By Donald B Kipkorir
Last week the gods went crazy from Namanga to Manila via Toronto. They only remained sane in Mumbai. Maybe it was the total eclipse of the sun that spawned this madness.
Or maybe, the end of the world as predicted by the disappeared Mayan civilisation is nigh. For long, we worshipped on the altar of celebrity culture that comes from money and power, without questioning the process. We all want to be rich and powerful, today, howsoever.
At Namanga Border, Raphael Wanjala and his consieglere, Joyce Akinyi were arrested on suspicion of trafficking cocaine. They told the police that the unga they had was maize flour they had gone to purchase as they anticipated unga shortage in Kenya. The duo must be clairvoyants as they are able to foresee unga shortage when our Government cannot. Our police released them. Our police must have believed them that indeed we are soon running out of unga.
In Toronto, its mayor, Bob Ford is engaging the city in a scandalous dance. Toronto is the biggest city of Canada and situated on the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario. But its mayoral laws are ugly. Once one is elected mayor, he cannot be removed under any circumstances till his term ends. Mayor Ford who weighs over 150kg and stands 5’10” is a giant of a man. Verifiable allegations have come that he dabbles in cocaine and enjoys company of prostitutes. The mayor cannot resign because he believes the people of Toronto want him to stay put. He is their god.
Kenya is renowned for its athletes. We have been winning and breaking records in every race from 800metres to 42km marathon since Kipchoge Keino won our first Olympic gold medal in 1968. Every time a marathon is run in one city or another, the winner is yet another Kenyan. But our athletes have taken a tragic turn; they are now taking drugs.
Our athletes are good because they are born in the highlands that makes the bodies produce naturally, erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates red blood cells. EPO gives athletes endurance. EPO that is produced in laboratories is a drug that is banned. Our athletes, instead of going to train in Cherangany Hills or Laikipia, are turning to these synthetic EPO, just because they want us to worship them as athlete gods.
In Asia, man is racing against nature in its bid to be rich. China, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand are pulling no stops in their quest to be rich and dominant. In pursuit of the elixir of life, nature has suffered. Climate scientists have long warned and even so now, as they are meeting in Warsaw, that unchecked industrialisation is causing climate change. Last week, nature in its fury, caused Typhoon Haiyan. It is said to be the most powerful typhoon in recorded history. The destruction and death has left the city of Tacloban in ruins. The gods of nature are watching, and they get provoked.
Amidst the gods of deceit, hubris and greed in Kenya, Canada and Philippines, the many gods of India acted differently. India is the most polytheist nation on earth, worshipping over 330milion gods! Yes, 330million. Last week, they added Sachin Tendulkar to the list. Tendulkar is the most accomplished athlete of all time. He has broken all records they are in cricket. Inspite of this unmatched record, Tendulkar is a symbol of purity, humility and grace. He played his last match last week and retired to be a true god.
Life gives us choices to be like gods. After all, all religions say we descended from the gods. As a Christian, our God said, that “let us make man in our own image and likeness.” This doesn’t mean we must actually think we are gods. When we get away so many times with impunity, we begin to think we are deities, but the gods of impunity are the false gods. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, that legendary American Poet said in his poem, The Masque of Pandora, ‘whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
The writer is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya
