What does it mean to be Mr SA? Well for me its more than being good looking or having a good body. Its more than having good people and networking skills or being a really good public speaker. For me its more than having good business skills or having an impressive media profile. Having these things are important, but for me the most important thing is having the desire to make a real positive change in this beautiful country of ours. I believe I can make a change. In fact I know that I am going to.
How? Well by addressing the root of the problem, and that is peoples' attitudes. Now Im not saying South Africans have bad attitudes, but our attitudes are based on misconceptions and fallacies. Revenge, vengeance, vendetta, an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth are all terms that are negative in nature. But when someone acts in vengeance, how many times have u heard,"well an eye for an eye". Like its ok, like its been justified. So if someone hits you, its ok to hit them back. Because you would be a "wussy" if you didn't hit them back, right? Or if someone hurts or even kills a loved one, its ok to hurt or kill them back, cos an eye for an eye right? And on face value it does seem ok to behave in this manner, to have so much negativity, anger and bitterness in your heart that you need take it out in a vengeful form.
But behaving this way is also based on a misconception. The misconception that we all have a choice in what we do, if a person kills another it was his "choice" to do so. Im sorry but we do not all have a choice. The fortunate, those of you reading this, have grown up in stable homes, with loving families and friends, you were shown bodily respect, and you were taught the faculties(thru school and other socialisations) as to how to make choices. Let me illustrate my point using an example. Lets imagine a boy born on the street and abandoned by his parents, he grows up having to beg, is beaten by other street kids and is sexually molested also. So during his primary formative years he is shown no love, no bodily or emotional respect and no humanity. Now how can we expect him to show love to others or to respect others? How can behave in a way in which he doesnt know, in a way in which he has never been shown or never experienced? You and I have been shown love and respect, and thus we CAN love and respect others. So now this boy grows up, gets a gun and kills someone. And we say "oh well he had a choice not to do it"...HE WAS NEVER GIVEN THE CHOICE!!!
Now imagine this same boy, just as he was born, was placed in one of our homes and was treated as the little bro. Our parents loved him and he went to a good school and he was not physically or emotionally molested. I can guarantee you that he would not grow up to be a stone cold killer.
But lets go back to the scenario where he grew up on the street and became a cold blooded killer.
Isn't it punishment in itself for this boy to have grow up on the street and not in one of our homes? IT IS!!! His whole life has been a punishment. He was never given the chance to "flourish" or to have a beautiful life like we have. So now lets say this boy has killed a loved one and we see him in court. Now we have all this anger and vengeance built up in our hearts and our 1st reaction is to punish him...to punish him further. Isn't it enough that his whole life has been a punishment? And when we look into his eyes we feel justified further because they look so cold, they even look "evil". Well thats the look u get in your eyes when u have grown up experiencing no love, no respect or no humanity! Wouldn't the truly humane thing to do, be to actually forgive him? To actually go up to him and give him a hug? So that he actually feels empathy, something positive for the 1st time in his life. As u are hugging him he will think I just killed this person's sister and now they are hugging me, he will be incredibly confused, but for the 1st time in his life there will be a glimmer of light...It seems incredibly far fetched to behave this way, but this is what Jesus would have done.
And this is also what Mandela would have done. When he was released from prison he shook the hands of the guards that had incarcerated him. He smiled to and hugged the members of the government that had enslaved and killed his people for decades. He felt no vengeance, bitterness or hatred in his heart as he knew the majority of the people who had enslaved and killed his people had no choice in what they were doing. They had been socialised to be "racist". And this racism was based on misconceptions(there's that word again) that black people were evil, stupid and sub-human. If a little boy grows up being told by everyone that black people are evil, stupid and just animals he is going to grow up believing it. He wont have the "choice" to believe otherwise.
And Mandela knew this and this is why he was so empathetic and could forgive. Imagine he had of come out of prison with a vendetta on his mind, hellbent on vengeance? This country would be a very different place to what it is now(Zimbabwe anyone?). And this is why Madiba is my hero and the greatest role model any South African could ever ask for. How do we make this country a better place, well we have all been shown the way by one of the greatest men of all time...be like Madiba. Vengeance, hatred, bitterness and fear are all negative emotions and are all interlinked and thus this misconception that its ok to "exact my pound of flesh" or "take an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth" leads to hatred and consequently fear, and fear is the downfall of any emerging economy. As fear makes u stay in your comfort zone which keeps things stagnant in a time in which we should be courageous and investing and giving opportunities.
We need to be like Madiba and be empathetic and thus forgive and understand that we dont all have a "choice", which will lead to positivity, truth, goodness, light and courage. And it takes courage to build a great nation. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela had that courage.
Thank you Madiba for showing me the way, for showing us all the way.
Your message will never die.
Jeff (bodgod) I love the fact that u mentioned in the first paragraph that 'desire' is more important than all the other necessary things to attain this title. Without a definite desire, Jeff, we have nothing. My wish for u is to be consumed by the fires of your desire and the 'phoenix' that rise from those ashes takes not only South Africa but our whole planet to a better place, to ascension 2012. U are a Warrior of Light!! U have my vote ~Namaste
ReplyDeleteJeff, I had to read this post about three times becauase it was so full of wisdom and so inspiring. First of all it is rare to find a talent like yourself, aspiring to become Mr south Africa 2010, to talk about Spiritual Matters, The essence of Life and subjects that touch on the empowerement of all Human beings. The Matter of choice was a great analogy, the example you gave with the boy, that is exactly how duality is created from childhood, from a very early age depending on how we are nurtutred, loved or not, cared for, taught, directed, inspired etc...this is what shapes our personalities but beyond that, deep down inside, every Being has a sparkle of light and even roses who grew out of concrete are capable of spreading grass around them.
ReplyDeleteI fully support your initiatives and I want you to know that I am myself a proud supporter of Humanity, of the common consciousness which is now going through a major transition, an awakening that will lead us to a brighter dimension full of love, affection, harmony, and unity on this planet. The growing pains, we as humans are going through are necessary for this transition to be successful, but it will only be really successful if more people understood the power of Love and applied it in a practical concrete manner to assist those who cannot see the light, to help those in the darkness change their realities. Because those in the Darkness without their own choice want to get out of it, they just don't know how.
There is so much more to the external Material Aspects of Life. That is part of Reality too, but all this doesn't matter if we do not recognize, aknowledge and cherish what really does matter: Our Soul, a series of Vibrational freqencies created by Love.
I fully support you brother.
What a wonderful goal you have helping your fellow man in South Africa. Just these wonderful thoughts in action will cause a ripple affect.Children and youth need roal models like you to see a way out. Who knows those who will be helped by your good example? Just like a small seed being planted needing fostering care and nourishment.
ReplyDeleteMy son of 21 was volunteering in Cape Town for three months working in the townships there. Doing just that talking to children and youth being an example offering friedship. Showing kindness. He feel in love with South Africa.
I offer you positive thoughts and know life will be good for you because you are willing to think of others first before your self.
Kristin in Norway