Kafundisha

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Wonder Chibuka, Astridah A Lungu, Kalusha Dizzo, Weckson Peace

The Politics Of Sidelining.

In politics, when a senior member is "sidelined," it means they have been quietly pushed away from the center of power, influence, or decision-making within their party or government, despite often retaining their formal title or position.

It is a deliberate tactic used by leadership to diminish a person's impact without immediately firing or removing them, often resulting in them having little to no actual authority.

Key Aspects of Being Sidelined

Loss of Influence:
The member is excluded from key decision-making meetings, strategy sessions, and inner-circle discussions.

Reduced Public Profile:
They receive fewer media opportunities, are removed from high-profile projects, and are less frequently seen with top party leadership.

Symbolic Roles:
They might be given "ceremonial" or less important responsibilities, moving from influential portfolios to irrelevant ones.

Internal Isolation: They are effectively ignored by the party machinery, and their input is disregarded.

Reasons a Senior Member is Sidelined

Fear of Political Strength:
Leadership may feel threatened by the member’s popularity, competence, or potential to challenge the current, or new, leader.

Internal Power Struggles/Factions:
When a new faction wins, supporters of the old guard are frequently pushed aside.

Speaking Truth to Power:
Those who voice uncomfortable truths or critique the leadership's direction are often pushed aside in favor of followers who offer uncritical flattery.

Ideological Differences:
The member may hold views that are out of step with the current, dominant, or shifting ideology of the party.

Mistrust/Lack of Loyalty:
Perceived or actual disloyalty to the party leader can result in being "frozen out" of power.

Consequences of Sidelining
Discontent and Defection:
Sidelined members often defect to opposing parties or become vocal internal critics.

Loss of Experience:
The party loses valuable institutional knowledge and experienced leadership.

Rise of Sycophants:
The vacuum left by the senior member is often filled by less competent loyalists ("yes-men"), which can degrade the quality of decision-making.

In short, sidelining is a strategic, often quiet, move to neutralize a threat or remove an obstacle within a political structure without causing a major public conflict.

Do Not Let Life Happen To You, You Should Make Life Happen.

You Are The Main Character In Your Life's Story. Just Step Forward & Begin Acting.

Have you ever felt that life is happening to you? Decisions are being made around you and circumstances are pulling you in directions you didn't choose? And somewhere along the way, you stopped feeling like you are not the main character of your own story?

Are you feeling like you amount to nothing in that situation that you are in right now? Are you feeling helpless and hopeless as a result of circumstance you are in?

Are you feeling that you are not in control of your life?

I came to you tell that a certain biblical character called Esther was once in that kind of situation. Both parents to Esther died when she was quite young. She became an orphan at a very tender age. Decisions were being made on her behalf, in short she was being acted on.

She was forced to leave her home, to join the cousin Mordecai, who became the guardian. Under Mordecai she lived under strict Jewish instructions.

She was forced to marry king Ahasuerus, forced to hide who she really was just to survive. She was submissive, careful, and concealed, until one question changes everything.

Mordecai said to her: "Who knows if you were placed in this position for just this moment?"

In that instant, Esther realizes she has a choice. She can wait for life to unfold around her, or she can step forward.

She chooses to step forward and the whole story shifts.

Her experience is a mirror for your own. You are meant to live with agency and purpose, to be the leading character of your life.

Here are six ways to step into that starring role.

1. You’re the Author of Your Story
Narrative identity research shows that people who understand their lives as stories with a reconstructed past, perceived present, and imagined future experience greater resilience and, in turn, positive mental wellbeing.1

Esther begins in obscurity, then reaches a moment of profound inner transformation. When she reframes her situation, not as something happening to her but as something she can act upon, she discovers her agency.

Your life, too, is unfolding. You are allowed to reinterpret your past and transform your next chapter.

2. Choose Your Next Step Even When the Options Feel Limited
Even small choices build empowerment. One tiny action can shift your internal narrative.

Esther’s options were painfully constrained. She couldn’t control the king, the politics, or the threat to her people. But she could choose her next step, and the Scroll of Esther says:

“I will go to the king… and if I perish, I perish.”

That single act of agency transforms her from passive to active, from hidden to seen, from hesitant to courageous.

Being the leading character doesn’t mean you can control everything. It means doing what you can, choosing your next step, and not letting your life simply happen.

3. Embrace Your Unique Role
Esther wasn’t the most powerful person in the kingdom. She wasn’t a prophet or a soldier. But she was the only one who could do her part.

Her background, her position, and her particular talents placed her exactly where she needed to be.

Judaism teaches that your journey matters. Your strengths, your struggles, your relationships, your history, they’re all part of the role that is uniquely yours.

4. Let Your Challenges Become Catalysts, Not Conclusions.
Every meaningful life includes obstacles.
Esther’s challenge to confront Haman in front of the king could have been an ending point. Too dangerous, too risky, too difficult, too much. Instead, it became a turning point.

Psychology echoes this: people who frame their difficulties as part of their own growth process cope better and recover more quickly.

Your challenges are not the end of your story. They are catalysts that help you move in the right direction.

5. Treat Yourself with Compassion
Research on self-compassion shows that people who respond to their own pain with kindness and see their mistakes as part of a larger shared narrative are more resilient and more motivated to achieve their goals.

Esther’s story is often told as heroic but it is also deeply human. She hesitates, she doubts, she cries, she seeks support. She asks others to fast with her and she doesn’t shame herself for her fear. Instead, she pushes through it.

Jewish wisdom teaches that the way we treat ourselves shapes our own journey. Esther models self-compassion: courage without self-criticism, strength through connection.

6. Surround Yourself with the Right Supporting Cast
No one stands alone. Esther has Mordecai. He challenges her, believes in her, and reminds her of her unique purpose.

Resilience is not an individual trait but something built through our relationships with others. We cope better, think more reflectively, and act more courageously when we are supported by people who care for us.

Supporting roles matter. Choose people who help you rise to your challenges, not retreat from them.

Stepping Into the Role You Were Meant to Play.