Only in true action can an apology make the required difference

One important question that frequently invades my mind is this: On what factor should human beings blame the extremely nasty fact that Kenyans — and, for that matter, the nationals of every other modern country — do things to one another that do not express any personal commitment to the ideal of building a truly humane and mutually friendly socio-national environment?

The fundamental question, then, is this: As human beings— members of an animal species with such a powerful mental scope — do we have the right to give up on one another by habitually dismissing our mutual inter-national, inter-racial, inter-sexual and inter-tribal nastinesses merely as “human nature”? To be quite sure, that attitude is human. No other species has brain enough to achieve it.

Indeed, we do not see in any other of the myriad of species that inhabit our planet any inter-specific or even intra-specific barbarism of the kind that identifies the mind and guides the hand of the human animal. Whenever members of a species self-declared “the wise” [Homo sapiens sapiens] go for one another’s necks and, on account of race, religion and tribe, condemn one another’s children to extreme suffering, what in them can you describe as “intelligent” or “humane”?

ACCIDENT

Yet, whether intentionally or only by accident, practically every Kenyan has done something really nasty and injurious to some other Kenyan.

That is why, if we were really serious about backing young Uhuru Kenyatta in leading us towards ethno-racial healing and about building a country of true brothers and sisters, every Kenyan would struggle consciously and extremely hard to apologise to every other Kenyan.

No, an apology of the kind that can heal the nation’s wounds need not take any form that can be seen as abject. An apology must not take mere words of the mouth. Only in kind — only in true action — can an apology take any effect and make the required difference. No, no man or woman needs to bend his or her knees in begging the country to forgive him or her. For, wherever else they are in our country and whatever else they are doing, Kenyans, being human beings, can simply shake hands and then retire home solidly convinced never again to do anything collectively nasty or injurious to one another and to one another’s children on account of gender, race, religion and tribe.

HUMANISM

Indeed, for that matter, a Kenyan, if he or she is true to the universal ideals of humanism, would commit herself or himself to protecting all other human beings living in or visiting our country at any time of the day or night, notwithstanding their religion or race. In such a case — it might pan out for us — the security and inviolability of human beings might be raised as Kenya’s national religion.

Just try to imagine the kind of national country that Kenyans might succeed in building almost overnight if we, all of us, woke up one morning convinced never again to do anything offensive against any other Kenyan and —for that matter — against any other human being living in our midst or visiting our country on account of race, tribe or gender.

MORE QUESTIONS

If it is true that God helps only those who help themselves, then that is the only way that God might help Kenyans to enable them to rise above all other national countries and thus to serve mankind as the universal exemplar number one. If, as a Kenyan, you are reading this, give it some more thought and ask yourself some more questions.

In what way have you — yes, you — ever, knowingly or unknowingly, behaved in a manner that might have contributed to thwarting Kenya’s stated or assumed socio-economic goals? In how many ways have you — consciously or through ignorance — thwarted the efforts by Kenyans to achieve their desperate development ideals?

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