On my personal blog I posted a bit of a rant yesterday. Running this blog makes me question absolutely every action that I make and every word that I publish, anywhere.
Immediately after publishing the post yesterday I was pretty much asked how I could rant so much and be a “realist” when I run this blog?
Well that is a very tough one to answer for various reasons. This blog is not idealistic, it is more often than not quite factual. But, like the media, I choose my facts very carefully. I try to be as balanced as a positive South African can and should be. I like to know that there are good things going on in SA. I also read the news for my fair share of “balance” in the day.
It is extremely difficult sometimes to maintain a positive outlook all the time, non-stop. This is what is pretty much asked of me as the editor of this blog. But sometimes it is just impossible. When I say that I am not specifically referring to SA but to life in general.
Everyone has a bad day, a down time, a question, a thought or some reflection on the state of things. Yesterday was my day and I used it to express my feelings on a topic.
It’s funny, people read this blog and know that I run it and then automatically assume that I am this pro-SA bugger all the time, every day, all day. I’m not. I question my country, I live through what others live through. I firmly believe that this is why I have the right to be openly positive about SA; because I am always questioning my surrounding and reevaluating my position on things. If I was ignorantly blissful and blindly praising SA then I would be a fool.
So my questions are as follows: Have you had a bad day? Do the bad days outweigh the good days? And if they do, what are you doing about it?
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October 18th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Everyones allowed a bad day, if you didn’t have one you wouldn’t be human. The question should really be – are you going to let one bad day change the way you think.
If i have a run of bad days, i take to the hills, seek out close friends and the beauty of the places i live and let it remind me that our day to day life in the rate race is trivial and means very little in the grand scheme of things.
I dig this blog, it gives me something to smile about every day – don’t give up – there is enough bad news from the mainstream media – its up to us the citizens to highlight the good to each other and let all of us know that their are like minded people.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I admire your positive outlook Nic. I just feel that we are starting to reach the point where we are clutching at straws for positive news these days. We applaud the average and make excuses for the very poor.
In all honesty, pessimism as as big a force as a positive outlook. Only through discussion and constant bitching can change be forced. The other other option is mass action and eventually physical force.
I pray the last one never occurs.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
A very fair point Preacher. But I think that on this blog I don’t applaud the average. In fact there are many things that people email me that I discard because they are average.
But in the same breathe, some people might say that alot of what I do is applauding the average. What constitutes average? Things that we are expected to do? Things that we are obligated to do? Thing we just don’t do?
Sometimes applauding and recognising the average can give birth to greatness, or to change.
Pessimism is a very big and strong factor for me. In fact it is the reason that I run this blog. I hate pessimism when it is coupled with inaction. I am taking action, however small!
October 19th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Its good to see.
I still feel that people who pay their taxes, shop in South African stores and work in South African companies, also contribute. There are very few ways that the man on the street can take action. Complaining IS a form of action.
We expect the people in power to rectify the situation because, being the people we have voted in, they are our representatives and elected leaders. The fact that South Africans have no faith in them is the reason why we have these constant calls for contributions from the public.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
We all have bad days. Its what make us human. Its the very thing that can set us apart from the insane or blind. Have a bad day, have a KitKat…