The power of witchcraft comes from desiring to suppress other people. From time immemorial, humanity has been represented in two types of personalities. In primitive times—where sorcery and divination were dominantly practiced—the two personalities mirrored the existence of witchcraft, alongside traditional healing. Witchcraft was anathema to the community, who simply desired survival and engagement in noble activities for the common good.
Those practicing witchcraft sought to invalidate other people, as to keep them under conditions of suppression. The source of witchcraft is jealousy—whose basis is pride. When studying human characteristics, it is possible to predict a person with propensity for wizardry. Such people are found among all races—including those divided according to structural classes. Such wicked people can be trend-setters—assumed as good, when the opposite is true.
A careful observation among all peoples in societies, shows clear evidence of the existence of those frowning at positive developments. Such people have a tendency of feeling good when negative things take place. Disclosing that you have been promoted, causes such people to have sleepless nights. To them such information could easily induce possible severe illnesses upon them. The only thing that could make them feel better is hearing that you have suffered a misfortune.
There may be quantifiable reasons for wishing bad things to those causing havoc on ordinary people. Naturally, the death of one causing untold suffering on ordinary humanity, brings relief to his victims. But in society, we have also got those wishing others dead, for no apparent reason, except possible jealousy and envy. In society we have people who feel threatened by other people’s successes.
Such people can be classified as those maintaining hypocrisy. They use hypocrisy to gain support from the unsuspecting humanity. Deceptively, ordinary humans, also envy their apparent virtuous living. The suppressive people may, actually, celebrate with you, for whatever successes you achieve. They may smile and do everything that convinces everyone that they would be your friends. Yet the same people would be, inwardly, writhing with jealousy and envy—and scheming for your downfall.
The clinical examination of what causes such behavior is pride. The suppressive people, simply, desire that it should only be them, who ought to attain successes in life. The same feeling can generally be observed as commonly prevalent among all peoples. This makes it almost impossible to distinguish the referred suppressive ones. Interestingly the suppressive people may also be in the forefront, decrying causes of suppression.
This, therefore, makes it extremely arduous, to pinpoint the real perpetrators—exerting suppression on other people. It appears as if every human being has a propensity to be suppressive, one way or the other. There cannot be absolute rightness, in this world, just as there cannot be absolute wrongness, in this world.
To some degree, a person becomes compassionate on other people—yet, to some degree, being also suppressive on others. The only way that determines classification on either of the two extremes, can be quantifiably determined. The more individuals the person suppresses, the more evil he becomes. The more compassionate on others, the same person would be, the more righteous he becomes.
In other words, a person can be benevolent to a few, yet being highly malevolent on the majority. Conversely, another person can be known to be malevolent to a few, yet being highly benevolent on the majority. The former qualifies one to be adjudged as evil, while the latter qualifies classification towards righteousness. Each individual can, accordingly, assess his/her own behavior, based on this principle. Suffice to say such assessment does not appeal to the wicked ones—the suppressive people.
Generally, the suppressive people are good at justifying themselves as good and benevolent. They seek to project themselves in the limelight, of being good. These are the people who can be known as extremely excellent in advertising themselves as good people. However, they highlight none-survival activities that resonate with the naïve and uneducated populace—thereby being sustained by the poor people’s support and patronage.
The truly compassionate ones do not seek the limelight. Unfortunately, most of those compassionate people also also cowards—as succumbing to vilification by the suppressive people. The few strong ones do not mind being reduced to nothing, as long as standing for people’s justice. This is the principle projected in the behavior of Jesus. This does not appeal to the ordinary—-as completely hidden to those commonly, mesmerized by the flamboyancy of the suppressive people.
The only reason that makes it impossible for progressive information to be highlighted is false Christianity. The majority of those claiming to be Christians, cannot readily accept the idea of compassion to other people. They get overwhelmed by those justifying themselves as good and benevolent. For instance, prosperity is considered virtuous by ordinary people. However, this is where suppressive people commonly exist in greater numbers.
This should not be construed as, necessarily, advancing the idea that poverty is virtuous. Actually, a compassionate person cannot be classified as poor, because of his unflinching service to ordinary people. The value of an individual is derived from advancing the goodwill of other people. The mistaken assumption has always been that the value of a person is in his accumulated possessions. See [Accumulation of wealth appeals to the ignorant].
Out of ignorance, ordinary people cannot accept that humans are more valuable than the accumulated material possessions. The reasons for this misinformation comes from being overwhelmed by the suppressive environment. Living under suppression takes away self-worth—causing a person to also deteriorate towards being suppressive. Being influenced by suppressive people, the person easily picks up ideas of suppressing other people.
A suppressed person assumes that success means accumulation of money and properties. Without being aware of the trap therein, the person appears safe, but being under suppression. Success, then, gets measured by what one receives, instead of what one gives to other people. The apostle Paul took time to highlight and address causes of this treachery, in his epistle to Timothy:
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:3-10) (ESV).
The sinfulness of this world is not, necessarily, found only among the unchurched. It is more common among the religious people—using religion to suppress the naïve populace. This is why, in an impoverished country such as Zimbabwe, most of the religious people are among those living in flamboyancy. This does not necessarily mean that such people should be vilified.
It calls for awareness that it should be humans, regarded as more important than material things. Money, properties and other material possessions—considered as valuable—cannot match humans, in terms of value. All humans were created in God’s image. But the majority of people—while agreeing to this reality—continue to live without valuing themselves as created in God’s image.
It seems the suppressive people have succeeded in convincing everyone that there exist people who are less important than others. But this is false data. The success of one person ought to be an advantage to the apparently unsuccessful ones. The burdens of the unsuccessful people ought to be carried by the successful ones. The informed people bear responsibility—where more people are ignorant.
However, the suppressive people prefer that such conditions remain undisturbed. The suppressive people seek being worshiped—or being given adulation, when above the rest—in terms of material possessions and status. They know that it is impossible to maintain adulation by others, when being like them in poverty. The power of the suppressive people comes from the misery of his fellows.
Out of envy, the suppressed ones get easily manipulated to worship the flamboyant, in their communities. Flamboyancy is considered as a doyen of success. Yet success should be measured according to what a person does, to improve other people’s conditions. None was created as superior to others. People live well, only when supporting one another—using their diverse skills and abilities. What currently prevails is aiming at preserving prestige, rather than service to others.
Those considered as privileged, choose to withhold their services, so as not to be reduced to equality with the poor. This is different from what was championed by Jesus, the author of our salvation. Unfortunately, His name has been hijacked and dastardly abused by the suppressive people, throughout the ages. This is manifest in educational system, where professors exist for purposes of being adulated—rather than improving the conditions of common men.
Living in upper class, makes one feel good. But such desire induces anyone to become suppressive. Promoting equality, causes being frowned at. The pursuit of knowledge is deliberately made complicated, so that the ordinary people fail to access it. People are, therefore, categorized according to class, implying that some people were created as superior to others. Yet Jesus came to reverse that notion.
The media industry, is manipulated to promote suppression, rather than promote improvement on people’s living conditions. The media makes a killing, out of bad news, rather than good news. A quick scan of the newspaper headlines, highlights scandals, more than good news that promote peaceable environments. All this is designed to leave the general populace in hopeless conditions.
Anyone promoting good news is invalidated and despised. The suppressive people desire to keep people in suppression, rather than giving such people freedoms. Any good news, promoting those under suppression, is bad news to the suppressive people. This includes, those in pharmaceutical and medical professions, where drugs are designed to keep people in sickly conditions. The same suppressed people have faith in doctors—without being aware of such scandalous activities.
Like most professionals, doctors feel good—being regarded highly, by the ordinary people. Their aim is to be rewarded highly, for their services—because the environment despises the poor. All this comes from the suppressive people who vigorously resist categorizing humanity on equal terms. Recognizing other people as more important than others, appeals to the suppressive people.
The only truthful data is that men are born equal—having been created in God’s image. What enforces resistance to this datum, is pride—having nothing to do with the one who created humanity in His own image. While currently accepted as normal, the educated are considered as superior to the uneducated.
What is unacceptable, yet true, is that the educated should carry heavier burdens—-being the ones responsible to educate the uneducated. Of course those receiving education, need to be humble. But the person who teaches is a real servant who carries heavier responsibility over the uneducated. That person may be criticized, ridiculed or treated badly for teaching new things to the ignorant.
Jesus was mocked and killed for identifying with the lowly, yet carrying the superior knowledge. Jesus invalidated the idea of ever feeling conceited for teaching the truth. This is why Jesus insinuated that a knowledgeable person carries heavier responsibility (Matthew 7:1-4). The greatest sin of all time, is feeling conceited when doing God’s work.
A person is suppressive, and not different from those practicing witchcraft, when assuming being greater than other people. This disregards the amount of knowledge, the person might possess. This is just as adulating other fellow humans, ahead of others is also wicked. There is no greater human being in this world, other than Jesus, who bore the cross. The rest are equals, although others may be privileged with superior knowledge, ahead of others.
This does not take away the fact that it is virtually impossible for the suppressive people to grant beingness to the despised. Just as the suppressive people cannot accept knowledge from those they despise. This is why Jesus was killed, including the apostles. Nothing has changed, even today. The sin of humanity remains in falsehood—when assuming that humans were created unequal. But, therein, lies the source of witchcraft and all evils of the world.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
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