LIFE IS A QUEST

LIFE IS A QUEST

Life will always be a quest, an adventurous expedition that we go after what we really desire not even sure that the adventure will yield life or death. We live searching for one basic thing: Happiness and in search for happiness and contentment of soul, we pass through so many experiences, some sweet, some bitter and others nasty. As a matter of fact, most people who have died have died due to that quest. That is life.

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Life

NOTE: Not real names.

 Career Quest

Anthony works as a technician in a garage, where he repairs motor vehicles He has a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Automotive option. People know him as the best technician who will revive any dead car to the state it was while new. He even teaches other technicians on how to repair cars and besides he is an accomplished driver. But Anthony has a secret he never shares with anyone. Deep down in his heart he had always wanted to be a surgeon and he wishes, given opportunity, to become a surgeon one day.

Agnes is a data entry clerk at a certain clinic in Nairobi, South B estate. She has a Diploma in Information and Communication Technology. Besides, she is so nice in her work and so committed. She never misses a day of work and is never late. Her employer loves her for she does her work with zeal like it is the only thing she ever wanted to do. But whenever Agnes sees the nurses taking care of the sick in the clinic, fire burns in her heart. Why? Her childhood dream was to become a Nurse, and she has among her priorities to once become a nurse even if it means in her old age.

 Relationship Quest

Samuel is 41 years old, married to his beautiful, loving wife, Carol who is currently 36 Years old. They have three kids aged 12, 10, and 7 years respectively. Theirs is a perfect family since they both are working and have never had any major quarrel to warrant even a single day separation. They are what you would consider a perfect couple. They go for holiday twice in a year; they regularly go for outings and love doing everything together. But Samuel has a secret which even Carol his wife does not know. Before they met, Samuel was in love with Prudence who she considered his real love. But they separated and no matter what, Prudence refused to be reunited with Samuel. So Samuel later on met Carol at a wedding function and Carol fell in love with Samuel. But Samuel has never fallen in love with Carol but got married to Carol for convenience reasons; one of them is since Carol was willing to settle down, get married and was a good wife material. Besides, He was advancing in age and would not wait any longer to settle down since He had gotten someone who is willing to settle. But Carol all along thinks Samuel loves her. (Well, other people even know that their Spouses do not “Love” then but will stick with them since it’s the best option at the moment, one reason being they take care of their needs and the needs of the family among others).

It is not a wonder I know a couple of people who know that their spouses have another lover outside (Mpango wa kando) but they simply cannot quit from the relationship/marriage since presently it is just convenient for them to stick around.

These are just examples from the society that tell you something about people; most people will do something and commit themselves to it from the convenience involved. People will stick to careers that they never thought of in their childhood for the sake of having an income. People will get married since the biological clock is ticking so fast and they do not want to be left out. Well, as long as you do something as if it’s the only thing you ever wanted to do, with the maximum zeal you can surmount, no one will ever know you are just there for convenience reasons.

Figure out these real Scenarios:

Talent Quest

I once met this guy who had a passion for football. He was the top scorer in the neighborhood and at one time, a visiting National team manager spotted him and saw that he has a talent. So the manager plotted for him a channel to join the National team. But while pursuing his dream he got frustrated by lack of money to travel from Coast to Nairobi every other time and the dream just passed under the bridge like that. As of now, the guy is an accomplished Game Ranger, and at the top of his game since he does his work the best he can. By now, though, he is past the age of ever becoming a football player.

 Concord of Convenience

I also happened to talk to a nice young lady of 24 years who told me that she is single, searching for her soul mate and willing to get married. She happened to be a single mum with two kids aged 7 and 5 years old. She had dropped out of high school and gotten married at a tender age but the man later disappeared from her life. Her sentiments were that she is willing to get married to any man as long as the man will love her, take care of her and her kids, and not willing to sire with her more than 2 more kids. Talk of marrying for convenience.

 I have also seen people who get married for convenience reasons not for love, and living it even for as long as I have known them. What I am yet to know is how does it make them feel? They will stick in the marriage for the sake of the children and commitment reasons. Such marriages survive due to commitment and focus for the future alone. Perhaps love comes later on but at a sacrifice.

Also it is true that so many people are working in careers they never thought of while growing up. They are working for the sole reason of meeting their daily needs. They dare not leave their current jobs and they will do anything within their power to retain their jobs. Even when an opportunity arises for them to pursue their dream career, they still cannot do it. Why? They will have gotten other commitments in life that are more demanding than career e.g. Family needs like food, shelter and clothing. So instead of going back to college to study the career of their choice, they would rather concentrate on teaching their children. Only a few succeed in pursuing their dream career past the age of 40 years. Also it would be absurd to hook up with another partner in the name of you have found your “dream partner” or soul mate long after you have been in a working marriage for over 10 years, unless things did not work out between the two of you. (Some people do incongruous acts e.g. hooking up with a partner who they think is their soul mate, who is even younger than their youngest child.) But the quest for happiness in life can make people do strange things.

 Life Being a Vanity

Any wonder one of the wise men of the old times said, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:2 vanity means the state of futile, worthless, or empty of significance.

When we are growing up, there are the things we grow up wishing to get. Among them are Good education, Good career, Loving spouse, nice house in beautiful surroundings, a nice car etc the list is endless. But as we grow up, we realize that getting those things we ever wanted may remain just that, a farfetched dream. Very few people, if any, live life perfectly as they desired when they were growing up. With the complexities of life, very few people attain their desired choices in life. Many limiting factors exist that hinder people from obtaining the desires of their heart e.g. Fate, Money etc. Some people even in their quest for their dream life do a lot of strange anti-social things e.g. Stealing, Lying, joining a cult, etc but if you are a Christian you know better not to do such. Those who pursue their lifelong desires through dubious means in the end have their conscience judging them later on or misfortunes chasing after them like a hot arrow.

 Bitter Truth we have to live by

The undesirable truth is, in this life, we have to learn to settle for less. Learn to be content with the little that God has blessed you with. Remember those who are starving would really wish to get that tasteless food you do not wish to eat. As you struggle to maintain your physicality, remember there are those who do not have hands, legs or other functioning bodily organs. As you moan that the career you are in is not your dream career, remember someone somewhere does not even have any source of income. Life will always be a quest, an adventurous expedition that we go after what we really desire not even sure that the adventure will yield life or death. We live searching for one basic thing: Happiness and in search for happiness and contentment of soul, we pass through so many experiences, some sweet and others nasty. As a matter of fact, many people die in that quest. That is life.

It is through the quest in life some wise sayings came about e.g.

    

1.      Better late than never.

2.      Kutangulia sio kufika (Being early does not necessarily mean you will arrive)

3.      He who watches after the wind will never plant

4.      Chelewa Chelewa ukizubaa utakuta mwana si wako (Should you get late you may find the   child is not yours)

5.      Mweda pole hajikwai (He who walks slowly does not stumble)

6.      Haraka Haraka Haina Baraka (Hurry hurry has no blessings)

7.      Lay hay while the there is sunshine

8.      Vunja mifupa wakati meno bado iko (Break bones while you still have teeth)

   At times the wise sayings are also a recipe for confusion. Figure these two Swahili sayings:-

1.      Ukizubaa utakuta mwana si wako (You may late and find the fortune is not yours)

2.      Haraka Haraka haina Baraka (Hurry hurry has no blessings)

3.      Now you wonder, at what pace do I go in this life? Personally, both sayings had at one time affected me, with consequences too.

A life Resolution

In marriage, some have wives and husbands that do not in so many ways represent their ideal partners. They are however loving, caring and are so committed to the marriage. They will do anything within their power to make the marriage work, and this calls for a lifelong sacrifice. Be content you even have such a person in life, some people are lucky to marry their dream partners, but after the dream is over, the reality is worse than hell.

Whatever you lay your hand on as long as it is constructive to you and the society, do it with all your heart and dedication. Give it enough time and effort that it requires and in that way the results will be worthwhile.

1.      Never lose sight of what you want with your life, don’t let go off the things that you enjoy most as long as they are harmless.

2.      Love other people and do well to them. Do to other people what you would like them do to you.

3.      If you are a Christian, live as per biblical guidelines of life and as a Muslim live as per the Quran and in that way you will learn to enjoy this life as it is.

4.      Never lose sight of your hobbies and whenever possible, make your hobbies work for you.

5.      Remember, your duty as a man is summed up as this, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Truly, Life is a Quest, a quest for happiness, contentment, satisfaction and……