Vision & Hope
It
is said that ‘vision without action is a
dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time and action with Vision
is making a positive difference.’
People want to be a part of something great and visions are no different. If the vision is not great, then the current reality probably isn’t so great either. A vision gives a vivid mental image of something in the future. The value of a vision is in its ability to provide a mental direction. It is not just a dream, but a passionate desire of measurable and attainable strategic and visible action of the present which informs the future. This is the story of the Stone-Cutters. One was cutting stones, another was earning a living, but yet, another was building a cathedral. The latter had a vivid mental picture of the cathedral, even though he was only cutting the stones at the time.
Burj Khalifa
formerly known as Burj Dubai is now the world’s tallest building. The ground breaking ceremony was held on the 21st of September 2009 and was thereafter completed and launched on the 8th of January 2010. It all started with a ground breaking ceremony yet the tallest building in the history of mankind was already mentally conceived.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
This is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in Egypt and in historical irony, is the oldest of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one that survives substantially intact. It is believed the Great Pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2552BC. The Great Pyramid we the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800years.Its construction entailed lifting huge rocks and putting them in place. It all started with a single rock, but the greatest pyramid on the surface of Earth was already mentally pictured.
The Movie, Titanic
This is one of the greatest movies of
all time. It took a period of three
years to shoot the movie which runs for 194 minutes (3Hours 14mins), amidst
rebuke that it would collapse like the real Titanic and would drown in the
movie industry. Despite various setbacks, Titanic was released and continues to
shine in the glory of the worlds greatest movies of all time. It all started
with a mental picture of the end product that the producers worked
tirelessly to realize.
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter
Commonly known as St. Peter’s Basilica has the largest interior in any Christian Church in the world, holding 60,000people. It is the greatest of all Churches of Christendom. The Construction of the Basilica, as it is presently, began on 18th April 1506 and was completed on November 18th 1626. Again, the mental picture of the basilica was conceived. A vision that is now the greatest church is the history of Christianity.
The Kenya Uganda Railway
This is a historical railway linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean at Mombasa. The construction of the railway started at the Kenya Port City of Mombasa in 1896 and it extended to Kampala Uganda in 1931.
The Suez Canal
This is a man-made sea level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Its construction began in April 1859 and was completed in November 1867. This is yet another phenomenon where vision is transformed into reality, through actions, deliberately calculated to achieve the desired results as mentally envisioned.
City of Beijing - Bird's Nest Stadium
On
the 13th of July 2001, the City of Beijing in China won the bid to
host the 2008 Olympic Games. Within a period of 8
years (July 2001 – August 2008), China spared no expense or effort to
create the perfect Olympiad. She built12 brand new venues including the extra
ordinary water cube and the spectacular Bird’s Nest
Stadium. Also constructed was 27 kilometers of a new underground line, linking the north and the
South City of Beijing and a stunning third terminal airport to welcome her
guests. The estimated cost of the 2008 Olympic Games is 1.6 Billion Pounds.
Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) - Nairobi
Closer home in the city of Nairobi, you will find the outstanding Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC), the epitome of architectural pride in Kenya. The KICC was built between 1966-1973. Today , KICC is a venue for conferences, meetings, exhibitions and special events with well equipped conference and meeting rooms with the largest having a capacity of 4000 delegates. It also has simultaneous interpretation equipment with capability of up to seven languages, together with a modern business centre and banking facility.
Most of the illustrations above are projects which were implemented over a great period of time, escalating from three years to centuries in certain instances. The lengths of time notwithstanding, these are examples of the world phenomena, experienced through innovation and consistent focus of the big picture. They are results of visionary minds transformed into results which can withstand the test of time.
One would wonder where such passion and focus comes from. The answer is in the hope. At the very early stages in our lives, we got to school in the hope of completing and passing exams and thereafter being able to earn a living. Hope keeps vision alive. In ancient Greek Methodology, hope was personified as Elphis. When Pandora opened Pandora’s Box, she let out all evils except one, Hope. Apparently, all the Greeks considered Hope to be as dangerous as all the world’s evils. But without Hope to accompany all their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. It was a great relief when Pandora revisited her box and let out hope as well. It may be worth noting that in the story, Hope is represented as weak for leaving the box but in effect, was far more potent than any of the major evils.
At Sichangi Partners Advocates, we endeavor to keep our dreams alive. Achieving requires faith and belief in oneself, vision, hard work, determination, dedication and ultimately in people. At all times, we reinforce behavior that moves us towards our vision. Man is bound to lose excitement about a vision if it does not impact life’s daily activities. All things are possible for those who believe.