“Change or die”, this is a quote from Jo Owens’ book Tribal Business that talks about business leadership. In a nutshell, it explains how people still thrive in very harsh and hard circumstances. I am alluding to my lockdown experience with this very quote because I had to change and adapt or literally “die” by missing out on opportunities in my life.
In the beginning, I felt lost; moving from Nairobi County to Kakamega County to “run away” from the pandemic, to wage a war against it by using the home ground advantage. However, this is a strange virus that we can neither see nor touch despite so much hype from the media, making many people think of it as a palpable organism that is extremely deadly. Many people might disagree with me when I say that this virus came to the world at the right time, it came to the world when the youth were thought to be vagabonds and entitled without new ideas on how to survive. The virus has helped the lazy to get up and work adopting new behaviors that would help them see through these murky days. It has helped people unlock their creative spheres in life
For instance, I never thought of myself as a worthy farmer, a fish farmer at that. During this period, I tried fish farming to provide extra income for my parents and to meet my yearnings. I set up my venture but forgot to do the due diligence, and my first lot, 3000 fingerlings, went up in smoke. This was a wake-up call. I contemplated giving up altogether then I realized that instead of focusing on the process I was focusing on the product. I finally got back up and started it all again and I have lost some, but most are still alive.
It is very tough to wage war on uncertainties, but that is what life is all about. waking up every day without knowing whether you will see your family at the end of the day, or they will have been taken to the quarantine is equally hard to imagine. This is the time I have tried new things, learnt to love myself and equally love others, learnt to help where help is needed, and to be empathetic. Even though I would not want to experience another pandemic it has helped me change my outlook on life and it has helped me become stronger both physically and emotionally.
Finally, “hard times create strong men, good times create weak men,” said our founder who survived tough times of war and thrived. He is a good example of hard times creating strong men, men who have a vision. I strongly believe our founder would have not achieved what he has achieved were it not for the hard times he went through. Making him act differently.
This article was written by Trevour Maloba, a Bachelor of Arts in Communication student.