“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
Johannesburg, South Africa (18 October 2022) – Yesterday I was accused of being irresponsible for sharing good news in South Africa. Apparently, I “deal in false hope”.
I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty here but this person believes that our country is doomed and we all need “to get out while we still can”.
So today, I feel like I need to say this out loud: I am not going anywhere. Nor am I going to stop talking about the good things happening in South Africa.
Living here is so flipping tough. We really do have a complex relationship with this country. Ja, the crime is scary, off the charts and violent. The poverty is harrowing. It’s an epidemic that is utterly heartbreaking. Over 90% of our population live below the “dignity line” and in that segment, 50% live in abject poverty – this means they do not eat every day. The corruption, lies and evilness of our government know no bounds. Every day uncovers a new story that sends us into a deeper spiral of their uselessness.
Unemployment. Inflation. Blue light brigades. Blackouts. Water shedding. Gangsters.
I could go on forever.
I was 7 when I first understood what rape was – a very close friend survived but was never the same. My uncle was shot 8 times when I was 12. I was hijacked in my early 20s, which left me with severe PTSD (and 9 sets of stitches all over my body). My best friend was tied up in her home and all her belongings were taken. And I have lost so many friends to suicide… more than I can count on all my fingers.
You see, I know what is going on in our country.
But I also know that there is another narrative to South Africa. A good one.
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This place is crazy. And living here is really tough. So as we try to figure this all out… I’ll keep finding the goods things. I’ll keep telling these stories. And I will be the biggest advocate for loving louder, being kinder and holding on to hope!
I’ll be holding doors for strangers, letting people cut in front of me in traffic, saying good morning, keeping babies entertained in grocery lines, tipping generously, calling you by the name on your tag, sharing food, giving a thumbs-up, being patient with sales clerks and smiling at people who pass by as often as I am provided with the opportunity.
Why?
Because I will not stand idly by and live in a world where unconditional love is invisible.
I will love louder and more often and share more kindness than necessary. I will be gentle with others’ frustrations and feelings. I will be more thoughtful because I understand that we are all facing battles that we know nothing about.
Yeah, these are still unprecedented times… and that means that we are all dealing with many realities that we never thought we would ever have to face. Sometimes it can really feel like it’s all too much… it can feel like it’s so much bigger than us, a problem that we just can’t fix, and so all we can do, is slowly watch our lives and ourselves becoming undone while the world feels like it’s falling apart around us.
Simply put: we are all facing something very cruel and incredibly unkind. But we cannot let the cruel make us unkind. And we cannot let the unkind make us cruel.
If every person who reads this made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, and whoever you deal with, you will try to act a little kinder than necessary – the world really would be a better place.
And I think we all deserve a better place right now.
That’s it. Let’s give each other hope. Let’s be the light for each other. Let’s just try to make it easier for others.
Yes, let’s all be hope dealers.
Okay. Love you. Bye.
by 
