Beef up Sassa pensions with 5kg bags of food

DESPITE my optimism, I don’t think that the ugly realities of race and gender conflict will go away easily. Nor will religious convictions allow freely that ultimately we all serve One Deity. Who will unpack and reconfigure capitalism with its death grip of bonds, interest rates and the heartless profit motive?

Does this present a hopeless and bleak scenario? Yes and no.

If we accept the imponderables with grace and dignity, we would perhaps do much more towards uniting in a nation struggling with too many anxieties.

The racist brainwashing of the previous government was fiendishly successful.

There are undeniable differences between males and females. Yet we all belong to the human race although we don’t all look the same.

Are we still going to legislate unfairly for these differences in appearance?

Each human being is a dualistic entity, consisting of a body and a soul. This is as unarguable as one’s mortality. Yet the variety of rituals that deal with these issues are divisive instead of cohesive.

We need to create strategies that bind us into the rewriting of our narrative. To do this, we need categories or areas of discourse that can, over a few sessions perhaps, formulate a national template.

Start with race. There are deep-seated resentments and assumptions that are pathetically tragic.

They reveal themselves in moments of high anxiety and stress. We can start by learning some semblance of serenity and acceptance.

Do not get into public racial spats. Either use the legal processes or walk away with your dignity intact.

Pray for tolerance, from yourself and others.

Tap into my experience of losing my life partner. Work on your relationships. Be nicer to your partner, your children, each other, even by just 2% per day. Your investment will gain you the world.

Don’t wait until you can no longer tell each other why you are together. Unpack that last word. You were meant to get her. So don’t let it pale and then say futilely and regrettably: if only.

As for capitalism? Let’s engage with the demon called “the profit motive”. I have already written about bank charges. And expensive media data costs. And spiralling food prices.

Why can’t this bloated government start beefing up the miserable Sassa pension by providing subsidised 5kg bags of mealie-meal, or samp? This will make it possible for mothers to feed a child at least once a day.

The child can develop the immunity it will need to survive into adulthood. It can be done if overpaid politicians agree to drive smaller cars.

Restore family values. The constitution cannot override your right to discipline your child. “Please” and “thank you” are good places to start. It’s all uphill but worth the effort in the end. Try it.