Mental independence

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
Alexis Wimmerth

It’s been 29 years since independence, and that’s how far we have come.

We are proud of our nation and proud of our achievements thus far on all levels. The way we are using our time and on what we are focusing our minds will determine the future of this country.

As we are reflecting on 29 years of independence, and doing collective introspection as a nation and as individuals, we have to see the shortcomings and the changes we have to instil for the next 29 years and beyond.

To bring in new changes calls for mental independence.

As students and as youth we have to invest in things that will advance the country towards prosperity. This is regardless of our political affiliations; the focus right now is bigger. It is on the Namibian nation. It is bigger than our ethnicity and our tribes, it is bigger than our upbringing and our culture; it is about the development of this country. With that said, what is mental independence? It is being able to think for ourselves, regardless of the opinions and stances of others. It involves accessing our inner-resources, listening to our inner-voice, evaluating the facts and feelings we have accumulated, and forming reasonable opinions based on this.

Mental independence is the foundation of independent thinking, independent decision-making, and leads to independent actions and behaviour. It means that our minds are not forced by an external body. If we are mentally independent, we do not deliberately take the opposite stance against someone at all times and assume we are independent thinkers. If we do this, their ideas are ultimately controlling ours. Sometimes we do this to appear independent or controversial, but unless the opinion is truly ours, we haven’t been thinking independently.

For us to be independent thinkers we need a high level of self-sufficiency, which means that we have to regulate our actions and our own thoughts. We have to think for ourselves. It’s important to try to question why we think about certain things and act in certain ways. We must try as much as possible to make sure our opinions are based on our own logic and feelings and not on pressure from others. This means that we should not passively claim the ideas of others without passing them through a reality check and a rational filter. It means we should be freethinkers by regulating our consciousness and we should be aware of the consequences of our thoughts. Thinking negatively produces negative results.

Behavioural independence is based on mental independence, because it’s only after we can think independently that we can make independent choices in life.

So, how do we achieve physical independence and independent thinking, while still being part of a family or social unit? We need to guide our values and our actions, and accept that we might make mistakes. If we are intellectually independent we will contribute to the socio-economic development of this country. Independence of thought can lead to incredible discoveries and innovations; such innovations can help us and our sense of self-confidence, but also further the state of our Namibian nation.

Mental independence is the place of continuous recreation and innovation, so when we have an idea we shouldn’t sit with it; we need to use it towards the development of this independent Namibia for us to reach economic development. Volunteer to bring a change at an old-age home, volunteer to help out at a health centre, visit an orphanage and see the day-to-day activities; every small contribution will add towards a better developed Namibia.

Lastly, we cannot achieve actual political independence without economic independence, and thus economic independence is impossible without mental independence. I call on all Namibians to not just count the years of independence, but contribute and add value towards our development.

alexiswimmerth@ymail.com