Are You A Dream Builder, A Dream Chaser Or A Monkey Carrier?

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Opera house in Sydney, and the Empire state building in New York are unmistakable landmarks. They are amongst the marvellous edifices of our time. More importantly, they are the fulfilled dreams of the architects and owners behind them. They are the works of dream builders.

Las Vegas, Nevada is where one man, as the dream builder, put in place a haven for dream chasers. Everyone goes there to find luck, and yes, some do but many walk away much emptier than when they first set foot. And that's just as the dream builder prescribed it.

Dream building works in reverse. You first see the end product in your mind, then you set out to realise it, budgets and craftsmanship notwithstanding. Dream building from start to completion is the hallmark of a sedulous person.

Dream chasing happens in forward motion. You see a mirage ahead of you and you run faster toward the newfound water, only for you to realise that the phantom nature of your moving target requires that you reposition for it, yet again and again.

The monkey carrier, over time, has developed the stamina to carry either the dreams others have or the dream chasers themselves. The monkey carriers cannot function without builders and chasers. With a little praise and some free candy, the monkey carrier is too happy to keep his cargo handling role going.

The monkey carrier is often at a crossroads. Has he fallen from grace that he ports to survive, now that the energy to start all over again has escaped him, or is he a volunteer offering a free service to learn from a dream builder?

Many dream builders commenced as monkey carriers. If you are monkey carrying in Kenya, you must be careful to carry a builder and not a chaser lest you end up with an admirable body frame that muscles its way wastefully.

Lee Kuan Yew, is, probably the greatest dream builder of all time. Singapore, as we know it today, emerged from Lee's selfless dream for his people. He moved it from a third world outpost to a first world country within one generation. He sacrificed himself for the county's sake and ended up enjoying the fruits together with the citizenry.

In contrast, many leaders of Kuan Yew's time sacrificed the dreams of their citizens at the altar of greed and deception. A rich legacy raises a prosperous nation, but a greed-infested legacy breeds a poor nation and one full of lifelong monkey carriers. Many Kenyans never go to the gym because Kenya by itself is a big gym.

The heavy lifting is continuous, hence the phrase: kusukuma gurudumu la maisha. But the majority are smart carriers. The experience is not all in vain. Once bitten, twice shy.

We are witnessing a time where local problems have global solutions. That it is now possible for a jobless Kenyan to find work via freelancing sites is a great thing, a solution afforded us by a dream builder with no government ties. Gaming is now a big pass time. Kids are learning to earn through online games that have money-based incentives. And these are not gambling sites.

What will happen if the world provides for our youth dream building opportunities faster than the country and its leadership can?

These leaders might just find themselves trading roles with the electorate. The archaic leader will soon be in unfamiliar territory as a monkey carrier to the youth for he has outlived his time but still needs to eat. This is the fate that befell the muscular hunter-gatherer once the agrarian system took root. Suddenly, the macho man found himself relegated to a watchman at the gates of the less muscular but brainier farmer. From a hard-earned dream building podium slot for the family to a monkey carrying pre-front office role, guarding the forward-thinking.

The older folk now have plenty of experience with little use in today's world. Going back to school is the wise monkey carrying needed as we learn new and applicable skills and knowledge. It actually isn't going back to school because the one that you left never had today's essentials. So, you will be going to a new school, for learning must never stop.

The roles of the builder, chaser and carrier are interchangeable if one is not sedulous in their approach to life in the new world. If I may rephrase Jamnazi's song, we might understand things better: "uki zuba zuba, utapata kazi isio yako". " mjukuu amekuwa babu na babu amekuwa mjukuu". Reverse mentoring is now a growing industry.

So, in light of all these arguments, are you a dream builder, a dream chaser or a monkey carrier? Or, all the above? Be careful. We live in dynamic times.