Our view
I see that culture is rubbing off onto many people because what pleasure do you derive from enjoying all of life's luxuries when there are poor people around you?
By the time we get to December we are in one of the busiest months of the year with World Aids Day, 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, Day of Reconciliation and now the Mandela commemoration on December 5 in addition to the usual festivities of the season.
In short, it has become a more compassionate time now that the Mandela issue has been included because he was all about giving and assisting the most downtrodden of society.
I see that culture is rubbing off onto many people because what pleasure do you derive from enjoying all of life’s luxuries when there are poor people around you?
We also have HIV/Aids infected and affected people, as well as victims of abuse, all of who needs to be taken care of by everyone in society because never say never, as tomorrow might be your or your next of kin’s turn.
This is a month in which families should refocus and do what is right for them and society at large, because it is no longer a month of splashing around your money on goodies, checking and dealing with your priorities, then saving for tomorrow.
Gone are the days of visiting relatives in the countryside.
Instead, people are planning for holidays in advance through timeshare schemes and paying for it well in advance.
It is advisable, as we wait or have received our bonuses, to be careful how we spend it and to avoid being reckless on unnecessary commodities. Within your budgets, please also think of the underprivileged who don’t have anything to receive, let alone plan for.
Find it in your hearts to be a sharing society, because by doing so, you’re not only assisting the next person, but an entire community. As each one of us does his part, we can eventually become a community of givers, and the communities we live in can be better places to be in all the time.
It is the very spirit that Nelson Mandela espoused during his lifetime, having served 27 years in prison and sacrificed 67 years of his life in actively struggling for freedom and bringing about democracy in South Africa.
It is this spirit of Madiba we should emulate and the legacy we should keep alive among all mankind, then the Almighty will bless us with fortune in whatever manner.
In essence, we shall have been transformed into a good-hearted society which is rich spiritually and emotionally, and can ascend to economic growth. Long live the spirit of Madiba!
