Zimbabwe has a thoroughly corrupt government that has brought the once prosperous nation to ruin by systematically destroying the economy while engaging in fraudulent elections, encouraging campaigns of intimidation and murder, eliminating the free pre…

I spent two years in the early 1990’s teaching at UZ. I now live in New York. How can I help?
Sincerely,
Martin

While writing such a formulation of “practical suggestions” is possible on a single piece of paper, such an effort should more properly come from Zimbabweans, not from outsiders…and as a free man in a free land, I am an outsider.

However, I would be happy to share some ‘practical suggestions’ with anyone who writes in to the Duoism website, in lieu of writing them in a public forum in Zimbabwe, such as this Zokanele site.

However, for public consumption, the easiest place to start is to study other under-funded, seemingly hopeless efforts at regime change that were successful: Poland jumps out as an example of incredible success at regime change with no money, staged by a beaten, repressed population, and against a totalitarian Marxist government in control over all media; sounds much like Zimbabwe today, frankly.

Yet despite impossible odds, the Poles prevailed. Study how they did this, and a few of their tactics will become ‘practical suggestions’ for Zimbabwe. Also, study how the Berlin Wall fell, ‘without firing a shot.’ And how did Gandhi, in an impoverished largely-illiterate nation, successfully eject the greatest and richest imperial power of the time?

Study the foreign successes. Note what worked. Adapt foreign successes for a Zimabwean populace. Stop whining about ‘change,’ if by change one is simply arguing for more socialism, which seems to be the MDC’s principal method. WHY in the world would a destitute people want a philosophy which results in more destitution?

Adopt the high moral ground…and STAY there! Be positive and pro-active, two psychological elements which socialism utterly lacks. And by all means, realize that EVERY successful revolution in human history was mounted by a small minority of the population. The key to regime change is not numbers of suporters; it is dedication, will, and an idea–grounded upon a distinct philosophy–which is so attractive that it overwhelms the negative reactionary philosophy of the existing repressive government.

Got a positive, anabolic philosophy, Zimbabwe, one that puts you on the high moral ground? Do you, after four millions of your best people have left? There is a philosophy of anabolic change (ancient Heraclitus not withstanding), but it is not called, ‘change.’

I’d welcome any Zimbabweans to write back.

‘Be free.’

To risk life and limb, family and fortune, in order to emigrate to a strange country and become part of a strange people takes a strong, pro-active optimism, which is why immigrant nations are sociologically so robust. What is left behind by the many millions of optimistic emigrants who have left Zimbabwe are the more passive pessimists who now dominate the culture.

Rallying negative, passive pessimists is practically a non-sequitor, as Mr. Mugabe knows well. Since the most courageous four million Zimbabweans have already left, his rule is even more secure.

The key here is the psychology of improvability versus the psychology of fallibility. The remaining Zimbabweans who want change HAVE to realize that the few positive, pro-active improvabilists left in the country are the key to that change, and nothing I’ve ever read about Zimbabwe during the past five years reveals any understanding of the importance of rallying this psychological factor.

In short, with the most intrepid four million gone, any positive change in Zimbabwe rests upon rallying the uniformed serviecs on behalf of the people. Without them, the passive negative psychology of fallibilists will accomplish nothng more than what they do now…whine.