John and Joan stood infront of Rembrandt's painting of The Return of the Prodigal Son. John went on and on about how grand the father looks from his enveloping arms and crimson coat. On the other hand, Joan felt the warmth of the father's embrace and recalled sitting on her father's lap as a tiny child.

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Phenomenology: Understanding Experience and Meaning

‍Phenomenology recognizes that we experience phenomena, regardless of whether there is a human person present. Phenomena exist independently of individuals, continuing to manifest themselves in the universe even when no one is there to perceive them.

When humans are introduced into the equation, however, our experiences and understandings of phenomena can vary significantly between people. This disparity affects how we respond to and interact with the world around us. For instance, two individuals may experience the same tree, but their responses to it will be distinct.

The Role of Subject and Object

In this context, the subject plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding of phenomena. The subject is the recipient of these experiences, while the phenomenon itself serves as an object that the subject attaches meaning to. This dichotomy gives rise to personalism, which emphasizes the individual's subjective experience.

However, this raises questions about the validity and universality of individual meanings. If everyone's interpretation of a phenomenon is sufficient, it would lead to an endless array of possible relationships with objects, including those we have with other people. Unfortunately, not all of these approaches are ethical or moral.

The Need for Objective Grounding

To establish a foundation for meaningful interactions with the world, phenomenology requires an objective grounding in the nature of phenomena themselves. This is where Thomistic Personalism comes into play, elevating and anchoring personalism with a philosophical framework that emphasizes the inherent value and dignity of human existence.

For example, consider the act of eating a tree. From a purely subjective perspective, the individual may attach meaning to the tree as a source of sustenance, despite the fact that consuming it can cause harm to their digestive organs. However, this approach neglects the objective reality of the phenomenon – the tree's physical properties and its impact on the individual's well-being.

By grounding our understanding of phenomena in an objective framework, we can develop a more nuanced and informed approach to interacting with the world around us. This requires a deeper appreciation for the complexities of human experience and the need for a balanced perspective that takes into account both subjective interpretation and objective reality.

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Disclaimer:

Further clarifications will be coming in subsequent articles

The key issue is that we subconsciously/ consciously changed the pattern of relating in marriage from mutual service to power and dominance.  

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Both men and women must recognise that their roles in the family are not rooted in their financial income, professional status or material achievements. Their roles precede trade, as we know it.

The determining factor of their roles in the family are their souls. The soul of a man and woman are distinct and one way of knowing that is that our souls animate the development of our bodies in different ways. Or simply put, the bodies of men and women are different because of the design of their souls.

As men, we should fall on the design of our souls, rather than our income. First, the security of the home will only be an extension of your security in something greater than money - your . As a man, if you have the capacity to sacrifice for the good of another, then you acquire so many reliable strengths such as self-mastery, prudence and more.

For women, discovering the reality of the nature of marriage where she does not belong to herself just as much as the husband does not belong to himself anymore. They both belong to each other and with this what proceeds from them. The money she earns is for the family, along with the prestige and even the most intimate aspects of her work - her competency. It is for the other.

In these, both husband and wife, free themselves from relating with each other from a point of power and shift to the proper design of marriage - mutual lifelong service.

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Oscar's sentiments reveals a significant opportunity in product development, user experience and design - if we help our customer's feel like they belong to a community, to something bigger than them, what impact will it have on the problem we are solving?

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"If you lose a family member, and you are part of the AFC Leopards Sports Club community, you will be taken care of."

In Kenya, chamas have played an essential role in providing financial services such as saving and investing across all social classes. In a chama, one can save as little as KES 20 a day and access credit/ investments worth KES 20,000 and more. The enabling factor is numbers. A chama, like an insurance, benefits from a large pool of contributors that share a common goal and honour their contributions. However, further to financial services, a chama provides a society/ community where one can belong to. Here, we develop meaningful relationship to bear and celebrate the realities of daily life.

In the last 10 years, I have seen innovation disrupting all facets of life and the social fabric was not immune to the digitisation of human activities. We see the steady decline of the chama. Formal investment groups, forums and SACCOs have taken their place. With this, is the relational component that accompanied saving and investing. In chamas, both saving and investing brought people together, but these were not the glue.

It is at this point, that Oscar comes into the scene. Oscar is a passionate AFC supporter. He never leaves the house without the signature blue marvin as he weaves the busy roads with his car providing Uber services. There is something urgent about him, a man eager to act. From how he calls you as soon as you order the cab, to the business ideas he spots within the space of 200 meters. Surely, much like his team, he is a vibrant soul.

AFC is his second love, second only to his wife. But one would wonder why. Beyond their notable success in the Kenya Premier League ("KPL"), as an outsider, I could never understand the devotion that accompanied the team. Not until I met Oscar. He has travelled across the country for next to nothing in costs, he has an assurance of the community's support in the event of a loss of a family member or a fundraising towards a critical need. He is known by name, and habit, by his fellow supporters. In short, apart from his home, there is one more place he can belong.

Why is this so important? Because we are willing to pay anything to satisfy one of our most fundamental desires - belonging. It is one of the components that constitute intrinsic motivation. You can think of intrinsic motivation as the why that is not determined by another. Belonging and autonomy are cornerstones of intrinsic motivation without which a majority of human behaviours become unsustainable and untenable.

So, Oscar belongs to AFC in Kangemi. He pays an annual fee and he gains the world from it. If he is in Mombasa for a match, he only needs to find a bus with fans from AFC and he will find his way home in the company of good music, brothers and sisters.

Oscar's sentiments reveals a significant opportunity in product development, user experience and design - if we help our customer's feel like they belong to a community, to something bigger than them, what impact will it have on the problem we are solving?

This recording was taken with Oscar's consent for use in documenting his experience as a member of the AFC community.

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