Cat got your tongue?

There are a few of my friends who visit this blog now and again, just to find out where my head is.

Over the past few weeks, I have not written anything.

Looking back at my notes, it seems that I predicted the riots a year ago in very accurate detail. 

Despite having predicted it, I was not pleased that the cards fell exactly as I saw them. The reality however was far worse. The looting and the frenzy was not something you could  prepare your mind for.

The other reason that I stayed out of the fray was that I understood that in times like this one needs fewer words. The riots were fanned by social media and the last thing I wanted was to in any way contribute to the drama.

When at first isolated cases came up I defended the looters saying that they were hungry and the lockdown had made them desperate.

When it all went sideways I grabbed my weapons and joined the cpf in my area, to patrol the streets to keep our families safe.

Our area didn't see any violence but the stores were closed. 

When they did open they were soon sold out with very long queues.

I had my entire family with me and the kids got to take long walks through the neighbourhood. Schools were closed and we all stayed at home and it was wonderful.

Every night the men got together around a huge fire and we got the time to bond with the neighbours in a way that we could never have done at any other time.

I got to know the people I lived next to and found them friendly and interesting.

We bartered eggs for onions and all of us were struck by how generous the neighbourhood was.

Then things settled, and we got back to our lives.

There were lots of stories of looting and burning and the various communities coming together in what turned out to be quite violent ways.

We were insulated from it all but it was clear that the racial tensions would go on to fester.

The riot brought out the worst in humanity and the best.

The poverty that lay at the heart of it all remains. 

More than likely, worse than before, as a result of the lost jobs from the destruction.

We had just entered a level 4 lockdown and booze was banned, but the riots took the stage front and centre and covid was forgotten.

There are many conspiracy theories about what really went on but the truth is "we just don't know". Perhaps in time, we might learn the true story of what really happened.

While there are a lot of us who tried to defend the actions of a desperate poor hungry disenfranchised community, it became really difficult to keep that view when looters took to actually shitting in the stores that were gutted. Smearing their faeces over the things they couldn't destroy or take away. 

One commentator put it very well.

This was a crisis of leadership. 

The leaders who wielded the power over the people lacked integrity and those that had integrity lacked the support of the people. 

So where do we go from here?

Do we flee like cowards or do we stand and fight like men? 

In every household in the nation people grapple and debate over the choice. 

Some are wealthy enough to have this discussion while others are not. 

These cannot be the only two options. 

This is not an ideological religious difference where both combatants are unable to back down and unable to reconcile. Many parts of the world are embroiled in struggles that seemingly have no solutions. Ours is much less dramatic. A very small percentage of the population have incredible wealth, while the masses are unemployed and starving. 

While we can disagree on the why we are all agreed on these facts. 

There is a huge wealth gap. The poor do not have enough to survive on. 

We can all accept that sad reality. 

As evolved humans are we not duty-bound to feed the poor?

To help the less fortunate ones. 

I don't mean that we should give charity daily or monthly as a tax, to ease our conscience. 

We must feed our neighbours.

Three meals a day, every day. Until we too are poor or that the balance is restored. 

If we are opposed to this idea then its because we don't feel the need to feed our less fortunate neighbours or that we don't see why we should give up our hard-earned wealth to others who are less fortunate. 

Either way it is our failing. 

Our humanity is being tested and it seems we are failing. 

𝓜 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓴

July 2021