Proudly Zambian: Our National Prayer

Proudly Zambia

As we build up to our 51st independence anniversary I have thought it right to share posts that reflect on the true Zambian spirit-based on our symbols of national identity and other related concepts.

Today we look at the national prayer. The Zambian story is incomplete without the mention of God. From the very start God was placed at the center. On 25th of October 1964 our forefathers recited a prayer for Zambia at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. It is quite a short prayer, but one that has a lot of meaning.

“O GOD THE FATHER OF ALL MANKIND, WE BESEECH THEE SO TO INSPIRE THE PEOPLE OF THIS LAND, WITH THE SPIRIT OF JUSTICE, TRUTH AND LOVE, THAT IN ALL OUR DEALINGS ONE WITH ANOTHER WE MAY SHOW FORTH OUR BROTHERHOOD IN THEE FOR THE SAKE OF JESUS OUR LORD. AMEN.”

Justice, Truth, Love and Brotherhood: our forefathers envisioned a Zambia builded on these values. May we uphold them in our lives as individuals and as a nation. May we uphold these values in all our dealings one with another. When we do so we will be creating a Zambia that we will be proud to call home. God bless Zambia. God bless our motherland.

#ProudlyZambian #ZambiaAt51 #WeKeepGoing

Isaac C. Mwiya
Author | Motivational Speaker | Trainer
Follow me on Twitter @isaaccmwiya

Nelson Mandela-30 Quotes From A Great Man

Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

Nelson Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, true son of the soil and father of a nation passed away Thursday, December 5, 2013 at age 95. He has been described as a man who exemplified service before self, love for humanity, humility, and reconciliation.

He has been hailed by US President Barrack Obama as “an example that all humanity should aspire to”.

Here is a list of but 30 quotes that represent the values Nelson Mandela believed in, stood and lived for and hoped to see in others;

1.”A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

2. “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

3. “There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.”

4.”For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

5.“There is nothing I fear more than waking up without a program that will help me bring a little happiness to those with no resources, those who are poor, illiterate, and ridden with terminal disease.”

6.”It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

7. “Our single most important challenge is therefore to help establish a social order in which the freedom of the individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual.”

8.“There are many people who feel that it is useless and futile to continue talking about non-violence against a government whose only reply is savage attacks on an unarmed and defenseless people.”

9.“Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.”

10. “We can’t afford to be killing one another.”

11.”Racism is a blight on the human conscience. The idea that any people can be inferior to another, to the point where those who consider themselves superior define and treat the rest as sub-human, denies the humanity even of those who elevate themselves to the status of gods.”

12.“Any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.”

13. “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.”

14.“Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake.”

15. “Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.”

16. “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other-not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”

17. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

18.”We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign.”

19. “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

20. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

21. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

22. “Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”

23. “As the years progress one increasingly realizes the importance of friendship and human solidarity. And if a 90-year-old may offer some unsolicited advice on this occasion, it would be that you, irrespective of your age, should place human solidarity, the concern for the other, at the centre of the values by which you live.”

24. “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”

25. “There is no passion to be found in playing small-in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

26. “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

27. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

28. “Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.”

29. “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”

30.“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we can reach the mountaintop of our desires.”

7 Lessons of Life that Everyone MUST Learn

It has been said that life does not require that we be perfect. It requires that we learn. There are 7 lessons that each one of us must learn and travel with in this journey of life. These are not the only lessons life may require us to learn, but they are definitely on top of the list.

1. The lesson of Love

Self love is more important than the love of others. Before you expect the love of another, you must love yourself.

2. The lesson of Happiness

It must never get into your head that happiness has to do with what you have. No amount of money can buy you happiness. If you want to be happy you must choose to be happy, regardless of what does happen or doesn’t happen. It’s as simple as that. Happiness is a decision you make.

3. The lesson of Forgiveness

In this life, things do go wrong-and they will go wrong! The most important thing is to learn to forgive those who step on your toes. Now, if you have noticed, most people who step on you won’t notice it. It is your duty to tell someone if they are hurting you.

Sometimes, you will screw up. Learn to say “I am sorry”. You must also learn to forgive yourself.

4. The lesson of Patience

You must learn to be patient with yourself, and with others. Patience is a virtue.

5. The lesson of Fear

We all know that FEAR is simply False Evidence that Appears Real. Before you can conquer the world, you must conquer your fears. The way to conquer your fears is to face them.

6. The lesson of loss

Life is a series of partings. The old must go in order to make way for the new. There are things you need to let go in order to create a life that you envision. The habits of yesterday will only take you where they took you before. Let go of bad habits and bad relationships. Let go of anything and everything that drags you down.

Sometimes, however, loss will be of a different kind; the loss of a loved one. If it hurts (and it usually does) go ahead and cry. Let it out. We don’t have to understand why the people we love should leave us. We only have to understand that God’s perfect will is at play in our lives. Maybe now is the time to tell them what they mean to us before they are taken away.

7. The lesson of Authenticity

There are too many carbon copies in the world. In order to find your place in the world you must find yourself first. Quit trying to be like him, or like her. Trying to be like someone else is a total waste of time. The world is waiting for the manifestation of the real you. Remember that your first duty is to be true to yourself.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde

Deep inside all of us, we know there is someone we were meant to be and we know when we are becoming that person. The opposite is also true; we know when something doesn’t feel quite right and we are not the person we were meant to be.

Life is a journey. Let us continue to learn as we travel.