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VA LOAN INFORMATION and VETERANS' MORTGAGES  KATRINA & THE LOST CITY OF NEW ORLEANS by Rod Amis
New Orleans is the Lost City of America.A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Fund. The cooks, servers and restaurant workers of New Orleans have provided fabulous times and memories for millions. Now we must remember them in their time of need.
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Jackson, Mississippi, USA - Mid-life crisis occurs between ages 35- 45. But it varies, depending on one's experiences and perspectives on life. There however seems to be a consensus that most people go through the mid-life crisis. For women, the mid-life crisis is triggered by the realization that their window of opportunity to be a mother is closing, permanently. For men, the biological evidence may not be there, except love for sports cars and "straying away." Mid-life crisis affects men more than women, I believe.
X.N. Iraki People experiencing midlife crisis, report an increase in discontent, often finding little joy and happiness in what they used to do earlier in life. They want new adventures, new experiences and new careers. They start questioning life, its purpose and whether they lived their life the right way. This is tied with identity crisis; they wonder who they are and where they are going in life? One is torn between the future and the past.
With major accomplishment in life, already in their docket from education to career and family; many wonder what else there is in life. Some react to this crisis in unique ways. Some marry a second wife or divorce the older one. Others develop new interests that ensure the "spark' in their lives continues shining. A few become reckless, attempting to relive their lives in a new way. Why else is AIDS such a crisis?
Since Kenya is in the same age bracket, could the country be experiencing her mid-life crisis?
Look at the way the country is discontented. Yet, we have never had a major crisis like a war or hurricane in the last 40 years. Maybe this continuous peace and stability has bred complacency, the way children of the rich become discontented for lack of ch allenge. Why else are drugs such a menace to the rich and the famous?
It seems the country is finding little joy in activities it used to enjoy. When did Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards last clash in their epic battles? Why are we losing in athletics of all places? Why did we let go Safari Rally? When did we last have a great musician like Fadhili Williams? We are apparently not sure of ourselves and our aspirations. For example, one day we say Provincial Administration must go. The next day, we say, no, it must stay.
This discontent is being expressed through the yes and no debates. Even politicians, after getting all the money are discontented.
In mid-life crisis, most people want to be young again, and possibly make demands similar to those of the adolescents, based on emotions. Even in the spiritual realm, new churches are coming up everyday; all trying to give us a deeper meaning often by appealing to our fears and emptiness.
Kenyans want new adventures, the reason we want a new constitution, though at times we may not be sure what is wrong with the old one. We want new experiences, like referendums, and new careers, like the prime ministership.
We have started questioning our nationhood and the direction we are taking. Tribal alliances are emerging as we jockey for positions in the new political dispensation. Yes, we are trying to become young again, when we talked as tribes not as a nation! We are not sure whether to owe our allegiance to the tribe or the nation. We are torn between the past and the future.
Where do we go from here?
Mid life crisis, like any other crisis, is either resolved or overwhelms the individual. Some people go for counseling from those who have been through it. Women come to terms with the reality that some day they will have no more children, perhaps the reason grandmothers are so kind to kids.
For men, there is a realization that the past is gone and past mistakes cannot be unmade. Those who resolve the midlife crisis, live the rest of their lives in confidence, offering counsel and reaching out to the next generation through education and volunteering. Some ensure that their lifelong achievements will outlive them.
Some other people become reckless in their bid to reverse history; they marry a second wife, divorce or get a mistress. They satisfy their short term goals, but the fundamental meaninglessness in their lives lingers. A few turn to religion.
What of Kenya?
We must outgrow this crisis. We cannot afford to be "young" again. One way out of this crisis is come up with superordinate goals that will pull us together. Americans in the 1930s fought against the Great Depression, they did the same in World War II and, after the identity crisis of the 1960s, went to the moon.
What are our national goals? What is the next pre-occupation after the constitution? We have not really defined what we want for this country; no wonder party manifestos are so similar. It seems no one wants to come up with such goals for fear of being challenged to fulfill them. Yet, we need such goals which our leaders should ceaselessly articulate.
We also need new experiences, in every sector. In education, we need to come to terms with biotechnology, wireless technology and other new ideas; not just at the University level, but down to elementary school.
In health, we have yet to ensure health for everyone; our roads are still for a by-gone era; water is still a precious liquid, and; hybrid cars are still not common on our roads. Such changes will provide the country with enough new careers and adventures. As we preoccupy ourselves with such noble goals, we shall out do poverty, tribalism and other evils that afflict our young nation.
If we get new goals, and get ready to fold our sleeves and work towards them, we shall emerge a proud nation unscathed by mid-life crisis. We shall emerge as an economic and cultural power, the Swahili Tiger.
Kenyans will stand tall and look into the future with confidence. Phrases like "the good old days" will be retired. For that to happen, we must shed all our pretenses, stop dying our hair and accept that time waits for no man. We have wasted enough time politicking, it is the time we faced the moment of truth, like all those who go through the mid-life crisis.
X N Iraki, a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi's Faculty of Commerce is Currently a Fulbright Scholar in Mississippi.
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