Talent Verses Hardwork

Introduction

There is ongoing debate on talent verses hardwork, in terms of which of the two is best consider, explore, and grow to thrive in unpredictable economic times. The author shows why talent counts more than hardwork. However, in doing so, it is pertinent that the reader understands role of handwork in talent development. 

Talent is widely understood as natural endowment or acquired skill that facilitates exceptional performance on a given task. On the other hand, hardwork is consistent effort exerted on a given task to yield desired effect without necessarily considering quality outcomes and time span. Rather, it is result-focused. 

Talent comes with skills for doing work, including the ability to accomplish tasks in the fastest time possible to achieve quality outcomes. Hardwork without any skill is effortless, frustrating, and stressful. It has far-reaching psychological implications, including burnout, depression, and psychopathic behaviours. 

On the other hand, application of talent is hardwork applied to consistently explore, discover one's potential, and gain exposure to realize it, which are more strategic and well-intentioned actions to succeed. It is, then, about how much effort one puts in that makes the difference, even when everyone has the talent to perform a similar task. Below are justifications for talent on one hand and hardwork.

Why talent counts more than hardwork

Success is made possible through application of talent on a given by task. This does not necessarily mean working so hard, but offering the best one can to achieve success. Talent involves the critical thinking, planning, skill formation, and testing before valuation and introduction to the market. 

Further, formal management structures are formed to provide leadership and organize resources in processing tasks, assessing needs, sourcing tools and efficiently applying them to achieve set goals.

Without brain power, a person may work hard without changing the situation he or she may very much want to change. 

Typically, hardwork is a measure set by society rather than the individual concerned, which undermines own values, beliefs, and special qualities about the person. 

Again, this causes unnecessary anxiety, stress, depression and abscondment from duty.

Eventually, no one will be interested in work and growth anymore, even when naturally obliged to meet social obligations. Of course, an end to this is failure, until confidence and hope runs out. But, this is not the life we all dream of, and work hard for. It can be reiterated that hard work does not mean favourable outcomes. This calls for extraordinary skills to escape the misery, transform the unfavorable status quo and attain skills and performance measures needed to prosper. 

The opportunity to develop skills is available from 1 year of age under supervision, until 16 when skills develop, and 24 years when maturity, proper personal, and self-organization are well demonstrated. 

Otherwise, a child or teenager maybe tuned to work very hard on concerns that yield nothing, because of absence of planning skills, organization abilities and leadership qualities, which are specific talents some individuals may not have or may have had no opportunity to develop them. 

Current work environment attract presence and keeping busy at work stations without concern of outcomes; quality of work, productivity, and relevance to development plans. 

Exceptional performance through talent shows and skillful accomplishments count most in driving success home. In such circumstances, people with talents are most preferred and bound to benefit from the limited resources the country and the world can offer. 

Working hard is meaningful if applied with skill or talent. But talent development occurs as a result of skillful hardwork. It is never by accident that a person has shown specific talent. He or she must have demonstrated the known talent very consistently over a decade of time. 

Hardwork is never in vain once sandwiched with talent. Talents reduce friction encountered during hard labour and comes with results or rewards. This kind of hardwork is most meaningful. 

A talented person is able to see opportunities available, develop interest, demonstrate passion, openness to taking on chances, strong desire and enthusiasm while performing tasks before him or her. These are key ingredients in successful end of hardwork. In fact, hardwork is "softwork" upon application of talent during performances. Therefore, with hardwork at the core of driving one's talent, very successful ends are predictable.

A case for hardwork

"Hardwork pays" is a popular saying across cultures and a motivational slogan for learners in primary, secondary, post-secondary and higher education levels. It is encouraged and rewarded through competitive group activities. It motivates everyone to work hard and be the best or nearest to them. The weak ones begin to think and act as the strong counterparts act, the strong endure, and the successful ones to sustain great performances. 

Hardwork determines how much and how better a worker can manifest himself or herself to be alongside others with same attributes in terms of how successful they are and can be. For example, in a football league, each team player is talented well enough and capable of winning a match-day contest, but the amount of hardwork exhibited by the teams may vary, and so are the performances, results, and rewards. Hardwork is such indispensable feature in skillful pursuit for success, despite performers' possession of talents associated with their work.

Conclusion and recommendation

Talent superceded hardwork because it is developed through consistent hardwork, rather than by only hardwork. It is powered by the Brain; there is critical thinking, critical planning activities, organization of and application of right tools to achieve a given goal. 

On the note, talent clears any obstacles faced during performances such that perceived hardwork becomes "softwork. Therefore, there is need to focus on developing talents since it encompasses application of hardwork to achieve predictable success. This turns hardwork into "softwork".

Is It Surprising for Pastor Aloysious Bugingo To Burn Bibles?

So Bugingo accuses bibles and sets hell of fire on them for carrying the word 'Ghost' (holy ghost)? Was it the best action to take? Wouldn't he first consult with publishers on what they meant, whether language was his problem and better or local interpretations could be done?

Well, it is a matter of meanings people constantly form and have about the words - ghost and spirit. Did Bugingo try to derive their meanings in his very language to tell the differences better?

Really, it is a subjective matter as to whether ghost is the one negative of the two. While objectively both spirit and ghost are not bad until the physical being shows it or one uses either for evil/wicked or bad intentions and related outcomes, or sensed so.

Bugingo finds 'Ghost' worse word for his senses than spirit, or rather worst. Spirit or Ghost cannot be bad until showed/stamped on the surface or from our experiences as bad. Are these what the marriage of the words - Spirit and Ghost meant for Bugingo?

His subconscious has to be analysed for experiences of these words, whether 'Ghost' was more scary inference than 'Spirit' whilst growing up, and that he has never come to terms with it. And that, now he prefers usage of the word ''Spirit' to 'Ghost' as a consequence.

Unfortunately or fortunately we have no pastors to pastors, and there are no regulatory tools over what they do. When you hear about Kibwetere and other cult stories, you see a lot from what Ugandan pastors and others around Africa or elsewhere do.

Without tested values or history and structures, systems of evaluation, guidelines, supervision, we are bound to see many surprises from them. They are like unguided missiles, of course potentially dangerous. They receive people who have mainly lost control of themselves, and need help or are seeking pleasures talked of or promised by the likes of pastors.

While the conditions at the churches has optimism at the center of the relationship between church owners and goers, their secret plans manoeuvres can never be said until they surface. Now, these two combined - the unguided missile and desperate yet unsuspecting people seeking real help, it is simply chaotic.

Some lowly voices always say that sticking to traditional Churches gives more psychological security than jumping into new "rootless" churches, with foundations supported by merely an individual, so-called pastor, practically responsible to no body. It is a time bomb that we have to be aware of.

Hunger and Food Security: Our View...

Mutebi Eddie
 Union of Community Development Volunteers
P.O. BOX 35792,
KAMPALA – UGANDA
+256 414 690 897/ +256 782 713 500
ucdvolunteers@yahoo.com

Hunger and malnutrition are said to be the number one health threat worldwide. Fatality-wise World Food Program (WFP) rates it higher than HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis –combined. There are numerous causes of hunger that can be told. WFP suggests the following key causes: conflict, poverty, poor agricultural infrastructure and overexploitation of the environment. 

Besides, there is silent hunger characterized by micronutrient deficiencies –which make people susceptible to infectious diseases, impair physical and mental development, reduce labor productivity, and increase the risk of premature deaths. Estimates from WFP show 925 million people under-malnourished. In Uganda WFP has done well to better the hunger situation in north eastern region (Karamoja) by extending assistance to families in form of nutritional supplements and education. 

Reports show 1 of every 6 children born with low birth rate due to under-malnutrition among pregnant women in developing countries. The trends threaten survival of the human race. The government of Uganda set up parallel programs for poverty alleviation, environment protection, and pacification of violent-prone regions. Among them are the Poverty eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA), National Forestry Authority (NFA), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) supported by a series of NGOs which monitor and partner with them. 

The Hunger situation is however still huge, mostly affected by corruption, double standards showed by government on efforts to conserve the environment and limited budget allocation to agricultural sector (not more than 5%). As the population grows (now at 31 million) with increased unemployment and subsequent poverty levels and at 1.2 growth rate every year, social and life systems will continue to suffer. Already unemployment of the youth has been placed at 83% by the new African Development Indicator report. This creates a cycle of negligent, violence (or civil strife), disease, ignorance, poverty and back to hunger. Amidst such human evils Marxist tendencies could evolve as a means to fight hunger and search for human dignity (access to jobs, enabling fiscal policies, and accountability systems) –a situation similar to the 2011 revolutions outbreak in the Arab World. 

Yet by the time it reached national and global movement families and social ties had been broken through negligent and neglect of social obligations and encroaching on private or environmentally inhabitable areas. It is always likely that the starving people will indeed use violence and other unethical means to find food while in turn private owners turn to the same tool to defend their wealth (or land and plantations). 

The Union of Community Development Volunteers has been at the forefront of interventions aimed at transforming lives of most in-need and marginalized communities through agro-forestry with special emphasis of previous extinct locally shriving species, biodiversity development, ecosystems development and eco-tourism, environment and biodiversity conservation (all under the scope of environment protection), vulnerable children care and education with emphasis that they are nurtured in cultures and communities we find them among, safe-water access, partnerships, advocacy and volunteerism –using the youth as the agents of change. The youth actions do not only positively impact the communities they work among but themselves, as well. The millennium development goals stipulate the need to halve hunger by 2015 as most top agenda. 

Despite efforts to address rising hunger, it continues to paralyze human security. Malnutrition affects 32.5% of children in developing countries –negatively affecting both their physical and mental development. Them, pregnant women, disabled and elderly are most at risk. It can be noted from reports issued by international organizations that war, population growth (at 31 million) and poverty (with 37% below poverty line), poor development support infrastructure, climate change and poor agricultural attitudes are primary agents of hunger. As a result an estimated 600,000 Ugandans have already become food insecure. Vulnerability to illnesses and death turns out to be the most imminent situation as food and psychological insecurity breeds violence (including domestic and social strife) –a vehicle to the already menacing hunger. Hunger as a credible cause of social disruption and a product of decision-making ills and socio-economic mishaps needs redress. 

The diminishing cultural solidarity and leadership, the dying sense of community, de-culturalisation and language extinction due to socioeconomic and political dominance of other communities and cultures, who take central roles from, and interest from governments and have done so since the colonial era. As a consequence, they got compromised to abandon what is their own and disguise for something else in order to be considered for the share of national resources. 

The lack of political participation and economic share cause so many other miseries, including poverty, ignorance, and disease. While attempting to deal with the long-term structural problems, UCDV thus took the responsibility to itself to alleviate health concerns through safe-water access, ignorance through education access for vulnerable children, and food security through youth employment access and environment protection while dealing with the structural problems through advocacy, volunteerism and partnership development.

LUSOGA LANGUAGE CONCERN: RESTORING LUSOGA PURITY FOR COMMUNITY WELLBEING

BY 

WAISWA JACOB

 PEACE CENTER, 

MAKERERE-UNIVERSITY 

Language is a cognitive device used for interaction among a specific group of users. It is a symbol of cultural belonging marked by geographical area and a considerable membership size. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRA) understood minority languages as a vehicle for cultural identity.  Attempting to erode the language, threatens the users.

Linguists estimate put the numbers of languages spoken in the world today at 7000.  Most spoken languages recorded as of 2001 were Chinese, Hindu, English, Bengali, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, and German. Those were only less than 1% of languages spoken. But their speakers comprised of a half the global population. UNESCO’s 2001 World Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger revealed a half of the languages spoken being so while scholars hint at 90%.

The several years of slavery and colonial rule commenced the extinction of languages. Whereas the elimination of indigenous languages began as a forceful process, in recent time, it has been more gentle yet effective. International media (most culpable being the movie industry and the internet) has done it all to meet the damage. Countries like conservative Arab states, China and Russia are a hand full that have struggled over the years to save their language and culture, where usage of the indigenous language is not only prestigious, but a way for anyone (including foreigners) to succeed there. As a result they are forced to learn them. Concerned authors have revealed that more than a half of the languages could be extinct by the end of the century, and many might not last 2050.

Languages thrived handsomely in the oral era of knowledge transfer, weakened with the introduction of writing and other technologies of language conservation. It has been the mainstream languages known for having come first into contact with the foreign visitors that have attempted to utilize new technologies of language conservation. The second and third largest languages as often graded were kept behind the innovations as the custodians of the original dialects died away due to age and disease.

The new generations that came assumed blurred identities that they could neither explain nor defend. Many years to come are viewed along the same trend. Instead, they are consumed by the most dominant urban languages –some of which dictate career success. The Unites Nations, through its agency the UNESCO promoted among other things the conservation of languages, but this has to be supported by the people themselves through advocacy programs. According to the CLRA, promoting minority languages covered addressing economic and political rights through critical planning and development of trans-boarder projects.

In Uganda, Lusoga is among the languages whose dialects are gradually disappearing due to the adverse impact of tribal invasions, colonial rule and globalization. At present, there are three known dialects within Lusoga. Some observers may call them a grouping of three (3) smaller languages, which could want to slip off the main and stand on their own. These are Lutenga, Lulamogi, and Lugwere (a mixture of Lusoga, Lulamogi and Lugisu).

Lusoga has lost originality overtime due to the culturally imposing neighboring tribes (e.g. Baganda, Banyoro, and Bagisu), very weak cultural leadership, uncompromising education curriculum, unchecked globalization negativities, and the huge generation gap.  That rendered the Lusoga language irrelevant in favor of competing yet dominant languages (Luganda, Lunyoro, Lugisu, and most recently Lungeleeza (English). With no or weak cultural leadership, huge generation and intellectual gap, there has since been no savior to revamp the one-way weakening Lusoga language. Only if the trend is reversed to move into the past to Lusoga originality shall it and the culture mean true to the ancestors and the creator.

The biggest motivation of any Lusoga language promotion group should be to increase pride among Lusoga-speaking people, and promote identity and usage –with emphasis on right usage. The prominence of Lusoga could attract tourists to learn more about it, or even stay longer to enjoy speaking it. Researchers too would find it relevant to their projects in their attempts to find out local names of organisms, medicines and ailments, as part of the undiscovered local knowledge worth selling out to the world. The Lusoga project will generate guidelines for conservation replicable to other languages and culture projects as well as be used as policies by national, regional and international bodies that strive to protect indigenous knowledge systems.

Social impact of such projects can be realized in many forms like the fact that they would resolve crises associated to cultural identity deficit among Lusoga-speaking people, which manifested themselves in lost morals, antisocial behavior, personality disorders and confusion –all of which can be serious social cost to both directly affected Lusoga-speaking individuals and the communities they live.

Social cohesion, order, and harmony that are much worked for as not only a point of peace realized social equilibrium, but a level entire humanity struggle everyday to attain.  Lusoga-speaking people will be empowered with the right dialects usable in Lusoga, enjoy it, and have the pride to use it wherever they are or they go. In the same breathe, the Lusoga-speaking people will be recognized and respected everywhere, and cause others (other language users) to like to identify with them or the language.

The project will provide employment to unemployed youth in the much anticipated tourist development in Lusoga-speaking region and increase revenue to both the local government and central government. Emancipate Lusoga-language users will have the time and space to nourish themselves with more knowledge about their language and culture and the motivation to promote it. Besides, they will have confidence and the urge to participate in the politics of their country, and defend their rich language and heritage before other powerfully eroding forces (e.g. globalization and foreign language influences). 

The project will recruit and train representational committees in places Lusoga-speaking people live twice a year by means of teleconferencing and annual conferences. Those trained, then go back to induct their electorates in all they would have learned. The management will be voted into power and serve a maximum of two terms in office.

Apart from their obligations pertaining to their positions, they will be charged with overseeing healthy functionality of committees wherever they will be. The committees will centrally advocate and network to share new information and sustain usage and coverage of the language at different administrative levels of the country and institutions of work or learning.

Initially, funds shall be sought from funding agencies in areas of culture, languages, research, and eco-tourism. In absence of external generated funds the project with embark of development of assets it owns into serious income-generating ones. For example, literature books, translation fees, stationery, publishing business, tourism guide fees, sales from artisan works, research and internship fees, and advertisements on project media. With all such input lost Lusoga dialects can be found.