WAKE UP CALL
Most people enjoy it when they detect, hear or sense your downfall. That is the feeling China and Russia are having now when they hear of the dollar crush. The feeling might be caused by the exorbitant nature of the dollar in matters transactions and its autarchic power over other nations. This is what we call schadenfreude. It’s not being wicked, come on! It’s just a feeling you get when someone in your revered position starts to fail that is often followed by ‘si I told you’ at the end when what you anticipated happens. It is the same feeling one gets when they see their ex-boyfriend or girlfriend suffering even after wishing him/her ‘best of luck’. It’s what Baba feels when he sees Nabii fumbling in government. The feeling villagers get when they see an engineering graduate riding a ‘boda-boda’ or what Man U fans feel watching Chelsea at number 10 in the league even though they’re not winning the title. As the world is experiencing the dollar’s downfall, other countries are happy and probably expect their currencies to appreciate. It’s the way the world operates. One man’s misery is another man’s joy. Talk of the Covid-19 billionaires; yeah I know, you’re not ready for that talk, are you?
Every man for himself and God for us all – it’s what John Heywood said in Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. We are living in a society where your neighbor cares not what you are going through. Nairobi people have grasped this aspect very well. You can be pick-pocketed in a matatu while a preacher is busy with John 3:16 and panda mbegu thing. And he doesn’t care, does he? I’m left wondering, is it callousness or cruelty, or is it just a non-interference policy? Everyone is chasing their bag and if what you are going through doesn’t affect their pursuit, why would they give a damn! You are here calling for mass action thinking they’ll lower the price of maize flour not knowing the leaders have their interests to fight for. These thoughts are what we call phantasmagoria. It’s all about interests. Everybody strives to fight for their interests and never are they after mass grievances. The earlier we accept this reality the earlier we get out of disappointments. The less you expect from people, the less disappointments you are likely to get.
The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are coming up with a common currency for transactions. This might castrate the dollar and might affect its supremacy which translates to harsh economic conditions especially for dollar dominated countries. The whole world is trying to find measures to cushion themselves from this economic shock. But you know what I like about our country? The fact that we are very busy with Maandamano. The fact that this conversation isn’t a major talk in our country frightens me. Have you guys ever found yourselves in a situation – Mostly in high school – where ‘serious’ students are stressed up about global warming and now that you don’t click to that, you start thinking about avocados? Or when the top students are arguing after an exam whether the answer is 15 or 1.5, and you wrote Lake Baringo? This is exactly what is happening in our country. I’m not sure if it’s schadenfreude or we are just ignorant of these issues. It’s high time the real policy makers come to the surface and start rejuvenating this country’s economy, or else…!
By Peter Karisa
