Simon Chilembo. Nesodden, 1989.

I’m going to talk about training by way of telling a partial story of my life.

I’ve had very specific reasons for wanting to train from my first school day in Lesotho in January 1965; then I was 4 ½ years old. That’s the first time I discovered rudely how physically small and vulnerable I was. I still have a vivid recollection of how these other bigger boys and girls were all over me, stroking my head and pulling at my clothes as if to undress me. Later on I learned that I was the only child wearing the finest clothes, was the cutest, and most charming of them all. Then I knew I wanted to be big and strong so that I could protect myself from those overly eager people. I couldn’t wait to be grown up so I could start weight lifting with the neighbourhood men who used to train in Thabong Hall, on the other side of the street from my home in Welkom.

I recall there often being a lot of hard and loud talk about tokoloho (freedom), boipuso (self-governance), makomonisi (communists), and manasi (Basotho National Party) at my homes in Welkom, South Africa, as well as Peka, Lesotho. Due to my grandmother’s romantic liaison with an influential Lesotho man, many top Lesotho politicians of the time used to hold their meetings at my homes. I guess this is probably where and how I became a loud mouth. The latter attribute would often get me into a lot of trouble (it still does!) because I could in time stand up against harassment using very hard verbal and body language talk like I would observe the politicians do. In physical fights I easily beat up my age-mates, having initially overwhelmed them with some serious hard-talk of course. When the bigger boys began to be more ruthless and mean, I realized I needed extra skills to defend myself. So, while waiting to be old enough to commence weight lifting, I started Boxing during school holidays till about age ten in 1970. At that time Thabong Boxing Club had a very generous policy of allowing children to come and train any time at their own convenience. The paradox is that I remember mostly from Boxing training the joys of running (road work) and skipping rope more than the fight training itself. However, the tough, warrior-fighting attitude of Boxing training I would later take with me to Karate.

1969 I recollect not so much for the moon landing or impending truly scary End of the World midnight of December 31 that year. It’s about this time something even more dramatic happens in my life. From being directly and physically hassled as a tiny smart-ass-guy who fought like a little tiger, I was now being ridiculed and called derogatorily Simon mafethe (Fatty Simon). When I started to look around more carefully I found that I was suddenly bigger and, indeed, fatter than my age mates. This went on till I was about 14 years old. In the interim, while physical fights were piece of cake and I won all the time, the emotional hurt of being mobbed as Simon mafethe was most devastating. By age 12/ 13 I was so big that older boys on the streets would torment me for my denying my, according to them, real age of 16!

Indirectly encouraged by my mother, I made a conscious choice to stop Boxing training at age 10 so I could devote more time to running (road work) and skipping rope with a very well thought out objective of losing and, subsequently, controlling my body weight and size; I didn’t need to fight any more. As time would unfold though, Chilembo Body Weight Management^Òhas had to become a life-long personal preoccupation for me.

Simon Chilembo. Oslo Marathon 1994

I discovered James Bond in 1972, and with that what seemed to me to be finer and more sophisticated fighting skills. I first took up Karate training then in order to be cool and sophisticated like James Bond! Little did I know that this would mark a major turning point in my life; such that by 1974 up until beginning of 1975 when my family managed to leave then apartheid South Africa for Zambia, I was so smooth and collected, confident, neat, and sexy that I recall with a sardonic sweet sensation all over me how everyone who used to make life difficult for me all of a sudden began to revere me. The closest and oldest family friends in South Africa call me Morena, which means King in Sesotho. I still rule with Karate everywhere I go. The sport as a way of life has opened many doors in my life, some of which I think would never ever have opened otherwise.

ChilemboTopLevelFitness^Òis a synthesis of my all round training experience from early childhood to the present. While Karate training is at the core of what I do to be and stay healthy, strong, happy, productive, stressless, young, and attractive I have of course been exposed to many other fantastic training forms and sports. It’s not for me therefore to say what is the best form of training. My personal philosophy here is: What’s fun and works is fun and works fine, just do it! 

Simon Chilembo. Frognerparken, Oslo, 1993.

Apart from the general Health & Wellness aspects of active sport and training, the Social and Personal Development opportunities they present are awesome. Regardless of the sport or chosen form of training, probably the most valuable natural outcome in this regard is Communication Skills development arising from interacting with others in a controlled learning, sharing, or competition environment. I personally vouch for the postulation of sport and training being some of the most effective tools for bringing down cross-cultural understanding and interaction barriers. As a veteran sports and training personality, I conclude by suggesting to those immigrants having problems of finding and deciphering the Da Vinci Code of intergration or assimilation into the Norwegian society to experience, share, and develop sport and training with Norwegians, as well as others already well-established and functional in the country. Probably the most decisive factor would be, with or without expert help, to carefully identify your talents, skills, tastes and preferences. You can only shine and, therefore, receive recognition/ honour, respect, acceptance, and inclusion by doing exceptionally well things you are good at. This way you can walk with your head high, be anything you want to be in this land of opportunity, contributing in your own special way to making Norway a better place for all to live in with peace, harmony, and prosperity.

Simon Chilembo
6 Dan Black Belt Karate Master

Oslo
August 26, 2011
Follow @SimonChilembo

The Last King of Håøya. Simon Chilembo 2007

I am happy today, very happy. Many who know me well will know very well that I just love to receive attention. I thrive on attention. I’m addicted to praise for the good things I do well. I get a kick out of getting positive feedback. Every time I’m told I’m good at what I do, I’m special, I’m unique, I’m The Best, I get an almost orgasmic sensation in my body; a blissful, ecstatic state of being. I get so profusely energized I all the time want to do more and more good things in the best way possible.

But I’m not essentially driven by a voracious need for attention and praise attendant to the recognition of the positive outcomes of my actions and activities. I am not an avid attention seeker. It’ll be hard to believe for some, but privately I am a very, very shy, reserved man. I’m shy to a point of arrogance to those who know me rather not so well. Things, circumstances, and people not making sense around me easily bore me over half way to death. I am a master of withdrawal when I have little to give or to gain in any given situation.

What motivates me most is not the end, i.e. attention showers and or praise derived from the good work I do or have done; or simply the good man I am or have become. The thrill is in the process of getting things to work, learning new things, teaching new things, breaking barriers, overcoming evil and temptation along the way.

I work directly with people; I’m good at it, that’s what I do. I change people’s lives to help them get the best out of themselves and others in order to be happy, more fulfilled, and more productive and responsible members of society. My idealistic vision is that all the people I work with will each in their own ways contribute to making this world a better place to live for all. My own real experience is that every time I see or hear that somebody has become a better person out of the work we’ve done together to create positive change in their own lives, something happens to me too. My sense of duty, obligation, devotion, and indeed, love for humanity and life grows more and more in a most profound way.

A sweet voice hums incessantly in my ears, urging me to work to be an even better man tomorrow and subsequent days on. Top that up with overt expressions of gratitude and praise, acknowledging my person and my humanity; then my birthday, Christmas, 17 May, foreplay, and landing on the moon all collapse into one explosive pack of delight; I want to laugh, cry, jump, dance, and fly all simultaneously. It’s a very exhilarating feeling of personal liberation. At the same time making me feel ever so humbled to have had the privilege of living in a land of plenty, land of the free; living my life as I choose/ have chosen to within the confines of the laws of the land.

I am very, very happy today because the Nesodden kommune/ Municipality Council has given me official recognition; acknowledging the very positive influence my club, Nesodden Karateklubb, has had on hundreds of children’s and youth’s lives since I first started teaching Karate at Nesodden in March 1989. In his very moving speech on Saturday, November 19, 2011, the representative from the Sport & Culture office, Martin Lundquist, mentioned that the club had become a recognized, solid institution in the municipality region. He went on to say that I was considered as an important role model for the children and youth, as well the parents of Nesodden; stating further that I had contributed significantly to sense of growth and well-being here. “You mean a lot to many, Simon,” he said (tears welled in my eyes at this point). When in recent years some of the original Karate Kids from the early years are now making comebacks together with their own young children, we can then safely say that there are a lot of good things we do to help children and youth grow up into decent adults. Through regional and national competitions over the years the club has made Nesodden proud. What with the Gold Medals of the Junior Nationals of 1998 (Åke Bjørk) and 2002 (Martin Ask)? The uniqueness of our club in these parts is grounded in the fact that that there is a fine mixture of the ages and the sexes; many parents have been encouraged to start training together with their own children, thereby discovering a new and exciting arena for more parent-child bonding work.

As a material token of appreciation I was presented with a very nice piece of artwork by Weche Øyen. All this came as a total surprise to me. A great honour indeed. Man, am I so happy, ever so grateful for the attention! Life is good. I thank from the bottom of my heart, and my future wife’s bottom too, for the great team spirit and team work that have developed at all levels of participation and responsibility in the club at Nesodden, as well as in the Oslo branch.

It’s been a long, eventful, enriching, and fulfilling journey currently on its 23^rd season. Getting better all the time as my former Super Star Karate Kids are now grown up, finding their ways into my shoes to take the club to even higher heights.

They are all mad, tough, and fun loving like me. I constantly shower them with well-deserved praises, I give them power, I give them love. We all get crazy with ecstatic joy and share it with the world. I’m so happy today; my Karate Kids are hot, they are the greatest, the best the world has ever seen, like Muhammad Ali (well, almost!). As I take a 5- 6 months sabbatical next year, I have no doubt that the beat will just keep going on in the usual superlative way. I am so happy today. Thank you, Nesodden, the best kommune Norway has ever seen!

Let’s rock! I AM Somebody

Simon Chilembo

Telephone: +47 97000488
Oslo, Norway
November 22, 2011

A DISCOURSE ON FREEDOM: Part 2
LEADERSHIP – The Chil-land Case 

The national leadership structure of Chil-land is clearly defined, and is centred on the one all-powerful
President Big Daddy Cool-Chils, a.k.a. Prez Chils. He heads The Cabinet, all the ministries, as well as all the government departments

 PRESIDENCY

Prez Chils is by definition president for and of life by and from birth. He is destined to self-leadership neither by accident nor wish, but by design and creation. Although he as a younger leader was not entirely appreciative of the attendant responsibilities, duties, and obligations of his natural societal roles and functions, Prez Chils has grown up to be a beacon of freedom, as well as mental emancipation; making Chil-land a model country to be emulated by others.

Prez Chils is a sophisticated, cultured man of the world whose existence is entirely dependent on the perpetual smooth operations of the cabinet and all the relevant state departments. The latter are inherently interdependent both as separate administrative units, as well as contra Prez Chils’ divine pervasive nature. It is in no uncertain terms understood that no single unit of Chil-land administration shall or can survive at the expense of another; all must co-ordinate their activities in concert in order for Prez Chils to carry out his custodial duties optimally for all. It is also the President’s imperative to take good care of the entire administration, harnessing and sustaining all the necessary resources and skills throughout Chil-land’s yet-to-be manifest lifespan.

Endowed with enormous personal material and, most importantly, spiritual, emotional, as well as creative wealth, Prez Chils is renowned for his generousity and kindness. Material and spiritual abundance around the President all his life so far has shaped his and Chil-land’s enormous capacity for resilience, patience, and tolerance. Like many other people, Prez Chils has had his own share of trials and tribulations. But after every fall he, just like the Phoenix, has always risen again to be better and stronger than before. When the end of his and Chil-land’s allotted time on earth finally arrives, there are many Phoenixes ready to carry on the legacy. Actually, some have already begun!  Prez Chils lives and does what he has to do today so that tomorrow will be a better, more fulfilling experience for all on the globe. It is Prez Chils burning desire to demonstrate through Chil-land that it is possible to create heaven on earth for oneself in this life.

Prez Chils is a future-oriented lover of life living in the moment; he enjoys life with passion. He is a gastrosexual who just loves beautiful and luxurious things. Because he is not sexually attracted to other men, he is therefore heterosexual. Given his mental emancipation as mentioned above, some of his close homosexual friends and brothers know Prez Chils as a platonic-gay-straight-man; the latter because he has no qualms about showing openly normal recognition and affection for his homosexual friends, brothers, and sisters.            

The President is not married, has never been married, will get married when his future wife finally finds him. The man has just been too busy making Chil-land into paradise-on-earth to have time to make room for a Mrs Prez Chil in his life. If she is out there now, she may call The Prez’s number with her substantive proposal. There currently is such peace, harmony, and contentment in Chil-land that Prez Chils will give all proposals due regard and thorough consideration.

Simon Chilembo

Telephone: +47 97000488
Oslo, Norway
November 06, 2011

A DISCOURSE ON FREEDOM: Part 1

Simon Chilembo, 08/ 10-2011

(Dedicated to all Women and Mothers of the World through Nobel Peace Prize 2011 winners: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman)

So, wouldn’t it be cool if countries of the world had names with only three letters? If the vocalization is jazzy/ hip/ cool exceptions can be allowed. In that case China would be Chin; India Indi; Australia is already Aussie so that’s okay, and likewise is Zambia Zed. America is already Yuza; Canada would be Candy; and Benin Ben; Niger is cool as it is ‘cause Nig would probably choke you. To avoid possible passing out you might want to soften Nig with Niga. Sensitive sounds, we leave Niger alone! And Nigeria would then be Nige with that French accent “é”, Nigé. Chic, no? We can go on with Kenya as Ken; Libya as Lib even if Gaddafi’s women were never the most liberated. Guess what Brazil would be? Nice, no? But then again på Norsk ville vi da si, “Brasil er Bra!” And what about Madagascar? With Norway there simply would be Noway out once you are in.

Those countries with two names, or first names and surnames would present a bit of a challenge; same as those with long descriptive ones. What a relief that The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is no longer existent. Gave way to Rus, very nice. We had nice and smooth Zai, now it’s The Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC is still dry to the tongue; skip! Burkina Fasso, “The land of upright people”, takes the cake; Burk would be so cool. And then there is The Republic of South Africa, otherwise known as Mzansi4sho; Mza just spot on! There’s only one country I freak out for in this category though: Sim-Chilembzisia, People’s Republic of.

Sim-Chilembzisia, People’s Republic of, Chil-land hereafter, reliable information has it that the two creators of this land met in 1958 somewhere out there in the world, specifically Mza. After a series of negotiations and intercourses (details and intricacies of which by design can never be divulged) a seed was planted, and a whole, perfect, healthy nation state of Chil-land was born in the Rat Year of 1960. And the world would never be the same again.

Chil-land is today, and will be for at least another 80 years, the best country to be on earth. Although constrained by normally accepted international codes of conduct within the confines of the laws of the lands, as well as global governance institutions; and paying due regard to Natural Law constrictions, Chil-land is the most free, the most democratic, and the most liberal country on the globe. To top it all, the nation of Chil-land is endowed with a tremendous supply of numerous vital natural resources, as well as an enlightened manpower base with superlative production and life skills, including phenomenal creative potential.

The concept and manifestation of freedom in Chil-land are clearly understood by the entire citizenry, and, above all, the entire political and administrative leadership at all levels and functions of society. Freedom in Chil-land is neither taken nor understood to be an end in itself; freedom and its attendant attributes are not arbitrarily defined by any one individual or groups of individuals.

No one owns freedom; freedom is for all. Freedom is not static, it is dynamic and moves the times. Freedom is an indispensable motor and catalyst for progressive change, growth, and all-round positive transformation of society in and with time. Freedom lives today for today, is not afraid of the future because freedom eliminates fear of and for the unknown. Freedom enables fantasy and creativity so that free citizens of today can always find various ways of seeing into the future. With the latter skill polished to the highest levels and growing all the time, Chil-land citizenry lives the future in the present for an ever-bright future for all.

Simon Chilembo, 08/ 10-2011

 Freedom facilitates boundless creative abundance, if not material. Hardly surprising therefore that Chil-land is a self-sufficient, self-reliant nation with a constant surplus of most, if not all, basic and strategic resources for a long-term sustainable comfortable and productive life for all. In Chil-land, freedom bounty is neither right nor entitlement for a few arrogant, self-centred myopic so-called heroes of the struggle so familiar elsewhere, destroying their own countries and people’s lives. Freedom bounty is to be variably enjoyed by all people according to each their own needs, wants, and preferences. Chil-land heroes are made by the people to serve the people, facilitating the people’s ever-uplifting total freedom experience and growth. Heroes Are (NOT) Hard to Find in my beloved land, Chi-land.

By extension, freedom implies compassion and generousity. Therefore, a large part of the production surplus of Chil-land is used to help other not as fortunate but receptive nations to enhance their own experience of freedom if already attained, or assist in the necessary feasible and functional processes of attaining it where it’s still lacking.

If by definition freedom is an ever-current phenomenon taking and guiding free societies into the future without fear today, it implies therefore that freedom is an anti-thesis of a formally oppressive and suppressive past. Freedom does not come without; freedom is an expression and manifestation, as well celebration of liberation from tyranny, poverty, and ignorance. In Chil-land, absolutely all understand that those living in the past, to the extent that what they value with and from the past negates full freedom experience as conventionally defined and accepted by the progressive world here and now, have a bleak if any future at all.

Simon Chilembo

Telephone: +47 97000488

Simon Chilembo, July 2010

I don’t go round with a nagging need to explain, justify, and to defend myself, or apologize for being me. Neither do I go round with a need to be recognized, approved, accepted, acknowledged, understood, or liked. I am that I am; thinking, feeling, and doing what I do the way I do it all because that’s just the way it is; that’s me living out the best of my intentions from the outset. I’ll never go changing to try to please you; if you so choose, love me just the way I am. Take me or leave me, as you wish, in accordance with your democratic choice prerogative in a democratic society.

Simon Chilembo, Sept 2011

If I don’t choose to withdraw and disappear from your world, I’ll always pounce hard on you though the moment I detect unfairness and non-justness directed towards me: my person, my values, and my beliefs. In an active verbal communicative interaction process, be condescending in any way towards me, and you are guaranteed to see and feel the full wrath of my verbal and body language fire power. You see, my physical dimensions may not match up to those of an American Football player’s, but my ego is the size of the highest mountain, and my passion for things I stand for goes deeper than The Black Hole.

What’s the reason for my blubbering like this today then, you may wonder? Nothing more than a response to an irresistible urge to continually work at refining and sharpening my writing skills these days, the chosen theme just happens to be a real life issue I’ve lived with for as long as I can remember. However, if it’ll help you acquire even the slightest appreciation of why and how I, as well as many other people like me, can become so frighteningly intense during heavy discussions and debates, so be it. Otherwise just have fun and enjoy yet another nicely done piece of writing from Chilembo Warrior Moves Intellectual Factory.

I’m the first to know that I’m far from an Einstein. But then again who wants an E = mc² the second? And who wants to know more about a Rose? But I can read and write my name well. Being a university graduate who did do his work diligently as a student I’ve gotten to read a lot of books in my time. Looking back, and indeed to the present day, I’m with tremendous humility convinced that my entire academic training from Grade 1 (Sub A) through to university levels, including professional training in the various things I do, have been spearheaded and inspired by some of the very best teaching brains of my times during the various phases of my academic, intellectual, and professional development and growth. Therefore, much of what I stand for of values, beliefs, philosophy, and political orientation is rooted in some solid long-term academic, intellectual, as well as professional training, coaching, and mentoring foundation. So, don’t mess with my brains!

Simon Chilembo, Sept 2011

I am an outsider from birth; I have I always been treated as such any way, more or less. Having inherited more of my non-South African father’s physical attributes, dark and short, and combined with the fact that I would be the tiniest of children of my age till about age 9, I was a constant target of direct verbal and physical abuse in my formative years. I was often called the most uncomplimentary names, and it looked like everyone thought it their legitimate right to want to push me around.

Although I do not recall my father ever being as loud-mouthed as I’d later become myself, I discovered early that he was a good speaker. Not only was my father a man of class and style, he had a way of speaking that would like mesmerize people. But then again I recall that my father lived with massive direct animosity towards him almost his entire life. In his earlier years in South Africa he was this proud, relatively well-off foreigner with the most beautiful wife, and the smartest children. This drew a lot of envy and jealousy, and sometimes people would be outright ugly towards my father and his family. Somehow I understood that, although he’d almost without exception eventually win over these evil people, Pappa had to be extra careful given his vulnerable position as a foreigner.

On my part I somehow knew I was South African from the word go, and I decided very early in my life that I’d play more hardball than Pappa in the face of animosity and adversity. As it were I’d regularly be attacked by more than two, often older and bigger, boys. In my self-protective response I had to do everything much faster and harder than them all. For example a missile like this would be sent, “Hey, you, ugly foreign bastard…!” And I’d retort 100 times louder, faster, and nastier, “What is it you ugly, stinking, starving, stray dog…?” If you want to survive unfairness and injustice in a city of about 1 million people, and a country of 50 million people, you have to speak very loud and clear to be heard, and to be taken seriously. Remember also that I’m talking of growing up experiences under and during the Apartheid years of the old South Africa; and I’m not our beloved Desmond Tutu. Need I say more?

Simon Chilembo, Sept 2011

As an adult and immigrant in Norway since 1988, I’ve had many, many discussions and debates with all kinds of people on all kinds of topics. What constantly both fascinates and infuriates me more than anything else is the condescending nature and attitude of many people of European ethnicity. I have time after time encountered situations where it is taken for granted that I shall be humble, passive, and apologetic when I discuss issues of, for example, racism. No one can, and should, define for me how I have experienced, and how I should continue experiencing the condition of being Black in the world in my time. I was born and brought up in South Africa, remember? The historical brutal effectiveness of European domination and expansion in Africa is, of course, well documented. In the 21^st Century many individual Africans are liberated and strong, they are no longer pushovers like their forefathers. And we are educated in the Western European tradition. To refuse to respect my opinions not out of internal fallacies inherent in my argumentation and reasoning (from the point of view of the listener), but because I’m too loud, too intense, or too angry is tantamount to denying me exercising my freedom of speech rights in a free country. Then I get even more fired up; but never angry, because You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry. I got angry once; I ended up in a ditch.

Please, when I, with solid logical but, yes, extremely intense argumentation, refuse to give you a chance to say what sounds crap and base to me, never tell me CA-AAA-ALM DO-O-OWWWN NOW, Simon! like you’d say to a child, your unruly pet, or a moron.

Simon Chilembo
Telephone: +47 97000488

The thoughts below are inspired by Facebook correspondence with another special Brother-Friend of mine from 30 years ago, Edem Djokotoe. Edem inspired me as gifted writer and journalist already at that time when we first met as students at UNZA.

I dedicate the article to welcoming ‘Msholozi , H E President Zuma, on his official State Visit to Norway today.

In Norway, just like “… in the ghetto, only the strong survive” . I’m from the ghetto, and this is my country, so I know.

With the prevailing enormous wealth of Norway you’d expect there to be no weak people in this modern-day Canaan, land of milk and honey. The weak I shall define as those who for various reasons live, if they don’t perish at all, on the fringes of the conventional modern society. They will be experiencing various personal, health, and material issues rendering them inadequate to participate in normal day-to-day societal building and development activities; living in varying degrees of misery and poverty. Or they may indeed be outwardly functional, but lead such eccentric life-styles that add very little value to society; all this within their rights as citizens living in an open and democratic society, where the ethos of The Right to Choose is paramount to human existence.

Norway is indeed a relatively safe haven. But the country does also have its own share of societal growth and development challenges. I’m going to argue that at the individual level, Norway is a very hard country to live in for all. I’m going to show that indeed only the strong survive here.

My point of contention is that compared to the extreme wealth out here, there just are too few people in the land for the not-so-resourceful individual to live up to the corresponding pressure attendant to effective maximum exploitation of the wealth for the benefit of all. For some individuals the concepts of Division of Labour, and Comparative Advantage just can’t work. Given the way in which the Norwegian society is organized with regard to low population statistics vis-à-vis the extremely high level of opulence, labour is just too expensive for many an average citizen. Therefore to survive in Norway you have to be a Super Person.

Here is my description of your strong, survivor Norwegian Super Person:

• Jack/ Mary of all trades. You do a lot of things for yourself, or alone to make your world go round here. Easy to crack for many after a while when they necessarily have to combine professional lives with competing domestic/ family needs, as well as hobbies and other social and spiritual needs. Much pressure could be eased here if it were to be an accepted and affordable norm to outsource for private/ personal assistance for some of these things where obviously applicable and deemed necessary.
• Man-Woman/ Man-Woman in one. Gender roles questions can be too tough for many here. To survive here you have to have a clear idea of what you are, what you want to be and live accordingly. Thanks to different interpretations and applications of politics of Equality of the Sexes, things have fallen apart for many here too.
• The affluent society itself as a collective necessarily exerts its own pressure on the individual. You shall always (strive to) be the best in your field in order to achieve lasting recognition, and thereby enjoy endlessly the resultant benefits of your own private wealth creation. The day you wake up without the fire and drive to perform and deliver, the affluent society then is likely to dump you. Those who for various reasons fail to regenerate themselves in time are likely to fall out completely. And if even Society through relevant institutions also fails, giving due regard to the choices the individual makes him/ herself, then starts the cycle of misery and poverty. It may not only be material poverty, but, probably most important, poverty of the Soul, Spirit, and Mind.

The real tough, strong, and smart Norwegian Super Person overcomes above challenges through, among other things, maintenance of workable if not strong family links, as well as establishment, maintenance, and sustenance of strong and long-term social networks and relations. Arguably one of the most decisive survival mechanisms for the Norwegian Super Person is, living out the dreams The Affluence Democratic Society facilitate, he/ she has the ability to escape to other parts of the world where Division of Labour, and Comparative Advantage work very well for richer people. For a long-weekend to a fortnight to whatever a year, our wealthy heroes from Norway can forget the stress and hassle of our country, enjoying life to the full i Syden or wherever without any worries; coming back home re-vitalized and energized for yet another round of exciting round of day-to-day personal, family, and professional challenges.

COMPASSION made in South Africa

Though not perfect, naturally, the Norwegian society does have functional systems and checks, as well as institutions to help those who for whatever reason fail to make the Norwegian Super Person mark. In my world money can buy and fix everything, but not everything is money-purchasable. Money can create and buy all sorts of things, services, and institutions for the people; but even all the money in the world cannot buy or substitute the crucial human factor, compassion.

STRONG made in Norway.

I see the expression and application of compassion as a two-way traffic. We shall naturally show and give compassion; at the same time must we be open to receive, acknowledge, and thrive on compassion ourselves. The weak and, by extension, non-resourceful in Norway may be so because one of the things they lack in life may be a conscious and deliberate knowledge and skills of how to deal with compassion. There are of course Norwegian Super People who do not manifest much compassion in most, if not all aspects of their lives too, thinking and believing money can and will always buy them into happiness and success, as well as control and power in life. Unfortunately, sooner or later the worlds of the latter do come to collapse also. It is in my opinion these rootless, non-compassionate people of our own who are the real threat to the Norwegian society. We can, and we shall overcome them by continuing with the open, multi-ethnic society Norway has become. Let’s love one another more, make more children, and keep inviting even more people from abroad to come work and live in Norway. The country with a large, colourful population can get even more out of its awesome wealth and people. We run away too much from Norway while somebody, a child, is sitting in a corner somewhere in the country crying for help. When some of these unheard, unseen children grow up without compassion they cease to cry; they become loners, move in silence, only to make us aware of their presence in some of the most out-of-the-ordinary destructive ways. But then again, because Norway is ever So Strong, all Norwegians will breathe, eat, drink, and live compassion in time.

Simon Chilembo
Oslo, Norway
August 31, 2011
Tel.: +47 97000 488

You’ve heard this one, no? – Yes, Sir/ Madam, I did beat him/ her up. BUT it was NEVER my intention to kill them. HONEST!!!

Sorry Kid, doesn’t hold in a court of law, neither morally nor ethically.

You see, every time you engage another person/ -s in an act of violence, even at play, you expose your victim/ -s to potential death. We are often judged by our actual acts, not our intentions. Remember this at training today; remember this everyday of your life. Playing the Game of Death every training session isn’t just another Karate training mystic hype, got it?

Simon Chilembo
6 Dan Black Belt Karate Master
Oslo, Norway
August 30, 2011

STIMELA

(In response to M&G article here: http://mg.co.za/article/2011-08-27-bra-hugh-black-to-the-future)

“Unga worry, mfan’a kithi, inkululeko ise duzi phela/ don’t worry, homeboy, freedom is just around the corner!” the older exiles would say to me in the mid-late 1970s, and later years in Lusaka, Zambia, my fatherland. My family and I had managed to sneak into Zambia a year before the Soweto ’76 student uprising. Anybody who had anything to do with the subsequent large numbers of young teen-age exiles in the immediate post-’76 years will recall how traumatic those years were for all.

I’ll today acknowledge the great work the veteran exiles did in helping us young aspiring cadres keep it together. I’ll never forget the long lectures on ours, and global history; such that by the time I entered UNZA to study Politics I already had an appreciable grasp of Dialectical Materialism, Philosophy, and critical thinking. Somehow I never caught on with the game of Chess, my younger brother, Thabo, is a formidable player.

And then there would be cultural activities and parties. We’d sing and play liberation songs, there’d be powerful poetry recitals. But when STIMELA came along, I would withdraw into a mental cave and ride along this train to the Promised Land. On this ride I would have Moses-like experiences, with the rivers Zambezi and Limpopo each stopping and parting at points for the on coming STIMELA. The hills and the mountains would part too, though somehow the train seemed to prefer to zoom onto Table Mountain so as to swoosh over to Robben Island to fetch Nelson Mandela and the other Greats. It’s the thought of the conditions of the miners that would often jerk me back to reality, more determined and inspired than ever to fight for our freedom. Coming from Welkom, I knew well the harsh and dehumanizing conditions under which the miners lived. I like to think that South African mine workers of all times deserve much more recognition than they receive in our time. Just a thought, how much more honour does a formerly AK-47 wielding Comrade deserve contra a goldmine drilling veteran?

Soon I’ll be ending my extended exile. I’m coming home! I’ve heard it told of a Gravy Train criss-crossing the land since 1994 …  Mmm, ohhh, Groove Me, Baby!

Simon Chilembo
Oslo, Norway
August 28, 2011