Society Thrives On Its Ability to Honour Everyday Heroes

In a few hours’ time, the world marathon record holder Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge will be at it again in Vienna, Austria, this time in a bid to break the two hour barrier in a much publicised race that has been dubbed the INEOS 1:59 challenge.

This race has elicited a lot of interest from all and sundry across the globe with billions anxiously waiting to see what the human will and body can withstand when pushed to the limit.

At the same time, it has not escaped most Kenyans that some corporates have seen it fit to take a bite off the legend and some have lined up a bounty of gifts for him as others have even gone as far as doodling his name as part of their brand visual story telling.

Not a problem if you ask me. Let the hardworking brother make hay while the sun shines.

Personally, it matters little whether Eliud Kipchoge will run under the two hour mark or not.

Surrounded by the best team any athlete would wish for in terms of technical and moral support, and coupled with his incredible self-discipline and mental strength, there’s every likelihood that he will deliver.

And though there are some negative voices coming from some quarters that he won’t hack it, what will matter in the end is that he did his best in attempting to make this giant leap for mankind.

Indifference to our everyday heroes

It’s not every day that you come across the likes of Eliud Kipchoge who capture the word’s imagination by accomplishing seemingly improbable feats.

What seems to be missing from the very character of our nationhood is the lack of a similar affectionate regard for everyday heroes.

There are thousands of ordinary people who may not possess specialised talents or abilities but who when circumstances demand will selflessly help those in dire need.

These ordinary folks are the ones  who make the difference for the majority in society. They could be anyone, including you and me.

Since we are products of our personal experiences, socialisation and upbringing, sometimes the impulse to help is numbed by what should otherwise be inspiring us.

Whenever there is a situation eliciting emergency response, the first people on the scene are more often than not looters who will ransack the premises, for instance, like some military personnel infamously did at the Westgate Mall during the terrorist attack.

Others will be seen helping themselves off the poor victims’ personal effects at an accident scene before according any help.

I shudder at the thought of the number of trained medical practitioners who ignore victims in accident scenes due to this selfish behaviour.

That said, we really need to make kindness and selflessness the height of humanity like other progressive societies have painlessly cultivated.

Were it not for the quick thinking by the Paris Spiderman, Malian Mamoudou Gassamain scaling a four storey building to save a toddler who was dangling dangerously from the building, the story would have most probably ended up differently.

But look at the rewards the young man got – French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would be made a naturalised citizen, and gave him a medal for courage. The mayor of Paris did the same, and the city's fire fighters went on to offer him an internship. 

His exploits have also been heralded in song, by the singer  Saga Loveina in a song titled, “L'araignée Noire” (The Black Spider).

To cap it all, Mamoudou was even handed a humanitarian prize at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards in Los Angeles alongside celebrities such as Beyoncé and the cast of the movie Black Panther.

This is how the selfless deeds of everyday heroes ought to be pronounced in order to inspire others to look out for one another.

The culture of self-centredness has never had a place in society since the beginning of time.

Who knows, the next beneficiary of such heroic acts might just be someone you know!

The Likoni Ferry Accident

The recent Likoni ferry mishap that claimed the life of a mother and her bubbling 4- year old daughter after their vehicle submerged in the Indian ocean has left a feeling of helplessness in most Kenyans especially in the light of the indifference exhibited by members of the public present.

The number of videos of the incident capturing almost all possible angles of the ill-fated vehicle moments before it disappeared under the ocean surface almost equal the number of people aboard the ferry at that very moment.

Our Government institutions’ shortcomings in terms of technological wherewithal, institutional capacity and incompetent leadership have been hammered home by various pundits since the tragic event occurred more than ten days ago. I do not intend to extend the discussion here though some tough questions need to be asked..

What is so difficult in hiring professional divers and engaging these outsourced experts to help in capacity building for our ferry and navy personnel before they return to their countries? I mean, how much is the human life worth? The Kenya Ferry Services CEO needs to find another job away from dealing with any living thing.

That said, what is shocking amidst all the despair in the coastal town of Mombasa is that not a single ripple has been made to condemn the apathy exhibited by maritime institutions at the second largest city in the Country.

By now one would have expected there to be daily demonstrations and boycotts to have the city's operations grind to a halt till reasonable measures are in place to guarantee the safety of ferry passengers.

There is not a month that passes without an incident or two that threatens the lives of ordinary Kenyans at the Likoni channel. 

Some ferries are more than fifty years old, while some have been decommissioned only to be returned to service under unclear circumstances.

A commission of inquiry in to this would not be too much to ask! 

Even if the Coastal people are indifferent to the whole situation, hard questions need to be asked since in a few weeks’ time Kenyans will be trooping down to the Coast for their holidays.

This is a matter of national importance. Where are the new ferries that were promised almost a decade ago? Where is the bridge that has been the song of every politician wanting to look concerned until they get what they want from the electorate?

But what is more irritating is our normalised, callous and contemptuous indifference as a people. Life has thrashed us so hard that we only find solace in our cocoons, minding our own business.

In the clips doing rounds on social media, majority of the passengers appear amused as though expecting the vehicle will somehow grow some wings and fly ashore.

The appalling emergency response notwithstanding, the spectator attitude by the ferry passengers was just breath-taking. I do not for a moment delude myself that I would have done anything different had I been present during the ordeal other than just helplessly watch as the vehicle slowly immersed underneath; but I’m quite certain that a handful of quiet guardian angels with the ability to assist simply refused to rise to the occasion.

Some people have attempted to attribute the accident to supernatural phenomenon like witchcraft, while others have even without a shred of evidence already concluded that the lady must have committed suicide.

All this is just a convenient way of abdicating from the responsibility that we owe to one another as a society as we await closure.

I am a firm believer that we can model love and care for one another through selfless acts and plant seeds of love and helpfulness in our children as well as strangers who in future will most likely jump for an opportunity to lend a hand when situations call.

Take note that our children have also been closely following the events at Likoni and the last impression we want to create for them is that humanity has its limits. Let us hope that Eliud Kipchoge's performance will erase this image for them.

Bystander effect

That’s why I feel the nation needs to recognise the gentleman who attempted to save the situation by jumping in to the ocean before the vehicle vanished underneath. His actions , though seeming futile at the time were pure gold.

If only two or three more patriotic and selfless individuals had done the same, the possibility of saving those two lives would probably have been higher.

It would be difficult to convince me in that sample population abode the ferry, including the captain and crew who include residents who are familiar with the waters being born and raised at these shores, that there was not a diver or a marine expert in sight who could have attempted to save the situation.

But no. There was no incentive. Everyone was looking at each other expecting someone to act first and in a matter of minutes it had all ended.

Social psychologists refer to this phenomenon as the Bystander effect, where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present (the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help).

These bystanders could have done something but who would have cared; never mind that they would have lost all their belongings, phones, wallets and the like and gotten themselves wet while endangering their lives in such heroic acts.

In conclusion

We have never needed heroes more than now.

Now is the time for us to ignite the great humanity residing within our very core as human beings to look out for each other whenever situations call for it.

As we wait to gloat in patriotic fervour as seven billion people across the planet look up to Kenya for inspiration through our industrious son, Eliud Kipchoge, let us also remember to glorify our everyday heroes and use every available opportunity to blow their trumpet the loudest.

We can begin with the gentleman who jumped in to the ocean to try and save the life of Mariam Kigenda and her daughter, Amanda Mutheu.

The mother and daughter probably held on to hope for a little bit longer under water after seeing this man jump in to save them; and waited, the little girl momentarily cherishing her faith in humanity in her short life here on earth.

Their faces will be forever etched in our minds.

May their souls rest in eternal peace.