There should be a way of gathering these philosophical ideas by our leaders, whether formally or informally presented, as they are indicative of where we are going as a nation, and probably, the dangerous leaders we should not have. Nation-building is more than corporate management; having a philosophy unites the purpose and refines assignment of priorities for the good of all.

The World Social Report mentions the Sub-Saharan Africa region among the regions that will experience the fastest growth in the number of older persons in the next 3 decades. The need for advocacy for care and protection of elderly with dignity and value both systemically and among individual persons is higher than we think, especially when we recount gruesome incidences of cruelty and abuse of the elderly, and deplorable conditions of living which many elderly persons live in.

There have been extreme cases of cruelty done to children by parents and guardians in the course of behavioural correction. Such extreme or repeated infliction of pain has a strong impact in the life of the young persons. While ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ has survived to be an unwritten parenting principle, it is not the only thing that parents should offer to their children. Cruelty does not decrease resistance to change of behaviour. It has more potentiality to do the opposite, making it almost impossible to achieve the desired result.

The sociopolitical reality of all free and democratic states, like Tanzania, is hinged on a collaborative relationship between the people and those chosen to be leaders. Underlying this is the unity in the mind of the people, whose vision is(ideally) carried out by the leaders.

As such, leadership, at all levels, should have as its target, fulfilling the vision of the people, which is already implied, even when the leader employs his or her personal creativity.