See,
we are human beings who are living the real life in the real world. And the
reality of the real life - within the reality of the real world - surpasses
every human morale, ethic and value. Human beings are just imperfect mortals
who are susceptible to any form of immorality. And due to imperfection,
temptations are normally not easy to resist. That lives the burden to the
individual to make a choice between the right and the wrong.
People
of African ancestry had been bullied, battered and bruised over many centuries
by the Arabs and Caucasians. And they were offered religion in the form of
Islam and Christianity as the opium and relief; something to be observed and be
bowed on in times of grief. They had been robbed of anything that gives them
value and dignity; and thus, they were subjected into slavery globally.
From
generation to generation, they had to suffer the indignity of servitude to
others. Their offspring had to grow up with little or nothing, from generation
to generation like cancer, as if that was naturally implanted to their DNA, or
divinely ordained. That is something that naturally triggers the mind to be
corrupt – hence being denied of the best things that life has to offer - due to
the lack of access and privileges – can naturally subject one to want more –
with enormous amount of greed. And greed prohibits one from making good
choices.
That
has generated vast corruption in business, sport, organisations, churches, politics
and government globally over many years – hence greed knows no race, creed and
nationality. But it is astonishing when corruption is being practiced by people
who had been denied, ridiculed and subjected to servitude - over others who had
suffered the same fate in the past – when those people assume leadership
positions in any spheres of life. I guess that it boils down to choice, as
greed can be controlled through the act of good deeds from good choices.
Is
it simple for one to make good choices, and do good all the time, when one has
been subjected to enormous poverty and deniability for all his/her life? It is
very hard to fight temptations, particularly when one has a lot of dependents;
and also, the extended family structures that are looking up to him/her (black
tax). There is too much pressure that beset people of colour. And black people,
particularly in the townships, are growing up witnessing a lot of hypocrisy
from elderly people. People lie, cheat and swindle; breaking rules, procedures
and processes to get things in their favour.
Life
is cruel with the ability of turning a good man into a bad man; a saint into
sinner; it all depends on one’s experiences; and how one chooses to deal with
different circumstances. When the reality of the real world gets real, it gets
real for everybody. That goes for men of cloth, political leaders, business
leaders, community builders, trusted community elders and change agents.
People
are sometimes losing the sense and essence of who they real are. People lose
characters and control. As the legendary poet Mzwakhe Mbuli had plainly put it
on one of his poems in Zulu: “Ukulimala kwengqondo, kukulimala komuntu;
ukulimala komuntu, kukulimala komphakathi; ukulimala komphakathi kukulimala
kwesizwe”. Loosely translated as: “The damaged mind is the damaged soul; the
damaged soul is the damaged community; the damaged community is the damaged
nation”. The mind is capable of building and destroying, as human
beings are biblically stated to be made in the image of God. It all boils down
to choice.
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