All citizens have a voice – use it constructively

MUCH of what we suffer daily is the result of over-thinking. We assume that complex problems require complex solutions. That is not always the case. The law of gravity fell into place with a falling apple. Evolution was revealed by a simple leech getting bloated on the leg-blood of Charles Darwin while he was a lad.

I think we should keep things simple. The old remedies of grandmother worked. Sliced potato steeped in watered-down vinegar could cure a head-ache. Cod liver oil did effectively what flu injections do expensively. Salt in a basin of lukewarm water is a good soak for tired feet.

To our disgruntled citizens, I say that you do have a lot of problems and broken promises to deal with. But broken promises are not mended by breaking things or burning traffic lights and tyres.

There are conduits for venting your anger. Burning things is not one of them. You are an enfranchised citizen of a new democracy.

You have a voice that ranges from controlled legal demonstration to SMS platforms in newspapers, to visits to your local MP and so forth, right up to the Constitutional Court.

Reconnect with public resources to mobilise action for your cause. Use churches, mosques, temples, schools, sports, charity, challenges inside and outside your family group. Follow the example of Rylands Library, which is to be congratulated on its school holiday chess initiative.

We don’t need destructive militancy. We just need to be good people. A good person is helpful. A good person recognises the good in others. A good person behaves in a way that sets healthy patterns for the young to emulate.

I cannot wish away your winter miseries. But that doesn’t mean we must curse the rain. As the song by super group Toto says: We bless the rain in Africa. And even the biting snow will melt and become rivers to get our dams back up to maximum as we turn towards the spring solstice.

On the topic of politics, know this: the wheels of God and bureaucracy turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. We must prepare for our wishes when they come true.

We must not meet our successes with tendencies for destruction. Rather adopt positive attitudes that share and care, preserve and conserve.

Those of us who are comfortable should remember the hapless. Those who receive charity should remember that gratitude promotes love. And ingratitude kills it.

Part of what is needed is for us all to be good people. Good to ourselves, our children, our partners, or health, our God to whom we pray – good in as many ways as we can.

That the road is rugged and hard and uphill almost all the way is a given. But God rewards effort, not criticism.