Are there more important professions?

“I wonder why lawyers think they are so special…Law is just common sense and English”.

Those were the words of political analyst - Herman Manyora to Law Society of Kenya’s president - Nelson Havi during a recent opine as posted by Standard online news on June 12^th 2020. My reactions to the article were; laugh – stare surprisedly – murk in discernment, respectively. I laughed because the title was hilarious at face value; like who says that about a profession that is highly coveted globally? Kids grow up wishing or being inspired to be lawyers in future.  Upon reading of the article, I was surprised to realize the circumstances under which such ‘hilarious words’ were uttered. Then the discernment occurred when I processed why/how such feelings and utterances mushroom – in the subconscious or conscious mind.  

Source: Flickr

This got me thinking whether there exist careers or professions that are more important than others. In such difficult times, we have come to appreciate how/why certain professions are essential hence the terms essential and non-essential services. These include but are not limited to health workers, food value chain workers/cargo deliveries, banking/cash transfer services and communication that are considered essential. For some of us, we have now endured at least 3 months of no house management support usually rendered by day-scholar or live-in nannies whose services we often take for granted. Yet these are the people to whom we entrust our children as caregivers when we are away toiling for a living.

In my interactions to understand what other people view as most important careers, I was humbled by the response of one of my networks who said that the “the most important/unique profession is that of a mother to a child.” I want to believe that in other words, this also means a career’s worth is as good as the person to whom the question is posed and the environment. For example, to a doctor or medical professional, his/her career is most important because humanity cannot survive without medical care – the patient will overwhelmingly share in this support. To a farmer/agriculturalist, his/her career is most important because we simply cannot go without food  - this is where the common lingual ‘you eat to live’ comes in and any hungry person/drought victim will overwhelmingly support the value of the farmer in our lives. To a water expert, his/her career is more important because water is life. And the list goes on and on.

Truth is one cannot argue and win a debate around the importance of a career especially if you take the debate to the horses’ mouth, because most of us try to find value and pride in what directly benefit from. The fact that certain jobs are considered essential should not be misinterpreted to mean they are the most important. It simply means that at the time in question, and going by the circumstances at hand, these would be the basic services required to keep us alive as we seek permanent solutions to our problems.

Career preferences and our ability to excel in them is largely influenced by both inherent and external factors. For example, it is often considered that STEM disciplines generally constitute the toughest careers and therefore more respect should be granted to those who excel in them. I have however come to learn that there is no such thing as an easy or difficult career/subject – it depends on who is pursuing it; whether they have acquired/were born with the unique strengths and abilities required to excel in the said field. Moreover, the environment in which we are brought up influences our fruition. For example, if born with a relatively ‘higher intelligence quotient’ towards scientific, mathematical or technology arena, and availed with a conducive environment to nurture that innate strength, a child will likely choose to pursue disciplines such as engineering, mathematics, actuarial science, physics, medicine, computer science, economics and so on. On the other hand, a child born with or exposed to talent in creative arts will likely excel as an artist – they could turn out to be the famous celebrities (singers, actors, designers etc) who most of us follow on social media and would gladly pay an arm and a leg to see/meet/work with.  The fact that you are good at sciences or mathematics does not mean you are the most brilliant person and will automatically excel at anything you try your hands on. Famous scientists/inventors/artists such as; Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, Ludwig van Beethoven and Leonardo Da Vinci, in whose legacies innovations continue to be born were not necessarily the smartest people in everything they ever did.

Source: Flickr

Overcoming career inferiority or superiority complex. When one party belittles his/her own profession or highly regards it to the extent of stumping their feet on other professionals perceived to be of lower or ‘useless’ cadre, this could be a case of inferiority or superiority complex -  both of which are highly caused and driven by the societal believes and definition of careers. Traditionally, children are taught to believe that the best and therefore most coveted careers are those of; engineers, doctors, pilots, lawyers and architects. Times have however changed and so have careers. It is no longer the traditionally prestigious fields that automatically offer the best paying/rewarding jobs. You must wisely choose what to pursue based on global trends and developments. Some careers, of course, do pay better and higher than others. But that depends on who/where you are.

Each profession is important by its own merit. But some are considered as more essential than others depending on societal constructs and timing.  It is pointless to initiate a debate whose sole purpose is to make oneself feel as the most important professional in a room. Because we are all different and unique for a reason and, one way or another, complement each other’s efforts to make the world a better place to live in.  Focus on what individually drives you professionally. Is it passion? Is it the money? Is it the title/prestige?  Is it circumstances?  What is it?

 

 

World Environment Day 2020: A cry for Nature

June 5^th is World Environment Day. This is a day internationally set to celebrate our environment and appreciate nature for our co-existence. For those who share in knowledge of the creation story in the book of Genesis in the bible, it is believed that in the beginning  the earth was formless and desolate, there was darkness and from there the creation story starts when God orders for light to be there. It is a beautiful story of how everything – flora and fauna, the water, the land that we till, and skies above where the birds and all other creatures that fly flap their wings. Everything seems to perfectly fall into place like a jigsaw. Thousands of years later, we are caught up in a world filled with calamities; temperatures are increasingly high, droughts and floods are frequently experienced in different parts of the globe, ice in the Alaska and other arctic zones is fast melting and with that sea levels are fast rising to a life threatening level. In short, life is no longer the beautiful, perfect creation story that we read and wish for. Nature has taken a toll on us, and while some of us are still looking but not seeing the reality of what the world has become, the clock keeps ticking. Before we know it, there may be no time at all to do anything about all the natural phenomena affecting us thanks to our own human-inflicted effect on nature.

But all hope is not lost. Jumping to the scientific theory and ancient mythologies within which economies are believed to have been built and continue to advance, we are presented with an opportunity to reverse the order. Some of the suggested solutions are enshrined within the new policy scenarios for development which require that we not only limit our net carbon emissions to zero but take individual actions to enable us to get there. For starters, World Environment Day which is a day to voice out concerns, showcase our actions and call for further action, and is by no chance a one day affair. Every day is an environment day because everyday we wake up to nature, live in it, invest within it, take from it without caring much about we give back to it in return.  Nature has grown tired of our ungrateful attitude; it is reminding us in the simplest of forms that is has endured our destructive bullets for far too long. It can no longer stand our ignorance, arrogance, and selfish attitudes. It is also reminding us that either we as the current generation, or our future generations who will pay the price for how terribly we have been treating it. 

As the world takes time today to focus on achievements made in the UN decade of biodiversity which ends in 2020, and paves way for launch of the next decade of ecosystem restoration (2021 to 2030) agenda, we are left to ponder on what biodiversity really means for each of us. For me, it means reflecting on the beautiful creation story, how things were and how we could regain some of those values. Many things which should be done have already been said including; retracing our roots back to organic agriculture and food production, healthy living, green transportation methods, efficient industrialization pathways, carbon capture and sequestering technologies, increment on forest cover, sustainable use of water resources, reduced poaching activity and care for life in all its forms. I will therefore not dwell on what needs to be done. Because our governments and leaders know what must be done. At individual level we may be aware of what we to do or know where to find the correct information on what we must do. The problem is that no one is willing to sacrifice comfort today for the sake of a future they know nothing about. Our selfish desires drive us and the nations we live in. We are more concerned about ‘cashing-in and making our lives easier’ than we are about the overall effect all these have on nature. 

Until when we will stop pretending and override our selfish ambitions, and instead put nature first. Until when we will start asking ourselves before each action, ‘does this help or kill nature?’ Until when we will provide the correct answer to this question and be true to ourselves in our interventions. I am afraid that our cries to nature before then are in-vain. Kick-back time is here!

 

Resilience during the pandemic: lessons drawn

Around mid-March, I started working from home due to the pandemic. Initially, I was keen to get regular updates about the spread of Covid-19 virus. Three months later, I have come to understand that it is not so much about getting all updates but more about absorbing what works for me. Because there is too much toxic information which, if coupled with a life that is already depressing, could shatter my hopes and beat the essence for why I live. I have come to appreciate that amidst all that is unfolding, we can still make lemonade out of the lemon. Below are a few lessons I have drawn which might be helpful to you as well.

My learnings during Covid-19 pandemic

1. Staying at home is an opportunity for self-awareness and meditation: to those privileged to work from home and/or sustain a livelihood from the comfort of the house, this season may have provided more than enough time to think deep about who you are. My family and I have been watching a lot more movies to get by our free time. This past weekend we watched a Christian movie called Overcomer. It speaks about identifying who we truly are. The pandemic has given me enough time to figure out a number of things about my life; what I want in life, how I want the  future to look like and importantly who I am. Knowing oneself is important because it helps set and stick to  principles and integrity all the time. If you have read the 48 laws of power, then you know how far integrity and honesty can go in claiming power. 
2. Staying at home is an opportunity to polish and acquire new skills or hobbies:  I have interacted with people who are doing amazing things during this period. I recently read a blog by a friend who has been perfecting his mastery in data science, or at least trying to take his already advanced skills to a higher level. I have also been in touch with friends and colleagues who are polishing up on hobbies such as painting, cooking food and coaching. There are people who are taking up free online courses from websites such as Coursera. Personally, I am working to acquire knowledge in French language - it happens to be a goal I had set for 2020. Challenge yourself to pick/improve on a hobby, skill, or talent. 

   

   source: Flickr

    
3. Some will reap, others will lose: From job cuts, to decreased business activities across economies, to loss of innocent lives, to police brutality and massive loss of livelihoods, 2020 looks to have earned itself a title as 'the worst calamity of the century'. Globally, the death toll due to Covid-19 infections stands at 378,290 people as of 2^nd June 2020. Total number of infections is at 6,407,684 people with fear that vulnerable communities are the worst affected. It is  uncertain as to when we should expect a remedy with experts warning that it could take another 12 months to develop a mass vaccine should we successfuly go past the trials phase. In this same period, we have people who are lucky enough to have opportunities open at a time when all hope seems lost – there are businesses that are currently at their boom, there are job opportunities that have suddenly opened up and there are people to whom a remote work environment has presented the perfect opportunity to save on invaluable time wasted on traffic to/fro work among other costs. In short, there are too many odds to this season, but there are certainly a few positive things going on. As we know, life is not fair and thus we must live in full acknowledgement of this reality. Accept what life pushes at you and adapt where necessary. However, we must also keep alive to the negativity around us and the fear of increased violation of human rights in such times. Breaking the silence and acting now could go a long way to help unravel and fight such vices.
4. Save big time for future uncertainty: I consider myself lucky to have acquired fundamental financial literacy skills at the age of 18. One of the skills is the habit of saving when the sun shines. Unfortunately, I am risk averse hence does not have as many revenue streams. It therefore goes without saying that I basically fall within the largest population bracket (of over 80%) who rely on daily or monthly income to survive through the next day/month. During this pademic period, I have come to appreciate how much of a relieve savings can be no matter how little. When you have a few coins reserved for the darker days, you worry slightly less about a potential job cut, or the fact that the economy is in turmoil, things are bad and life is likely going to be more expensive as we stretch on available resources. Who would have thought 2020 would push some of us to be at the mercy of government stimulus support or well-wishers for survival?
5. A time to connect with family, friends, and colleagues: It is strange that during this period more than ever before, I have connected with and got to know colleagues from my department a lot better. This has been achieved through weekly team catch up calls where we discuss nothing about work but simply find out how each of us is getting by. I also dedicate time to talk to family members and friends. Those who know me in person know how terrible I am at phone call so this has been a huge adjustment on my end. I think the fact that restricted movement has robbed us of what we as humans are fond of – physical interaction, is by itself depressing. But thanks to social media and video calling tools – we have technology to embrace and thank that we are still able to check on loved ones realtime. Maximize on these tools because they exist for a reason; the universe conspired to have them right here, right now.
   
6. Switching off but choosing to selectively remain informed helps: ever come to terms with the literal meaning of the saying no man is an island? Well, this is it. In my calls with friends and colleagues, I have come to realize that for some of us, switching off from any covid-19 related news helps to cope. For others, being on toes and knowing what exactly is happening at any time works. In my case, a blend of both is a good dose to go. Reason being I realized I cannot completely shut off and pretend that within my confinement, the pandemic does not exist. Because it does all around us and may be here to stay a little longer than we wish for. I have learnt to fish out information useful to keep me going. This includes knowledge on the impacts of the pandemic on my work sector and how best to address them.
7. Find a way to remain relevant: As mentioned earlier, we live in a world of social media and digital tools. While using these platforms, we need to be aware of what should be posted for public consumption now more than ever. Be cognizant of the storm that many people are going through and avoid the use of irrelevant topics/comments that could soar fresh wounds.