Stop complaining and solve a problem

If you take time off being a keyboard warrior and do something for the world around you, you might even unearth a new, workable business. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • We could do with less Marks and more Akoths.
  • With same time and effort, Mark could have asked for resources and volunteers to help that school rebuild their roof.
  • His complaint has not helped anyone. However, we seem to have embraced the Marks of this world.

If we had more people solving problems than we do those complaining about the problem, we would all be better off.

Mark earns a six figure salary at a well-known multinational corporation. His career has grown in leaps and bounds. He is often invited to forums to speak about the work he has done.

Mark has thousands of followers on Twitter and he recently tweeted about the horrible state of some schools and even posted a picture of a school where rains had destroyed the roof. His point was that the relevant authorities are dropping the ball and should do something about it.

Many people jumped on this conversation, saying what should be done and complaining about whoever is supposedly in charge of fixing these problems.

Akoth noticed the same problem in a school in her home town. She visited the school and sat with the teachers to understand the problem.

Apart from dilapidated infrastructure, the school was facing very low attendance. Over several months, and without even giving a shilling to the school, she helped them come up with a vision and a business plan.

She also got them to see what they have as opposed to what they don’t have. They were also able to create a forum for the parents to encourage then to re-enroll students. The enrollment at this school has increased since.

Akoth doesn’t have the platforms Mark has and the social media following. However, she has solved a problem.

LESS MARKS, PLEASE

We could do with less Marks and more Akoths. With same time and effort, Mark could have asked for resources and volunteers to help that school rebuild their roof. His complaint has not helped anyone. However, we seem to have embraced the Marks of this world.

We think it is our right to complain. Many of the people complaining don’t know why they are complaining. Like Mark, they have the education and prospects. They are able to pay bills and sustain their lifestyles. Surely, that’s cause enough for one to think about how to be a solution.

Kuria is watchman and on face value, has a lot to complain about. His salary is hardly enough to meet his needs. However, he was disturbed by all the plastic bottles littering the street near his house. Every day, Kuria picks up the plastic and takes them to the factory where he works for disposal. His neighbours have now become very conscious about collecting litter. That’s another problem solver.

They are many people tweeting about the plastics problem as it accumulates right outside their office buildings and they do nothing about it. Oh, that’s right, only the county council is responsible for cleaning up after we have bought and had our drinks in that very same plastic bottle!

If God decided to zap us into heaven today and asked why we did not fulfill His purpose, I doubt that the fact we were complaining and waiting for relevant authorities to up their game would suffice as an answer. Yes, we should be aware of problems.

However, we would be far better off if we also then did something about it. You may not be an MP or a CS, but you can be a solution provider.

I dare you to solve a problem and be among the few that stand out. At the very least, stop talking about problems you intend to do nothing about. It doesn’t help.

 

Waceke runs programmes on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Get in touch with her on [email protected]|Facebook/WacekeNduati| Twitter@cekenduati