By Derek Carstens
I am only too aware of the fact that “simple solutions to complex problems are invariably wrong “. However as we also know it is easy to write a long speech, the real challenge is to write a short one.
So in the interests of brevity and fully conscious of being ridiculed as simplistic and naive here goes.
USA vs SA
The USA has long intrigued me as to why, after such a modest beginning, its people have achieved what they have . After all in the relatively short time since the Declaration of Independence and writing of the The Constitution (1789) they have risen to be the world super power that they are and have been for decades.
Clearly not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but their pre-eminence cannot be denied.
Principles before Opinions
As I firmly believe that principles help hugely in promoting objectivity and rational discussion, I have tried to distil what I believe to be the key underlying principles on which their “success “ has been built. Amazing how often I find we tend to debate opinions but seldom principles and as result end up blurring our thinking with emotion.
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AFTER THE LAST 10 YEARS ARE WE READY/PREPARED TO DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE?
Here at SA Good News we were hugely inspired by President Ramaphosa when he quoted from Hugh Masekela’s song Thuma Mina (Send Me) in his State of the Nation address. Just as a reminder, here is the quote he used:
“I wanna be there when the people start to turn it around
When they triumph over poverty
I wanna be there when the people win the battle against AIDS. I wanna lend a hand
I wanna be there for the alcoholic. I wanna be there for the drug addict
I wanna be there for the victims of violence and abuse. I wanna lend a hand
Send me.”
For many years now, we have lent a hand by providing an alternative narrative to South Africa’s negative, often inaccurate and one-sided public discourse. This alternative narrative inspires tens of thousands of people around the world daily. But when our President quoted these words, we decided we would use the SA Good News platform to do even more; to empower ourselves and our readers to lend a hand.
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ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING BEHIND OUR BACK RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES!
I spent the better part of a day with a friend of mine Grant Edkins who spends his waking hours passionate about Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Sweetwaters, a sprawling township south of Pietermaritzburg
His target is to develop some 42 crèches, thereby creating a tipping point in the education of the youth.
Anecdotally, it is always refreshing and a keen reminder of our circumstances when you have the opportunity to spend time in a township. There is a palpable energy. For the most part people seem to be busy, getting on with their lives, and in many instances making a difference. What is remarkable, in more recent times, is the size of new houses being built, they are comparable with the smartest houses in some of our more affluent suburbs.
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THIS WEEK'S FAST FACT
The pursuit of happiness
Feeling good: A study of the ŒEconomic Determinants of Happiness,‚ based on data gathered by the 2010 US Census, indicates that health is a far more powerful determinant of an individual’s happiness than his or her income. Self-described ‘healthy’ people were 20% happier on average, while ‘unhealthy’ people were 8.25% less happy. The direction of causality appears to move in both directions; healthier people are happier and happier people are more likely to care for their health
(Source: www.Eighty20.co.za)
