EDITOR – This is a plea to South Africans to rise above the divisive talk recently emanating from the “formal” media (TV/radio broadcasting, newspapers) that has led to the current paranoia around our diversity.
We also need to treat informal social media with great care, lest we fall into the same mode of promoting division. Think before you spout.
I’m talking mainly racism now, of course, in all of its forms, not only the form broadcast by whites. Government and political parties are the third (and worst) set of racist agencies which must be ignored. The recent elections produced new levels of hatred in our beloved country.
We have far more important issues to address, and we cannot do this while we are divided and fighting about our cultural and physical differences. The issues are about our very existence – we face increasing threats from terrible pollution of our air and water, loss of our soil and water through poor planning and conservation processes, and we are destroying the resources that have taken so many millions and billions of years to create. Think of oil and coal, and the minerals that we are scraping from ever decreasing sources. And, don’t forget the impact we are having on our fellow non-human citizens of this world in terms of biodiversity.
Our population has grown at an alarming rate, and the rate is still increasing, especially in South Africa. We simply cannot continue to provide food, shelter, water, and energy to such a growing mass of people, let alone education and medical care.
Get away from the divisive politicians and start doing the right thing. We have to manage our population and the resources that we use. If we don’t, we will destroy humanity – Earth may recover, but we will not.
What can we do right now? Set aside our differences and start behaving like adults. Ignore insane politicians and agitating media. Conserve our resources.
How will we know when we are beginning to have an impact? When we all respect our human diversity. When we are all talking freely about population control. When we are surrounded by renewable energy sources – renewable does not include nuclear. When we see less plastic and other waste coming down our rivers with each flood. When the brown of wasted topsoil no longer colours our sea at river outfalls. When our developers think before building in areas where there is limited water or a danger of soil erosion; When our farmers are producing food again, yet caring for our soil and water at the same time. When we are actively recycling everything.
This is not an impossible dream. It is an imperative if we want to ensure the survival of our human species. Come on South Coast residents – let us be the first.
FRED TURCK
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