It’s called a moment of clarity, that moment when someone says something that seems so crystal clear and painfully obvious that you wonder why you hadn’t been able to annunciate it yourself. Sometimes it is a concept or idea that hadn’t occurred to you at all.
Other times an idea is familiar and yet doesn’t seem to be generally understood until someone boils it down with utter simplicity.
I experienced just such a moment of clarity recently when I sat down with H.E. Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda. We spoke of Uganda’s natural beauty, its economic growth and a variety of other topics. It was Mr. Museveni’s comments on nation-building and unity, however, that really struck home.
Uganda has experienced amazing economic growth over the last 20 years. In the last five years alone, it has grown between 6 and 7% on an annual basis. Many African nations have great potential but lack stability and security. I asked Mr. Museveni what role stability has played in Uganda’s unique success story.
The president started by saying stability in the world, and specifically in Africa, depends on philosophy, ideology and strategy. He said if you don’t get those three correct, you will end up failing.
Mr. Museveni said stability and success “Begin with the understanding of man. What makes man work? What do you need to do in order to succeed? You need a strategy to solve problems.”
It was what he said next, though, that every American should take to heart. In fact, it is a blueprint for all of mankind.