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The Importance of MPH: Why it's Not Just About Speed

July 1, 2023
Ahmadou DIALLO

Are you using the right metrics regarding the velocity of life?

"What I seek to accomplish is simply to serve with my feeble capacity truth and justice, at the risk of pleasing no one."
Albert Einstein

He always felt he needed to go faster. His car was hitting the upper limit of more than 250 MPH (Miles Per Hour). I can do one more. I must go faster. It did not matter to him that he was already going twice as much as his colleagues. 

Why can’t they see it? Figures never lie as the space between him and the wall shrinks at the speed of light. 

No, it cannot be because of my skin color, can it be? The wall was still getting closer. Being black is just one of the many traits of who I am. No, it cannot be just that. I mean, come on, come on. No matter the blood coming out of his vocal cords, they still cannot seem to see him.

Maybe it is just in my head. That is the only reason. I mean, come on, guys. I must not be so incompetent if we are in the same storm while I am in a pirogue and you are in your yacht. Your white, splendid yacht. My small, brown, handmade pirogue. 

I am here. I am here. Why can’t you see me? I am here. Why can you feel me? I am here. Why can’t you stare at me?

As his soul was breaking into millions of pieces, his heart was going faster than the motor of his car. Then, as he took his last breath, he saw a face. With a tear, he said, Mom, can you see me? Do I exist, Mom? Why does my heart hurt so much? 

As they put the coffin over his soul, all he could taste was the dirt mixed with the blood of his injuries. Now they can see me, he thinks. They all turn their backs on him and return to business as usual. 

I deserve it, Mom. I have worked hard, Mom. I am true to my word. As her face faded for the last time, he heard: Now I see you, my son. I have existed, he told himself. That is not a nightmare, he thinks to himself. No, it is a nightmare, he thought, looking back to his life. I just went through it. 

The last thought through his mind was: what if I stayed in Dakar, Senegal? What if I did not come to France? What if I was Black among Blacks? Would they have seen me as I see myself? Would I have been of value to them?

He smiles one last time and fades away forever. He was too fast and went far beyond what he could have imagined. Maybe.

The truth is that it would have been an even worse fate for him if he had stayed. He is just trying to make sense of his time on Earth. He is just trying to use his invisible hand to grasp the smoke of injustice in this world. 

Indeed, in Senegal, France, most modern societies are going fast. But their speed is not measured with the proper speedometer. Instead of Mile Per Hour, fair societies must be built on the foundations of:

1. Meritocracy,

2. Pragmatism,

3. Honesty.

Are you ready to embark on this new velocity of life?

Grab a seat and let the light guide you through the darkness of unfair societies.

1. MERITOCRACY - Who would get the promotion? Often our faith fades away when it is the boss’ best friend at work. Each time we witness nepotism in institutions or governments, we are depleted of the last drop of faith in humanity. 

We are all striving for democracy. What about meritocracy? We all think that we are worthy of that promotion.

You have worked hard, yes, there is no doubt about it. Sure, you played by the rules. You blended into the organization. You are playing a fair game. It is not your fault if you live in a society benefiting from systemic biases. 

So when you are against that female colleague, it is clear who should get promoted. I mean, she just came back from one year of holidays. Yeah, she calls it maternity leave. But you and I know she cannot devote 100% of her time to work. Conversely, you are busting your arse off for the company.

Meritocracy is so underrated. Yet there is no fair system where justice blossoms without meritocracy. Meritocracy is not a stick to be passed on. It is a fertile ground where all souls must have the opportunity to plan their seeds. 

We commonly agree to water each square of that garden with the same opportunities. We do not deflect the sun to our ground just because we can. We must ensure that sunlight beams into every being of that garden. We must remove bad weeds in our neighborhood and contribute to their removal wherever it starts burgeoning. 

Only the soil of meritocracy can feed a fair and just society.

2. PRAGMATISM - Do you have to reinvent the wheel constantly? I mean, yes, I know. We all love that pat on the back. We all love a well-done for our ego. But there is no need to re-invent everything.

That is where pragmatism kicks in. Pragmatism is that Sensei in MMartial Arts movies shows the main character that everything is already out there. Sometimes it is not about creating more force. It is just about harnessing the one before your eyes. 

Has your competitor beaten you to the market with that product you have researched and developed for decades? 

Yes, that hurts. Just swallow your pride and dissipate the vale of your ego. Learn from them, do not start from scratch. Start from experience. 

Pragmatism dictates that the world is diverse. You are not the sole solution finder. If it is out there, go and fetch it. Learn from it. Build upon it. 

That is what China has been doing for the last half-century. Singapore already did it. And India is walking on the steps of China. When it comes to technological breakthroughs, you should take inspiration from others. We are all one humanity. 

We can fool ourselves into thinking that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Yes, China owns them and hosts the factories that make Amazon Primes a reality. China might subvert the rest of the world with Tik Tok. But we are one on this planet. 

Each decision we take must be tainted with pragmatism. No winner takes it all. There is only how long the planet will watch us trying to destroy the universe. Pragmatism is the air we breathe. If one fart, we can all smell it. 

Only together can we pragmatically make the air we breathe purer today than yesterday.

3. HONESTY - It is true. We all fell for it. That is the truth. We scream to others. And we often omit the vomit we are withholding. That is the truth that serves me, we should say. 

We have more than fifty shades of truth. All it does is just the relationships we are trying to build. Honesty is not like a speedometer. It should not be. It is not also a blank or white dogma all the time. Being honest is coming forward with your true intentions. 

That does not mean that your intentions are right or wrong. They might bring you the “right” thing now and yield bad to others. But you know Karma. Yes, it is a B, as in a Boomerang! And what goes around comes around, as the saying goes.

Honesty is like Wi-Fi. Just because you cannot see it does not mean it does not exist. The more honest you are, the stronger your human Wi-Fi is. The more you use honesty as an adjustable variable, the more flickering it beams your soul to the rest of the universe. 

And if you know one thing from the universe, it does not take credit cards. You have to pay for everything up-front.

Honesty is a double-edged sword: it cuts through the BS and nails your intentions upfront. 

Only the light of honesty can pierce through the lies we tell ourselves or others.

Not all societies are fair and square. Most of those who are moving forwards have made a paradigm shift. They swapped the MPH (Mile Per Hour) scale to implement Meritocracy, Pragmatism, and Honesty at scale. 

Now look at yourself. Look at the society you are living in. Look at the people you are surrounding yourself with. Look at the communities and the companies you are building. 

Could you help me build a new ending for my next iteration?

Let’s go far together.

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