Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Pull Him Down (P.H.D) Syndrome

In Africa, the most dangerous diseases is no longer H.I.V./Aids and Malaria but it's what is now commonly referred to as The Pull Him Down (P.H.D) Syndrome.

The majority of our people have perfected the Art of pulling each other down. Instead of celebrating each other's success, they shoot at those going up the ladder of life. For the sake of confidentiality, I will not mention any names of people. I would like to share with you an example of one of the richest people in Zimbabwe my country of birth. This guy was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he came from one of the humblest of backgrounds but through hard work and shrewdness he built an empire which has become the envy of many.

Instead of fellow country folk celebrating this guy's success, they dig at him. He is labelled a crook. I have heard people say, "How did he acquire all that wealth when we are suffering ? He is a thief". Besides the fact that there is no evidence suggesting that the guy in question stole in order to establish his empire, he is still referred to as a thief, a crook or even mafia.

It is surprising to note that in this day and age, most of our people still hold the belief that only whites are entitled to be rich (this statement must not be misconstrued) because they never question where any successful white businessperson acquired their wealth from, they take it for granted that all whites acquire their wealth legitimately. According to them it is taboo for their fellow black folk to be so wealthy unless they are engaged in deceitful and crooked activities. What a pity.

However, the most overlooked fact, is that some of our people who have become successful business people are where they are because they have and continue to work very hard. Those who have succeeded in business have realized that the most powerful way to shape their lives is to get themselves to take massive action towards their desired goals. It's not what they do once in a while or when they feel like, that shapes their lives, but it's what they do consistently. These are the kind of people who think success, not failure, they think BIG and make successful action habitual until it becomes second nature to act in a desired way and above all they take RISKS.

It is only in Africa where successful business people are persecuted for being rich. African Governments and African entrepreneurs need to learn to co-operate more and do away with mistrust. This will lead to the creation of more economic opportunities that will lead to employment creation.

 Let us change the way we think and treat each other as fellow Africans. Together, we can change our continent.  

1 comment:

  1. i am in support of your idea of togetherness in africa but how we going to prevent the pull him or her down syndrome other than just writing about it

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