Make a difference

Each day, as I make my way from home to work, I witness a multitude of social classes engaged in various activities.

Some people are jogging, walking and cycling on the road, while others are enjoying a cup of coffee with friends at the quaint coffee shops.

When driving pass a public Hospital, nurses, medical personnel and professionals who represent the upper- middle class, are making their way to work.

Upon reaching the city centre, I notice masses of workers, sitting in the back of vehicles, being driven to work sites.

These experiences reflect the vast imbalances in our society.

Sadly, so, many South Africans live from hand to mouth and are on the brink of financial devastation or loss. To see or hear stories of so many people struggling to put food on the table and to keep the roof over their heads made me put pen to paper.

The route from home to the city centre provides a reminder that, three decades into our democracy, spatial inequality and the injustices of the previous regime still assault our senses. The sights of urban decay reveal the underbelly of our society.

As a driver I am relatively fortunate in that I have a reprieve from the pungent smells of urine and defecation.

As I near my place of employment, I encounter huddles of humanity, gathered around an improvised fire-pit, warming themselves against the biting cold of our Midlands winter, plaintively appealing to passing motorists for a “piece job”.

The latest statistics reveal that almost 40% of our population is unemployed. These job-seekers have forsaken any hope of decent job and eke out their existence seeking anything which will stave off their hunger pangs, even for a day.

Reflecting on my experiences from a socioeconomic perspective, I recall periods from my own formative years, growing up in the small town of Richmond. I was fortunate enough to witness how my grandfather, father and other community members were instrumental in uplifting our community.

They established small businesses, grew vegetables and fruit in the backyards of our homes, founded the construction of religious and community institutions, and helped to develop a state- aided school.

My mother was a stay-home mum, like my friends’ mothers, and she was responsible for taking care of our daily needs like food and washing the clothes, and even helping us with our homework albeit our mums hardly or never went to school.

It is amazing that despite their general lack of formal schooling, they were fonts of wisdom, assisting greatly with their knowledge on a wide array of topics.

Most of the friends I grew up with came from huge families who lived in modest homes.

Our parents did not have the luxuries, financial resources or formal education which are seen widely among the middle class today. They were simpler minded, happy and less-stressed people.

I ask myself, how was it possible for them to achieve this incredible legacy with few resources and large families?

After deep reflection, I opine that there are certain lessons that we can all learn from their lives. Firstly, self-sacrifice is necessary to leave an indelible mark in this world. Regrettably today, people in general have little concern for the plight of others like the less privileged, unemployed, homeless and the working class.

Self-sacrifice is not only that which we embark upon to improve ourselves or our nuclear family, it is a fundamental tenet in our quest to create a more harmonious society.

John Donne’s immortal lines, which remind us that no man is an island, and of the interconnectivity of humanity, come to mind.

Secondly, partnerships and collaboration are essential to achieve common objectives.

The need for us to transcend superficial differences like race, religion, class, ethnicity, etc., and initiate a process of networking and coming together in the spirit of ubuntu are essential as we move away from a fractured society.

Finally, education is crucial to transcend societal divides and social constructs that emphasise difference and otherness.

Our education should be a holistic one that not only focuses on schooling but one that draws on John Dewey’s pedagogical philosophy of not just preparing individuals for life, but is life instead!

This paradigm shift within our education system should also move beyond our fixation with academic or technical expertise and include values and principles which are indispensable for the reconstruction and development of our country.

The foundation and principles of any democratic constitution lie in the notion that every person is born with rights and is entitled to dignity, equality and equal opportunity.

However, due to shortcomings in our community and economic, political and social structures, social justice principles and human rights’ values on their own do not always transform lives.

In order to reduce the gap between the haves and have nots, improve living standards and build an inclusive life for all who live in SA, inequality needs to be addressed not only from an economic point of view but also from a moral perspective.

It is ethically, religiously and spiritually wrong to have such huge differences in living standards.

My musings are intended to initiate a process of critical introspection, so that all of us ponder the stark inequalities which we encounter daily.

The easiest response is a shrug of indifference citing the failures of government, compounded by the legacy of apartheid, which have exacerbated this chasm.

Together with good government policies, political leaders and other sectors of business and the community must work together to develop the lives of all citizens.

The alternative is to interrogate robustly these distressing vignettes of inequality and ask ourselves, as my ancestors did, “What can I do, even if it is at an individual level, to make a difference in the lives of those who are relegated to the shadows of society?”