If you are in control, actions and calmness speak louder than you

Businesswoman giving a presentation. [GettyImages]

In classical political traditions, calmness was the highest form of power. This alphabet does not change. Measured speech signals control. You do not have to scream if you are in control. Your actions will speak louder than any words. Yet, has Kenya inverted this tradition?

 In Kenya, shouting signals “importance.” Silence suggests “weakness.” The sober measured politician who speaks with aplomb is mistaken for “lacking a message.” There is dangerous confusion in this Tower of Babel. Babel thinks that excessive verbal energy is eloquence and legitimacy.