I received an email yesterday from an SA Rocks reader. She seems pretty upset that people moan and don’t offer solutions. This is what she had to say:
A post for SARocks
Yes we have a crisis, yes we have unacceptable levels of crime, and yes the majority of us will suffer. Do we wail, weep, gnash our teeth, pack for Perth, or do we actively seek to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem?
We are still mostly a nation that complains bitterly about our respective lots in life, but expect the problems to be solved by others. We are way behind our European counterparts in this area. And yes, I do believe that each individual no matter our position in life or current role we play can make a difference. If we are each one of us putting positive thoughts and energies out there, we will turn the tide of negativism, and actually help to change things around us!
Can one individual make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES! History shows us that since time immemorial much change has been wrought or instigated by one person or small group challenging or inspiring others.
To quote the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
“If the individual acts, society is changed. Society is a combination of individuals. To change, whether right or wrong, good or bad, the start point, the initiative, must come from the individual. So it is good what you do. It is very important. Sometimes people feel a problem is a huge problem and even though you see something wrong, something that need change – then, they think, too huge. One person can make a difference. It is very important.”
If you yourself are at a loss, go to the following sites ( Some of thousands on the net about how one person or can start to make a difference) and learn more:
http://www.angelfire.com/ne/1canmakeadifference/
http://www.cac.co.za/modules.php?name=Sectpolice
http://www.ngo.grida.no/soesa/nsoer/general/watucndo.htm
http://www.audubon.org/globalWarming/BePartSolution.php
http://www.hmd.org.uk/files/1149796207-18.pdf
http://www.rootsandshoots.org/aboutus/getinvolved
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/truth/tr-sbd3.htm
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/25984
Be informed, be observant, be involved, most of all be connected!
I would like to quote Margaret Mead:
Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
And in closing repeat the story of the starfish, which most of us have heard before:
The Inspiration of Starfish®, adapted from the story “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley:
An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach.One day, as he looked along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean. “Young lady”, he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” “The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.” “But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.” The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying: “It made a difference for that one.”
African Rose
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February 6th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Is there a difference between moaning or placing solutions and self-help on the internet? I’d argue that neither achieves much. Doing something real is how change happens.
February 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Nick – I can see where you are coming from. However surely it starts with a thought, a comment, an opinion, a blog post?
Then the interaction or dedication can be taken out in to the real world?
Just a thought..
February 6th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
By looking to try and create a postive spin out of a dire situation, you contribute more to the problem. Dissatisfaction leads to complaint, and complaint leads to action which leads to change.
If everyone would stick together and actually protest against AA, BEE, bad governance and crime, then government would have to take action. That would never happen though. The minority is more divided then the majority. You cannot change the tide when that is the case. Its economically, politically and socially impossible
Alas, we would rather cite the growing crime rate internationally, or admonish those who are leaving because they are fed up. Leaving IS a form of protest. You are voting with your tax money and your feet. What greater way to exhibit dissatisfaction then by packing your bags and moving?
If you continue to try and put a positive spin on every good thing the Government does, but candy coat the real issues in a typically “positive” South African attitude, you are telling Government that their behaviour has been acceptable. People need to stop thinking that the complaining they hear on a daily basis is negative. Its a cry for change. Those that have left or will leave are just sick and tired of crying.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
apologies for the double post Nic! I just felt that it was applicable to both threads
February 6th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
@Preacher that’s ok, ill respond on the other post! Understand the reasoning!
February 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Preacher I can see where you are coming and yes part of my saying be positive, do something is to protest, to heckle, to criticise, to just plain complain and put the brakes on when we are unhappy. Those in power are not demi gods asmuch as they like to think so,
But, protest and lobby etc, and then …….have solutions , and yes be involved.
I would not criticize those who have emigrated, and did not mean to do so with my comment of packing for Perth. I do not sit in judgement. Up until now I too have been one of the moaners, and have thought about emigration. If that is their form of protest well so be it. I sympathise, but it is not my choice.
I now actively want to be part of the solution for the first time in my life, whatever or however!
February 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I was chatting to a colleague of mine and she has a British passport, so emigrating for her would be a snap. For her, the problem is, where would she go? South Africa is home for her, and she says she’s a guest everywhere else.
And I feel the same. My job also gives me the freedom to work anywhere in the world. But SA is facing a crisis, and I have to stay to contribute to fixing it, or it may not get fixed.
I can’t afford to protest the state of the nation by leaving, because if I don’t contribute in a minor way to the development of the country, investor confidence will decline, the economy will decline, jobs will be lost and my cousins and friends and their children will face a bleak future.
So for me, the issue is not about staying positive, or sugar-coating the truth. It’s acknowledging that if I run away from trouble, there’ll be no one left to help my mother, who is too old to join anti-crime movements or bully politicians to do the right thing.
There’ll be no-one left to help my cousins, who are not as educated as I am and rely on the much-touted job-creation strategies to earn a living.
February 8th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’ve been reading this website on a regular basis hoping that I could find some more inspiration to stay here in SA. But alas…My wife and I really and truelly hate ourselves for, as we see it, ‘running away’, but recently we have just been OVERWHELMED with worry for our (and one day for our kids’) future if we stay. It basically comes down to FEAR!!! We fear for each others lives from the moment we step out the door on our way to work in the morning, until we know each other is safely at his/her desk…and then again when its home time…and then again when we go to sleep. And I DARE anyone to tell me that it’s an irrational fear, when we have war-crime-like atrocities being commited for cell phones/laptops! My wife is one of the most gentle and caring people I know (she wants to adopt just about every old person/street kid she comes across) and yet she said to me the other night…”I actually think I could be capable of going on a murderous rampage if someone hurt you unnecessarily”
It is this fear that is pushing us away and not a great deal of pull factors from other countries. I will cry like a baby when we go and/or if we decide to stay away for good – but at least we’ll stand a better chance of growing old together and not being consumed by fear for the next 50/60 years.
Yes, we can stay and ‘fight the good fight’ but that’s all we seem to do in this country is FIGHT to get things done. And we are just tired of fighting. And staying to fight doesn’t solve the Fear problem.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
people, get out while you still can.