the Humanist view

Personal level

If I had done it earlier, it would not have been as effective as I feel it to be now.

For the last five years, since papa rested, in November of 2020, the revelations have come full force.

I was fooled.

In my state of being fooled, I now know that they harmed him. And that they had been planning and plotting long before on how to destroy his legacy.

I now know I misinterpreted their actions and words; while right there, in my presence sometimes, they plotted to harm me post papa resting.

After papa rested, like significant physical blows to my body, the realization hit. I was in absolute shock. Taken by surprise. Reeling in emotional turmoil and pain.

At first, I did not accept it. When I did, the pain hit even harder and deeper.

Now that I fully accept that they fooled me, the initial pain is subsiding. I truly feel I am healing. More and more, I find joy in doing things that I love that I had stopped doing while I hurt so much.

I am learning to separate the deception from my self-worth. And to proactively allocate the blame and shame to where it deservedly belongs.

Fault belongs to those who chose to deceive me and not in my capacity to trust.

Now, I try my best not to ask, “how did I miss it” or “how could I have missed it?”

At the start of new relations or in human interactions, in general, I am now more inclined to ask the preemptive question: “what am I missing?”

I am not perfect at it. I think I will never be. But still, I am better.

Recently, case in point, I was betrayed again unimaginably by people I not only gave a significant helping hand, but whom I trusted not to harm a loved one.

As I was distracted with the battle of reclaiming self from the negative consequences from the actions of the previous set of betrayers, another of my loved ones was harmed.

And similarly, after my loved one rested, the revelation, I was fooled, hit hard.

This time round, I am better at handling the pain. I am proactive in looking to how I may harness the positive aspects, so I may ride with the positive towards healing. And the continuation of positive legacy of my loved ones, now rested.

By the way, there are some who do not know and do not realize that I know they harmed me. That they betrayed me. My old unaccepting self would have been all over the place making an effort to insert myself in the face of the betrayers.

Not anymore.

My modus operandi now is to extricate from them. And let karma take its course.

National Level

Fact, the criminal offense of Misprison of Treason does exist in Uganda’s Penal Code Act (section 25), and it carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. But, it is tough to believe, that the high profile personality who is charged of committing it was of such low intellectual caliber to do so in the manner alleged. Add to that his profession, a practicing advocate, and the fact he is a politician. It is seems an impossible endeavor for his accusers to have evidence that will withstand Court of Law required veracity to proves him guilty without a doubt. Those who know, know it. It has been written about and talked about in the press. The logic does not add up. But in public discourse the ad hominem fallacy is unashamedly promoted. Confirmation of the state of mal-governance.

The state of mal-governance of our nation and its normalization has made me to accept I was fooled.

I remember the high hopes I had in 1992, after my first university degree, heading home to be part of the solution. If things had kept in that trajectory, I believe many of my fellow Ugandans now living in exile would not be.

We would be here, on and in our motherland, engaged in constructive and robust conversations, taking our nation to greater heights.

Be that as it may, I may not be as confrontational as others, but I do try my best to continue to be part of the conversation. Every little bit counts.

My passion is to highlight instances of normalization of ‘non-financial mal-governance’, but which has significant impact on our nations finance, its and out overall wellbeing.

For instance, I am bothered by how so far away our nation has deviated from ensuring the best technocrats are in charge of civil and public service positions of authority.

There seems an appetite to focus on individuals, not institutions and systems. Ergo institutions and systems will be bent and or ignored, in order to accommodate the individual; not the reverse, as it should be.

It is not immediately obvious, but it is feasible that a lot of the challenges that our nation faces now is because we are being fooled when it comes to who gets the job. And who is willing to let the transgression or abnormality slide.

“Lessons from a notice of resignation,” click here to read it for an example of what I mean, when I question: “who gets the job”.

“Financial Literacy lessons from Uganda Law Society (ULS),” click here to read it for and example of what I mean, when I diagnose tendencies towards accepting to let it slide

Yes, I never thought I could do so on a personal level and also on a national level. But I think I have now appreciated that accepting it is a good thing after all.

And so, yes, “Accept I was Fooled,” is my answer to today’s writing prompt question: “What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could?”