Nature Within Us

​ A Rwandan reflection on access, competence, technology and the responsibility to prepare the next generation Education is one of humanity’s greatest instruments of freedom. It enables a child to read the world, a farmer to improve production, a nurse to protect life, an entrepreneur to build livelihoods and a citizen to participate intelligently in society. Rwanda’s expansion of education is therefore a national achievement worth defending. Yet every successful system must be brave enough to examine its unintended consequences. When access expands faster than learning, when certificates become more valuable than competence, and when education trains people mainly to seek scarce salaried positions, schooling can reproduce the poverty it was intended to defeat. This is not an argument against education, modernisation or public policy. It is an invitation to ask a more demanding question: What kind of person does our education system produce? Rwanda’s long educational journey Rwand...

There is a bond that existed before friendship, before school, before careers, and before society taught us how to compare ourselves with one another. It is the bond between siblings—the people who came from the same womb, were raised under the same roof, or learned life from the same mother. Yet today, many of these bonds are breaking. Differences are creating distance between close friends, classmates, workmates, neighbours, and relatives. The people who once knew everything about us now sometimes feel farther away than strangers. History gives us beautiful memories, but it can also leave painful wounds—especially when the hurt comes from someone we trusted. We see family members fighting over property, money, status, or misunderstandings. We see best friends at work begin competing, undermining, and hunting one another. We see former neighbours—people who once raised, protected, fed, and cared for everyone’s children—eventually pass one another like strangers. In some extended f...

Normalize what is normal  We often judge people by what they do, but rarely pause to understand what they may be feeling. We call someone rude because they spoke harshly. We describe another person as lazy because they failed to complete a task. We may see someone as arrogant because they refused advice, weak because they cried, or difficult because they became defensive. But human behavior is rarely the whole story. It is often only the visible expression of something deeper. Behind anger, there may be fear. Behind silence, there may be sadness. Behind control, there may be insecurity. Behind withdrawal, there may be disappointment. Behind impatience, there may be exhaustion. Behind a smile, there may even be hidden pain. Understanding this does not mean that every behavior should be accepted. Harmful behavior must still be addressed, and people must remain accountable for their actions. However, if we want to communicate better, lead wisely and build healthier relationsh...