Mutumwa Mawere

What is the purpose of life? Ultimately, the little line that is often found at tombstones connecting the dates of birth and death represents all the days one would have lived on earth and this is what we call life.

When one dies, the dash is all that is remembered and the actions taken in life will be compressed into an experience whose significance is often taken for granted.

Each living human being has a dash and, therefore, must be accountable for his or her own conduct and yet in life it is not unusual for many to expect other people to work on their dash.

For some, the little dash in between birth and death can be short, but filled with drama and actions and yet for others it can be dull and poor.

We are born in the departure lounge and what life gives us is the opportunity to act and hopefully leave a legacy.

A friend observed that life is perishable and indeed it is. When one's departure is called, the physical presence on earth disappears, but what remains are memories and the physical objects that one is associated with in life.

Each generation has a responsibility of pulling the wagon with the full knowledge that a day exists when the torch has to be passed on to others to continue the journey that we call life. The condition that we may find ourselves in as we work on our dash is not unique.

Is the experience that we call life a gift or curse?

When we examine critically the condition that the majority of Africans find themselves in, what and who can be blamed for the turmoil and suffering? Is there anything to thank our ancestors for their gift of life?

What we do know is that the earth that we have dominion over is not a product of human creativity and neither are the minerals that lie hidden in its belly.

Notwithstanding, it is common for human beings to hold the view that there is a connection between the resources on earth and ancestors.

If we love life, then it must be obvious that we need to work on the dash.

We cannot rely on God's creation as a basis to live a full life for what is expected of each generation is to add value to the experience of life.

As Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States observed: "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."

It is important that we appreciate the significance of time in human civilisation. It is a currency of life and yet no man has been able to control it. Even the mightiest of men still have not managed to increase the number of hours in day, for instance, for them to exclusively enjoy for themselves.

The sun shines on all.

When the dash connects and life ends, the material possessions accumulated do not count anymore. The cars, houses, money and all the possessions acquired in life will not be accommodated in a coffin and yet in life the concept of ownership takes root.

So why then should the poor be angry with the rich when it is common cause that the rich only have a lifetime to enjoy the material possessions accumulated in life?

When your bank account, for instance, shows a positive balance of $1 000 000 what does this mean?

All it means is that you have access to the funds on demand, but the money does not belong to you. The money that has not been used when the dash connects cannot be said to belong to the deceased.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the US, observed: "And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years." Indeed, Africa needs our creativity and ingenuity for the future is written in our actions.

I do not believe for a moment that God intended for human beings to own anything in life rather what he intended is for us to work on our dashes and in so doing fulfil the promise of life.

For some, the dash is characterised by anger, jealousy, hatred, fear and all negative energy.

Should this be the purpose of life? Africa has 54 states and when one observes the actions of state actors it is not unusual to find that a lot of energy is devoted to managing and controlling the dashes of citizens to the extent that the life of the majority of citizens becomes trapped into the dashes of state actors.

The Africa I want to see is a theatre where all lives count. Ultimately, wisdom is no more than organised life.

Investing in a correct mind-set can produce better outcomes and secure the future than investing in a toxic mind that sees danger in human progress and prosperity.

A useless life is one that has no purpose.
The future of Africa will not change for it is our responsibility to change it.

Real change begins when each dash has a purpose. Life on earth is so temporary and, therefore, working on the dash is critically important.

Our lives in the end are what our thoughts make it and not a product of other peoples' conspiracies. Life does not impose a disability on Africans to conspire for positive change.

There is no dash that is more important than another. We have surrendered into the belief that the future belongs only to the strong forgetting that no strong person has been able to defy the laws of nature.

The rich and the politically powerful also have their dash.

Life gives us a platform to connect our dashes and the basis on which a prosperous Africa is to be found must necessarily be located in the free and voluntary interplay between the dashes on whose experiences the condition and future of the continent is to be located.

As we attempt to work on the dash, we must be acutely aware that each dash gives one an identity. Such identity is of humanity and less premised on geography or the status at birth.

An Africa that allows individuals to stretch their dashes with experiences is an Africa that I want to be part of.
Some Africans have elected to work on their dash outside their places of birth.

Equally foreign-born persons have seen more value to advance their dashes in Africa than native born Africans. In the end, irrespective of the bush or place of birth, each dash has a purpose in advancing the human cause.

Only God determines the length of the dash and yet in life other human beings would like to play God by determining the length of other peoples' dashes and more importantly limiting the experiences of others so that only a few can shine by crowding out others.