Younger generation will copy new-found habits

Sir,

Black ma-mpatile! No! No!... goes a game we used to play with our neighbours while still young. I prefer to say ‘while still young’ than ‘while growing up’ because I believe we do not stop growing ... as they say, ‘you learn until death comes knocking’.

Throughout the years, I have always wondered how the younger generation always played more or less the same games we used to. Some are tweaked here and there, like Monopoly, hideand-seek and others remain as is.

Generation after generation, more or less, learn the same words, get up to the same mischief and learn the same vocabulary. Some things change though, but the general consensus is that we do the same things the world over.

Games

Although some games are good for family members, but emadlwane are a different case altogether. However, the latter game implies that somewhere somehow as youngsters we practice what we see elders do. With the advent of social media – besides that we would pinch explicit material here and there – it is not unusual to find youngsters swooning over such on their smartphones.

Let us not forget that each parent wants what’s best for their children and some of these are detrimental – not to the child per se, but to their friends. For example, you cannot say you do not want your child to listen to graphic material yet still send them to a public school all while the child uses public transport to get to and from school; somewhere down the line the child will be influenced either by friends or have information drummed into them daily in the kombis. Face it, some have it better than others but that is not my point.

Fact

What we are talking about is the fact that with COVID-19 changing the way we do things, it is not remiss to suggest that our new-found habits will be copied by the younger generations - hand-washing, sanitisation and all.

Twenty years down the line, when ‘Temacorona or Covid’ are finding themselves in the world and ask how they got their names, since we will be senior citizens by then, it will be our task to say they were born during the years of the plague that ravaged citizens the world over.

It will be our duty to tell them that washing hands is a necessity, not an order and that it will be okay for them to kiss their partners only on their wedding day.

Yes, once the virus has passed, it is safe to say most will go back to their old ways, but what has stood out is that I have not seen a healthier environment because of this. Anyways, what we do now and how we go about our daily duties will determine what kind of environment we breed and will be the ambits of everything we are currently going through.

If we can learn to sanitise regularly then we can surely end violence against women and children, fight for equal opportunity for all and stand up against crimes of any kind whether white or blue collar.

This virus has not just decimated the human race, but it has united us – First, Second or Third World.

We are all in this together and surely if governments and people in general can change their habits and behaviour so quickly, then it is safe to say when we come out of this – and we will –let us continue to unite in peace, harmony and strength of character.

Andzile

Sanitise