Facing your fear and letting go of it

When I arrive after three months at Mwanza airport I am picked up by Rama who looks as fit and relaxed as ever. Driving to my house, I marvel at the busy street life. Everything is as lively as it was before I left. The Tanzanians have largely stopped all additional measures. According to the government, there are only 66 active Covid 19 patients left. But even more so, the people didn’t see much Covid 19 disasters around them all this time. So they continue the small measures but take it more and more easy. The Tanzanian died as always more from known diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, H.I.V. and malnutrition than Covid 19. But in fact they die mostly of poverty (no money for medication).

President Magufuli is more and more likely to become the hero of Africa. Where neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Uganda are extremely into lock downs, he refused to damage the economy, which would mean the death of many people who depend on the daily “hand to mouth” economy. Interesting enough this decision hasn’t led to the death of great numbers of people.

Tanzania, a place of peace and tranquillity

While in Kenya and Uganda despair, violence and death from hunger continue to increase, Tanzania is a place of peace and tranquillity. People here are even preparing to fill the food shortages in the damaged neighbouring countries as soon as they reopen borders.

Soon I am drawn into the general atmosphere of cheerful efficacy. But I stay awake. I don’t go in anywhere where there’s a lack of ventilation and ask people to keep enough distance, which everyone does benevolently. In the official offices, I wear a mask. The virus seems like a misguided big joke in Tanzania, but I’m not ready to let go of all caution. I want to take full responsibility for my own well-being the best to my knowledge.

To follow my heart

A lot has happened to me in the last few months. Mindful Adventure just made a breakthrough in 2019. 2020 started better than ever before. From one moment to the next it went silent like happened to so many companies. In the Netherlands I experienced the events remarkably calm, willing to move with fate. I took time to rest and accept the new situation. All I did was successfully set up an action for the Mindful Adventure team in Tanzania called Waja Siriamali, from which four small businesses came to existence. All four meet a basic need in people: chicken farm, food delivery, animal husbandry (goats) and gas. It works. Should I also retrain and start harvesting eggs or vegetables in greenhouses? It sometimes seems attractive to me.

overcoming your fear

Riding the tiger

Here in Tanzania I have moments when it overwhelms me. The success as an independent entrepreneur is the result of years passionately following my heart and express it creatively in countless different ways. I rode the tiger with a certain ease, though it was extremely hard work and the product is niche niche. I feel the tension and uncertainty towards my own mission and I know the importance of it. After all, this new perspective I found, I grant everyone:

from
-battle to surrender
-safety to adventure
-consumer need gratification to living experiences
-dreaming away in thoughts to presence in the moment
-fear for life to trust more that life tends to support you.
-suppression to sincere, vulnerable recognition of what is truly inside you
-thinking to perceiving
-a closed to an open heart
It is needed to achieve more than ever, given the condition of the planet.

Do you still believe that life is a battle to survive?

As long as we believe that life is a struggle for survival and we have to emerge victorious from that struggle, capitalist, consumerist thinking will not be seen through and we will not dare to change, no matter how much the planet is burdened by that abusive system.
Covid 19 is not going to change that either. It was scary for a while, but for the majority it soon turned out to be no big deal, right? The measures were a big deal for many but Covid itself didn’t turn out to be the killer they thought it could be.

A clean planet

For only a few the Himalayas, which after 33 years looming out of the fog of pollution and became visible to neighbouring villages, or the dolphins that swam through the canals of Venice touched a deep longing for a clean, fresh, clear nest. Nowadays it is only the economics en returning to how it was that matters to most people. The point is that scary, shocking, disruptive and painful experiences seldom motivate to real change. Positive motivation is going much deeper. When we experience love, togetherness, bedding in society, cleanness, a basic income, support, freedom, and inner peace, we are more likely to make other decisions towards more love and more trust and less consuming behaviour.

But we need to face for sure the underlying fear and emptiness that feeds our consumer needs to see through these so called needs and to be more free of them. Then we can make the change to a cleaner, more caring world instead of being forced by negative confrontations which will activate only our defensive strategies, like Covid 19 is doing.

No I better not start farming.

Dealing with fear

There is a need to learn people to deal with fear. Fear is such a nasty emotion. It needs guidance to be able not to run away for it. There is need for a life coach who faced his own fears and is able not to believe them but calm them, because otherwise panic will hit you hard.

Flying is safe
My home in Mwanza is very safe
Tanzania is safe
A nature safari with coaching is safe

As long as we take good care of ourselves and protect ourselves

WE HAVE COME TO KNOW THE MANY WEAK POINTS OF COVID 19.
SO GET OUT OF YOUR SHELTERS AND START BEING THE CHANGE YOU NEED TO SEE IN THE WORLD.

Karibu Tanzania!