UNDERSTANDING DEVELOPMENT: IS IT NOT A MULTIFACETED THING?

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com


Development is widely defined as the quantitative and qualitative increase of goods and serves over a given period of time. It characterizes both periods of abundance and improved welfare and/or standards of living. At that time people would probably complain less and so would be the talk of harmony, peace and stability.

Development too could entail the natural, evolutionary cycle of human beings go through mentally, physically and emotionally, which characterizes specific changes in different periods of time. For example; 0 to 3 years, 4 to 13 years, 14 to 20, 20 to 50 and 50 onwards -could show different events in a person’s long his or her development path. Some people could go through the entire cycle successfully, while others not –depending on several scientific or medical explanations reached after comprehensive analysis of a given developmental disorder or problem.

Depending on the dimension one presents him self in, he or she should be ready to tell us -as to what extent have the successes been. The cultured ones could, for example, talk of cultural development rather than its degeneration. The politicians could, on the other hand, most likely, think of political development -mainly about how long they have stayed in power and the many years to come -celebrating comfortable status quo. And so would be the economists, medical personnel, religious leaders among others –in their attempt to measure success and attain it as by their sector missions.

Here, thus, is a revelation that sub-systems interact within a system in a given period of time, and positive trends observed or felt –showing progressive shifts from one positive step to a more advanced one. The sub-systems would tend to work at equal efforts towards change, where in absence of any part, progress would stall, turn slower.

Of course these sub-systems could be natural by their existence such that they evolve into something strange again and again, especially if one was not involved and keenly observed such changes as he or she ensured checks and balances. Lack of human involvement and extreme aggression tendencies could break the balance, and at an increased likelihood, lead to a disaster –as part of system break down.

Indeed, unless equal effort was placed about a human and/or ecological challenges, problems like un-balanced development-led violence or unequal amount of influence-led aggression-potency, human aggression-led famine and drought, religious and cultural break down-led out-of-control immorality etcetera.

Understandably, development, as well, could be viewed in terms of perceptually different out-looks considerable as indicators of development and positive strides taken over time along specifics and/or specialized schemes people often form. We would then be required to divide the resultants of people’s quests by the nature of effort incurred.

It is important to note that some people could develop poor philosophies, dangerous beliefs, self-defeating principles and anti-development ideas –while others form positively rewarding values and ethics of work applicable to achieving positive development.

Any misjudgment in the areas of decision and policy making could, as a consequence, lead to misery in different forms. For example; extremism-related violence, socio-economic structural break-down, positive cultural and moral erosion, population explosion-led scarcities, environmental pollution and out-of control pandemics.

Using words likes intellectual poverty and behavioral poverty –as used by renowned authors like Professor John C. Munene, would not only explain development paralysis but also help summarize all about the relationship between specific perceptions and development.

Looking at the basics that determine welfare like having positive attitude to development (as could have been learnt from fore-fathers or inherited), successes attained against poverty, social support (richly obtainable from health family relations, friends, and international partnerships), social services and infrastructure (including provision of clean water, health services, good transport networks etcetera), and pro-people legislations and policies (that empowers people with practical knowledge and skills through education and/or vocational training): development challenges could be managed.

In bid to address key development problems, important steps determined by policy analysts could be taken -to ensure human and ecological security or survival. Research, for instance, would be an important area that could be exploitable to help solve human and ecological problems and as a basis for policy formulation processes.

Besides, promotion of education has been linked by several authors as one way to delay marriages and subsequently early or unwanted pregnancies. Real education would also help dissolve self-destructive cultures for the better ones. Unfortunately, some people do waste a considerable number of years in schools and colleges without ever learning anything –mush as they might have scored highly in tests and exams.

As the saying would go, “an educated fool could be harder to transform than the uneducated.” They (uneducated fools), surely, could be a source of lasting underdevelopment firstly to themselves, and later, to the community. Definitely, such elements should never be given attention and room to stand in the way of development.

Much though the communities approach to development could hardly leave them behind. World over people are complaining of high food prices and recession. If these were held concerns under communities approach to development, probably, the population pressure-led land conflicts, environmental and reproductive health problems would be checked.

But poverty could limit one’s ambitions like attainment high education. This too could be addressed through initiatives as upgrading farming systems, repairing roads for market accessibility and expanding vocational and entrepreneurship training for those who need it. Meanwhile, it would be injustice to leave out the vulnerable or special needs category. National resources and planning authority must consider them. And of course, gender-wise, mutual respect should be the rule.

In any intervention by development planners, government and non-government organizations, a community (ies) approach would be best used -without biases linked political inclinations, tribe, sex or race. Community problems –be it at international level could be addressed concertedly to get comprehensive results. People or countries, whether small or big must, thus, be mobilized against development distracters in the name of anti-development people, diseases, ignorance and poverty.

In addition, policies and legislations must be development-friendly, while sustainability at every developmental step gets taken as a value -in order to create a human-ecological balance for future generation to survive. In fact, man must co-exist with natural environment, while ensuring, concern, understanding, responsibility and particularly renewability of resources under utilization.

Community participation and mobilization should, therefore, not serve as merely vehicle for political support and individual achievement. Instead, be understood as multifaceted lines of engagement that may have to do with economic development, socio-cultural development, health human and environment sustainable interaction determined by choice and decision making.