Just like a the South Sudanese-Canadian artist Emanuel Jal who happens to have been born in my own home town of Tonj, sang that, “…there were a day that a life was so rough thing became tough and if someone crack a joke I couldn’t afford to laugh…” he mention in one of his poems that he was tempted to eat his comrade’s flesh for survival, and some may think it is a joke.
My survival technique is a cup of hot water, believe it or not a glass of hot water can save a starving human from dying.
On 23th August, 2021, 1:30pm I became very hungry at our learning center, it was the first day for our online Certificate in Liberal Studies (CLS) + Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development (BASD) courses. I was very hungry to an extent that I could hardly move my fingers on the keyboard, although I am used to eating once per day, I was extremely hungry that day, good enough there are tables in the hall where we study, and there was a water heater that day in the hall, I supported myself with the tables and took a glass of hot water from the water heater, and the moment I finished it I’ve started sweating and regained strength.
From that experience I did not just blame God for making life hard for me, but thought to myself, and found out that even if it seems that God is punishing us, he is actually teaching us to always think positive and make use of the little that we have available to us. I found out later that in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl says:
“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the WHY, and will be able to bear almost any HOW.”
So I can only say now that, as much as we may be suffering, it is a preparation for life that is not known to us, and we have to sit down, and reason smart for the better. Always have a reason, be it a group of people, be it a career, or someone you love is the “why” you ought to be on the surface of the earth, and make sure your “how” is clear. Should you give up on life while there are several other options to choose from?