"Mailo"

"Mailo" - Yesterday...or Tommorow

Nyanja, like many of the other 60 plus languages of Zambia, is an interesting language. For most who speak only one language, the intricacies of meaning can be lost because they have only one referent. For those of us who are bi or multi lingual, language is something to behold. As I thought about what to write this week, I was brought back to our propensity for living in the past...
I know...we've talked about this before, but after working with someone this week who is fiercely fighting a daunting and haunting past, I thought it prudent to address it again. In Nyanja, the same word is used to refer to yesterday and tomorrow. In order for one to know which it refers to, one would need to pay particular attention to the discussion. I find that this attentiveness is the same we need for us to overcome daunting and haunting pasts...
If you're like many of us, the economy has affected you in some small or significant way. If you're like most of us, you've become proficient at kicking yourself for the decisions you made or the actions you took. Regardless of the economy's effect on you, you have to be careful how you use "mailo" - are you going to focus on "mailo yesterday" or "mailo tomorrow"? The choice you make will determine whether you become better...or bitter. What say you?

(c) 2009, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai. No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.