Our realities

It is true that human experience is a repetition of the old life in a higher form of development. That is best observed when one goes through the historical paths of man’s progress that had taken shape from the lowest to the highest form. This could be traced back best from the peoples’ histories preserved in paintings made available in expanded museums in different parts of the world. If one is overseas away from home from the third world, visits to historical places together with close friends make that even more realizable. “Our Realities” is a reflection of such an experience.
Any visit to the old world or the new would, in this respect, provokes one to bring the issue home with a view to share those experiences with own compatriots through discussion. Interestingly enough, one may confidently conclude that the make up of the human brain anywhere in the world is the same; the difference in the level of the brain development only being reflected through the capability of inventing the necessary materials of life for existence and sovereignty and later on for comfort and competition. So this goes with the dictum that “necessity is the mother of invention.” So to say, it is not the color, race, belief or creed that makes the difference.
The Industrial Revolution in Europe was thus the answer given by man to himself, ignoring the social stratification that was prevalent at the time. So, that revolution brought new impetus to man and created the momentum for him a higher form of life. That revolution was one with which the Europeans were able to defeat primarily backwardness.
The Europeans had exactly gone through the most backward forms of livelihood and existence that any African nation may have experienced or is still experiencing. The European farmer had to pass through the most backward system of farming that perhaps most of my compatriot farmers are going through today in the high plateaus of our rugged land.
It is in the light of the mixture of the European or other countries past and present experiences that we, Africans, should reflect ‘our realities.’ The most important aspect of the argument should, perforce, evolve around the necessities of life as they stand today. It is most interesting to gather that some of the European families that own a small land behind their dwellings still keep a small garden from which they collect some necessary food items such as potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages or carrots, etc. The Ethiopians have much more developed experiences in this direction; what is lacking today is the transfer of this experience to the young successors of the old folks to use the plots of land under the control of their parents. This will help to relax the rising prices of the present day markets, a world phenomenon at that. Can we not develop at the same time the old water catchments system by digging deep wells in our surroundings for watering own gardens? I think we can if we have the moral rearmament.
On the other hand, we have many opportunities to maintain our environment clean from ecological degradation. We have still clean environments compared to or with other countries. It only requires to do more consistent work. There is already a good start in this respect; it requires only conscious and persistent expansion on present efforts.
On the other hand, I maintain strongly that we can declare in our capital city and elsewhere where the need is felt most ‘exhaust-free zones’ by blocking the circulation of motor vehicles. Places like Piazza, the National Theater, the National Palace, Arat Kilo, and some areas in Merkato, could be selected and declared traffic-free areas. Then, the Addis Ababa city Administration will locate appropriate areas in the vicinities so that car owners park their cars and exercise free walking to shops and restaurants.
Unless we persist to identify the problems most upsetting and find the solutions for immediate implementation we will only remain weak. Let us be a people that start, follow up and monitor. Look at our street plantations, we start and never follow up.
Whatever is the truth in the saying that ‘money governs the world’ our priorities should be assisted by moral obligations, sometimes with coercive moves, that people should realize ‘our realities’ and be part of the solutions to the prevalent problems. However, transparency on the part of government is a necessary step in the implementation of such solutions.