Spes Mandatum

Grandpa: Sorry, Greg, I'm back. There's this interior alarm system that every now and then urges me to go and see and grandma and have a word or two with her. So, bear with me each time the push comes.

Greg: No problem, Grandpa. At least, it's not a bad urge.

Grandpa: Yes, it's not. I can actually control it. But I use the time to stretch my old legs.

Greg: No issues, Grandpa. I think it's also a sign of love for Grandma.

Grandpa: Greg, forget that love for now. Let's go on before the push comes again.

Greg: Okay, Grandpa.

Grandpa: I remember I was about to say something about 'curing' right?

Greg: Yes, Grandpa.

Grandpa: So, to cure is to ensure that the foundation is not 'sick' in any way. Being sick means falling short in quality... especially as it regards cracks, honeycombs, etc, and depending on the extent of whatever may be the issue, either a simple correction or a complete knockoff may be required. In this manner, every stage is got well before proceeding to the next.

Greg: Okay.

Grandpa: Foundational problems can be tragic.

Greg: How do you mean, Grandpa?

Grandpa: When you see a building with obvious foundation issues - cracked walls, misaligned walls, lopsided floor, what comes to your mind?

Greg: Collapse. Collapse may be happening any time!

Grandpa: Yes, collapse may be imminent. Only time will tell. And so, sane people would avoid such structures. It's a common sense thing to avoid a structure collapsing on top of you.

Greg: Indeed, only time will tell.

Grandpa: I have to leave you now. It's time to take an evening walk Would you like to come along?

Greg: Sorry, Grandpa, next time, please. Got something to do after now.

Grandpa: So, what's the takeaway from our discussions this evening?

Greg: Only time will tell how long a structure with a bad foundation will live before it collapses.

Grandpa: Yes, that's correct. But before, we conclude this discussion, permit me to stretch my legs again...

Grandpa: Greg, welcome to my corner. As you know, it's a corner for value based discussions. There are so many things to talk about. But my mind is telling me today to talk about foundational values.

Greg: Interesting.

Grandpa: Foundational values are the support systems upon which anything stands: from a cubicle to an edifice. They determine whether a structure will last and stand the test of time or just exist with an air of uncertainty all over it.

Greg: Okay.

Grandpa: Most of time, when there's is a foundational problem, it is usually best solved by knocking over and getting it right. That is, building the foundation all over again.

Greg: Okay. That will be an expensive thing to do.

Grandpa: Yes. But interestingly, it is not always about physical structures. Value based issues like knowledge, character, etc are all built on intangible foundations and at times, there are issues with such intangible foundations.

Greg: So, how does one handle such intangible foundational issues?

Grandpa: You re-program. You un-learn and re-learn better.

Greg: Okay.

Grandpa: But I've come to realize that 'un-learning' in particular seems way too hard for many people.

Greg: They get so stuck to wrong methods, wrong knowledge, wrong ideologies. Is that what you mean?

Grandpa: Yes. They refuse to put their mind in what they are doing or saying. They hardly pay attention to finnese. Simply, their autopilot level is too high.

Greg: I understand you, Grandpa.

Grandpa: Let me tell you something, Greg. One good way to ENSURE a solid, dependable foundation is by carefully taking the building or construction step by step. You do one or two steps and you allow it to cure before going on.

Greg: Cure?

Grandpa: You can ask that again. But now, let me go and tell Grandma something. I'll be back...

Happy Mothers' Sunday, Moms

At Spes Mandatum, when we see children, we see seedlings. We see special beings comparable to the seedlings in a farm or garden. When we see them, we see the kind of hope a farmer nurtures for having a farm. We see in a special way something comparable to the tendril of a yam. The way care must be taken to ensure that the tendril starts climbing the stake in a clockwise manner is comparable to the way care must be taken to see that children go the right way from day one.

The first half of this year will cross the FINISH LINE in a few minutes time! So, after a critical look at the last six months, we decided to centre our first half of year concluding piece on The Child. The International Day of the African Child is actually on the 16th day of June every year. And for the one of this year, which was two weeks ago, we made the following notes which we want to share now.

The notes went thus:

At Spes Mandatum, HOPE is our most treasured word, as we often stated -though the HOPE has to be a legitimate one. Yes, whether the HOPE is self inspired or given by someone else or an entity, it has to be a legitimate HOPE.

After HOPE, in order of importance to us, comes the word, DISCOVERY.

We try to use every opportunity to emphasise HOPE giving acts and acts of DISCOVERY.

And we HOPE we all will DISCOVER and realize all that will help us see our HOPES come to pass. Looking at the sentence just before this one, one can see that DISCOVERY is surrounded by HOPE. And so it is in real life.

Well. very importantly, we believe that for every legitimate HOPE, there should be at least a nice way to go. And that way must be DISCOVERED.

Now, after some study, we DISCOVERED the following HOPE giving ideas, with respect to children:

1. We discovered that we must make them believe in themselves.

2. We discovered that we must let them know that they can discover something good that has never been discovered if they pay sincere attention to their good thoughts and to the good things they're doing.

3. We discovered that we must do all necessary and within our reach for them to set off on a firm foundation and build and grow with confidence.

4. We discovered that we must help them nurture their discovered talents.

5. We discovered that we must help them discover how they can strive to be saints so that they can go HOME in the end.

6. We discovered that we must encourage them to discover a personal philosophy of life at about ten years old and ensure that they understand what it really means and calls for.

7. We discovered that we must encourage them to grow with a good sense of values, reverence for God, and to look out for and discover mentors in their chosen paths of life.

These seven points can be points for reflection, one for each day of the week.

Have you any discoveries you wish to share? What about your hopes regarding children? Please bare your mind.

May God's Grace never allow the good efforts of consciously hard working and well meaning parents go in vain🙏🏼.

Best wishes to parents everywhere🥂

Best wishes to children everywhere🥂.