I have always been attracted to challenges. I thrive on strife. I relish struggle.

Just over a year ago, I realized that contemporary society has become addicted to virtual social interaction. Online presence and its attendant side-effect of desiring validation through ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ from strangers and peers alike have replaced the bygone era of live social interaction.

The rebel in me was triggered.

I decided to set a Herculean goal for myself; going for a year without using mainstream social media. This seemingly insurmountable task (circa, ‘insurmountable’ by today’s standards) was predated by prior attempts, albeit, of shorter duration.

What was I doing during this period?

Well, I was living my life.

 I relocated from Zim (a country I so dearly love), went through the vicissitudes of ‘culture shock’ in a new nation (even while still in Africa, one may suffer from a significant ’culture shock’), spent a lot of time reading, observing, writing, reading some more, thinking, praying, meditating and above all, learning.

All the while, I was in isolation. I became a monk, as it were.

I learnt some valuable lessons during this blissful sojourn in the realm of solitude.

The first lesson I learnt was the value of DISCIPLINE.

Although I have always had a strong affinity with (not just an appreciation of) DISCIPLINE, its necessity in attaining any form of success was accentuated during and by my absence from social media.

Many a time, I was overwhelmed with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) but I endured. Is resisting temptation and staying true to one’s set goal not the very definition of discipline? Indeed!

Resist temptation and stick to the task at hand. That is the definition of DISCIPLINE. It is also the first step in achieving success and, eventually, greatness.

Allow me to conclude with a contemporary illustration.

The current “Gold Mafia” docu-series airing on Al Jazeera is an apt example.

If there is one lesson we need to take away from watching that incendiary but brilliant piece of journalism, it is that Zimbabwe lacks DISCIPLINE. The political term is “corruption”, but in my humble view, it is much simpler than that.

As Zimbabweans, we have an epidemic of deficiency of DISCIPLINE across all strata of society, and that is why we are in this mess. If we, as a nation, want to get rid of “corruption”, then we, as a people, need to restore DISCIPLINE at the individual level.

Leaders are a representation of the led. An elected thief comes from a thieving electorate.

A bitter pill to swallow, but remember, there is no snow in Zimbabwe, so please, don’t be a snowflake.