“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …”
This is probably one of the greatest opening paragraphs of any literary work. It was written by Charles Dickens in the ‘Tale of Two Cities’, during the French Revolution.
I believe it sums up the times we live in.
After all, we do live in great times because all the technology, advancements in medicine and inventions continually making our lives easier. It is a time of global accessibility, availability and information.
Yet, it is also the worst of times. Ours has become a hostile world where we have less time for each other. It is a place where marriages in SA are falling apart and there is self-destruction, corruption, violence, treachery and betrayal.
It is a time when the fittest are trying to survive and the least fit are being trampled upon and ravaged.
There is a famous quote that states: ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
Sadly, it was misquoted as having been said by Darwin. Frankly, he never said it. It is purported to be a quote from the book, The Origin of Species, but is actually from a management studies text.
Still, it is an interesting quote and makes you realise, more than ever, that we need to adapt to continue our quest to survive.
We are definitely not living in the best of times in SA, so we need to adapt. Fuel prices are threatening to keep on spiking and impact the general cost of living.
So yes, this is the best and the worst of times, where the rich are getting richer and the poor even poorer. In South Africa, our unemployment rate is hovering around 27 per cent, while America is enjoying the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years.
And yes, these are indeed days of wisdom but also of great foolishness. Sadly, the foolishness is outweighing wisdom, and so we find ourselves living in times of great uncertainty.
It is the days when many are clinging to a higher belief, while many are abandoning such a concept and are placing hope in themselves, in the tangible and the temporary.
Indeed, there are plenty of good things happening around us, thus there is a sparkle of light shining through the dark clouds, but there is also so much darkness. Such an epoch is upon us.
Here in South Africa, we are most assuredly experiencing a winter of despair. Shall we be brave enough, however, to look forward to a new season of hope? Indeed, our days of belief and of incredulity will determine the future for many of us travelling on these strange roads of our times.
The other day I received an interesting message full of graphics which summed up how our times have indeed changed. In light of Dickens’ words, it also sums up the times we are living in.
The graphics depicted how, today, we have lots of friends on social media, but no best friends. Our friends, like our money, are floating around in cyberspace without texture, substance or reality.
It spoke of how mankind has touched the moon, yet our neighbours are unknown to us.
In the year 2018, we have costly watches, but no time for anything anymore.
We have become a people chasing after free Wifi, yet we are longer excited about free books.
Yes, we are living in times of high income, but less peace of mind; we are living in times of advanced medicine, but we are slipping into poorer health.
At the end of the day, we are sitting with lots of humans – seven billion or so – yet there is less humanity judging by all the barbarity, cruelty, intolerance, hate and rage swirling around us.
This surely sums it all up. Thus, the best of times and the worst of times. A time of conflict and of revolutions, but also a time of opportunity and of drinking from the cup of life.
The road ahead for this country, for this world and for so many in Boksburg, remains a mystery, but it promises to be a journey and an adventure that will unfold and reveal where the path will lead mankind next.
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