Geotechnical Engineering in Uganda Series (008)_The Power of Association I

Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV)

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

 

The Power of Association

I am a great believer in the power of association. And I think many people underrate the influence of association. My mentor in many aspects of life, Prof. Denis Kalumba, recently became the recipient of the South African Geotechnical Gold Medal award for 2021 (https://www.geotechnicaldivision.co.za/awards/the-south-african-geotechnical-medal/). This was in recognition of his contribution to geotechnical engineering in South Africa. The first black African recipient of the award since 1989.

 

This was followed by an article about his achievements in the South African Institute of Civil Engineering Magazine (http://saice.org.za/downloads/monthly_publications/2022/Civil-Engineering-May-2022.pdf). The title of the article was amazing “Denis Kalumba joins a “galaxy of geotechnical stars” “. I can only wait for my time.

 

But I have always wondered why two people can be in the association of the same person and turn out differently. Is it really about the power of association? Or the intentionality in utilizing this power of association. And what is the source of this power of association? Isn’t it in recognizing the value in the person you are associating with? Lets look at:

 

2 Kings 4:1-7: Elisha and the Widow’s Oil

4 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

³ Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. ⁴ And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. ⁶ Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. ⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

 

It is a mystery that someone could serve under Elisha and then leave debts to his family at the time of death. A man who raised the dead had the power for financial blessings. Why did this man leave debt to his family? The answer is in the principle: he did not recognize the value in Elisha. The one who recognized this value, the widow, attained blessings even for her sons.

 

In conclusion, the power of association is not about being in the company of great men. It is more than that. It is about recognizing the value in great men and looking for various ways of utilizing their value. This is applicable in all fields of life.