A LETTER TO PARENTS (2)

Dear Mom and Dad,
As I promised you in my last letter, whenever I get time I will write. I am not sure whether its because I am a promise keeper or just because I love writing. The challenge I have is to write more and also learn more so that I could escape the trap of writing more, learn less and therefore end up planning more and accomplishing nothing. Have I ever told you that in this part of the world there are people who attend just meetings, whole year and make millions of dollars? They call themselves community organizers, community facilitators and bunch of titles that never existed during your days. These kinds of people are those who plan more and yet accomplish nothing.

One thing that I am certain about is that I treasure your opinions. You are still two human beings that I do not even put in my role models list believing that you worth more than all that even if this world doesn’t have a more realistic term about you than parents. I believe, however, that if Shaka Zulu had lived during these times, he would have come up with a better term. To me parenting is not enough, especially nowadays when almost everyone can be a parent, even against all odds. That is where you will realize that our generation, especially the generation of these fellas where I am now making ends meet, have conquered the outer space but never inner space. There are still lots of holes down there. Even splitting of an atom has not helped to eradicate prejudice. Who is to blame in your opinion?

I know mom hates even just the word “prejudice”. I am sorry that it is in my little vocabulary. Mom, this word is mentioned out here than African continent. It’s a vote catcher word for politicians. I swear you’d think politicians out here are angels. They don’t talk humanly. Instead they talk about all the impossible. Last week I heard one of them talking about how he would eradicate global poverty, if elected as if poverty is/ was just a new small cocoa farm that needed clearance by one fire shot. Instead of talking about reducing poverty these men and women, with their egos, now talks about eradicating. Dad, don’t you think this is quite funny and silly new century political joke? Or is it just me who is not convinced and therefore don’t have a scientific mind? And guess what, when they talk about poverty they always point fingers towards where the two of you lives, Africa. They don’t only neglect the fact that poverty is a pure global issue but also do not even care to reflect the cultural background of Africa before airing the modules. Mom and Dad, would you blame me if I call someone that name you completely prohibited me to use it when addressing another human being?

I sometimes wonder what exactly has happened to our world. Where I live, people are always on the rush. They even have what they call rush hours. People here cannot wait for anything. Patience is an old sinful word for most of them. If you ask them where are they rushing to, the answer is “to make money”. When they answer that way I then understand why most of them have higher incomes but lower morals. I still carry the book you bought me when I entered secondary school. I am not sure whether you still remember; the book has taught me all I need about choices and the fact that I can not get both, its either heaven or hell.

Now, Mom and Dad don’t get me wrong when I write you about this part of the world. Its not like there is nothing good out here. There are quite lots of things that I wish they were also available out there but also hope that they wouldn’t corrupt people’s morals if not destroy people’s health. For example, out here these people have managed to build more computers so that they can hold more information and produce more copies of information. But would you be surprised if I tell you that that has caused them to have less communication while at the same time remain long in quantity but short on quality? Mom do you remember warning me about eating fast foods, as they are popular in slowing digestion? Then what will you say if I tell you that where I live there are about seven of fast foods places and they all make lots of profits?

Before I finish this letter let me give you a message for my young brother. I wish I had time to write him a letter as well. Ask him to forgive me for passing the message instead of giving it to him directly. He had asked me about relationships out here. Do you think he wants to marry soon?

Out here a good percent of relationships are too shallow; completely contrary to steep profits that the so called “relationship counselors” makes out of people. I almost considered going back to university and study those counselors subjects before I realized that, such conies do not have powers to change my philosophy of work hard and you will earn big! Its sad and surprising that out here there is more leisure and less fun. Just as how there are more kinds of foods yet less nutrition broken homes keeps mounting. Divorces lawyers make millions of dollars because so are the days of our lives. We have fancier houses but lots of broken homes as well.

So tell my young brother to stick to our traditions. That is all I can say. Let me end up here for today. It’s a civic holiday weekend out here but as usual, lots of commitments.

Son,

Jeff