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o much has been said about the modern youth, and so much
condemnation shall continue to be levelled at the idiosyncrasies of modern
youth. That they are the lost generation; that they are rebellious renegades of
societal norms; that they care least about education and disregard their own
future; that they are, if anything, victims of their juvenile delinquency
instinct which amounts to nothing but indulgence in all social ills.
Notwithstanding the above however, my recent visit to Lentswe Book Club (LBC) was quite a
unique experience. My brief was to go and share a book of my choice with that
young audience in Pampierstad. And, as an avid reader that was naturally a
savoury invite to accede to.
The first thing that impressed was the setting in the youth
centre. A fishbowl setting that was ideal for an informal laid back Sunday
afternoon conversation. Soon everyone was seated and at ease. Also, the size of
the venue was adequately filled with young minds. Yet, one could sense the mood
of subdued anticipation about what was on the cards.
Second, one noticed that there was a clear sense of good
practice and planning for such events. I was accordingly directed to a
particular spot to take my position. And soon two young leaders introduced
themselves to the house as the co-pilots of the proceedings. They were a gender
a piece. Equally, the presenters of the day were two: one from Mars and one
from Venus respectively. The mood was jovial and one could tell that these
folks were in their backyard by the way they were exchanging their utterances
tactfully without losing focus of the ball.
The book that I had chosen to share with the group was Power 2 Perform by Dr Tibane. That was
one of the numerous docs I had posted on my blog. While I was presenting I
could observe that everybody was very attending while some were taking notes at
intervals. I couldn’t wait to see how the group was going to respond to the
discourse afterwards.
How the young minds responded and interacted with the book was
admirable. The same way that a pack of hungry hyenas would attack and
disembowel a wounded gazelle, they tore the text to pieces unreservedly. They
were fearless, bold and very articulate with their views. Some pulled it to the
east; some pulled it to the west. And some reserved their views for later after
reading the book itself. The debate ranged from the book being too biased
because of its Christian orientation, to it being too simplistic to address the
real bread and butter issues affecting the poor masses.
The debate reached the pinnacle when the anchor of the group tactfully
steered the discussion to the opening tenet that posited that one must know
one’s purpose in life, and that one’s purpose in life takes precedence over
oneself. When the group was challenged directly as to why they were born that
proved to be a real gauntlet for everyone. They couldn’t agree to a single
view. The view that one’s purpose in life is more important than oneself did
not only raise a stern brow in the house, but called for a new conscientious
reflection.
On hindsight, however one could posit that one’s purpose in life
and one’s career choice are inextricably linked. And finding your true purpose
in life encapsulates the following variables:
1)
We are all born for a purpose, regardless
of our belief system
2)
One’s true purpose is not offered on
a silver platter, you must toil to ferret it out
3)
One’s purpose in life is linked to
one’s talent through which you are able to serve other fellow human beings
4)
Fulfilling your purpose in life
should enable you to make a decent living
5)
Living your purpose should assure
the individual of a deeper sense of inner peace and personal fulfilment.
Imagine the best chef, the best artist or the best athlete in
the world. They excel at what they do because they have discovered their
respective talents. But, not only that. They have invested time and resources
in harnessing their talents. And most importantly, they are passionate about
their works because it is fulfilling to them while at the same time they can
see how what they love doing adds value to other fellow human beings’ lives.
This might be a relatively new Book Club but who
said milk teeth do not bite as hard and sharp?; and who said the finest
scholars and opinion makers didn’t start from humble nurseries like this?
One of the significance of book clubs is that
these are organisations that have made the consumption of literature their core
business. A conscientious plunge in a cultural sea that shapes human
civilization. They don’t only smell and taste books. They also digest and
swallow those texts that matter. Is there a better way of reclaiming the reader’s
rightful position in modern literary discourse?; isn’t it book clubs like
Lentswe that could be instrumental in making every book a dynamic source of
human engagement and appraisal, while the author (in the process) becomes not
an automatic authority, but a side kick creator of the work of art?
In the absence of book clubs and literary
analysts, there is a danger that writers and other creators of works of art might
gain an automatic and untested acclaim in the expression of human perception
and experience. If left unchecked and unchallenged writers shall continue to
reign supreme as sole creators and sole custodians and authority of their
creation. And if that persists as a status quo, then literature as a phenomenon
might lose its essence as a work of art. A work of art once created and
circulated leaves the creator behind to find expression in the universe,
independent of the creator.
Every time a reader conscientiously takes a book
and every time he interacts and interrogates its circumstantial discourse, it
is an instance of textual rebirth. The reader becomes the creator who breathes
life into the text that only then becomes alive with a myriad of possibilities.
Therefore every time a book club invites a
speaker, it is an instance of accountability. The reader making the writer to
account for their...
By Segomelo I.K.
