Our sweet, sorrowful lives of chaos, hope

WHILE there is a relapse of the coronavirus internationally, with a second wave coming to haunt parts of the world, drastic lockdown measures are being reinstated by governments.

Sunny South Africa seems lucky that the arrival of spring has brought a revitalising freshness, rejuvenation and rebirth, with a subsiding of the virus in terms of infections and deaths.

There is heightened awareness. The mandatory use of masks in public remains our commitment in lockdown level one.

Unfortunately, we have to fold up like a day lilly every time someone comes near us.

Let us not forget the sanctity of human life and the irreducible worth of every human being who lost their life to this horrible virus.

The exigencies of life forces us to make decisions. Life is chaos, any attempt to control or contain it can only end in tears.

Undaunted by the poverty of our conditions, we face each new day with brave smiles.

Smiles that speak of an almost insane capacity by which human beings cling to their future.

The raw magnetism of human tragedy has brought people together, cementing a pluralistic society of love and hope.

Through the depredations that life has thrown us, we are cursed by the knowledge of our mortality. Many of us assume that all life lies before us, a calm ocean of time, smooth and unruffled.

Our daily jobs and tasks distract us from the truth of it. But when the sun goes down, we’re all just stumbling through the darkness trying to outlast another night. KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross