Lightness Mtaita
27 Apr 2021
Us human beings are an interesting species with abilities far beyond what we can fathom. We are the superior creation, after all we have the gift of imagination, reasoning and of course speaking! Our brains can fashion and grasp a wide array of topics, facts and theories and yet I do not believe that most have yet grasped the unpredictability of life.
We wake up in the morning, and sometimes do not even notice the sun, the sky, the clouds, the ground, and any other earthly bodies you can think of, in their right place. The sun is up and brightly shining at x amount degrees, the clouds decorating the blue sky as usual, the upper firmament also right there where you left it the day before. Maybe it is this consistency that makes us feel entitled. We wake up and expect to find the sun in its place, we expect to find a ground to land our feet on, we expect oxygen in our lungs. Have you ever stopped to imagine what it would be like if suddenly nature's bodies took a day off and where not in their rightful place? Do we ever wonder or appreciate what it takes to hold everything together? One would think this would be simple considering and knowing how hard it is to keep our own affairs in order.
When we awake, do we ever think what the body had to do to ensure you are alive the next morning? Have you even considered what is going on inside your brain right this instant that is enabling you to read these words? We as the superior creation have acquired a certain sense of entitlement that makes us ignorant of a very important factor, that is, "behind the scenes". Working for a Human Capital Consulting firm, I know, have been a part of or witnessed the amount of work that goes into training, event planning, finding the right talent, or even creating a simple poster. There is always work behind the scenes, it may be attributed to science or a person or thing, or God, but we cannot deny that there is definitely something or someone holding everything together.
Waking up in the morning with air in your lungs is not promised, the sun in its place is not promised, heck even a well functioning body is not promised. Nothing is promised, therefore everything must be considered a gift. Once you grasp the "behind the scenes" notion, you realise that you have witnessed more miracles than you thought. You will appreciate the smell of the rain, the honking noise from vehicles, or even a road under construction causing massive traffic (this one's for me).
They say we are a microwave generation, quick fixes, quick results, put the food in the electric box cold and take it out hot, but even this box had to put in some work for that food to be hot. Okay, that was a bad example, moving on....I heard once that being grateful and being satisfied are NOT synonymous, meaning you can have one without the other. You can choose to be grateful even in the absence of satisfaction, because gratitude and appreciation can also come from the realisation that there is much going on behind the scenes.
I know that sometimes life does what life does, it can be bitter sweet, however we cannot deny how hard life and nature is trying everyday to keep you alive, to keep that air in your lungs. So when you wake up in the morning, take a deep breath, look around and embrace how blessed and privileged you are to wake up to a 24/7 working earth/universe. Embrace who you are, there will never be another you, embrace what you have, you are not entitled to it, embrace who you have, they may not be there tomorrow, embrace where you live, safety is not a privilege, and above all respect and honour #BehindTheScenes.
Lightness Mtaita
Writing is a subtle passion of mine. I like putting thoughts together, either in writing or in speech. I like to think of myself as fun, vibrant, passionate and happy always.
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