Martin Kimani: Power has no morals, yet humans are attracted to it like moths to light

Contributor

Nation Media Group

There was the man who gave that compelling speech at the UN Security Council that stirred the Internet. Then there is the man seated in the small eatery in Brooklyn, US, now, tie off, eating a burger with his hands. Darkness has fallen outside and the ambassador is having his dinner.

Ambassador Martin Kimani, Kenya’s Permanent Representative and Head of Mission to the United Nations is a man of intriguing eloquence and perspective. He studied what a cerebral man like him might be drawn towards - PhD in War Studies from Kings College, London. His choice was informed by his need to understand the nature of men and the language of violence that lives in them. Prior, he was the president’s special envoy for countering violent extremism.

Good listening comes from humility. I don’t mean in a spiritual moral sense, even though that may contribute, but intellectually. One needs to be convinced that there are many things they don’t know and that others can teach them. Intellectual humility teaches one that if they don’t listen to others, they’ll end up hurting themselves. So one listens for your good, not as an act of kindness, or generosity. One listens because their safety and well-being depend on understanding other people. And if they’re self-interested, then they will listen very keenly because the more one listens, the more they realise that people divulge all kinds of information that they don’t intend to share. So a good diplomat is a good listener and that includes listening to lessons from outside, from history, lessons from books, and peers.