In this place where the mountains meet the sea
time is measured in millennium
the slow sculpturing of billions of tides
rounding, shifting, and emptying the rocks
leaving caves and towering giants
standing watchers
who have seen the rise and fall of oceans over millions of years

time measured in a dry river bed – raising and dropping its floor
in the changing fortunes of the rainy season

time measured by towering trees
still standing watch
in the centre of cities
where buildings rise and fall
and people hurry from meeting, to office, to shop, to pick up the kids, to home, to evening jaunt

the time it takes grow a tree
to get hold of the plumber
to microwave the meal

time measured in the seconds  required to start the computer

the instant conversation across the planet
weaving a new web in a new space

this is the time my grandchildren chose to come into this world
closing their eyes under a tree in the garden
beneath the mountain
and waking in a shopping mall
bright lights, loud music, bustling people, trollies, flashing colours
and they are there with un-judging enthusiasm
for this is part of their world

my time is of two generations before they were born
I have  watched my children become parents
trees grow
river beds rise and fall
cliffs move
trees fall
buildings rise
and sand dunes stretch out to the sea

and now I watch these new children
born into a world holding seemingly limitless visions and concepts and possibilities
and the emergent recognition of the damage we inflict
on our evolving system

how hard will it be to hold in their hearts
the mountains that watch over them
the trees that embrace them between root and topmost twig
to stay rooted in the millennium it takes
to round a rock by the sea?

Half way up Orange Grove Drive in Harare yesterday, mid lunchtime run, I found a man lying unconscious on the side of the road. I stopped and wondered, what do I do now? My running partner caught up and we decided that diabetes had felled him. Under a hot Zimbabwean sky we tried to flag down some cars to see if we could get something sweet to feed him. A guy driving two foreign visitors stopped and one of the passengers found a ‘seen much better times’ chocolate. The other drivers who stopped didn’t have anything to eat on them but a couple of old ladies gave us $2. A nearby security guard helped us move him into the shade where we patiently dripped water into his mouth whilst slowly getting him to suck on the chocolate. In the meantime the security guard headed off with the $2 in search of some Cascade (orange juice). Our calls for assistance at a house nearby reaped two peanut butter sandwiches and a bottle of cold Mazoe. The man who had collapsed looked like a rubbish picker. He was thin and at first his gender wasn’t clear. The security guard looked down at him and said, ah this guy, he’s hungry. The experience was a reminder about the beauty of collaboration. Two runners, some motorists, a security guard and a domestic worker (the goddess of peanut butter sandwiches) all came together to help a stranger. We’re not in this world alone.

A short interview with Tom Soper

In your last interview with Kubatana you were recovering from a serious, life altering accident. Share with us your hospital experience.
It was really terrifying particularly at the outset because I was supposedly unconscious for two weeks. But actually even though I was unconscious it was a different kind of consciousness. There were a lot of nightmares in it. It was a gradual awareness of the changes that were coming with physical disability. It was reshaping my life. This was an opportunity to come back with a different perspective on day-to-day activities, things I had taken for granted, getting back on the spiritual path and being able to inspire others.

Can you share with us what has inspired you lately, or what inspires you in general?
I am inspired by the sheer wonder of life. I am inspired by the night sky. I am inspired by the sheer extent of space and time. I am inspired by the infinite detail of what’s around us. I am inspired by people’s courage, goodness and potential. Some people who go about using their potential like yourselves at Kubatana; Bev and Amanda inspire me.

What are your views on the key ingredients for the future of a successful Zimbabwe?
With my background in finance the straightforward answer is that we need some liquidity in this economy. That basically means direct foreign investment. We do not have the industry that is adding value to create that internal ability to get back on track. If we are exporting one or two billion dollars of goods every year and importing 7 billion there is a gap there that needs to be filled with simple economics. That can be filled by direct foreign investment and therefore there should be a platform to attract that investment … which comes down to politics.

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting all over again?
The rules I work on now are the generic rules like no matter how bad things may seem, they could always be quite a lot worse for others. To get stuck in your own problems is really not helpful at all. If you sit back and look at your own problems and then think of other people’s problems they tend to get smaller quite quickly. So in terms of philosophy, nothing is permanent. If nothing is permanent, it means problems will go away, but it’s up to you to take note of how much you want to suffer until that point. It takes patience, strength and the knowledge that life is full of injustices.

The other advice I try and reflect on every morning is to try and not take too much for granted. Also to look at time and perspective; a Buddhist perspective that says the past is gone and you can’t change it leaves you with a clean slate of the present. A lot of people are caught up in the past and do not realise how much influence they really have over their way of being.

In your own view should anything be labeled wrong or right?
I think the question of right or wrong is quite subjective because society has set certain rules that say this is right or wrong which is a basis for the law and a moral system. But I think society has gone a little bit too far – in particular education and religious systems – they are not as flexible as they might be.

What is your present state of mind?
I am in a good space. I am developing the ability to take a step back and have a look around me without getting caught up in my distractions. Whilst I see things that may be painful, I am more okay with that, than I used to be. I wouldn’t say positive, but I would say open.

The renowned poet Seamus Heaney died recently. He wrote: “The way we are living, timorous or bold, will have been our life.” What comes up for you when you reflect on his words?
I think that for me, it comes down to deciding to live life in the moment. I know it’s a cliché as if there is no tomorrow! You can either be bold and go for things that you are passionate about, or you can live in a shell – thinking that it’s probably a safer place. When I heard those words they reminded me of the quote I have in my office, “Life begins at the outer edge of your comfort zone,” and I would equate that to the bold in the poem. That is really where life does begin; if you are not bold about looking for and accepting new things, you will probably reach your deathbed with quite a lot of regrets.

Via poetfire