An angry world needs to be defused through love

Zuma has finally made a bold statement which cuts to the heart of SA’s woes – he has called our nation ‘sick’ and that we are angry people.

He was, at the time, delivering his keynote address during the official Freedom Day celebrations, to address Afrophobia which has rocked the country.

Yes, Mr President, we will take it on the chin that we are angry, but then again, Aristotle did say it best.

If we feel that we justified to be angry, are we then angry at the right people, at the right time and within context?

The Afrikaners will say they have plenty to be angry about for they are being victimised (farm attacks, land grabs), while their livelihood and culture is under attack.

Then again, the black community is still (yes, after all the years) seething over Apartheid, blaming the legacy of poverty for their woes.

Question is, who are we really angry at and is that anger truly justified?

Maybe we are just angry for the sake of being angry. Maybe we are a nation who have chosen to be angry.

After all, anger is contagious, far worse than your common flu. One angry person has the ability to spark a destructive chain reaction of anger.

It is not just in this tainted Rainbow Nation that people are angry. Across the world, in every country, the sickness of the time – hate, intolerance, racism, bitterness and unforgiveness – has seeped with morbid force into the fabric of societies.

Such sickness expresses itself in many forms, including xenophobia. It expresses itself in the protests in America, such in Baltimore, where the black community is crying foul over the apparent brutal behaviour of law enforcement.

We see this sickness among Isis as they torture and kill, we see it among Boko Haram as they abduct school girls and we see this sickness in individual acts of rape, murder and plundering.

It expresses itself on the roads in how people drive. Law enforcement blames it on reckless driving. Maybe it is simply because people drive angry.

People are angry at governments, ideologies, and coming under threat for being a certain colour or being born into a certain culture.

There is an anger in households, in schools, among families, in marriages, between parents and children, and such anger is expressed because of personal failures, dashed hopes, frustrations and bitterness.

It seems the world in general is raging against something – whether it be religion, politics, art, media, culture or traditions, yet sometimes without any real cause or purpose.

It is just contagious anger spreading like a virus without regard for colour, race or status.

Sure, there are causes that justify a period of raging but, at certain times, people simply rage because it has become acceptable to be angry.

We just have to face it. We live in an angry world, where true forgiveness is hard to find and is hardly genuine.

Just keep an eye on social media – people are angry! Angry at differing opinions, angry at reality TV, angry that their sport teams didn’t perform, angry at climate change, angry over the economy and so the list continues.

Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But when we indulge in this anger we ourselves are letting go of the power to be happy.

Yes, we can choose not to let things upset us, no matter how great they are or seem to be. Anger is nothing more like a cancer – the more we entertain it the more it will destroy us.

Holding on to anger is therefore like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Anger profits none, neither does unforgiveness, bitterness or rage.

Mahatma Gandhi said that anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. And so are indulging in allegations, accusations and rumours.

It is sad that only a disaster like the earthquake in Nepal can manage to, at least for a brief moment, dampen such brewing anger and mistrust as the global community takes hands to help the fallen and the injured.

Nick Vujicic, the inspirational man born without arms or legs, was recently in South Africa to spread his message of hope, faith and love.

Vujicic, who is a one man crusade, believes that anger has no place in this world and there is a cure for such emotions. His remarkable story of overcoming affliction is a testimony that man can choose to live without regret, remorse or fear by embracing the beauty of life.

One has to agree. If each person surely can love a bit more, forgive deeper, and choose to embrace life, then surely we can make this world and this country a place of less hate.

Each person remains the solution, so let us rather be contagious with love instead of anger.