Finding meaning and inner peace
It’s hard growing up amid drugs and violence, but a Grade 11 pupil is changing his life and others’
PEACE is such an ordinary word but it has a big meaning. I found this quote: “It’s amazing how you can light tomorrow by starting with today” inspirational. Spreading light means doing kind and good things that benefit others. My family helped me to see things in this way.
I live in Hanover Park on the Cape Flats. I was told that my surname Weitz has a German origin and is Jewish. My mother is Ragmat and she was born into a Muslim family but became a Christian when she married my dad.
I have Muslim and Christian family members and I have a Jewish surname. I know that I have ancestors who are from this continent but I do not know how the family came to have Weitz as a surname.
I was never an exceptional learner at school (educationally), but when I reached high school, from Grade 10 I worked myself up and now I am one of the top Grade 11 learners. It took time, effort, hard work and self motivation.
But one of the saddest things for me was that my mother never expected that I could reach that high. She was always fussing more over my eldest brother and she was hopeful that “he would rise to be the tallest out of her flock”. But due to his disobedience, he missed lots of opportunities and then he failed our parents and himself. The negative influences in a community can cause even good children to lose their way.
As a 16-year-old, growing up in the devious streets of Hanover Park is not pleasant as we experience different scenes and various groups fighting over “turf ”.
We see innocents killed and children bullied at schools. There is no respect and even elders are robbed of their social grants or little earnings on a daily basis.
Hanover Park is a filled with violence. It is difficult to explain to other people what it is like to live in a place where there are killings and violence all the time. It is so difficult to be normal in such situations.
Being a teen, your peers make you feel obliged to fit in to your surroundings. Drugs are freely available. People on drugs do bad things. We seem to have a blanket of violence over us that can suffocate you.
In Grade 11, during the first term my educator (Mr Humdulay) called me and a few others to attend special training.
We walked to the hall and there was Professor Brian Williams, and other people. They spoke to us about the “Peace Ambassadors” and how it was possible through peace action to change the community.
I was chosen as a co-ordinator but I did not fully understand the concept of peace.
A week later, I had an encounter with Professor Williams. He made me realise the difference I could make as a teenager, interacting daily with various youths. I had to find myself and what I stand for and the difference I could make. I was then thinking to myself “I can and I will”.
I contacted my friend Talia Petersen and we spoke about peace projects and began to brainstorm… We came up with ideas and projects that could work at our school and among our friends.
Many were not interested. But we decided to work with the few people committed to bringing about change and peace.
We went to Cheshire Home near Hanover Park, where we shared the message of peace. Speaking to the elderly ladies we heard terrifying stories and heartbreaking news. One lady said her daughter promised to visit and walk a path with her, and 15 years have passed and she’s still waiting on her daughter. So 15 birthdays have passed with no “happy birthday mommy” or “we miss you, mom”.
She said she just desired to have a conversation with a young person to encourage them by saying “Treat others as you’d want others to treat you”. We learnt so much and left with her message of inner peace. That had totally changed my life. We also had a peace programme for young kids at the library: Britney van Bridges, Sheeham Davids, Talia Petersen and Rasheedah Smith were part of the team. We discussed peace and provided music, games and refreshments for them.
The Athlone News wrote a story about how the children enjoyed themselves.
Peace is possible with small actions every day. As a group, we shared the message of peace directly with 600 people. Let your light shine and pass on the light to others so that we can overcome darkness.