“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela
On July 18, the country celebrated Mandela Day.
Were you be part of this day of humanitarian efforts to bring about change?
This year was a special occasion, for it celebrated 100 years since Nelson Mandela’s birth.
Mandela Day, of course, is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact.
And so each year, companies and individuals are called to make a difference for at least 67 minutes, since Mandela fought for social justice for 67 years.
It is also about celebrating Madiba’s life and legacy in a sustainable way that will bring about enduring change.
Over the years, right here in Boksburg, the Advertiser has covered countless of stories of how people have reached out to the poor, the needy and the fortunate during this time of the year.
Such efforts include collecting food, upgrading facilities, donating blood and a simple show of generosity.
The question now remains, do people in this country still believe in this campaign, considering how Madiba’s legacy has been trodden up and trampled into the dirt?
After all, we do not need Mandela Day to remind us of the calamity of the state of affairs of our country. Unemployment is rife, and desperation lurks around every corner as SA is turned into a war zone of survival.
I cannot but help to wonder if there is still a passion among SA’s citizens to lend a hand, considering how the government itself has been instrumental in plundering the coffins.
Yes, making a difference is all good and well, but do the efforts on Mandela Day make much of a difference, as 17 million people rely on social grants to live?
One can only hope that the humanitarian spirit of Madiba is still alive and well in some and that it is really about making a difference instead of using such campaigns for political purposes, selfish agendas or as a marketing strategy.
No matter what happens on July 18, it will almost pale in comparison to what happened in Thailand, where brave
rescue workers freed 12 boys and their football coach from a cave, after being stuck for more than two weeks.
Reports afterwards emerged how the entire operation could have turned into a disaster as water pumps draining the area failing just hours after the last boy had been evacuated.
This has made the rescue effort so much more heroic, and it speaks of the humanitarian spirit, where the risk to the self was dismissed to bring help those who could not save themselves.
In such a spirit of sacrifice and humility still really alive in this country, considering all the talk of hate, racism, violence and intolerance?
Maybe on Mandela Day we are fooling ourselves that we are honouring the icon’s legacy, yet in the meanwhile, his legacy is being burned to the ground by a country growing in division, despondency, disillusionment and desperation.
Or maybe, there is still hope, and that there is a genuine effort to keep fighting for Madiba’s ideals, hopes and beliefs.
ALSO READ:
Proposed NHI makes you feel ill
Brace yourself brave citizen, crime will not be ending anytime soon .
Follow us:
