“Daniel” By Dr. Hadi Eltonsi

I found him driving an old Embassy car before being sold, a man ethnically from the most influential sub-tribe in Namibia hardly and slowly speaking interrupted simplified badly pronounced English. He then drove the official new car after his colleague left work. Since the beginning I felt that I had to be patient till he gets better professionally and improve his language and communication skills, to fit my quick rhythm and bullet-like instructions that used to confuse him, ending up making more mistakes that gets on my nerves, so I became stricter.

This would never make him lose his temper, calmness and dedication, instead, he expresses sorrow, as if asking me to be kinder, more merciful till he gradually satisfies my expectations while keeping his optimism, serenity and purity.

I also realized that training him entails that I should be more tolerant and responsible to kindly consider his lack of experience, if instead of a simple rural life at childhood, he had to fit city life, different culture, consuming work, when he should be accurate and quick at times of high demand.

As I appreciated Daniel's pure nature, his silent dedication, true speech and intentions, I have never wanted to replace him whatever frustration or waste of time he caused, and whatever mistakes and misunderstandings he commits when faced with urgent duties. Moreover, I was joke-fully dealing with such misbehaviours, claiming that it is not necessary to get a sort of genius to drive a car and that everyone should enjoy a place and suitable job in life, and so it was.

In a year Daniel became a clever driver who likes to maintain and clean the car and to work tirelessly. He improved his language and capacity to understand and perform. As I was informal with him, he used to express his admiration for the recorded music to which we listen in the car, so he gets enthusiastic listening to the Arabic patriotic songs, and becomes clearly emotional for the sentimental ones, even if he doesn't understand the language, and reacts politely and spontaneously to my cunning comments. So my trips outside the capital with Daniel became a real joy and a human sharing experience despite ethnical, cultural, professional and intellectual differences.

Clearly, I could have driven the car myself and enjoyed long hours of amazing landscapes and my selections of international music and songs, but I preferred his company granting him accommodation wherever we went, due to his pure spirit and safe truthful conduct. That was perfectly normal as never before he lack politeness or courtesy, he never abused my openness or betrayed my trust nor even was demanding. It seemed to me that purity and good intentions and behaviours, were wiser and leading to more happiness than selfish ruthless intelligence that harms the inpidual and others around, spreading misery and hatred, while being not committed to human values.

Daniel as humble as he is offers an example of patience, purity, integrity and dedication that elevates human standards based on relativity, so an inpidual may enjoy more faith, goodness and serenity. To see his face radiating a happy spirit when he contemplates nature and animals in a safari game drive or after he spends a pleasant night in a touristic city, may well replace other pleasures in this life, that becomes fairer with a human being blessed with pure spirit practising it with dedication, whatever humble were his profession and lifestyle.

Today Daniel got enthusiastic when listening to a Spanish song though he doesn't speak the language, so immediately I translated it, and found that his emotions were justified, as the lyrics that didn't attract my attention before, contained poetic images, expressing feelings of overwhelming passion.

Shaken with the lyrics, music and the world-famous singer's voice, I asked myself if Daniel's senses were more open than mine, which didn't drive me to pay attention to the meanings.

But that is life, it doesn't stop to disclose its secrets, surprises and lessons for those who want to learn. So let us live it wholeheartedly, interacting fully. Let us learn its lessons and accept its ups and downs. Let us give our souls without hesitation or postponement to every moment intensely, as long as the heart is beating, the mind is free, the spirit is alert and the body is still alive.

For more articles by Dr. Hadi Eltonsi press HERE