By XN Iraki
What do Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Manu Chandaria have in common? Most people will quickly point out they are heroes in their own countries and beyond.
But another string ties them together; they are very ordinary. Both defy the conventional definition of a successful person, high-flyer; have no time for hoi polloi, well dressed, lives in certain residences and so on.
Mahatma Gandhi dressed in simple loins and sandals. Mandela was one time criticized for wearing Mandela shirts instead of three-piece suits. Manu is very ordinary. Yet some firms forbid workers from wearing sandals and MPs have been thrown out of our August house for being improperly dressed.
Most people do all they can to avoid being ordinary. They borrow money to buy new attire, shift to unaffordable residences or simply live beyond their means. Some argue there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be different; that is what drives the economy because of the demands that goes with such aspiration-partly true. The conventional truth is that you are more likely to be more successful if you are ordinary. First, you are more likely to be realistic. You will easily know your limits, your strengths and weaknesses. Think of the number of contestants in the last general election who got less than a 100 notes in their quest to graduate from being ordinary.
Two being ordinary lightens the burden of expectations from the invisible public. Such expectations have often crashed some people. Why else have lots of music or movie stars and other economically successful people ended up in drugs or early deaths? Three, being ordinary ensures that you can connect with most people, majority are ordinary. Ever noticed that the most successful businessmen, leaders, preachers and even professionals tend to be very ordinary or came from very ordinary roots? They can identify with most customers including churchgoers.
Four, being ordinary allows you to save and invest; you do not need to show off to an audience that does not care. You are likely to think of what really matters not what is defined as important by the media or the peers. Why buy a TV for one million instead of a plot or stocks? Why hire tutors for your kids when you can teach them how to learn themselves?
Some of the richest Kenyans are unknown; they luck in our midst, taking matatus to work, never wearing suits, and never frequent five-star hotels. Five, being ordinary gives you a chance to soberly reflect on the great questions of live, from why we are on this planet and our responsibility to the current and future generations.
It is our quest not to be ordinary that has driven corruption industry and led many to grieve despite being ‘successful’ as conventionally defined.
We could argue boldly that one major reason why we have not produced our Mandelas, Gandhis and Bill Gates is because our culture is about being extra ordinary; call it coolness or having swag. That has distorted our reality at both national and individual level.
It is no wonder most national and individual problems have been neglected as we aspire not be ordinary, at the expense of the ordinary...
—The writer is a lecturer, University of Nairobi School of Business. Email: xniraki@gmail.com
