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Thursday, 24 July 2014

BEYOND ATTENTION-The Malala example



Don’t ask me why I am so obsessed by this Malala of a girl, she’s an epitome of everything I value, stand for and strife to espouse. This 17 year old who commands the attention of the highest and mightiest all over the world dos so neither by shaking her bum-bum nor cladding herself in skimpy, tattered pieces of clothing (in the name of fashion) that evoke sensual feelings because they barely perform the function of clothes. Watch this girl closely and you’ll find no “decoration” (paint or ornamental) on her – all of which has become, howbeit and unfortunately, the bait dangled by ladies, ignorantly or otherwise, to draw attention to themselves – yet she is able to command and commend attention wherever she goes.
 Haven made the above point, I do not in any way posit that women (and men likewise) who use beauty enhancements are progressing in error or have nothing to contribute to life. But it must be stressed however that you will never find in them or in any other external fittings we have crafted as humans, the SUB-STANCE of your being.
Examined closely, the prefix “sub” (that I have created from the word “substance”) connotes a state of being beyond the external (which is what “stance” stands for). Talk about the anterior of a thing or person and you can’t but make reference to the posterior which holds it up. Put simply, the “sub” is the platform upon which you stand to make a statement. The statement is what the world sees which emanates from a source, your “sub”.
Malala has shown that she has a very rich “sub” nay essence and meaning. Her clothes are not just hanging on flesh and bone but on purpose, drive, value, vision, mission and dream.
You cannot compensate for a devalued interior, essence and meaning by way of “cosmetic surgery”. To command attention and be listened to, you must have a rich essence. That is, you must be held up on your feet by the strength of your character, convictions and values that ultimately advance the cause of humanity. That is why I agree with Carl Jung who said that “…the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being”. Malala has devoted her life to just that, casting out the darkness of girl child ignorance wherever she finds one.
You cannot kindle the light of meaning in the darkness of others if your own life has no meaning.
Therefore, beyond the glitz and flashiness of the exterior which fades like vapour, there must be a strong, enduring and value driven interior because in the end, the attention you draw will end up being a façade if not drawn and sustained by a powerful “substructure”.

Be Inspired!
Remain Motivated!

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