The POWER OF HOPES and DREAMS
I strongly believe with Brian Tracy that the people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future. My wide interest and quest for knowledge have made me read so many books on different issues. However the biographies and autobiographies of ordinary people in our world who have achieved extraordinary things in life is one of my favourite. One of such biographies that have inspired me immeasurably personally is Theodore Roosevelt’s biography, the 26th president of the United States of America. What makes him inspiring to me is not because he was a president or because his named like me, rather it is his extraordinary story, great imagination and dreams that cought my attention. His compelling account testifies to the strength of the human spirt, its ability to overcome any challenge and the power of dreams and hope. I would advise everyone with dreams and hope to read the biography of this great man. One of those famous statements made by him in April 23, 1910 in Paris has become my driving force and philosophy in my quest to realize my dreams and hope.
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and short comings; but who does actually strive to do their deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” Theodore Roosevelt ( 1858 – 1919)
Diana Rusickaite ( a lady I fondly call Mom) a great friend whose life truly reflects one driven by hope and dreams, argued me to share my own story with its dreams and hopes. So MOM I will do so……….
Permit me begin by telling you a little about my self. I was born in Canada by my amazing parents (they are Cameroonians) who both escaped the poverty of their environment for a better western education in order to come back and be of help to their family and community. Given that my parents are Christians and strongly believe in implanting moral values in the heart of their children, they sent my siblings and me to Christian institutions where I learnt to embrace values like equality, caring, honesty and love. It is these values that have guided me through out my life and in the way I perceive my world. I am not an idealist, but strongly believe that our world can be much better than what it is. As I browse the internet, watch television or walk down the street, my heart can’t help but reach out to the many children and women either sleeping on the streets under trees or staying in houses that are less than deplorable. These harsh realities I see on a daily bases are so difficult for me personally to comprehend in a world where there is so much affluence. There is certainly something that can be done. Some believe there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills. Yet many of the world’s great efforts, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man or Woman. These men and women moved the world, and so can we all. I agree that we can’t solve all our worlds’ ills but surely we can all play our own part in a larger effort to put an end to this moral genocide. I strongly believe that towards the end of our lives, when all the excitement of youth has gone and the body is ready to rest from the pressure and pleasure of this world. We shall ultimately be judged, and we will surely judge our selves on the effort we contributed to making our world a better place for that little baby girl I saw on the street offering her body for a plate of food, that little boy who cant afford to have basic education or the old woman who has to sleep under trees.
It is therefore the suffering I constantly see, the inequality, and my values that made me join AIESEC and gave me the desire to create a foundation in the future that seeks to fight against poverty and poor governance. This dream of mind is my constant source of hope and inspiration. It’s my main driving force. It is this dream that gets me up in the morning prepared to set goals, challenge my limits and meet the obstacles that come my way with strength and courage, as well as defines who I am.
I hope that at the end of my life I will be described as a generous man who gave his time, effort and intelligence to better community life.
Please share with me in this blog, what dreams and hopes are growing in your life, how they are nourishing you and your plans to make them a reality
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of the deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and short comings; but who does actually strive to do their deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” Theodore Roosevelt ( 1858 – 1919)
Diana Rusickaite ( a lady I fondly call Mom) a great friend whose life truly reflects one driven by hope and dreams, argued me to share my own story with its dreams and hopes. So MOM I will do so……….
Permit me begin by telling you a little about my self. I was born in Canada by my amazing parents (they are Cameroonians) who both escaped the poverty of their environment for a better western education in order to come back and be of help to their family and community. Given that my parents are Christians and strongly believe in implanting moral values in the heart of their children, they sent my siblings and me to Christian institutions where I learnt to embrace values like equality, caring, honesty and love. It is these values that have guided me through out my life and in the way I perceive my world. I am not an idealist, but strongly believe that our world can be much better than what it is. As I browse the internet, watch television or walk down the street, my heart can’t help but reach out to the many children and women either sleeping on the streets under trees or staying in houses that are less than deplorable. These harsh realities I see on a daily bases are so difficult for me personally to comprehend in a world where there is so much affluence. There is certainly something that can be done. Some believe there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills. Yet many of the world’s great efforts, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man or Woman. These men and women moved the world, and so can we all. I agree that we can’t solve all our worlds’ ills but surely we can all play our own part in a larger effort to put an end to this moral genocide. I strongly believe that towards the end of our lives, when all the excitement of youth has gone and the body is ready to rest from the pressure and pleasure of this world. We shall ultimately be judged, and we will surely judge our selves on the effort we contributed to making our world a better place for that little baby girl I saw on the street offering her body for a plate of food, that little boy who cant afford to have basic education or the old woman who has to sleep under trees.
It is therefore the suffering I constantly see, the inequality, and my values that made me join AIESEC and gave me the desire to create a foundation in the future that seeks to fight against poverty and poor governance. This dream of mind is my constant source of hope and inspiration. It’s my main driving force. It is this dream that gets me up in the morning prepared to set goals, challenge my limits and meet the obstacles that come my way with strength and courage, as well as defines who I am.
I hope that at the end of my life I will be described as a generous man who gave his time, effort and intelligence to better community life.
Please share with me in this blog, what dreams and hopes are growing in your life, how they are nourishing you and your plans to make them a reality
posted by Theodore at
2:09 PM
2 Comments:
Hey Theo!
Me too! I have a dream! I have a dream to give people power. I have a dream to give people education!
hugs my son,
Dee
Hi Theodore!
Got connected to your blog from Diana's! How are you there? Speaking better French already?
I miss miss miss Cameroon and AIESEC Cameroon!
Hmm my dream. My dream is to be true to my heart and treasure every experience in life. How they are nourishing me? It gives me great fulfillment when I know I am connected with my soul and the deepest desire. How do I continually make them a reality? I take lots of time to reflect and listen to my heart! From a lone trip to just moments when I walk between classes. =)
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