Shoes

Shoes!

I love shoes! Not just because they make a girl look great but because shoes have a way of defining the type of person she is and can be.

For a moment, picture a girl in high platform heels. They spell confidence in self, authority and command over her personality, choices and character. High heeled shoes are not for everyone except those girls who want to try out the extreme; to defy the odds. They are meant for the sassy ones who don’t mind being laughed at when they trip simply because they have made the personal choice to look great in the “hard to walk in” type of shoe.

Now look beyond the simple purpose high heeled shoes serve into the principles and values governing the lives of young people today. We live in a technological era where morals seem too high for young people to walk on. They prefer the shortcuts, the simpler, fast routes to fun and pay no care to the implications that that particular shoe(fun) can have on their overall identity and the perception people develop on their character. Many a times young people hesitate to do right simply because they want to fit in with the crowd. They want to appear cool but I always wonder if that cool would still be viewed as cool when parents, church leaders and neighbours see the young people doing it.

Much like wearing the wrong size of a shoe hurts the feet or prematurely kills the shoe, living the reckless, unprincipled life will either ruin one’s life or prematurely murder the dreams they have. Aim for what is deemed a bar too high because much like a pair of high heels, high standard morals will not allow you to walk anywhere or anyhow. Instead, they teach one to be self-conscious and selective of the choices and decisions they take, involuntarily made aware that any compromise in balance can cost one a fall. You people should train themselves to walk in high morals and with time they will find comfort and satisfaction in their chosen identities.

The whole world cries for “An Empowered HIV/AIDs free community” and somehow it gets me thinking, who is ideally the right person to empower that any specific community. The principles of empowerment attest that for a community to be empowered, it needs to be nudged towards that which is believed to be for the interest of its development. In this light, effective empowerment is intrinsic. As much as no one can make you feel comfortable, or passionate about the type of shoes you wear, no attempt at empowering you can ever be fruitful unless it is birthed from an inward desire and affirmation to the collective vision of the society you exist in. It is virtually impossible to emancipate you of the cons of having a blesser until equipped or made to discover that drive in life to work for those things that you have been fooled to think only a blesser can give. Self-respect is the only foundation for empowerment because instead of feeling judged you would then rather feel enlightened to those things or activities that define the self a you can also be proud of. Furthermore, every decision you make for yourself and those around you will determine the level of empowerment you are contributing to your community and so when you compromise, when you decide to wear the wrong shoe, the whole community will suffer.

Imagine an HIV/AIDs free society; a youth who portray a sense of purpose through the choices they make and a community that encourages moral values. Imagine, Imagine, Imagine and then stop imagining because that community begins with you. Every effort that has been made or is still being made to brand you an empowered young person is an attempt by society to establish for you a dignified future. Churches and youth centres are on their toes to model young people who have a vision and drive to live a responsible life characterised by principles and values that no level of fun can push you to compromise. Schools and youth-focused organisations are working non-stop to fully utilise the potential each young person has to contribute to the eradication of HIV/AIDs. What once existed as a dream of an HIV free society is being slowly converted to reality and only the few young people who will choose to know their shoe will walk the journey with the vision at heart.

Logic has it that if one is wearing a formal dress and sneakers, it is not called formal but formal casual. Traditionally, one could not walk into a Lawyers conference in that kind of formal casual simply because that sneaker compromises the formality of one’s outfit. The same applies to everyday life, something might strike you as FUN but it’s not every fun that reflects positively to those around you. When you compromise on your principle you automatically alter your identity.

Let me bring it home to a common example. One might like their timberland but they cannot wear it to school because firstly, it is inappropriate, secondly it is unheard of in a school setup and most importantly, it takes you out from the uniform identity of your schoolmates. The school authorities may decide to make you mop the corridors for wearing the wrong shoe to school and you will not still think it is cool when your juniors pass you mopping the floor. Life adopts a similar culture. It might feel cool when you are having fun at a vuzu party, but when teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDs start sipping out, you will agree with me that it will then not be cool.

I could go on but the bottom line, each and every one of us needs to know what type of shoe works for them. Unless and until a young person establishes who they are, they will forever be swayed in all directions by peer pressure, lack of identity and the general end of you is well, DOOM. Find your own size, colour and type of shoe and start living up to who God made you to be and in the process help society find pride in your character.

Written by Mantate Q Mlotshwa

mantatemlotshwa@gmail.com