A positive look on South Africa’s future
I think I have left this post
long enough…long enough for me witness university students go wild over escalating
tertiary education fees and a lack of transformation in our universities; long
enough for Zuma to vote in (and out) 2 different financial ministers in a
matter of days; long enough to watch politicians rip into the failures of each
other; long enough to hear all kinds of racist comments, xenophobic attacks and
hear every second white person threaten emigration.
It has been long enough.
As a Christian and an
occupational therapist, reflection has become second nature to me. It has taken
me quite some time to process what I have observed occurring around me on a
national, regional and even local community level. Maybe you are like me and are
wondering where South Africa is headed. Maybe you have even ventured into the
social media sphere to proclaim your views. The more I have watched the more
confused I have become. I consider myself a fairly patriotic South African (to
the point where I find myself tearing up while listening to fellow South
Africans reminisce about magical moments in South Africa’s history – queue a
quick recap of Mandela getting released from prison, the 1994 rugby world cup;
Shabalala’s opening goal in the 2010 soccer world cup, etc.) so when I hear
people talk about my country with such a pessimistic outlook, I all but want to
punch them in the face. Where has our hope, resilience, unity gone? After all
we’ve gone through, are we really going to give up now?
So I prayed. I prayed for a new
perspective; for my eyes to be opened to what exactly God has got planned for
this incredible country of mine (because there is no way that this South African has any plans to emigrate).
And you know what I found? Hope. Hope.
Hope.
Within a matter of days, my
prayers were answered and I was bombarded with stories of unity despite our
current circumstances and grace beyond measure. These stories (both in my own
life and on social media) appear to be our nations way of retaliating against
the racism that seems to be pulling us apart. While a lot of nonsense has
plagued our nation recently, way too much limelight has been given to people
with skewed perspectives and underlying agendas. (And let’s be honest…bad news
sells). God knows that we all feel the drag of negative comments pulling us
down and it takes a lot to swim against the current tide of toxic words and
perceptions. Do you need a little hope for South Africa? It is my prayer that
by the time you finish reading this post (and the others I recommend), I will
have reminded you of just how amazing this country really is.
Below are a few simple ‘pick-me-up’ stories of normal South
Africans moving past the tide of negativity to remind us of our own humanity -
something we seem to forget so quickly in times such as these. It is my hope
that these stories will have them same effect on you as they did on me – may
they create a swelling in your heart, a glistening in your eyes and a
restoration of your hope.
·
Check out this incredibly encouraging
post about the future of South African written by an economic analyst: http://www.iol.co.za/business/opinion/columnists/taking-stock-of-2015-1967621
·
Read the views of a Cape Town
businessman on the fact that we are obsessed with negativity and how he
believes South Africa is doing right now: http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/2016/02/12/narrative-accounts-obsessed-with-the-negative
·
Click here to read the account of Find out about how a South
African man chose to see the best side of our country on his way to work: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/south-afri-can-stories/3066/
·
Learn about a young man’s unique Valentine’s
Day experience where his love for people who are different from himself
radiated through his actions: http://www.sapeople.com/2016/02/10/a-valentine-story-of-love-in-south-africa/
·
Read about Helen Ziller’s optimistic
view after the State of the Nation address: http://www.biznews.com/leadership/2016/02/16/helen-zilles-optimistic-sa-made-300-years-of-progress-in-a-week/
·
Check out a website definitely
worth following on a regular basis. SA
Good News focuses on posting positive articles regarding our country and
helps to keep us from being dragged down by pessimism and sensationalism. This
particular article is full of some hard and fast facts about South Africa to
keep you hopeful. http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/sa-fast-facts.html
As mentioned in the first article
I recommended above, “South Africa is not sliding into the abyss – rather it is
turning the soil so that it may grow again as a functioning society.” As much
as us ‘whities’ love to think that we
are all now equal, gross inequalities are still so glaringly present and it is
time to lean into the discomfort of the truth behind our privilege. Personally,
my white privilege confronts me on a daily basis and I am in no way
disillusioned to the suffering that goes on around me by people who were simply
born into disadvantaged situations. Whether we like it or not, decades of white
superiority have placed us in very advantageous positions and we need to do
everything in our power to ensure that inequalities in our nation are
addressed.
We are all in need of
transformation and it is time to be bold enough to understand our own
positionality, let go of the fear of change and stand up to be a part of the
new South Africa. Yes, the next few years are going to hurt and those with
children seem to keep wondering if it is time to move on. Rather than shielding
your children from the seemingly apparent destruction of our nation, I
challenge you to teach them to be a part of the transformation; be a part a
new, united generation of South Africans who fight against segregation and
racism. I encourage you to become aware of your own privilege (there are plenty
articles to be read about it) or click here (http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate)
to see a simple, yet powerful cartoon on the reality of privilege.
Personally, I have the honour of
working in an incredibly diverse group of people. Within our government rehabilitation
department, we are a bundle of people working for the good of others. This
mishmash of black, white, young, old, male, female, Muslim, Christian, Zulus, Ndebele’s,
spenders, savers, loud-mouths, silent participants and everything else in
between makes for some chaotic group dynamics but I wouldn’t have it any other
way. I get the opportunity to live and breathe our rainbow nation on a daily
basis and what a privilege that is! I get to be a part of this shared journey
where we are trying to understand our diversity, choosing to change our
attitudes, working together despite our differences and looking beyond ourselves
for solutions that best serve the needs of those around us. I choose to
remember the good stories I witness in my community and challenge you to do the
same – the goodness around us is so glaringly obvious when we decide to search
for it.
In closing, to all those fearful,
pessimistic South African’s out there, I challenge you to post something
uplifting on Facebook this week; speak to someone who is completely different
to you about how we can make our country a better place; make an effort to read
good stories and lastly, have a little hope for goodness sake!
I just loved this Caryn! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jax! We all need a little hope every now and again!
DeleteWONDERFUL to read such a positive attitude from someone in your generation, Caryn. Having emigrated to & lived in England for 12 years (for family reasons rather than the obvious) and having RETURNED to South Africa, I am delighted to be back home in KZN. I would like to suggest that there are disadvantaged and advantaged communities in other countries too. They have NOTHING to do with "race" necessarily as England has benefitted from FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL (whether rich, poor, of one race or another) for over 50 years It has a great deal to do with attitude to life, learned at the knees of one's parents. Many from disadvantaged backgrounds have achieved great things and many advantaged people have managed to waste their advantages & achieved little of value.
ReplyDeleteThere are many POSITIVE initiatives I observe, here in Howick AND further afield in our wonderful country, made by various people, many previously "advantaged" to assist and uplift those less fortunate. These efforts range from a farmer in Gauteng growing organic vegetables and presently TRAINING some 30 "Gogos" from Soweto to grow food for their families, to a Soup Kitchen run by retired people for the poor in Lidggeton, to a white couple who have adopted two black boys to raise and love as their own. There's a group from two Midlands churches who minister to patients attending the Oncology Outpatients clinic at Greys Hospital. They take not only refreshments to people who have to wait hours for their treatment, but also the Word of God & tracts in various languages.Few of these patients reject prayer, whether they be Christians or not - Muslims. Traditionalist Africans, Hindus and non-believers are grateful for prayer.
So you're absolutely RIGHT that there's GREAT HOPE in our fantastic country.
A most thoughtful article Caryn. I think you're exactly where God wants you to be and wish you and Iain many blessings.
Shalom.