What can Zimbabwe learn from Boston Marathon 2019

This year, I was fortunate enough to be in Boston, Massachusetts for the famous Boston Marathon on Patriots day. I was inspired by the boys and girls from the motherland who were raising their respective country's flags hire. I could not help but shed a tear of joy watching Worknesh Degefa seemingly lonely and lost in front of the crowd.

Every commentator thought she would not make it but as she passed the 26-mile peg and started waving to the crowd, you could hear commentators' expression of disbelief. This is a grueling race that see some people complete it by crawling to the finish line, yet this lady looked like she could go further.

Even the male winner, Manuela Schaer of Kenya, needed support to stay on his two feet. It was quite a site for me. My mind started racing and for some reason started thinking about American University mottos that I have been looking at. Don't ask me why but one that came to mind was the motto of Stanford University, "Die Luft der Freiheit weht." "The wind of freedom blows."

At the race, I learned that there are so many marathons happening per year throughout the world, Paris, Uganda, London, New York etc. And at the Boston Marathon, I learned that the races are divided into categories; some join it for competitiveness, some for fitness, yet some to raise money for charity.

I keep on think to myself, "The wind of freedom blows." What bothered me most was, "Why does this wind of freedom blow to Zimbabwe?" I found out that the Kenyan team was mostly comprised of a small tribe called Kalenjin. The Kalenjin tribe practices are very similar to the VaRemba in Zimbabwe. It is almost like there the same tribe separated by geographic boundaries and yet the wind of freedom has not reached Zimbabwe.

I heard that these Kenyans practiced in mountains; facing hard obstacles yet this did not help me: Zimbabwe has the biggest mountain per capita in Southern Africa. Why are there no young Zimbabwean people motivated to take it to the tracks? Are they waiting for the government to create mountain camps and pay them to run?

Let me be a messenger of brunt news to you. Zimbabweans are very comfortable people. I will say without hesitation that 90 percent of Zimbabweans today do not endure hardships; cars, food, houses, information, are all readily available and affordable. There is a race to the top the easier way. No more need for mental toughness - mental toughness is a skill not something you are born with. Mental toughness can only be developed and expanded. If we continue to sit and wait for the government for everything then there is only one way to perish land.

As I mentioned earlier, the Boston Marathon participants showed up for different reasons. In the same spirit, Zimbabweans must engage in whatever discipline that inspires them. The game of life is pushing yourself beyond ordinary limits. Do what no one is willing to do and clear all the obstacles in your life.

What we need is to get the government out of our bedrooms. As Ronald Reagan once said, "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem."

Wait for the government and perish or give it your all best and achieve greatness.