Making A Better World - Milton Louw

To be without desire is to be content. But contentment is not happiness. And in contentment there is no progress. Happiness is to desire something, to work for it, and to obtain at least a part of it. In the pursuit of beloved labor the busy days pass cheerfully employed, and the still nights in peaceful sleep. For labor born of desire is not drudgerey, but manly play. Success brings hope, hope inspires fresh desire, and desire gives zest to life and joy to labor. This is true whether your days be spent in the palaces of the powerful or in some little green byway of the world. Therefore, while yet you have the strength, cherish a desire to do some useful work in your little corner of the world, and have the steadfastness to labor. For this is the way to the happy life; with health and endearing ties, it is the way to the glorious life.

All round is haste, confusion, noise. For power and wealth men stretch the day From dawn till dusk. But quietly I go my way. For glitter, show, to taunt the crowd, Desire-tossed in wild dismay, Men sell their souls. But quietly I go my way. The green of all the fields is mine; The stars, the night, the wind at play, A peaceful heart, while quietly I go my way.

I guess you think you know this story. You don't. The real one's much more gory. The phoney one, the one you know, Was cooked up years and years ago, And made to sound all soft and sappy just to keep the children happy. Mind you, they got the first bit right, The bit where, in the dead of night, The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all, Departed for the Palace Ball, While darling little Cinderella Was locked up in a slimy cellar, Where rats who wanted things to eat, Began to nibble at her feet. She bellowed 'Help!' and 'Let me out! The Magic Fairy heard her shout. Appearing in a blaze of light, She said: 'My dear, are you all right?' 'All right?' cried Cindy .'Can't you see 'I feel as rotten as can be!' She beat her fist against the wall, And shouted, 'Get me to the Ball! 'There is a Disco at the Palace! 'The rest have gone and I am jealous! 'I want a dress! I want a coach! 'And earrings and a dia...

A clear, cool night. I have been reading, but the thoughts of man do not solace me. I raised the curtain and looked at the moon, clear and silvery; and I brushed some of the unrest out of my mind. I know all the theories of the moon. There have been times when the symbols of science have robbed me of some of its mystery and charm. But no one can explain the moon any more than a grasshopper can explain me. In youth, the moon promised too much. But now I understand better; that was not the moon's fault. Also the moon and I have this in common: We both are wanderers across the night.

What fool shall say, "My days are fair, God's in his world and all is well," When half mankind shrieks in despair Worse than in Dante's flaming hell! I cannot sing in happy mood While hostile armies take their toll. On these dark days I toil and brood With starless midnight in my soul. And yet, O World, O Life, O God! I find myself, jest as the fool, Believing in thy chastening rod, Believing still that love must rule.

It has been raining again. I have been indoors, meditating on the shortcomings of life. I wish there were more kindly persons in the world. Our competitive life develops selfishness and unkindness. I am determined to do something about it. I cannot hope to convert many persons. To convert one person, I shall do well. I will begin with the person I know best - myself. When it rains and one is much indoors one is likely to meditate on the shortcomings of life. Let me think - how shall I make myself kind, gentle considerate? I do believe it has stopped raining. I can go out now. I'll go and shoot on the archery range. I'll not bother to reform myself today. Perhaps tomorrow - if it is raining, and I must stay indoors, and meditate on the shortcomings of life.

Whatever else you do or forbear, impose upon yourself the task of happiness; and now and then abandon yourself to the joy of laughter. And however much you condemn the evil in the world, remember that the world is not all evil; that somewhere children are at play, as you yourself in the old days; that women still find joy in the stalwart hearts of men; And that men, treading with restless feet their many paths, may yet find refuge from the storms of the world in the cheerful house of love.

Let me do my work each day; and if the darkened hours of despair overcome me, may I not forget the strength that comforted me in the desolation of other times. May I still remember the bright hours that found me walking over the silent hills of my childhood, or dreaming on the margin of a quiet river, when a light glowed within me, and I promised my early God to have courage amid the tempests of the changing years. Spare me from bitterness and from the sharp passions of unguarded moments. May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit. Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such as shall keep me friendly with myself. Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars.  Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself. Let me not follow the clamor of the world, but walk calmly in my path. Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am; and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the  kindly l...

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is...

Great News! We have completed the agreement with telecom for our Consumer Hotline. The number is 0886 90909. We will kick this off early next week for testing and have it fully operation by 1 February 2010.

There are four kinds of knowing. •       Knowing you know, •       knowing you know not, •       not knowing you know and •       not knowing you know not Let's look at each one and what it means: Knowing you know - this is what we consider our education and training Knowing you know not - this is what we want to learn Not knowing you know - this refers to information you have gained, but are not aware of using in your life - often recognised as trivia Not knowing you know not - this is the area you need to find out more about! Around twenty years ago, I realised that due to the place and time I grew up in, I had been kept in the dark about many things (censorship). This was especaily clear when it came to religion or as it is also known, metphysics. Below a list of things I did not know I did not know when I was twenty. Maybe you might find it useful? •       Ramtha •       Reiki...

Many years ago I was asked, “Who are you?” This was before Independence and I understood my credentials were being questioned. My reply was, “First, I am a human being, and secondly I am a Namibian. Last, and least important, I am coloured”. Now I am 40 and take the time to sit back and look back at the mileposts during my life. It is also the time to look forward to the end of my days, and consider where I have gone wrong, and perhaps where I have made a meaningful difference. It is most definitely like sitting in an armchair and contemplating “in order to understand itself and mentally grasp its own activity, that of the mind.” After all, “to be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction is to live twice.” So in this last chapter I must also address mistakes that I have made in my feeble attempts at contributing to the nationhood of our beloved land. I have thought it unimportant where my family comes from, what their cultures and beliefs were, and often thought these ...

I am successful! By definition, success is about attaining an objective. Thus to be successful means you meet your objectives. The catch is what are your objectives? How do you go about setting these aims? Is it a haphazard guess - oooh I want to be rich? Or do you seriously sit down and take time to plan and concretise your objectives? I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers and mentors who, from an early age, encouraged me to achieve my objectives because they believed in me. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how to set an objective. In school we are taught an objective should be SMART - that is: S - Specific M - Measurable A - Achievable R - Realistic T- Time-bound This is easier said than done!!!!!! Nevertheless, once an objective is SMART, success is bound to happen. One thing that has helped me over the years is the visualisation of my success. I spend time daydreaming about what it would be like to have achieved the success already. I even mak...

28.12.2009 Marson Sharpley writes: As a man of God I realize that I cannot afford the luxury of being so heavenly minded that I become earthly useless. There are three distinct types within the Colored community that I have come to be aware of, i.e. those who consider themselves to be more Black than White, those who consider themselves more White than Black and those who are simply Colored and that’s it! In fact it has very little to do with skin pigmentation as much as it has to do with upbringing. Nevertheless, no matter what side of the racial divide they lean towards, Coloreds born in Africa are Africans who have the full right to be part of the action and have a piece of the cake. My previous article on this subject must not be viewed as an emotional tirade by what one newspaper termed “proud to be colored”. No, this matter I intend rationally and pragmatically addressing through systematically forming a delegation of eminent Colored leaders to go and seek an audience wit...

29.12.2009 Marson Sharpley writes: WELL done people of Namibia, my fellow countrymen and women! We have to be proud of the manner in which we voted and behaved during the voting period. It is this that makes one proud to be Namibian! Having said that, I want to advance an argument that I hope will become part of the future debates of our population as we strive to find the best-suited leadership in the political, economic and social sectors of our society. I believe that we need to examine and interrogate the demarcations we have accepted in terms of the roles that people are supposed to be filling in our society. The Oxford dictionary describes or at least defines politics as the art and science of government or activities concerned with the acquisition or exercise of authority or government. The first point I would like to make and attempt to clarify is the fact that when we speak about “church”, “politics” and/or “society”, we tend to refer to these entities in the third per...

So now I have a database of over 750,000 Namibians with their full names, date of birth and physical addresses. (and you can too). “A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood.” - Leo Rosten Reality Bites. No two ways about it. Started this new year with such good intentions and then someone, somewhere does it again. Must I keep quiet about this (mis)managment of data in our country. You decide... For the past twenty years, I have made it a hobby to collect databases of every kind on namibia. It started with busienss directories, trade information, consumer records, etc. This has become a substantial dbase with over 11,00 companies and 250,000 consumers. Much to my surprise, I discovered a rather easy way to get access to another 500,000 consumer records that inlcudes their home addresses and dates of birth. Come on, no...

Throughout the world there is a huge amount of resources being spent on research and development which in turn generates vast amounts of information that needs to be managed effectively, and efficiently. The pace of new technologies such as computers, their storage capabilities, and the ability to communicate with one another allows for ever larger quantities of information to be stored and analysed. A national electronic database will allow Namibia to move from a rural based economy to a knowledge based economy and meet its development goals. Namibia has the aim of creating a successful social market economy. When we look at the recent history after the Second World War, we see the rebuilding of the German economy as one of the economic success stories of the last century. Upon closer examination, the building blocks of the state have included the ability to know the movement of all its residents. For example, when a person moves from one city to another, they have to register thems...