Justus Rubarema, Assistant Commissioner of religious affairs
Even if you do not know the Bakonzo in Kasese as a people or their language, Lhukonzo, you should at least make an effort to pick one of their most powerful proverbs, because it is a profound lesson for just about everyone, who wants to succeed in life.
“Lindinia akatsimitha omukira,” it goes, meaning: “The hunter that waits for the entire animal body to emerge, eventually spears the tail.” That should tell you that the one who waits for everything to be right before they set out, will never get anywhere.
The one who is waiting for conditions to be perfect will never do anything. The short of this is that a person who fears to take risks in life, should not expect the rewards that life has to offer.
In Stepping Up Like an Aeroplane, through 230 or so pages, Justus Rubarema takes the reader through 52 lessons– presumably one for each week of the year – on how to succeed in life; deep messages for the reader to take home, meditate upon and take the necessary action.
The book is an invitation for a reader, who desires a successful life to critically reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Anyone who envisages and cherishes a wise and witty approach to life will want to read what Rubarema has written in this book.
By his own revelation, his first-ever flight did fascinate him quite a bit and as he studied closely the concepts of aerodynamics, the plane itself and the airline industry in general, Rubarema could see that the fascinating world of aviation teaches many interesting lessons about life.
Aviation is, on the face of things, the riskiest mode of travel; but far from being the deadliest, it is actually, and by far, the safest in the world. You have far more chances of getting killed in a motor cycle (boda boda), taxi or bus accident any day, than in a plane crash.
Strong winds, turbulence, storms, volcanic ash, bad winters and so much more, present a challenge to a plane flying. But mankind has found ingenious ways of navigating the challenges of flying, making it the safest mode of transport in the world today; the risk-takers have reaped big-time.
God uses people who are willing to get out of their comfort zone and take risks, argues Rubarema, adding that throughout the Bible, all Godly men took risks. Those who want to invest and overcome perpetual poverty, but have been fearing to take risks, those who want to be leaders and big-time influencers, but are still comfortable in their cocoons, afraid or hesitant to venture out, urgently need to read Stepping Up Like an Aeroplane.
For those who are not into religion, fret thou not; take comfort, the book is not really about religion. Rubarema simply places or positions the Bible as a book that can be of use to everyone, regardless of whether they be Christian or not, to make their lives better.
One of those areas that no one can ever get it right any other way, unless they follow a key Bible precept, is time-keeping. Rubarema presents Jesus as a man, who approached his work with utmost urgency, like there would be no tomorrow. “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is still day,” Jesus did say in John 9:4.
And at that point, Rubarema is quick to draw a fascinating parallel with the undying fidelity to a time that defines the airline industry.
He points out that life with aeroplanes is a life with very strict time-keeping. As a matter of fact, when you stop keeping time in the airline industry, you will have stopped doing business. It is as simple as that.
Anyone who wants to enjoy more productivity and efficiency at the workplace, writes Rubarema, anyone who wants less stress and anxiety in their work life, must deliberately integrate time-keeping in their daily work life. The author also suggests that any achievement in life requires some level of courage; that mental and moral strength to venture into the unknown, getting started on something without knowing how things will play or pan out and ensuring that inspite of all the difficulty, you reach your desired goals.
And for this, he deals with the delicate and sometimes traumatic issues of turbulence, something every frequent air traveller dreads and he, inter alia, contends that people have never ditched air travel just because there might be turbulence waiting for them high up in the air. When the fear of the unknown will never keep you from setting out, we are talking about courage.
Rubarema also emphasises the need to know when something is over and you move on, without wasting time, analysing what you have gone through and worrying about it. “The experiences of the journey or where the plane will fly next is of less concern to a passenger that arrived,” writes Rubarema, who says there is no need to look back to the journey: after landing, one must de-plane.
Looking across the 52 lessons, some quickly catch the eye: being extremely careful, preparing for surprises, the difficulty of moving in the reverse, the danger of making excuses rather than taking appropriate action, cleanliness as a virtue, the importance of specialisation and focus, building alliances and partnerships, knowledge what is real and thus not falling for counterfeit or “shadow” and quite critically, enduring to the very end.
From his own admission, it took him a whole seven years; not of idle procrastination, but of keen observation of how an airplane works and what the Bible teaches…and connecting the dots.
The language employed is simple – no need to rush for the dictionary and thesaurus. The author is gentle on the reader. The lessons are short and easy to read. He precedes each lesson with t relevant Bible verses which, when read together, give the reader a good view of what the Bible teaches on that chosen topic.
He then delves into the point he wants to make, using the aeroplane as a learning aid. The lesson closes with several African proverbs relevant to the teaching. If you cannot learn through the Bible verses, you will certainly do through the proverbs. And if neither is the thing for you, you will definitely learn by observing the planes.
Aviation, by itself, is a very fascinating domain; by the time you get to the end of the book, you will have learnt a lot. But then again, the way the book is presented, each lesson does seem to stand on its own; so, for those who have the unpleasant habit of reading a book starting from the very end, this is the one book where you can do that without a problem. In fact, every lesson has potential of growing into a book.
It certainly makes more sense to read, reflect and see where changes in one’s lifestyle need to be made.For those who are content with what they have and where they are, or who have no ambition, step aside - this book is not for you. Enjoy your comfort zone.
Title: Stepping Up Like An Aeroplane
Author: Justus Rubarema
Pages: 230
Genre: Motivational/inspirational
Availability: Aristcock
Published: 2024
