When I Was U.S. President

-


Donald Trump, an ex-American president wants to bamboozle his way into the White House, again. He wants to leave behind a unique legacy called: I DID IT MY WAY.

below is an old post 6/7/2020 about the legacy we leave behind.

Legacy is the stamp we leave behind, when we leave a particular place, job, situation or when we die, especially after death. Legacy is proof that we were here. It is not in a vacuum, because legacy is influenced by circumstances beyond our control.

Take COVID-19 for example, in five years time, former presidents and prime ministers will rightfully say, ‘Grandson, when I was the President, a virus called COVID-19, engulfed the world.’

Time determines the legacy, like COVID-19. The legacy will be how individual leaders handled it in their respective countries. A legacy is also planted and watered over time, before a president or prime minister takes the oath of office, call it pre-legacy.

Elections are pre-legacy. They give potential voters the blue print that defines the color, roofing, wall material (bricks, stones, corrugated iron, grass etc.) and cement politicians will use to built houses, called countries.

They win the election. They sit at the head table and map out how they will solidify pre-legacy, using all the administrative, educational, policing, legal, propaganda, military and intelligence utensils on the table.

Active legacy comes after pre-legacy and it is the most gratifying time for a president or prime minister. The seeds planted in pre-legacy come into full bloom. He finds great joy in watching the news and seeing his active legacy, in living color. He can even indulge himself and murmur: ‘So, dreams do come true.’

The real legacy with a big L comes when he leaves political office or when he dies. The only disadvantage is that control careers off his hands. Other people define what his legacy is. He can tell his grandson one thing, electronic images of his legacy with tell the opposite.

‘Grandson, when I was the President ………….’

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

No Air Miles

-
Image
I don’t have Air Miles.   I’m considering putting that on a T-Shirt because I cannot go to the drugstore (chemist) or coffee shop without the cashier asking me if I have air miles. We waited for about two minutes the other day, while this guy looked for his Air Miles card in his overweight wallet.   For what?   For a few points. I don’t have air miles because Mathematics is a foreign language.   I was never good in numbers. That is why I squashed the idea of being an investment banker very early in life.   I understand you can invest in cornfields before the soil is turned up or pork bellies even before a baby pig is born. That is how I view air miles, investing in tomorrow or the unknown.   I’m the dumb one.   Some people understand this air miles’ thing so well, I overheard one customer saying: I can even convert my points into cash. Points and air miles are the same thing in Canada and the U.S.   Drugstores or clothing stores even give you a card to collect point
Read more