Patrice Lumumba, His Golden Tooth and His Top Quotes.

On June 30, 2022, Sixty-one years after his death, a funeral was held in Kinshasa for the great man, Patrice Lumumba.

Patrice Lumumba was the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first post-independence leader. Sadly, only his tooth, the only remaining part of his body, was available for the his funeral.

His family only had his tooth returned by Belgian authorities. 

Lumumba was arrested and killed during a rebellion in Katanga.. His body was dissolved in acid but only his gold-capped tooth 'survived'.  This was kept as a memento by one of his killers.

Patrice Lumumba was the founder and leader of the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC). He was prominent in the fight for Congo's independence from Belgium. He was the first democratically elected leader of the country. 

7 Top Patrice Lumumba quotes

1. The only thing which we wanted for our country is the right to a worthy life, to dignity without pretence, to independence without restrictions. This was never the desire of the Belgian colonialists and their Western allies.

2. Political independence has no meaning if it is not accompanied by rapid economic and social development.

 3. A minimum of comfort is necessary for the practice of virtue.

4. Without dignity there is no liberty, without justice there is no dignity, and without independence there are no free men.

5. We know that Africa is neither French, nor British, nor American, nor Russian, that it is African. We know the objects of the West. Yesterday they divided us on the level of a tribe, clan and village…They want to create antagonistic blocs.

6. No one is perfect in this imperfect world.

7. The day will come when history will speak. But it will not be the history which will be taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington or the United Nations…Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity.

Where you stumble and fall, there you will find gold. – Joseph Campbell.

Gold is found in places away from plain sight.

found below the ground where easy wins are hard to have,

It's hard to find gold  when the going is smooth

but where you stumble and fall, there you will find gold.

"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis." —Margaret Bonanno

Life happens to you everyday,

So why postpone happiness to a future date.

That future date, tomorrow, may never come,

in its absence would be a reality of a chance lost,

but this chance wouldn't be lost, if we all understood that,

everyday is a blessing disguised as good or bad.

How to live a happy life (Things to learn from the Finnish people).

For five consecutive years, Finland has been number one the World Happiness Report's list. 

How's that possible in a country where cold weather is a perennial problem?

Apart from having working systems that guarantee a less stressful life (few other countries have too), they also have beliefs and habits that promote happy living.

Some of these beliefs and habits are;

People in Finland are encouraged to make nature their friend and teacher. The country's Everyman's Right says, "Hello,  enjoy the seaside and forest. Don't pay to do so, just  don't abuse this privilege."

They also  encourage each other to tell the truth about their feelings. They share their emotions freely and become strengthened by  the sense of oneness that comes with that. This habit reduces the chances of early death associated with social disconnectedness. 

Culturally, the Finnish people create plenty time to get away from work and relax in the company of family and friends. There seemwd to be this unspoken understanding that happiness doesn't come from how much that is accumulated but from personal contentment.

This personal contentment could be summed up in the following words; happiness is found in living everyday to enjoy the special gifts of trusting family, real friends and beautiful nature. Every other good thing is a bonus.

Bottom line, you've to continuously remind yourself that happiness lives within you. It's not derived from any material thing acquired. 

L.M. Montgomery - Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?

Yet another mistake? This time, one too many?

Well, you can start again, yes from the beginning.

Don't be scared, winners don't ever quit;

Many mistakes force winners to go back to the drawing board,

to learn, know better and look forward

to tomorrow, a new day, a clean slate

without mistakes yet. So don't ever be scared to start again.

You want to stop worrying? Apply the Circle of Control Concept.

How many times in your life have you been in a hopeless situation where you felt confused and helpless? Many times, right?

Yes!  Can you remember the number of times you've lost control to worrying? You can'

Did you ever get yourself out of any of those situations either by worrying or by trying to influence things which totally out of your control? I don't think so.

Next time you find yourself in such a situation, do this. 

Instead of worrying about conditions you have little or no control over, give all your energy, time and other resources you own, to things you can influence and control. In other words, focus on the circle of control.

Where problems are, so also are opportunities to solve them and open doors to greater things and growth 

Focusing on the circle of control is a growth mindset that gives a clearer understanding of a problem, sharpens creativity and increases productivity.

So, in the midst of conditions or near hopeless situations, instead of caving in to worries and becoming trapped in the circle of concern, find out the possibilities you have and what you really have under your control.

My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them. - Jack Kerouac.

When you're trying to live your dreams and keep failing,

blame your failure on nothing except this;

Your inability to control your passions

because passion is the speed but control is the power.

You would want to do everything you know and you're told,

take all actions, good and bad, to make your dreams your own,

but when you ignore to look forward after every failure,

search everywhere before you choose somewhere,

you would keep going around in a circle

and your passion would never lead you anywhere, except to regrets.