When cowards speak and the earth quakes, By Ngozi Bell

News Reel:

“The Kremlin ordered hundreds of Russian mercenaries in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, The Times of London reported.…… The Kremlin offered what The Times described as “hefty bonuses” to wipe out Zelenskyy’s government. The exact amount of the bounty is unclear.”

Also in another news “….. Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent to be to high alert on Sunday, a move that the UK said was simply an attempt at distraction.”

Jumping to Africa, according to BBC News; at the UN Security Council, Kenya, currently a non-permanent member, made its opposition to Russian action in Ukraine very clear.

And from the Punch, the African Union on Thursday condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and called for an “immediate ceasefire”, saying the situation risked escalating into “a planetary conflict”.

The Punch also headlined that Nigeria has in no uncertain terms condemned the war and the aggressor Russia for invading Ukraine.

This is the reality of our globe today, let us do some excavating, some digging.

For starters, did you know…….

That this is the largest war that Europe has seen since 1945.

That for Russia it’s been rinse and repeat, Georgia, Crimea, now Ukraine.

That already according to the NY Times, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court -ICC (ICC of the Hague which is part of the global justice system), has indicated a “reasonable” basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed and so will pursue an investigation.

That “For centuries, the tiny Alpine nation of Switzerland has adhered to a policy of armed neutrality in global affairs”, has abandoned this position and adopted the European Union EU sanctions, including asset freezes that target Russians. Other neutral countries like Austria, Costa Rica and Ireland had already condemned Russia’s actions against Ukraine.

That FIFA, UEFA and IOC (International Olympic Committee) have banned Russia and Belarus from participating in any international sports engagements under their jurisdiction. The National Hockey League (NHL) has broken partnership with Russia.

That Russian vodka is being removed from spirit menus in the US and across the globe.

That air spaces in the EU and other regions are closed to Russian airlines. Delta has suspended code sharing relationship with Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline.

That it is reasonable today, to say that most that consider the rights of people, nations, democracy, respect for national boundaries etc. concur that Russia’s actions are wrong and bad all at once. Now there are a few that praised it, for starters former President Donald Trump did, remember that those who condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine judged it as wrong, well…… …just go figure.

Check this out – this map is intriguing. Stare at it for a while. It tells many stories and begs many questions which I will not tackle here, except the one below

The question is, why is Africa engaged in these types of partnerships with Russia? We all know that Russia in theory is recorded as a federal democratic state. However, we also know that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has been president for 22 years now, changing the constitution along the way to stay in power till 2036. Should Africa’s fragile democracy not be wary of who it partners with and in what categories? Does Africa’s status as the largest trade bloc via the AfCFTA not make it more pragmatic and responsible in its actions? 

Partnering so aggressively on weapons of destruction with Russia by a continent that has never trained any of its vitriol in the direction of nations that have exploited and harmed it and its people for centuries or spoken effectively enough against any real enemies let alone consider any weaponry of war in readiness for any attacks should concern every African, not just a little but significantly! This is because weapons on destruction in Africa have been trained and used exclusively inwardly against its own. So stare again at that map and speak out!

Everything you have read up till now is ancillary to the core of what follows, there are parallels, intersects, as for the dots, just note them…I think. Perhaps you can fill in your own blanks…..

When cowards speak and the earth quakes; the characteristics of coward.

Cowards are tricky because they don’t wear signs of cowardice. Instead, you identify them by these characteristics:

1. They crave the opportunity to be above always, act superiorly and are filled with pomposity. They are sensationalists and propagandists, pretending to be smarter than everyone else. Filled with lies;
2. They always want others to assume they are stronger than everyone else and love to identify what they believe is fear in others, so they escalate and threaten horror to intimidate their perceived weak. Meanwhile they walk in the shadow of fear;
3. They get their courage from hooligans and delusional fans who feed their egos and perspectives that are not rooted in reality without regard to how baseless the hero worship is;
4. They see themselves as masterminds of strategies and outcomes but are master manipulators of superfluous nonsense that imagine a reality that is nonexistent;
5. They see faults only in others and never in themselves. They always have some alternative option once they are caught or called out. They never apologise because they see that as a sign of weakness. They never go back and do not believe in forgiveness either. They think they can reason over everything and wing it as they go along;
6. These people always feel like victims and will harm the weak to get glory and demonstrate their delusional power. It is always about them. They are loyal to only themselves and collect a gullible following for sport, however, they will without qualms discard those followers in exchange for others when necessary;
7. They are bullies that love power and the limelight, this is their real specialty. They don’t know when to use power and when to use diplomacy everything stops once they don’t get their way. Their respect is only earned when they get their way exactly as they like it;
8. They take credit that is not theirs, if there is credit to be had, they feel it’s fair game to have at it, usually all of it regardless of if they participated or not. They will tell lies or skew the truth to get credit;
9. They fancy themselves as desirable, often thinking that people find them charismatic, interesting, fun. If they do something for anyone, they hold the person ransom and riddle them with embarrassment so that everyone knows what they have done and usually treat them with disrespect;
10. They are unkind, wretched in the care department. For them everything and anyone is dispensable. To them being classified as brave is 100% dependent on the degree to which they are supported, anything short of that makes you the enemy to them. They are simultaneously ego maniacs yet plagued with such fragility of true confidence, that it is uncanny;
11. They will never stick themselves out for others in a way that benefits good, but only in a way that bends away from justice and empowers others seeking to do injustice like them, because ironically they like company that is subordinate but subscribed to their ideology;
12. They will protect themselves first and foremost at all costs. They value themselves more than anyone else and their safety paramount even at the cost of others. In fact, they expect those who serve them to believe that everything done for their benefit regardless of how selfish (especially things at the peril of those that serve them) is true nobility.

Many people typically assume cowards are demure and quiet and slink away from the limelight or contentions, but the reality is that those types are just timid. They are typically not looking to harm anyone but primarily focused on not being harmed themselves. While some timid people might be paralyzed by fear others are simply ruled by self-preservation.

Cowards are different, they are harsh, brash, boastful, and brutal. They should be avoided at all costs. When they roar the earth quakes because they are ruthless at getting their way. They will burn, scatter, destroy to make their point. As far as they are concerned, someone must pay for their anger; someone must hurt because their fragile ego has been trampled. “How dare you?” they bellow, “you will regret this” they scream as they unleash “fire and brimstone” fancying themselves the arbiter to a justice that is wholly defined by them. They see talking and diplomacy as weak simply because they do not comprehend those tools and pride blinds them. They can see people literally as cockroaches, pests to be exterminated, unworthy of life or anything good. They are harsh, harsh, harsh. Many are racists, xenophobes, misogynists, Igbophobes, masochists, pedophiles, kidnappers, murderers, white collar thieves, cheats, ego maniacs. They are also teachers, friends, athletes, doctors, lawyers, cleaners, parents, cooks and yes leaders. Many are leaders of nations, corporations, organisations and homes. They are everywhere, they are around us, and some of them are us!

I am not asking you to connect the dots (noting them is enough) in this piece, but you can if you want to. I am not asking you to examine yourself or neighbour, but I hope you do because I hope that somehow, within the blank spaces of your mind you will consider doing the following exercise for yourself …After filling in the items, you can share it in the reply or comment space or keep it to yourself, it is completely up to you! Here goes:

As a person, fully formed, reasonable and right thinking. I will stand up for what is right in ways I can defend, for reasons I understand. 

I will educate myself with honest information from parties that understand what is at stake.

I will care deeply for the sanctity of life, and the responsibility to humanity and respect for nationhood.

I will do these for the following five (5) reasons

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

About Ngozi Bell

Inspiration, Hard Work, Innovation. These three foundational elements anchor Ngozi’s core belief that manifesting the extraordinary is always within reach. Inspired by her mother A.C.Obikwere, a scientist and author, she learned the privilege of living at the edge of important encounters and dedicating herself to robust and perpetual learning. Ngozi’s background is a combination of Physics, Engineering, Venture Capital/Private Equity, regulations, and business where she has managed over $1B in cumulative revenue. Ngozi is a speaker, storyteller, and writer on a diverse set of topics including AI, iDLT, ML, Signal Processing, iOT, women, entrepreneurship and more. She contributes regularly to VOA, has been a TEDx speaker and is published on tech and non-tech platforms. She is a champion of STEM, women, youth, art and the Africa we must engage. Ngozi is an adjunct professor of Physics and management with work experience in Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and North America. She is a founder of a number of a number of enterprises and host of the podcast Stem, Stocks and Stews (https://anchor.fm/stemstocksstews-podcast).Https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/ngozibell/

Credit: This article was originally published by Sundiata Post