adminA story is told of a man who was into horse- betting ( big time), who was faced with the last dollar situation. I am not sure if he gave it much thought, I mean how his last dollar was supposed to be spent, but we are told that he asked his wife to go to the betting house and pay for the horses he had selected, the idea being that he would pass through the place after knocking off from work, collecting his loot, for he felt it in his bones that he would win. As if to show his conviction, he started borrowing monies from his friends, against his anticipated “big haul”.
The “win” was indeed confirmed at the betting house, but lo and behold a different story emerged as he got home. Dear wifey had decided to invest that last dollar in buying food for the family and never bothered taking instructions given by the HOH (head of the house)!
Serious issue (breach of matrimonial contract), this was, leading to dear wifey spending some time at her parents’ home, albeit temporarily.
The last dollar can be a tricky affair! How would you use yours, dear reader? This is a question that can and should be posed to individuals, parents, organisations, directors, etc., to all of us, really. I bet the answers would be as varied and as many as the people responding! I hear, almost everyone saying, it depends. This question seeks your response after all considerations have been made, so no “it — depends” type answers, please!
People always look at the last dollar/ cent in various ways, using various approaches. Some spend it on consumables, whilst others try and invest it. For some it is a let-me-enjoy my last dollar so that I have fond memories of it! For others it is a let me try and make more out of this last dollar approach, sometimes with pleasing results — at other times, with not so pleasing results. At times the not so good results are because someone else decides to spoil it for you, like in the horse betting story alluded to above.
Hitherto, I had no idea that column writing can attain gold/ controversy status, as what obtains in the world of entertainment, until the big five article I penned recently. It has become topical, so much as to make me believe that I have found myself a post retirement job! My hope is that you find today’s article more acceptable as it is factual all the way.
I also had my last dollar experience, last weekend.Oh, keep those ears in one place, as what I did was not out of this world, all I made sure of was that I left a note on the bed (at 6.30 am, before family was up), to say that I had left for this venue, where there was this out of this world PhD seminar. To tell the truth, when one takes such a huge risk (her highness’s wrath), naturally the returns ought to be good, real good, I mean! I am happy that there was no disappointment in this front — net return on investment was 100 percent — excellent!
The attendance at Dr S Karambwe’s seminar was most pleasing for Bulawayo, for a good crop of PhD’s will be emerging in the next three to four (or even five) years to come. These will be solid Drs. who can tell the ontology, axiology, epistemology and rhetoric of their theses! In other words they will be able to trace the journey they travelled, thanks to the wisdom of Doc SK.
I continue to lament the education system in our land, yes I do, but the Mighty always has his way, this particular session was a first for Bulawayo, by a well- rounded Dr, who appears at home with all manner of topics. Wow. I believe the city needs to brace itself for some earth-quakish development, soon after the guys (there was a lady) who attended this seminar graduate. Hitherto greyish areas such as Industry — University linkages will be a thing of the past, I begin to figure out (constructivism, we were taught!).
Let me start with the participants (almost tempted to say students, for we realised how little we knew about what an authentic PhD is.) All the participants were good, real good — let me, however, single out this man they call the ‘teacher’, not sure but I suspect that I have seen him around the Polytechnic, always giving sound teachings, most of them philosophical.
At PhD level there must be a significant contribution one makes to the body of knowledge — I see him getting his in two year’s time, if he triangulates properly and also chooses his approaches (positivism, post-positivism, advocacy/participatory, pragmatism and constructivism), wisely! There-in lies the (now small) challenge for all the participants.
Yes, I am still on about my last dollar, which dollar was, in my view, invested properly. We were told to observe phenomena! I recall observing this phenomenon, that birds can wake up (albeit for a short while), even at twelve midnight, and start singing (making noise), especially when the moon is fully out. Beware readers, a PhD in bird behaviour might be on its way! But then we were also taught to desist from things that do not add much value to the nation, we ought not to create a database for the sake of it.
Talking about a database, another story is told about two ladies who married into the City of Kings and Queens (they must have hailed from the Sunshine City). They observed (this is a good trait at PhD level, if one is to come up with a good research topic) that the database on Drs from this part of the country is low. As ontology and epistemology issues started vexing the two, as they pursued their PhD studies, they were overheard comforting each other by saying, “let us persevere friend, for we indeed need to improve the database of Drs in this region” — people will not know our maiden names and that we do not belong here by birth! Oh, this is what I call an educated joke, beautiful stuff.
I now understand why Einstein is said to have forgotten that he had not had his lunch as the day advanced towards midnight. When you have a man with a clean, vast and deep body of knowledge, willing and ready to impart it ( for he knows how he got it), you undergo a paradigm shift. It gives us hope that education for production is not a myth- for I cannot even repeat his area of research, all I remember is that it was centered on poverty in Africa and how it can be alleviated! Well done good Dr — practical research you did.
We are getting some cheap qualifications in the land. People with these qualifications then get employed as consultants or in key posts of the economy. These half- baked guys then carry out studies (on the strength of their paper qualifications), and yet they cannot triangulate, their sampling procedures are not there, hence poor (false) recommendations, which invariably adversely affect Policy and decisions at Boardroom level, are given. We are sometimes being short changed as a nation, I begin to observe (using the constructivism approach ).
We ought to get our systems right. It starts with us as individuals. I wrote an article entitled “what if”, sometime back -they tell me it was nice reading, but for me it was a false start, much like the birds I describe above.
This time around it is for real, I am going to change my circumstances, thanks to the investment I made with my last dollar.
To the good Dr and my colleagues, I say aluta continua — the ‘sleep no more’ era is with us once more, until final victory. To the partner (Glomax Marketing), I say it was well worth my last dollar, especially with the alert dear co-ordinator!
- I rest my PhD inspired case, as I say fare thee well my last dollar. Send comments and views to e-mail address hecandbe@ gmail.com or sms 0777556081.
Online Reporter