Online Reporter
Tatenda Mupfudza
THE chasm between internal reality and external perception is often vast.
In the uncritical eyes of a peer, life appears perfectly stable: a predictable current flowing towards certain satisfaction.
From that point, one’s struggles are easily dismissed as overreactions — needless amplifications of ordinary setbacks.
They observe surface tranquillity, unaware that beneath the calm façade, the spirit of the beholder is engaged in a constant, precarious balancing act — perpetually shaking, striving for stability, only to have it challenged anew.
The pivotal question then becomes: What catalyses the transformation from a tranquil observer to a burdened beholder?
This shift begins the moment one adopts a different perspective on existence. It marks the genesis of self-determination, where the individual begins to shoulder the full weight of their future, recognising that their opinions, decisions and actions now carry consequences.
This metamorphosis is mirrored in the timeless principle of the fledgling bird.
For a time, it knows only the certainty of parental provision.
But the moment maternal feeding ceases, a harsh yet liberating truth is unveiled: survival mandates action.
The bird must learn to hunt for its own worms, grasp the physics of flight and obey the rules of nature’s flow.
This moment of necessity — the severance from comfort — is not a crisis; it is the fundamental prerequisite for mastering life.
The pursuit of comfort, that illusory state of perpetual ease, is — within this context — a design flaw.
Comfort inevitably breeds stagnation, which corrodes the ability to adapt.
In a generation marked by rapid, chaotic change, the one resource that cannot be restored is time.
Time, the grand and impartial commodity, does not mend the passive; it heals only those willing to move with the currents of circumstance.
To grasp this truth requires a stream of consciousness rooted in realism — a profound acceptance that effortless security is a myth.
The ultimate devotion of a life well-lived is its devotion to time. Like an egg that falls, time is not fragmented — it is shattered. Its essence vanishes, leaving only shells to discard.
The truly great minds do not merely monitor time; they master it. They move beyond rigid scheduling and begin to think probabilistically, understanding that every moment is a precious, finite chance to act.
Tatenda Mupfudza is an Upper Sixth Arts learner in Harare and aspires to be an author. Learners can write short poems/stories or about special events at their schools and send to [email protected]
Tinaye Agere