Tiana's lens

How many times have we had the courage to move away from the norms and expectations of certain individuals in our societies, and do what our heart really wants? How many times have we openly challenged the norms, expectations and customs of our society and just live in the moment? How many times have we gone ahead and just defy every single societal law and just be ourselves? How many times have we thrown caution to the wind and just live freely?

I want to guess that the honest answers to these questions will not be a simple yes or no for everybody. It will of course have some buts and some maybes and obviously some I-don’t-knows, and hardly a plain yes or no. This simply shows that as human beings, our thoughts, actions and sometimes observations are conditioned by the societies we find ourselves in. Be it our different families, religious identites or community groups with their different beliefs and moral scales and preferences, it is sometimes just easy for us to give in and just ‘go with the flow’.

Standing out is hard. Whether it is done voluntarily or not. It takes courage, a steady mind and a goal or end result in mind. Standing up for what you believe or how you feel when majority of those around you or in your society do not understand where you’re coming from takes a very strong will. But it is necessary. Your peace of mind is and should always be paramount!

Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.

Joubert Botha

In some cases, it might help the situation if you try to explain your reasonings and factors that allowed you to make that decision. In other cases, it is just better to leave everything as is, and just focus on yourself. You are not being selfish. For too long, our societes have found a parasitic way to live off the lives, success, wealth, fame and good fortune of other members in that society. The result of this is an unnecessary amount of pressure piled on certain individuals to live up to the dreams and visions of the society, whether it is in favor of those individuals or not. We have to stop.

How many times have we as individuals judged someone else’s personal decision because it wasn’t in line with what we expected of them? How many times have we publicly laughed at the journey of others because it confuses us or it doesn’t seem to fit into our syereotypical boxes? How many times have the seemingly odd decisions or way of life of other individuals been the premise of our jokes?

Remember that you do not always have to understand the thought process and actions of others. Learn to embrace everyone’s decision whether you agree with it or not. It is that person’s journey and that person’s obstacle to overcome.

Tiana’s lens has observed the mixed reactions and feeling towards the sudden return of Musa Kamara who fews days ago during the Sierra Leone Premier league Awards night and dinner won the golden boot and best striker from his Swedish team Trelleborgs FF. Sources say he could not withstand the cold weather.A recent video just surfaced where he states his reasons for his return.

Though it might seem trivial or silliy or unimaginable that a young footballer who has seemingly started on the right trajectory towards a sucessful career ‘end’ it all, we must respect his decision. Yes, we might from a good place in our hearts wish he had gone about it in a different manner, but ultimately it is his journey.

I am sure it wasn’t an easy decison for him to make, and it most definitely is not going to be an easy journey for him to take. But how many of us can be bold and courageous enough to stand up and say this is not what I want for myself?

But how many times have we stopped to check on an individual’s physical or mental well-being? How many times have we tried to listen without judging?

How many times have we secretly wished someone, anyone would just understand where we are coming from? How many times have we made decisions that scared us more than console us?

This is his journey to make. Only time will tell whether it was a good decision or not.

Stay positive, stay bright, stay fresh.