Kwa kiingereza tunasema "One man's trash is another man's treasure," maana yake, kilichotupwa na mtu mmoja, kinaweza kutumikia mwingine na kuwa na thamani kwake.

Msemo huu hutumika ili kueleza jinsi mapendeleo ya watu hutofautiana, ama kuonyesha matumaini kwamba wanadamu ni wabunifu katika masuala ya kupanga upya au kuchakata vitu vilivyotupwa na wengine.

Kwa mfano, mjasiriamali Gibson Kiwago, mwanzilishi wa WAGA Tanzania, anachakata betri za laptop ili kuleta umeme kwa nyumba na maduka. Jifunze zaidi kuhusu E-Waste (Orodha ya Kusoma)!

Dhana kwamba thamani ya kitu hutegemea mtazamo wako ipo tangu zamani. Chimbuko cha msemo huu ni methali ya Kiingereza iliyotumika karne ya 17:

Je umewahi kuona thamani katika kitu kilichotupwa na mwengine?

Huwa tunatendewa kama tunavyowatendea wengine. Kwa kawaida methali hii hutumika kama onyo, au wakati mtu mbaya anapata alichostahili. Lakini pia inaweza kutumika kama tumaini la baraka kwa wale wanaofanya mema. Chimbuko halisi cha methali hiyo haijulikani, lakini ilianza Amerika miaka za 60 hivi. Inaendana na kanuni la Karma katika dini ya Kihindi.

Methali na nukuu zinazohusiana:
Shakespeare: 

Biblia:

Kichina: 

Kijerumani:

na Nankya Sauda 🇺🇬
Shindano la Insha ya Methali 🏆
Mshindi wa Kwanza 🥇

Umewahi kuchukua muda na kujiuliza kwa nini wazee huwa wana busara zaidi kuliko vijana? Je, umewahi kuchukua muda wa kutafakari asili yako ulipochipuka? Ikiwa sivyo, [sasa] ni wakati mzuri wa kuanza kutafuta asili yako kwa sababu ni muhimu mtu ajue mizizi yake.
   Baada ya muda, unachukua mzigo wa kufunua asili ya watu mashuhuri wenye akili na haiba zao, utakuja kutambua kwamba wao ni introverts (yaani wakimya, wanaopenda kukaa peke yao/kujitenga) lakini ni mashuhuri. Ni muhimu uchukue muda wako, hata ukiwa bize, ujifunze kuhusu wasomi mashuhuri kama Albert Einstein, mwanasayansi mashuhuri ambaye alisema nukuu inayotuelimisha:

Hii inamaanisha kwamba wakati ukiwa peke yako ni nafasi ya kujitafakari, lakini pia ni nafasi ya kutumia akili yako bunifu. Wanasema wazungumzaji wakubwa ni wanasheria wazuri, na tumeona hayo katika maisha yetu ya kila siku ambapo watu hutoa ahadi tupu, hutoa matamko ya uwongo ili kuwapendeza waliomzunguka bila kuchukua muda wa kufanya kitu kwa nia ya kutekeleza maneno yao. Kwa sababu hiyo, wengi wamepoteza imani na hawa wanaoitwa “wazungumzaji wakubwa.”
   Kwa upande mwingine, wakimya hutushangaza kwa matendo yao. Hatua zao hupangiliwa kila mara, matamanio yao ni wazi na vitendo vyao hufanyika kwa kusudi. Wapenzi wakimya hukuza mahusiano yao ya kimapenzi kwa ubunifu mpya ili kudumisha mahusiano. Waliowaajiri [wakimya] na waliokaa karibu na introverts husema kuwafahamu ni moja ya mafanikio makubwa katika maisha yao, ndo maana hawa wamefanya kazi nadhifu zaidi, wakawa na vipindi vyao vya kutafakari peke yao, na hatimaye walitoa kazi bora na kupata cheo kikubwa.
   Tunaweza kufafanua methali kama misemo inatumika katika nchi au utamaduni fulani. Ni maneno mafupi yenye busara na hutoa ushauri na vile vile kuongeza wazo kuhusiana na maisha ya kila siku. Kwa kweli, ili kufahamu kwa kina mila na desturi za kitamaduni, ni vizuri warejelee methali kwani zinaweza kuwa na maana pana ndani. 
Kihistoria, methali "Still waters run deep" (Maji yalotulia ndo yenye kina kirefu/Usicheze maji yanayosimama) inatoka Kilatini cha kale. Ilipata umaarufu baada ya Shakespeare kuitumia katika tamthilia yake ya Henry VI mwaka 1590. Alisema:

Tunatambua kwamba, mara nyingi watu hatari zaidi walio na roho mbaya hupanga hatua zao na kuchukua hatua kwa wakati ambao wengine hatarajii. Ndio maana usaliti hutoka kwa watu ambao hatutarajii [kitu kama hicho] kutoka kwao. Kwa hiyo ni muhimu kwa mtu kuchukua si tu yale yanayokutana na macho bali pia kuchukua tahadhari hasa kutoka kwa watu ambao hawalipizi kisasi mara tu baada ya kukasirishwa au kukabiliwa.
   Albert Einstein licha ya tabia yake ya kujittenga, yeye anajulikana sana kwa kubuni nadharia yake ya relativity ambayo ilileta mapinduzi katika uelewa wetu wa nafasi ya nje, wakati, na kanimvutano (gravity).
   Kwa kumalizia, ni muhimu sana kutofikia hitimisho [haraka] kwa sababu sura hudanganya na kuna mengi ya kujua na kugundua kuliko macho yanavyoweza kuona.

by Ibrahim Nyanda
🏆 Proverb Essay Contest

"Why is it that our village is not developed compared to other villages around us? Many young people our age from other villages have studied, and some have found their meaningful jobs in the city. Although there's a school in our village, we young people aren't doing well in school. When teachers are hired, they don’t stay long, they leave. What is there here in Bombambili?” These were the questions that the young man Akilimali asked his friend Manase while they were grazing the cattle. 

After this question, Manese seemed immersed in a great wave of thoughts ,and after considering for a while, he turned to his friend, looked at him deeply and asked him, “Do you believe in witchcraft?” Akilimali answered by nodding his head in agreement and said, “I believe, because I’ve often seen people going to witch doctors, and when they go through difficulties, they believe they've been bewitched. Don’t you remember the other day when we were told that Granny Andunje was found on the roof of old man Masanja stark naked, practicing witchcraft at night. So after that, how can I not believe, my friend?”

Manase looked at Akilimali carefully and then said to him “I want to tell you a secret that you won’t believe... Do you know your mother and your sister are witches?” Akilimali remained dumbfounded like a lizard caught in a door, and then, swelling with anger, he told Manase “Woah, hey kid, don’t start bringing me this nonsense, you stop calling my mom a witch or I’ll show you something you won’t believe with your eyes, ohoooo!!” 

Manase calmed his friend Akilimali, then told him “Wait for me to return the cows to the neighbor, then I’ll tell you the whole story. I know you’ll understand, you just chill out. “

As soon as he has returned the livestock, Manase began telling Akilimali, “My friend, I want to tell you a secret that I’ve kept for a long time. Everything you see here -- even the lack of development in the village -- it’s because of witchcraft. Every day I see your mom and your sister riding a hyaena. They pass by my mom's house, going to bewitch people...”  Manase paused a little, then continued

"You can’t believe it-- even I didn’t believe it until I was anointed with a special potion and saw them. I’ll give you this potion tonight. Apply it in your eyes and you’ll give me an answer tomorrow.”

After dinner, Akilimali was warming himself by the fire with his dad, outside their mud house thatched with grass, while his mom and sister were inside. He applied the potion as directed... and after ten minutes he saw his sister and his mom riding the hyena like a motorcycle, ready to embark on their voyage to bewitch people!

“Forgive me my friend, it was just anger.” Akilimali spoke these words choking back tears. 

“I knew it. Now you see our village is not developing and even your own mom and sister are involved. Every villager who wants to bring development ends up dead. One day they'll end up like Granny Andunje."

“I’m sure even your dad doesn’t know that your mom and sister are witches, and every day they go out to bewitch people and leave you two a magic trick to make you think they’re around. Go put that potion in your dad's eyes, then you’ll give me an answer” explained Manase. 

That evening, secretly, Akilimali explained to his dad that his sister and his mom were witches, a thing which his dad vehemently denied. 

“Mom, today Dad is watching us; look how he is staring at us,” Akilimali’s sister told their mom, riding the hyena as before, as their dad and brother were outside warming themselves as they usually did.

“I don’t think he sees us; turn the hyena so it looks like we’re heading towards them,” Akilimali’s mom said.

Akilimali says that was the last day he saw his father, because after seeing the hyena carrying his wife and daughter, he bolted like he was running the hundred-meter dash. Indeed, what you don’t know is like the darkness of the night, Akilimali was left in disbelief that all this time he lived with his mom and sister not knowing they were witches.