extraordinary lifestyles and live a real life, act fairly in addressing our national problems, demonstrate integrity and sensitivity in handling all public affairs especially of the less fortunate amongst us and avoid crooked shortcuts in life. He sacrificed his life and time to an extend that I thought it exposed his weaker side as a workaholic who could even trade family time with work, failed to provide some of the basic needs because he had seen and had engaged with beggared paupers surviving without anything and while extending his helping hand, he gave to his last dime that he left this world without enjoying the fruits of his labour. He simply fought to the brink so that Kenyans can live free of all excesses including perennial corrupt practices where funds for the poor and vulnerable are channelled by greedy individuals to personal enrichment. I wish he was appreciated instead of being immortalised, because this man literally preached and lived by the words of the scripture which can be summarised from the book of Micah chapter 6 verses 8; God has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? The verse says, but to act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. If you have a dad, honour your father. (Written by Sam-Wan)
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:13:26 +0000
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