Grass

Last week I wrote a post for my sister in which I said South Africa gives me hope. I intend to amend that post to clear up some things.

I am under no impression that South Africa is some promised land flowing with milk and honey.

In fact, the majority of problems in this country are glaringly obvious. They're in plain sight everywhere you go. The haves live behind walls and gates and electric fences, while the have-nots live in tin and cardboard shacks just down the road. Corruption, inefficiency and thuggery make front-page news every day.

But a realization I've come to is that it's not a matter of the grass being greener overall. It's a matter of green patches and dead patches. And there's very little to no separation. The green patches and the dead patches are so intermingled that the difference is almost difficult to tell. If you turn some of the green blades over, they're dead on the other side.

Every beautiful thing about this country is juxtaposed against the issues. For every majestic view of a mountain, for every amiable stranger on the street, there's a robbery or an electricity blackout.

But so clear to me is the silver lining around every storm cloud. Every issue is skirted by hope, even if it's a small amount. There has to be. South Africa MUST have hope, and it does.

I just keep thinking back to how my mother used to teach songs in minor keys to the choir in Maun, and they would automatically turn it into a major key.

When you drive around the townships, you see little kids and their older siblings playing and dancing and singing and laughing. They aren't moaning. They've not got flush toilets, but they aren't crying about it.

And this isn't some gushy story. I'm not trying to say that I've had everything put into perspective about how I should appreciate all the things I have because poor African kids are happy with less (though it's true).

This is about how the negatives are literally wrapped up right around the positives, and the positives around the negatives. It's difficult to choose whether positives outweigh negatives. In fact, I don't think it's possible or even necessary.

I think the ability to accept the positive hand-in-hand with the negative is a simple fact of life. And the continual drive to create a better world is a must. If you can't accept what is and work for something better, where can you live and what can you live for?

Watch this: http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_abani_muses_on_humanity.html